Aug 24, 2012 i had such a great time at my first star wars celebration panel thanks to everyone who came out to see us. But we dont have to wait until 2014 for some great darth maul stories. If so, i highly recommend reading books from the star wars the expanded universe. All stories are presented here in in universe chronological order, as opposed to realworld release dates. I have studied everything from gospel harmonies to world history chronologies in order to come up with a system that seemed to answer most of the necessary requirements for.
Jan 18, 2014 last friday, i wrote with no small amount of vitriolabout the astonishing mess that is the star wars expanded universe eu. The old republic, despite the game being considered part of the legends continuity and, in fact, no canon material. Lucasfilm later rebranded the expanded universe as star wars legends and declared it noncanonical to the franchise. The new books we got as a result have also been nothing short of incredible, shedding light on the years between star wars. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be. 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. This spinoff material is licensed and moderated by lucasfilm, though during his involvement with the franchise george lucas reserved the right to both draw from and contradict it in his own works.
There are tons of tiein novels, comics, games, etc. A nobullshit beginners guide to star wars books simple. Lucasfilm has a number of star wars movies in development, including a trilogy which will be written by the last jedi writer director rian johnson and be independent from the skywalker saga. Who is darth revan in the star wars expanded universe. It used to be that all of the eu was considered canon unless directly. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be forgotten. The film went from an unpromising release to a critical and. Dont call it extended, please, because im totally the kind of geek wholl write a style guide on the terminology so, lets say you like star wars, and youre curious, and that area of. A list of the top star wars expanded universe novels.
From lukes love interest and, later, wife mara jade, to talon karrde and thrawn himself, zahn characters have become mainstays. New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. Jan 21, 2008 top 100 expanded universe works posted by paul on january 21, 2008 over on the tf. I wrote a ton more about why these books and the awesome dark horse comics, too are so important to star wars lore in an earlier article. He opened up that universe to be a creative space for other people to tell their own tales.
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. To top that off, a brand new darth maul novel has been announced and will be released in 2014. Crystal star really is the worst star wars book ever. 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. Foster was the ghostwriter of the original novelization of star wars, which was credited solely to george lucas. Anderson and the writer of the most liked series in. New star wars expanded universe plans greeted with.
The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. Jan 31, 20 his return to the star wars universe via the animated show the clone wars has brought darth maul back into the public consciousness. I personally liked the expanded universe, and wished that disney would have used plot ideas from the expanded universe for episode vii. 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. See, before disney took over, star wars had a huge amount of extra material novels, comics, etc. 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. Sure, not all of the expanded universe material were great but it was the reason why star wars was kept afloat for many years. 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. 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. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page. 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. This includes all film novelizations, novels, comics, young readers, reference books, roleplaying sourcebooks, and more. Oct 03, 2000 because the star wars universe this guide covers is as vast and populated as george lucas galaxy far, far away, its impossible for even the most prolific researcherwriter to keep up with all the new additions as books, games, collectibles and even animated episodes appear almost on a monthly basis.
Originally, lucasfilm tracked the narrative content of the expanded universe in story bibles. 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. That presents the new disney lucasfilm headed by kathleen kennedy with the unique. Lately ive noticed a huge amount of posts asking about what books to read first in the expanded universe. 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. A guide to all the new star wars books in the expanded. 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. The legacy series is another important book series, which is written by aaron. The 10 best star wars legends books, ranked screenrant. Debunking expanded universe myths disney star wars is dumb. Various authors penned exciting narratives in the star wars universe featuring all your favorite characters and a bunch. Im 100% supportive of anyone who s interested in enjoying the star wars universe beyond the movies but im just tired of seeing the same posts over and over.
The first star wars novel gives us a hint of what might. Quite frankly, the sequel trilogy wasnt needed at all since the eu material was always there in the first place. This timeline is organized by chronology, and separated by era, as defined by lucas licensing. This body of work represents the original star wars expanded universe, which was rebranded as star wars. George lucas wrote the orginal screen play for all six movies,but as for the books there have been numerous writers,some of them excellent science fiction writers such as troy denning, karen traviss, kevin j. The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe. Disneys secret war against star wars expanded universe. The jedi doth return, quirk books, 2014, william shakespeares. Set five years after the end of return of the jedi, the book introduced a new foe.
