The ultimate guide to reading the star wars books reedsy. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated eu, encompasses every one of the licensed, fictional background stories of the star wars universe, outside of the original six star wars films produced by george lucas and certain other material such as star wars. If so, i highly recommend reading books from the star wars the expanded universe. Go ask any star wars fan about the best expanded universe novels ever written and we guarantee they will say the thrawn trilogy.
Its the first star wars book to ever utilize input from the lucasfilm story group. Lucasfilm later rebranded the expanded universe as star wars legends and declared it noncanonical to the franchise. Disneys newlook star wars universe comes paired with a collection of. All stories are presented here in inuniverse chronological order, as opposed to realworld release dates. Lets take a look at some of the most popular characters from legends that diehard star wars fans are absolutely dying to see return. Would you like to experience more adventures featuring characters from star wars. The casual viewer of a star wars movie may think that the only stories extant are the ones in the now seven films, but the expanded universe used george lucass films as a launching pad for. When disney acquired lucasfilm and swept aside the old star wars expanded universe to create its own canon, there was plenty of outrage at the loss of such a swath of materialsranging from the. When dark horse comics was still responsible for publishing star wars graphic novels and comics, a unique series called crimson empire was. Many fans had speculated that the expanded universe that is, the books, comics, video games, and other mediums that had developed from the rich worlds and characters of george lucass movies would be used as source material for the upcoming star wars. For over 35 years, the expanded universe has enriched the star wars experience for fans seeking to continue the adventure beyond what is seen on the screen. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown. It is derived from and includes most official star wars books. But no other character stands as a testament to the sheer.
Dec 17, 2015 would you like to experience more adventures featuring characters from star wars. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated. What characters in the star wars expanded universe are the. A definitive legends clone wars timeline was never established by lucasfilm. Because disney is not satisfied with just making action figures, childrens shows, and video games, it wanted a whole new set of films, and it wanted those films to go into the direction of the star wars universe that george lucas himself, until now, had left well enough alone. Of course, the sheer size of the expanded universe, and the fact that star wars exists in every conceivable form of media, means that the possibilities are nearly endless for how these characters. Star wars author timothy zahn explains why hes against. See this article in wookieepedia for how it all works.
Dark force rising, and the last command kicked off the expanded universe. Lucasfilm president casts doubt on new star wars films. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. This includes all film novelizations, novels, comics, young readers, reference books, roleplaying sourcebooks, and more. A new dawn was a groundbreaking novel for a handful of reasons. This list applies only to characters who completely appear in legends media, and who therefore do not exist in the canon continuity. Dark force rising by timothy zahn, heir to the empire by timothy zahn, the last command by timothy zahn, sh.
Hes an original trilogy character that was pretty instrumental in the fall of the empire since he actually destroyed the death star rather than workout daddyissues during the battle of endor. He opened up that universe to be a creative space for other people to tell their own tales. Expanded universe fiction includes material from books, comics, tv specials and series, radio dramas. Star wars really is the poster child for how this trope works.
The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page. Jan 29, 2018 of course, the sheer size of the expanded universe, and the fact that star wars exists in every conceivable form of media, means that the possibilities are nearly endless for how these characters. Forget thrawn the new star wars canon has brought over a. Discover new stories and characters as we celebrate star wars day this month. Expanded universe legends star wars wiki guide ign. This body of work represents the original star wars expanded universe, which was rebranded. It is not for comics or short stories in legends continuity. Where to start with the star wars expanded universe. May 15, 2015 with the old character encyclopedia, the book was broken up into the six movies of the star wars saga, the clone wars, and the expanded universe. Nov 19, 2019 after the conclusion of the original trilogy of star wars films, fans relied on various novels and comic books in the star wars expanded universe realm of mythology to hold them over, though. The last jedi and has written or cowritten more than forty novels, short stories, and other works set in the galaxy far, far away. Bane destroyed legions of sith and jedi alike, decreeing that for his order to survive they needed to hide in the darkness and work against the republic from the shadows. One of the biggest additions the prequels made to the star wars mythos was the rule of two, which the expanded universe elaborated on massively, revealing it was the product of darth bane, a sith lord who lived a thousand years before the empire. Sequels to the novels were being published as comics and vice versa, and.
