Knights of the old republic is one of the most beloved video games in the iconic franchises long history. The star wars legends novels told the story of the expanded universe. Along the way, the author hinted at a larger story unfolding behind the scenes. Jul 25, 2019 ask any star wars fan who the bestand most prolificwriter is for the series, and almost all will tell you its timothy zahn. So ive been really getting into star wars lately and i want to get into the expanded universe, but im not really sure how it all works. From the adventures of luke skywalker 1976, the novelization of the 1977 film. May the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels. Star wars will rerelease classic legends books for its 50th. Star wars based fiction predates the release of the first movie, with the 1976 novelization of a new hope ghostwritten by alan dean foster and credited to george lucas. This includes some pretty cool characters who have influenced the storyarcs. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page.
Read on to learn how books like heir to the empire and comics like dark empire helped. This is a list of star wars comics, comic books set in the fictional star wars universe. Dont call it extended, please, because im totally the kind of geek wholl write a style guide on the terminology. Apr 16, 2020 this book is the first star wars novel ive picked up and i cannot properly express how exquisitely this book is written. Right from the opening page of the very first star wars novel ever released the then. Star wars expanded universe all the tropes wiki fandom. It begins with the birth of the empire, and covers the gap between revenge of the sith and a new hope, and continues through the original trilogy, ending with the battle of jakku. The star wars expanded universe timeline is a comprehensive chronology of every star wars story from 1977 to today. A nobullshit beginners guide to star wars books simple. Oct 04, 2019 way back in 1991, timothy zahn kicked off the star wars expanded universe with heir to the empire, and recently wrote a trilogy of novels that brought his infamous grand admiral thrawn into the postdisney world story.
These novels represented the only postreturn of the jedi stories for star wars until the prequel trilogy, and then later the sequel trilogy came out. Ultimate guide to star wars canon star wars books are. On the screen, the first new canon to appear will be star wars rebels. Jul 10, 2017 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. We are the page of star wars and its expanded universe. This time, thea tackles a subject close to her heart. Where to start with the star wars expanded universe. May 04, 2017 the star wars universe is more than just a handful of blockbuster films and animated television shows. Wookieepedia, the star wars wiki jid123sheeve, apr 5, 2021 at 9. Luke kicks off his new jedi order with his first batch of apprentic. As fans know, star wars retconned the expanded universe of books. Mar 29, 2021 theres a number of different original characters introduced across the expanded universe yet i, jedi was actually the first novel to have the protagonist be someone that fans hadnt previously seen in the films. When disney bought lucasfilm, the expanded universe novels.
Star wars books, comics, and expanded universe jedi. The star wars expanded universe loves this in general. Conquest was the eighth in that series, and it was the first, ah, humanizing look at the yuuzhan vong society. That meant dozens of novels, comic books, tv shows, and other material suddenly. When these books came out in the early 90s it was the end of a long bleak period. Star wars is an american epic spaceopera media franchise, centered on a film series created. Apr 02, 2021 the legends canon, previously known as the star wars expanded universe, was retconned in 2014 after lucasfilm announced plans for the sequel trilogy.
Shatterpoint was the first book published in the clone wars novel. The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. Timothy zahn singlehandedly breathed new life into the star wars franchise when lucasfilm commissioned a series of followup novels that would kick off the original expanded universe. The star wars expanded universe delivered some truly memorable. Dec 27, 2019 the resulting 19 books changed a lot about the star wars universe, from killing off major characters to establishing whole new government paradigms. Release dates are dates of first publication in us. Xwings are actually somewhat slower and less maneuverable than tie fighters, but. Apr 25, 2014 demand for past tales of the expanded universe will keep them in print, presented under the new legends banner. A brief history of the star wars expanded universe slash film. The star wars legends novels will return with fresh covers. How disney killed the most interesting thing about star wars. Ive heard praise in this forum regarding different star wars books.
Each title was part of the star wars expanded universe and explored stories that involved luke and the jedi as well as a host of side characters. Though there was a star wars novelization published by del rey who. The expanded universe, or eu, is the moniker for the entire body of work that comprises the stories set in the star wars universe ranging from novels, comics, cartoons, short stories, young adult books, television shows, animated features and more. Jun 01, 2020 because there are so many star wars canon books available, weve carefully selected a handful of titles best suited for anyone exploring the expanded universe for the first time. The first book, the novelization of the original film, star wars. Literature take your first step into a larger world. However, fosters 1978 novel, splinter of the minds eye, was the first expanded universe work to be released. I understand that there are many forms such as comics, books, and movies, but i dont know where to start or if there is an order of things i need to read. Star wars has been expanded to media other than the original films. Star wars first four novels in the new canon hello, new. The expanded universe includes books, comic books, video games, toys, and other assorted media. Lucasfilm later rebranded the expanded universe as star wars legends and. The sheer volume of material is a doubleedged sword. Despite kotors clunky combat and inventory management, which can bog the game down compared to more modern releases, the original and its 2004 sequel, kotor 2, have been ported to mobile devices and likely continue to enchant players.
The comic launched months after the first thrawn novel and was a sequel to. In this video, we take a look at the origins of the star wars expanded universe with the ten novels that established the entire first 15 years of star wars b. Eu community get to know your fellow expanded universe fans. The first slate of the essential legends collection hits bookstores in. The new star wars canon desperately needs more books like tales from the. How kotor was star wars first real universe expansion in games. Star wars expanded universe characters that should become. We are not limited to the eu, we focus on all star wars content, be it. And in the wake of the zahn books come more and more in the new republic era. List of novels by release date wookieepedia fandom. The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe.
