Set before the rise of the Republic and first mentioned in the Knights of the Old Republic, this era saw the Rakata, a bipedal species from the world of Lehon in the Unknown Regions, establish a galactic empire using the Dark Side of the Force. The Star Wars toy phenomenon began in 1978 with the original action figures, toy lightsabers and blasters, twelve-inch figures, toy vehicles, and much more products. The reset gave creatives a blank slate to start from and now that the new Star Wars canon is well underway, things are being brought back into the fold more and more frequently. He set the films he created as the canon. The adaptation was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. The Yuuzhan Vong lay waste to entire worlds in their scourge, as depicted in the novels of The New Jedi Order. Unlike the films, which are set over 37 years, the expanded universe takes place This future of interconnected storytelling will allow fans to explore this galaxy in deeper ways than ever before.". When he createdStar Wars, George Lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. He included a conversion table (from the previous d6 versions to the new d20 version) at the end of the 3rd edition that helped Star Wars RPG players adapt to the new d20 version. Lucasfilm holds this of such high importance that a teams' sole job at Lucasfilm is maintaining continuity between Lucas's films, and the EU, which is written by many other authors and artists, many times out of order, and with many different ideas. The first (2004) season of the series concludes by introducing the newest villain, General Grievous, an important character in Episode III. Former Imperial officer turned rebel soldier Kyle Katarn discovered that he was Force-sensitive sometime after the collapse of the Galactic Empire and trained himself to be a Jedi. Malgus would later lead a defining assault on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, killing many of its members, including the famed Ven Zallow. Demand for past tales of the Expanded Universe will keep them in print, presented under the new Legends banner. This doctrine endured long after Bane's death and contributed to Darth Sidious's rise to power and the fall of the Jedi. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes considerable effort to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across multiple companies. The "expanded" works are not necessarily by the same authors nor from the same producers. The early development of the Expanded Universe was sporadic and unrefined, particularly because there was so little official material for the creators to build on. C-canon elements from licensed creators have been known to appear in Lucas' films. Many types of toys have been made. Now, with an exciting future filled with new cinematic installments ofStar Wars, all aspects ofStar Warsstorytelling moving forward will be connected. Select books have helped fill in the gaps between the original trilogy movies (e.g., Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, Death Star, Tales series). All the other Expanded Universe material that has been published over the years will continue to exist, but will be rebranded under the "Star Wars Legends" banner. ". Besides that, he is a screenwriter and freelance filmmaker looking to get some ideas and projects off the ground. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider However, Lucasfilm did say some elements from the Expanded Universe like certain characters and organizations might make it into future "Star Wars" movies, books, etc. WebLucasfilm, now under Disney, later rebranded the Expanded Universe as Star Wars Legendsand declared it non-canonicalto the franchise. The original trilogy were still my favorite films to watch, but they paled in comparison to the vastness of the EU and the tantalizing promise of more worlds and more characters to explore in each subsequent book. Many Expanded Universe tales tried to fill in these gaps, but also managed to improve the prequels at the same time by adding depth, motivation, and history to characters. Have one to sell? Lets go to a galaxy far, far away in a time long ago. Star Wars is making steps toward a more diverse galaxy, but only just. It was originally a Word document that was periodically updated and sent to Bill Smith for West For a full year, I refused to watch other movies, continually renting the pre-remastered trilogy on VHS from Blockbuster until I was able to buy a set for myself at a used book store. Previous toys based on novels were sold by Galoob as "Epic Collections.". Set in the time around the prequel trilogy this era takes place after the seemingly final defeat of the Sith. He is now expanding to list writing for Collider. Over-reliance on poorly-aged CGI aside, the galaxy as depicted in the prequels is teeming with life and more closely reflects the wide variety of people that would naturally occupy a vast universe. How did they encounter Jabba? The Inquisitor, the Imperial Security Bureau, and Sienar Fleet Systems are story elements in the new animated series, and all these ideas find their origins in roleplaying game material published in the 1980s. Rogue Squadron was a cross-platform title on Nintendo 64 and PC which allowed the player to experience a more arcade-action version of the same gameplay in X-Wing and TIE Fighter. I imagined that there was a planet somewhere in this galaxy that was inhabited by people who did look like mea daydream that launched a hundred fan fiction starships. are considered canonical, then the expanded universe is an "imaginary entertainment environment."