That thruster-fire in the background is clearly Iago Haakana.
So, nobody can agree on if Amuro and Char are KIA or MIA? I would just go with the flow.
I would just go with what the Unicorn anime clearly showed us.
They're both KIA.
Star Wars OT reference, eh?
I doubt it, psychic power was popular back then. In fact Raideen (directed by Tomino himself) already feature pilot with psychic power and it aired two years before A New Hope.
Novelization vs. Official Timeline
"Official" being the key word.
And Tomino not directing has nothing to do with whether or not it's considered canon, the property owner has final say. That's like saying Star Wars 7,8,9 aren't canon because George Lucas didn't write or direct it. Disney would STRONGLY disagree with that. Lol Your personal 'head canon' can be whatever, but at the end of the day sunrise has made it abundantly clear.
Sorry Bros, Unicorn is canon