List of fanon elements in continuity

Occasionally, elements developed by fans make their way into the Expanded Universe. This usually involves popular theories held by fans that are eventually accepted by authors as truth, however are sometimes more specific as ideas or artwork by a fan appearing on web sites or forums.

Below is a list of fanon elements that have been included into EU literature and thus have become canon.

A "nod" to the fans
When an author or artist intentionally implements a fan idea.

Sha'ala Doneeta
Adopted by Joe Corroney for use in CIS Shadowfeed Year's Start Fete Day Edition. Sha'ala's character was based on artwork commissioned by Bryan K. Borgman of a Force adept created for his Star Wars RPG home game in early 2000.

The 501st Legion
Timothy Zahn, in his novel Survivor's Quest, named the 501st Legion after the international fan group of the same name. The unit would go on to be featured as Darth Vader's personal stormtrooper legion in Revenge of the Sith.

The Galactic Federation of Free Alliances
For years, fans have been referring to the Star wars galaxy as the GFFA; an acronym of Galaxy Far, Far Away. When Del Rey set out to create a new galactic government near the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War, they christened it the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances as an homage to the fanon term.

Grievous' mask
Adopted by Abel G. Peña for use in The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War. The notion that Thrawn might eventually have obtained Grievous' mask originated in a forum thread at the Jedi Council. User Charles Phipps, aka Charlemagne19, posed the question of how Grievous would do tactically against Thrawn, in response to which forumers Mike Cooper and Kyle Hartshorn, aka Rogue_Follower, posited that it would depend on whether he'd seen Kaleesh art; namely, Grievous' mask.

Mistaken identity
When an author or artist un-intentionally implements an fan idea, due to mistakenly believing it to already be canon.

Cygnus Spaceworks
Apparently originating in Book of Imperial Shuttle Plans: Cygnus Spaceworks, a series of fan-made blueprints for the Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, Cygnus Spaceworks has been mentioned in such references as X-Wing: The Official Strategy Guide and The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels as the manufacturer of Lambda-class shuttles and similar vessels. A reference to the Unification Wars in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections may also be inspired by the same source.

Imperator-class Star Destroyer
In Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections, it was stated that the Imperial-class Star Destroyer was initially designated Imperator-class, and this term has been repeated in subsequent sources with reference to the earliest years of the Empire. Like the name of Cygnus Spaceworks, this term derives from a set of old, and apparently fan-made blueprints, hull-plans for a "Star Destroyer - Imperator Class". As a matter of trivia, it is worth mentioning in this context that the Marvel Star Wars comics did use a distinct designation for Star Destroyers; but this was "Star Destroyer-class Battle Cruiser".

K'Kruhk's lightsaber
Adopted by Jan Duursema for use in Jedi: Mace Windu. The design for K'Kruhk's lightsaber was developed by a fan and displayed on his website. Artist Jan Duursema implemented the design into her own work, mistakenly thinking that the design was from a canon source.

Official invitations
When LucasFilm specifically invites fans to provide input into the Star Wars universe. While these elements were technically never "fanon", they were created by the fans and deserve mention here.

The Fantastic Technology Contest
For the book Galladinium's Fantastic Technology, West End Games and the Role Playing Game Association held a contest allowing players of Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game to submit various examples of technology; winning entries were included in the book. Out of about seventy-five submissions, nearly half were included in the book, with first place going to Michael Zebrowski for his Repulsor grappling gun.

Clone Wars Jedi poll
For the Star Wars: Clone Wars animated series, Cartoon Network held an online poll which allowed viewers to pick which of three Jedi would be featured in an upcoming episode. The winning choice, Voolvif Monn, appeared in episodes 20 and 22. The two other choices, Foul Moudama and Roron Corobb, appeared later in the series.

Episode III: You Pick the Droid Color
Star Wars Hyperspace members were invited to vote for the color scheme of R4-G9 appearing in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

What's The Story?
A fortnightly invitation for members of Star Wars Hyperspace to provide a backstory for a certain element of the films or EU. While the main subject already exists in the universe, fans are able to introduce additional new elements in their entries. Winning entries are published in the Databank.