Fanon is a term used to describe fiction created by fans. Fan fiction, which can also be written as fanfiction and is often shortened to fanfic, is an unauthorized story penned by a fan. These stories are set within the confines of a pre-existing fictional world, like Star Wars. Because Lucasfilm does not recognize these narratives, they are considered non-canon.
The word itself is a blend of the words fan and canon.
Occasionally, authors working on the Expanded Universe would incorporate elements of fanon into their work. A prime example of this is the 501st Legion, a clone trooper unit named in honor of an actual charitable organization. In this way, the fanon – or at least certain aspects of it, such as the name – became integrated into the Legends continuity.
The What's The Story? contest gave members of the Hyperspace fan club an opportunity to submit fan-created backstories for specific characters. The best submissions were then adopted as the official backstories for those characters.
On September 3, 2020, a Tumblr user named gomjabbar posted, "every time a new Star War movie or show is announced all the fans are like 'OMG Glup Shitto is back 😭😭😭'." This post caused "Glup Shitto" to rapidly spread in popularity, becoming a term used by Star Wars fans to describe obscure characters with names that some find strange. Some fans have even started referring to characters that fit this description as "their" Glup Shittos, highlighting their personal fondness for these characters. On August 2, 2022, Lucasfilm Story Group member Matt Martin acknowledged the Glup Shitto meme, revealing that he had used the term in an official note.
- Fanon's page on Wikipedia
- Star Wars Fanon Wiki , a wiki dedicated to fan-generated characters and concepts
- Star Wars Fanon Wiki on the Star Wars Fanpedia