The first movie chronologically is the phantom menace which was released in. Stackpole novel was quite groundbreaking, therefore. The first star wars spinoff material was star wars. A new dawn, by bestselling author john jackson miller. The star wars expanded universe also known as the eu, encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional material of the star wars saga, outside of the six feature films, the clone wars film and series, and rebels series produced by lucasfilm. If a book has xwing in the title and even occasionally if it doesnt, expect there to be at least one of some sort. Ultimate guide to star wars canon star wars books are our. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. The first novel, heir to the empire, took place several years after the destruction of the second death star and the fall of the galactic empire and would continue the story of the original heroes as they dealt with a new threat in the form of brilliant imperial tactician grand admiral thrawn. Xwings are actually somewhat slower and less maneuverable than tie fighters, but there are a few reasons why the canyon trick can work. Quite possibly the best novel to come out of the star wars new expanded universe, this story of two star crossed lovers, by claudia gray, is just incredible. In print, the first new books to come from this creative collaboration include novels from del rey books. The star wars expanded universe, called the eu for short, is the name used to denote the star wars books, comics, video games, and more that were part of the star wars canon prior to april 25, 2014.
And in the rush to answer that call, the expanded universe eu was born. For those wondering, the original expanded universe books are going to remain in print under the banner of star wars legends. This covers the eu legends canon from the original trilogy on. Old star wars legends books get new, revamped cover art. All the news on the new star wars books and comics coming. For example, elements of the eu are included in upcoming animated series star wars rebels. Discuss the storylines of the novels, comics and more.
The 10 best star wars books of all time, ranked screenrant. The star wars expanded universe and the promise of. The top star wars expanded edition runs 272 pages long and was released in march 2020. The first novel to benefit from this deeper collaboration is star wars. However, keep in mind the best books of all time are not necessarily the best books to read first. Star wars books, comics, and expanded universe jedi council. It is set at the beginning of the new republic era of the star wars expanded universe and centers on the creation of a new rogue squadron by legendary rebel alliance pilot wedge antilles. Demand for past tales of the expanded universe will keep them in print, presented under the new legends banner.
Apr 06, 2021 heir to the empire was the first book in lucasfilms expanded universe series of books, with the hopes that it would kickstart a new series of content. From luke skywalker to obi wan kenobi to princess leia to darth vader to r2d2, many of the characters are beloved or vilified. This body of work represents the original star wars expanded universe. This is a timeline for novels, young adult books, and ebooks in the expanded universe legends continuity. Star wars will rerelease classic legends books for its. What it really did was open a floodgate of content. It is not for comics or short stories in legends continuity.
Lucasfilms nowcorporate sibling marvel comics, which published star wars comics from 1977 to 1986, are once again publishing star wars titles that started in 2015. The star wars expanded universe started by heir to the empire led to more star wars video games, magazines, tv shows, etc. The eu began in 1978 with the release of splinter of the minds eye, and has spanned thousands of in universe years since then. Set prior to the events of the forthcoming animated series star wars rebels, this novel tells the story of how two of the lead characters of the series, kanan jarrus and hera syndulla, came to cross paths. A reading guide to the new star wars expanded universe. Disney wiped the star wars expanded universe from canon in 2014, but.
He said, the books are a way of extending the fantasy of star wars. Say you decided youd like to read all the star wars books in existence. Star wars timetable of star wars novels and books us publication dates. Publishing order simply means starting with the first book that was ever published splinter of the minds eye by alan dean foster and continuing on through the list with each book released after that. In this special look at the star wars expanded universe, many of lucasfilms brightest talents and authors discuss the legacy and exciting future of the companys comics, books, and videogames. First look at star wars books in rebuilt expanded universe. The star wars expanded universe timeline home facebook. The first novel, heir to the empire, took place several years after th. Theres a number of different original characters introduced across the expanded universe yet i, jedi was actually the first novel to have the. The stars wars series of movies, tv shows, and books have been popular since the first movie was released in 1977. If its got the star wars logo and tells a story, it is considered part of. This timeline is organized by chronology, and separated by era, as defined by lucas licensing. The thrawn trilogy legends by timothy zahn, betsy mitchell editor, et al.
In short, the expanded universe is any officially licensed star wars story outside of the three liveaction films. Rogue squadron 1996 is the first novel in the star wars. The star wars legends novels used to be called the star wars expanded universe. The ultimate guide to reading the star wars books reedsy. Star wars just nuked its entire expanded universe the. In fact, before the acquisition of lucasfilm, the expanded universe had a plethora of comic books, novels, and video games filled with adventures, heroes, villains, and exotic locations. Kenobi is hands down one of the best books in the expanded universe. And so, so much of this is in relation to the expanded universe aka the eu, which is basically the official ubergeek term for star wars books and comics. As the first novel in the series, it introduces the primary character, corran horn. Disney the new dark master of the empire, decrees that the star wars expanded universe is dead. Lucas later commissioned alan dean foster, who ghostwrote the novelization, to write a sequel, which resulted in splinter of the minds eye 1978. This body of work was collectively known as the star wars expanded universe for decades.
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