Most works produced after april 25, 2014, are part of the official canon as defined by lucasfilm, although a handful of legends media has been released after that date. The world of star wars can be a little overwhelming. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. Why start with any other book than the very first star wars novel to have ever been. The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. It is derived from and includes most official star wars books, comic books. Theres so much media stretching back to the release of the original trilogy a little before it, actually that the idea of jumping into the star wars print universewith old canon and new canon and everexpanding storylinescan be a daunting prospect for any fan. Must read star wars legends books, and where to start star. The star wars legends books included an entirely different timeline of events in the postreturn of the jedi world, including han and leia getting married and having twins, the formation of the new republic and new characters like mara jade. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated eu. The struggles are just beginning for the proud, uncompromising sith, driven as they. In what order should i read star wars expanded universe. It removed the entirety of the expanded universe from canon.
This body of work represents the original star wars expanded universe, which was rebranded. Or should you start from the very earliest chronological book in the legends. While the main focus of the eu novels has been the star wars movie characters, even the early expanded universe explored side characters in more detail. Star wars legends is too massive to fit into a single 100 book list, therefore this is part 1 of a multiple part list that contains all novels, young adult books, and ebooks in the expanded universelegends continuity in order of the timeline. Where to start with the star wars expanded universe. These books are considered history and the material that occurs in these stories is officially part of the star wars timeline. 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.
Easy explanation is the legends timeline is the original and the. Mar 02, 2020 one of the biggest topics of speculation in the runup to the new star wars movie is how it will fit in with the preexisting expanded universe. If you want to read the expanded universelegends books in chronological order, this timeline. The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe. The 10 best star wars legends books, ranked screenrant. The alliance to save the star wars legends, expanded universe page was created on september 2, 2014, the day that lucasfilms first canon star wars novel, a new dawn, was released. Expanded universe is a star wars subtheme of sets which come the star wars canon that existed before the 2014 reboot. With a rich cast of characters that includes beloved favoritesluke skywalker, han solo, and princess leia organaalong with new villains and heroes, sith lords and jedi knights. Star wars 9 is casting a major legends expanded universe. Today, we take a close look at the star wars legends expanded universe, examining which books a new reader should check out, and how to. Many fans were outraged, because several noncanon stories known as being part of the expanded universe had become almost as popular as the main. Its about time lucasfilm brought back the star wars legends. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be forgotten.
Feb 15, 2019 sure, theyve mostly kept that old material in print, but there havent been any new stories set in the expanded universe since 2014s star wars. Where to start reading star wars books edmonton public library. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted. And in the wake of the zahn books come more and more in the new republic era. Its about time lucasfilm brought back the star wars. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading death troopers. Indeed, using read as shorthand is not entirely correct, since you cant read a tv show, video game or radio drama. At the same time, the company announced that, other than star wars. Still, i became dedicated to expanding my knowledge of the star wars. As a result, lucasfilm made the decision to render all the eu noncanon, branding it legends.
The sheer scale and complexity of star wars expanded universe made it almost impossible to do anything with the franchise without introducing contradictions. Many star wars fans are not particularly happy about the new movies, and some feel that disney threw out the baby with the bathwater when it came to the expanded universe. The expanded universe has been a part of star wars for almost as long as the movies have, starting with alan dean fosters novel splinter of the. The many reasons why lucasfilm decided to remove the expanded universe from star wars canon. See, before disney took over, star wars had a huge amount of extra material novels, comics, etc. Welcome to the star wars expanded universe subreddit. The best star wars books to read first your first star wars book for many fans of star wars who decide to read the books, the expanded universe generally referred to as the eu can appear much like wild spacecrowded, confusing, and potentially dangerous. The further i pushed myself to into the expanded universe, the more i. The eu began in 1978 with the release of splinter of the minds eye, and has spanned thousands of in universe years since then. A lot of great star wars things have come out of the disneylucasfilm merger. The clone wars and star wars rebels, any star wars story told outside the official six movies was now considered noncanon. Dark force rising by timothy zahn, heir to the empire by timothy zahn, the last command by timothy zahn, sh. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be.
Jul 10, 2017 where to start with the star wars expanded universe by thea james. Nov 18, 2015 other major protoexpanded universe properties were the much maligned star wars holiday special and the novel splinter of the minds eye, a 1978 spinoff novel by author alan dean foster. It is significant that the activities of these groups were intertwined from the beginning with a new dawn, which was written by john jackson miller as a tiein to. Say you decided youd like to read all the star wars books in existence. However, we at youtini have flown from one end of the galaxy to the other, and were here to tell you. Episode i the phantom menace, lucasfilm has divided its titles by fictional era with symbols designating such. Everything you need to know to start reading star wars books with the best. How disney killed the most interesting thing about star wars. The best star wars books to read first a getting started guide. He opened up that universe to be a creative space for other people to tell their own tales.
