I was under the impression that the highest level of canon in the Star Wars universe was the six movies. Anything outside that -- from the comics, to the books, to the video games -- was potentially canonical only if it did not contradict something in the movies, but it wasn't on the same level.

Some EU stories were great, but some plot points were really, really, really stupid. At least we no longer have to deal with Palpatine clones, right?

It also always bugged me that so many EU creators got the Force so wrong, as I understand it: There is no such thing as the "Light Side" of the Force. It doesn't exist. It's never mentioned in the movies. There's no such thing as a "balanced" Jedi who is half-way between the "Light Side" and the "Dark Side." There's no such thing as being only a little "Dark Side." There's no such thing as a Jedi who goes to the Dark Side and comes back (with one very notable exception, which was the whole point of Return of the Jedi).

There's just the Force and the Dark Side of the Force. The Force is the natural and healthy state of things, drawing power from the oneness of the universe and all living things. The Dark Side is a cancer. Being a "little bit" on the Dark Side is like having a "little bit" of cancer. Returning from the Dark Side is as miraculous as being cured of cancer.

Needless to say, I'm happy some elements of the EU are being downplayed now. A lot of it was a big mess. Then again, focusing on "continuity" and "canon" just puts a huge spotlight on the fact that all fiction is just an interesting web of maintained lies. Folks should just pick and choose what they want to believe, what makes them happier.