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One of my friend says the name 'Coruscant' was first used by Timothy Zahn in his Thawn trilogy series. Lucas liked the idea so much that he used this name for the galactic capital.
Is this true?
Is there anything first mentioned in the Star Wars expanded universe which was used in the prequel trilogy?
Regarding the first question: it's NOT true that Zahn invented the planet, but is IS true that he invented the name for it:.
Coruscant chosen for the films
Regarding Coruscant appearing in the prequels, Timothy Zahn had this to say at Celebration III:
"Just to make it clear, I did not invent the planet…George Lucas had invented the planetwide city a long time ago. When I was starting the Thrawn Trilogy, they told me to coordinate with the West End Games source material, and they had it listed as the Imperial Planet. Well nobody names a planet 'Imperial Planet,' so I thought it needed a name, so I picked the word that means glittering: 'Coruscant.' Apparently, when it came time to choose a name [for the films], people persuaded George to go with Coruscant and be done with it. So I felt very vindicated -- the tail wagging the dog. It was an honor to be slipped into the movies this way.
For the second question, there are other examples (e.g. Aayla Secura), but I wasn't able to find a complete list.
From Lucas' statements in Starlog were commented on in a December 7, 2005 post on the starwars.com forums by Leland Chee, who maintains Lucas Licensing's continuity database (via SW Canon Wiki):
Chee: "GL is certainly not bound by the EU, though he's certainly open to using things created in it (Aayla Secura and the Coruscant name, for example). On the other hand, the quote you provide makes it sound like the EU is separate from George's vision of the Star Wars universe. It is not. The EU must follow certain tenets set by George through the films and other guidelines that he provides outside of the films."
Also, from Wookieepedia canon article, the following examples are shown (unsourced):
C-canon elements have been known to appear in the movies, thus making them G-canon; examples include the name "Coruscant," swoop bikes, Quinlan Vos, Aayla Secura, YT-2400 freighters and Action VI transports.
As an aside, from "philosophical" perspective, EU does NOT exist for Lucas:
Anything not in the current version of the films is irrelevant to Film only continuity. (Leland Chee post)
The 501st Legion ("Vader's Fist") could also be considered EU material that also appeared on the big screen in the prequel trilogy. In Episode III, after Order 66 is given, the newly christened Darth Vader leads the 501st in the attack on the Jedi Temple (they were the blue clone troopers). Though I don't think they're actually referred to as the 501st on-screen.
The 501st started off as a cosplay club who got so popular that they were first recognized in Timothy Zahn's novels Survivor's Quest and Fool's Bargain (e-book) in 2004. Afterward, they appear in the Star Wars Battlefront II video game and then in numerous SW novels and comics and of course the Clone Wars TV series (I believe they appear in both Clone Wars series) and Episode III.
Technically, the 501st Legion was not created by Lucasarts (they were a fan cosplay club), but were in fact recognized by Lucas and then brought into the EU and Episode III.