The accompanying works were declared noncanon to the star wars franchise by lucasfilm in 2014. If it was published before 2014, then its not canon. A guide to all the new star wars books in the expanded universe. Aug 14, 2016 on april 25th, 2014 walt disney announced that all star wars characters, events, and locations that fall outside of the core six movies and the star wars. Solo demonstrates that the star wars expanded universe hasnt. The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. Solo demonstrates that the star wars expanded universe. However, after the disney acquisition, the expanded universe books became known instead as legends, and a new, official canon that ensured the continuity of the star wars universe was established. Star wars was a bloated, cheesy mess long before rian johnsons new film came along. How book and comic adaptations expanded and changed the. The expanded universe is a collection of star wars fiction compiled over the last 30 years. The star wars books that should have been made instead of the last jedi.
Now, as he continues to write star wars stories in the new disney canon, theres one thing he wishes the official sequel movie trilogy hadnt embraced so much. His previous books include the servants of the empire quartet and the youngadult spacefantasy series the jupiter pirates. This body of work represents the original star wars expanded universe, which was rebranded as star wars legends and declared noncanon to the franchise in april 2014. After the conclusion of the original trilogy of star wars films, fans relied on various novels and comic books in the star wars expanded universe realm of mythology to hold them over, though. The light spacetrooper is one of the many legends characters of the galactic empire. A profile of the greatest character in the star wars. Even though were in a new era of star wars, its always good to look back at where weve been in the long history of star wars novels. For over three decades, in a variety of novels, video games, comic books, reference material and other sources, the star wars expanded universe thrived, developing, deepening and, well, expanding the universe of the star wars films. May 04, 2017 ask any star wars reader what book to. May the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels.
A guide to all the new star wars books in the expanded. On april 25, 2014, lucasfilm and disney released a statement that would change the star wars franchise and expanded universe forever. Jul 10, 2017 where to start with the star wars expanded universe by thea james. Absolutely everything you need to know, updated and expanded journey to star wars.
The star wars books that should have been made instead of the. Here are the best star wars books and book series ever written for the series, both new and old. The star wars books that should have been made instead of. Since theres no consistent dating system in the star wars universe, fans have.
For decades in between the original trilogy and the prequels, star wars fans only had novels, comic books, and video games to keep them. With the exception of the cgianimated the clone wars tv series, nonfilm material produced prior to april 2014 was collectively known as the star wars expanded universe eu. How disney killed the most interesting thing about star wars. Take a trip into the galaxy far, far away and see what legend you could be a part of. The death of a certain character was too much for them to bear. An easy way to spot a canon novel is to look at the publication date.
This is an incomplete list of characters from the star wars expanded universe, now rebranded star wars legends. In 2012, disney bought lucasfilm, adding another wrench to the works. On april 25th, 2014 walt disney announced that all star wars characters, events, and locations that fall outside of the core six movies and the star wars. Originally appearing in our fourth quarterly almanac, where to start with the star wars expanded universe is the latest in our ongoing series of essays detailing where one can start with any number of sffpopgeekery topics. How book and comic adaptations expanded and changed the star wars films, part 1 yoda was blue. A profile of the greatest character in the star wars expanded. The heir trilogy heir to the empire, dark force rising, the last command by timothy zahn disney ask any star wars fan who the bestand most prolificwriter is for the series, and almost all. But fans might be interested in a different future entirely the future of the now noncanon expanded universe, which lives on in a new form in solo. The franchise as a whole publishing company for the books fans of the expanded universe consider just about everything in the expanded universe canon in some way. As such, i would argue that fans who connected with star wars through the expanded universe did so in a way thats fundamentally different from. Discover all the variations between the original trilogy and its book and comic counterparts. May 31, 2018 but fans might be interested in a different future entirely the future of the now noncanon expanded universe, which lives on in a new form in solo. Which star wars expanded universe character are you. More star wars expanded universe characters may soon.
Why disney blew up more than 30 years of star wars canon. This is especially true if they include mara jade, who is one of the best expanded universe characters. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. Star wars legends characters fans want to see return. Learn about star wars characters, planets, ships, vehicles, droids, and more in the official star wars databank at. Episode i the phantom menace, lucasfilm has divided its titles by fictional era with symbols designating such. More star wars expanded universe characters may soon become. The star wars universe is more than just a handful of blockbuster films and. If they dont, theyre either wrong or need to stop calling. The old star wars expanded universe was home to some beloved charactersmara jade, grand admiral thrawn, quinlan vos, the list goes on. Thrawn books will go back to trace the characters origins and rise among the chiss. This is a timeline for novels, young adult books, and ebooks in the expanded universelegends. Expanded universe changes star wars wiki guide ign. Jul 31, 2018 for many years, timothy zahns version of what happened after return of the jedi was the version of what happened for star wars fans.
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