The Star Wars Expanded Universe may be “dead” and shunted into the “Legends” status, but elements created in the EU can still show up in the new Star Wars movies. Rebels actually draws some bits from the EU, so it’s very possible Episode VII would as well. Here are five things that could show up in the Sequel Trilogy:
While she may not be named “Mara Jade” a character that matches her type could show up as Luke’s wife. Sorsha in Willow was very much “Mara Jade” both in appearance and character (redhead warrior woman who served evil, but then turned good), so it’s an archetype that Lucas has had in mind for a long time. It’s very possible we’ll see someone who matches Mara’s description at some point in the Sequel Trilogy, even if she doesn’t have the same name.
Darth Bane is actually a Lucas creation, so he’s was technically canon even when the book trilogy was written, but Lucasfilm officially made him part of the on-screen canon with his appearance in the Yoda arc of The Clone Wars. One theory is that the villain in Episode VII could have possibly gone on a similar journey as Yoda, encountered the Bane illusion, and fell to the Dark Side.
The Sith home world has been part of the Expanded Universe for a long time, but Lucasfilm made it canon in The Clone Wars. They even gave it a new name, Moraband. By making it canon and naming it something different than Korriban, it’s very possible they have plans to use the planet in some way in an upcoming movie.
Even though the Empire was defeated in Return of the Jedi, there were still stragglers that posed a problem in the Expanded Universe. The idea of rogue commanders with a Star Destroyer desperately trying to cling to the Empire even after its defeat is another thing that could show up in the new movies. Even though they’re set 30 years after the Empire’s defeat, the galaxy is a very big place.
The New Republic
While it’s not likely to be called “The New Republic”, we’re likely to see some new form of government that’s run by the heroes of the Rebellion. If rumors are true, it wouldn’t be Leia who’s at the top. The current Episode VII rumor is that Han is actually a “president” of sort in that he followed the George Washington path of going from General to President. That could explain why they say Harrison Ford has such a “gigantic” role in Episode VII.