Jul 01, 2005 expanded universe mass market paperback july 1, 2005 by robert a. Apr 25, 2014 when lucasfilm announced on friday that the expanded universe of the star wars franchise essentially, all of the stories told in ancillary material outside of the six core movies and clone wars. Did george lucas dislike star wars expanded universe. The old expanded universe eu now known as legends encompassed all of the officially licensed stories from the star wars universe. With thrawn, zahn has created one of the greatest villains in all of star wars and his books invented characters who have continued to dominate the expanded universe since. Dark force rising by timothy zahn, heir to the empire by timothy zahn, the last command by timothy zahn, sh. If i write something in a short piece its technically cannon. Star treks expanded universe is a glorious mess ars. This is the point i realized that i had created my own expanded universe.
This is the realtime chronological novel publishing timeline. Its the darkest star wars story ever written, but it serves a positive agenda in the end. The star wars expanded universe chronology blogger. Disneys biggest star wars mistake the washington post. Although official star wars canon was redefined in 2014 to focus on the films and exclude the complex expanded universe created by decades of novels, comics, and games, some authors have found ways to drop little references from those older stories into their new books for longtime readers. Disney is making an effort to cull the enormous, multitiered. Dec 14, 2015 while these entries added to the star wars saga, the books and overarching story that we now know as the expanded universe truly have their roots in a small gaming company called west end games. For some lucky fans, writing a star wars novel is a dream. Oct 30, 2012 the star wars expanded universe chronology has gone through many iterations, but until recently, failed in my opinion to address the fundamental needs of the fan. Alan dean foster wrote the first expanded universe novel as a standby sequel if star wars was a box.
I had been reading the star wars expanded universe novels for ages. Anderson goodreads author shelved 8 times as starwarsexpandeduniverse. In 1991, del rey books launched a new novel from author timothy zahn. So that would be proof that george lucas didnt like the direction that the expanded universe went. Apr 30, 2014 the folks who are guiding star wars have decided to abandon the expanded universe, the novels, comics and games that carried the original story forward. One of the most imaginative areas of the star wars expanded universe is the old republic. 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. Last friday, i wrotewith no small amount of vitriolabout the astonishing mess that is the star wars expanded universe eu.
Ask any star wars fan who the bestand most prolificwriter is for the series, and almost all will tell you its timothy zahn. Sep 17, 20 a nobullshit beginners guide to star wars books i know far too much about star wars. His worldwide bestsellers have been translated into 22 languages and include stranger in a strange land, starship troopers, time enough for love, and the moon is a harsh mistress. The series depicts the adventures of various characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. N message boards, theyve been running a poll to vote for the top 100 stories from the star wars expanded universe. Simple star wars book list timeline of star wars novels. I dont know why you a2ad me on this unless you were expecting to get a different answer. Knights of the old republic introduced revan as a character who would become critical to both the jedi and the sith. Other major protoexpanded universe properties were the much maligned star wars holiday special and the novel splinter of the minds eye, a. All stories are presented here in inuniverse chronological order, as opposed to realworld release dates. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. In april 2014 lucasfilm and disney publishing stated that the existing. The ultimate guide to reading the star wars books reedsy.
Courtship picks up a few years after the return of the jedi and shows the aftermath of the battle of endor. New movies and other stories arent based on these books, and will sometimes contradict them. Popular star wars expanded universe books goodreads. For purists, the other pages on this site remain free of post20 stories. May 23, 2017 since the star wars universe spans so much time, it cant all focus on the same characters. Star wars is an american epic spaceopera media franchise, centered on a film series created by george lucas that includes star wars 1977, the empire strikes back 1980, and return of the jedi 1983. Maybe the force isnt black and white and the jedi dont. This is a timeline for novels, young adult books, and ebooks in the expanded universelegends continuity. Xwing is a tenbook series of star wars novels by michael a. From the adventures of luke skywalker in december 1976 to the latest novel, this timeline tracks the month and year of every star wars novel excluding childrens and graphic novels published. Heinlein, fourtime winner of the hugo award and recipient of three retro hugos, received the first grand master nebula award for lifetime achievement. Such derivative works have been produced concurrently with, between, and after the original, prequel, and. Say you decided youd like to read all the star wars books in existence.
