Much to the disappointment of many Star Wars fans, Disney decided to wipe the entire Expanded Universe from canon when they took over of the franchise. It was understandable, though, as trying to make new movies and tell stories while being beholden to decades worth of books and tie-in material...well, it would have made things very complicated.
Since then, Lucasfilm has released a new wave of tie-in books and comics, all of which are believed to be canon. We've seen some contradictions on screen, but by far the biggest came in the final episode of Tales of the Jedi on Disney+.
As The Direct explains (via SFFGazette.com), the story told by Dave Filoni completely contradicts the events of the 2016 Ahsoka book by E. L. Johnston. There are some similarities, such as the Jedi using the name "Ashla" as a cover, but everything from how she's exposed to which Sith Inquisitor tracks her down is completely different.
Ahsoka no longer takes that villain's red kyber crystals to purify and turn into her two white lightsabers, while her reunion with Senator Bale Organa is also massively different. In the book, they never crossed paths at Padme's funeral, instead meeting right at the end of the book when she gains that "Fulcrum" moniker from Star Wars Rebels.
Filoni has previously said he worked with Johnston on the book, though that was actually before both The Clone Wars was revived and Ahsoka was anywhere near close to becoming a reality. The filmmaker wanting to tell this story in a different way isn't a shocker, but it does lead to questions about how important any of these tie-in stories are.
After all, if they can become non-canon on a whim thanks to a TV show or movie, should we really be taking them with anything more than a pinch of salt? Lucasfilm has avoided telling stories within the same timeframes (Marvel Comics' Star Wars titles are currently set after the events of The Empire Strikes Back, for example), but there are bound to be more contradictions down the line.
Are you disappointed that the Ahsoka novel is no longer canon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.