If this new report is to be believed, star wars 9 could be reaching deep into the old expanded universe to bring in mara jade. Star wars just nuked its entire expanded universe the. The star wars expanded universe contains stories in a variety of different formats. These books are part of the original star wars expanded universe, and follow an internally consistent timeline. Again, there were dozens of legends books to catch up on, and i had a very late start. Its actual language is quite a bit softer, temporizing that the eu is not being discarded, just changed. Sure, theyve mostly kept that old material in print, but there havent been any new stories set in the expanded universe since 2014s star wars. Heir to the empire is part one of the legendsbranded thrawn trilogy by timothy zahn.
Where to start with the star wars expanded universe by thea james 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. May 23, 2017 since the star wars universe spans so much time, it cant all focus on the same characters. There are two big timelines in the star wars universe. Each novel is attributed to its respective era, along with name, timeline, authors name and date of release. If youre new, and want to learn more about the expanded universe, you can find a few links in the sidebar that may be helpful. The ultimate guide to star wars legends books youtini. But the press release announcing the decision is an iron fist in a velvet glovethe corporate parent cracking down on. One of the biggest topics of speculation in the runup to the new star wars movie is how it will fit in with the preexisting expanded universe. The death of a certain character was too much for them to bear. As stated by lucasfilm and disney, future books and novels will not be based on these stories, but since the expanded universe started. New movies and other stories arent based on these books, and will sometimes contradict them.
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. It used to be that all of the eu was considered canon unless directly. If youre a star wars fan, theres a good chance youve read a star wars books or two. Nov 18, 2016 at the same time, the company announced that, other than star wars.
The expanded universe is a term that encompasses any and all star wars. For many fans of star wars who decide to read the books, the expanded universe generally referred to as the eu can appear much like wild spacecrowded, confusing, and potentially dangerous. Star wars expanded universe skip to main search results amazon prime. Getting started guide star wars books are our speciality. Long before any star wars fans dreamed of george lucas continuing his epic space saga with a trilogy of prequels, and before other directors helmed a new trilogy that would conclude it, the star wars expanded universe was created with novels. Apr 21, 2018 if this new report is to be believed, star wars 9 could be reaching deep into the old expanded universe to bring in mara jade. All the star wars books released after 2014, when disney started releasing books that fell into the official star wars universe. It is derived from and includes most official star wars books. Must read star wars legends books, and where to start. There is a whole galaxy of books about star wars, hundreds of them, if were counting the eu expanded universe. New to star wars books and dont know where to start.
New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since. This subtheme currently contains thirteen sets, one of the smallest that a star wars subtheme contains. Today, we take a close look at the star wars legends expanded universe, examining which books a new reader should check out, and how to start reading star wars expanded universe content including. There are so many star wars books for fans to read and consume, but. The first set to be comsidered part of the expanded universe was the 101 tie collection, released in 2004. 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. Want to start reading star wars books but arent sure where to begin. Dec 10, 2019 the expanded universe has been a part of star wars for almost as long as the movies have, starting with alan dean fosters novel splinter of the minds eye, which was published in 1978 and was. If youre overwhelmed and looking for a good place to start with star. As a result, the company made a swift and decisive move that guts what star wars meant for many fans. The resulting 19 books changed a lot about the star wars universe, from killing off major characters to establishing whole new government paradigms. Star wars legends books represent the original star wars expanded universe which is now known as star wars legends. If youre new to star wars books in general, you might want to check out this piece by a fellow rioter on where to start, but this list.
You have to take into account that there are now 2 timelines with everything all media star wars. Star wars expanded universe skip to main search results. This star wars expanded universe story proves that luke is. Star wars legends series found in space opera for decades, the legends novels have expanded the universe of star wars in novels as varied and vibrant as the planets and star systems that compose this epic saga.
Lucasfilm later rebranded the expanded universe as star wars legends and declared it noncanonical to the franchise. The book goes into the star wars criminal underworld and fills the space empire strikes. Hello, and welcome to a nostalgic trip through the old star wars expanded universe. We are primarily a source of discussion and news for anything involving the star wars expanded universe legends or story group canon. A definitive legends clone wars timeline was never established by lucasfilm. Check out more videos and star wars expanded universe articles right here on the site.
In 1991, del rey books launched a new novel from author timothy zahn. This time, thea tackles a subject close to her heart. Star wars legends books chronological order part 1 100. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown. The character was a lot of things over the years but started as the. These novels were officially declared noncanon to the star wars franchise in april 2014. The ultimate guide to reading the star wars books reedsy. Simple list of star wars books in order of when they take place, with sidebyside timelines for legends and the new canon. The eu began in 1978 with the release of splinter of the minds eye, and has spanned thousands of inuniverse years since then. With a rich cast of characters that includes beloved favoritesluke skywalker, han solo, and princess leia organaalong with. The star wars expanded universe eu is the further adventures in a galaxy.
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. Simple star wars book list timeline of star wars novels. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Each format has its own trends, with some exceptions. Various authors penned exciting narratives in the star wars universe featuring all your favorite characters and a bunch of new ones. The list includes only star wars novels, shortstories and comic books are not included here. Other major protoexpanded universe properties were the much maligned star wars holiday special and the novel splinter of the minds eye, a. This time, im looking at the first eu books i ever read, kevin j. Feb 01, 2018 today, we take a close look at the star wars legends expanded universe, examining which books a new reader should check out, and how to start reading star wars expanded universe content including.
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