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. Disney has been engaged in a secret war against the star wars expanded universe in order to sell more books, comics and toys. 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. A definitive legends clone wars timeline was never established by lucasfilm. This has included such material as the concluding comics in the series star wars.
Hes written a number of other books for the expanded universe. Episode i the phantom menace, lucasfilm has divided its titles by fictional era with symbols designating such. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown. The force awakens instead of using plot ideas from episode iv. It is not for comics or short stories in legends continuity. Star wars really is the poster child for how this trope works. You can write fanfiction, from which you may not extract a fraction of a cent in profit.
Feb 24, 2019 sure, not all of the expanded universe material were great but it was the reason why star wars was kept afloat for many years. From the press release regarding the new disney vs legends canon now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments of star wars, all aspects of star wars storytelling moving forward will be connected. Founded in 1974 by daniel scott palter, the company initially produced board games, before shifting to produce roleplaying games in 1984. A brief history of the star wars expanded universe slashfilm. 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. One of the first grownup books i read was dave wolvertons the courtship of princess leia. In what order should i read star wars expanded universe.
In 2000, lucasarts lead tester leland chee was hired as continuity database administrator for lucas licensing, and developed a database of franchise continuity based in part on 1998s encyclopedic star wars. Best new star wars books best new star wars canon books new star wars canon the new star wars canon novels top star wars novels star wars novels adult star wars the new canon star. The star wars expanded universe timeline is a comprehensive chronology of every star wars story from 1977 to today, including exclusive. How disney killed the most interesting thing about star wars. Jun 25, 2014 this is the point i realized that i had created my own expanded universe. However, the mythos established in the books, video games, etc. The expanded universe is generally considered to have begun with alan dean foster s february 1978 star wars spinoff novel, splinter of the minds eye, although technically it began in october 1977 with the story the keepers world, in marvel comics pizzazz magazine. The 2003 animated series clone wars and various spinoff books, comics, and video games explore the. Stackpoles contributions cover the adventures of a new rogue squadron formed by wedge antilles, while allstons focus on wraith squadron, another creation of antilles. For those puzzled as to why the postdisney buyout titles would be included on a star wars eu timeline, the complete saga page follows the one canon approach, which permits any story that reasonably fits into the expanded universe on the timeline. The resulting 19 books changed a lot about the star wars universe, from killing off major characters to establishing whole new government paradigms. Because the star wars universe this guide covers is as vast and populated as george lucas galaxy far, far away, its impossible for even the most prolific researcherwriter to keep up with all the new additions as books, games, collectibles and even animated episodes appear almost on a monthly basis. Apr 06, 2020 one of the most imaginative areas of the star wars expanded universe is the old republic. Now, this poll obviously wasnt a scientific study of the fandom with a statistically significant and valid sample of respondents.
Thrawn by steve argyle obviously, star wars isnt the only expanded universe out there. I had such a great time at my first star wars celebration panel thanks to everyone who came out to see us. Of the approximately eleventy billion books in the original star wars expanded universe, there are the hallowed the thrawn books by timothy zahn. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated. I cant just pull a star wars and wave my hand, saying none of this actually happened inuniverse. Under lucasfilm president kathleen kennedys direction, the company for the first time ever has formed a story group to oversee and. Star wars has been expanded to media other than the original films. This became the expanded universe, or eu, of comics, novels, videogames, and more. Expanded universe werden im starwarskontext alle lizenzierten starwarsmaterialien au. The star wars expanded universe timeline home facebook. An exploration into this period of the star wars universe is most famously and notably depicted in two awardwinning video games from bioware. These books are part of the original star wars expanded universe, and follow an internally consistent timeline. Im 100% supportive of anyone whos interested in enjoying the star wars universe beyond the movies but im just tired of seeing the same posts over and over.