[7]. Now that Star Wars is pretty much omnipresent in entertainment, it can be hard to remember that once the franchise was pretty well dead. The game allowed players to choose either the Light Side or the Dark Side while embarking on an adventure that felt suitably epic. The Expanded Universe really got cranking once it became clear George Lucas wasn't going to make any sequels to "Return of the Jedi." For example, the Aurebesh alphabet was originally a random piece of set dressing in Return of the Jedi. Much later in this era, as suggested by the title, is the Legacy comic series. For 37 years, from 1977 to 2014 the First to be announced, John Jackson Miller is writing a novel that precedes the events ofStar Wars Rebelsand offers insight into a key character's backstory, with input directly from executive producers Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg, and Greg Weisman. Set one-hundred thirty years after the films, these comics follow the story of Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke Skywalker who has to confront a resurrected Galactic Empire under the control of a new Sith Order. A radio adaptation of A New Hope was the first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981. For those of us who discovered the original trilogies before the advent of the prequels, let alone the sequels, the EU offered an extension of the galaxy that so captured us in the first place. IESB Exclusive: New Star Wars Animated Series On Its Way! Official site at StarWars.com (available on the Internet Archive) Similarly, the Bioware series Knights of the Old Republic wherein players were dropped into a RPG set a long, long time before the likes of the Empire, was also axed off of the continuity. Picture Information. In 1987, Lucasfilm and Disney, utilizing the power of ILM, teamed up to produce Star Tours, an amusement park simulator ride through the Star Wars galaxy. If there's one thing that should survive the death of the Expanded Universe, it's this trilogy. From the movie novelizations, I worked my way through EU classics like The Hand of Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn and The Jedi Academy trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson, before taking the leap into the endless series and one-off novels. It was really an excuse for writers to go crazy, and it worked so, so well. For example, the "Expanded Universe" is generally considered to have begun with Alan Dean Foster's February 1978 Star Wars spin-off novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye (although technically it began with Marvel Comics' Star Wars #7 in January 1978). The series has showcased many technological concepts, both in the movies and in the expanded universe of novels, comics and other forms of media. We may earn a commission from links on this page. This became the Expanded Universe, or EU, of comics, novels, video games, and more. WebThe Star Wars Expanded Universe Timeline was created in 1992 by Joseph Bongiorno. The Tales of the Jedi comics series takes place in this era, chronicling the immense wars fought by the Jedi of old, and the ancient Sith. As well, with all six films officially released, more and more ties between the prequel and original trilogy eras are being made. Also, Clone Wars didn't gloss over portraying the cost of war, and gave names and personalities to the clones whose sole purpose was to fight and die. There is some fragmentation within the Star Wars fandom stemming from its long history of multimedia output. Like Darth Plagueis, the Revenge of the Sith novelization wonderfully adds detail, depth and motivations to the characters in the movie, making for a much richer, more satisfying experience especially in terms of watching Anakin's descent to the Dark Side. In fact, the three books were not intended to be a trilogy at all, but they chronicled Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Dark Vader so perfectly, and work together so well, that fans began calling it the Dark Lord Trilogy and eventually Del Rey published them in one collection. While not every step Disney has taken with Star Wars has gone well, hindsight allows us to see that this choice has allowed modern Star Wars creators to breathe new life into old concepts. Recently, a toy line called Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Collection, brought back elements of the original vintage toy line, such as vintage packaging. Picture 1 of 12. Dark Horse's Legacy comic series avoids this by being set over 125 years in the future, when the Star Wars universe is both vastly different and comfortingly the same. The galaxy is finally enjoying a peaceful respite from decades of war. A deadly combatant and swordsman, Revan distinguished himself in the Mandalorian Wars and the Jedi Civil War. Labyrinth of Evil focuses on Anakin and Obi-Wan learning about and trying to track down Darth Sidious, a major improvement in that the Jedi are suddenly no longer completely oblivious to their antagonist. Having defeated the Empire at the Battle of Endor, the Rebel Alliance must now transform itself from a militant resistance force into a functioning galactic government. The third, Return of the Jedi, used more traditional raster graphics. The three comics series that make up Infinites are like the Expanded Universe's expanded universe. The most recent is the Legacy comic series, which is set at most 138 years after Return of the Jedi. Revan would eventually find his way back to the light after his mind was wiped and he was given a renewed identity with the Jedi. Star Wars is a vast and expansive franchise that has been a cornerstone of pop culture and a worldwide phenomenon for 40+ years. This moment stuck with me from childhood; as inconsequential as it seemed, it also agonizingly hinted at a broader story: what was on these scrolls? In addition, many other toys have been made. You can score the 75-inch Samsung Q70A QLED 4K TV for a whopping $800 off. Marvel Comics published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. WebTwo prominent examples of media franchises with an expanded universe are Star Wars [1] and Star Trek, [2] which both have a wide range of original novels, comics, video games, and other media that add to the mythology of their fictional universe in different ways. The CG Clone Wars may be the objectively better story, but in terms of pure entertainment value, I'll take Tartakovsky's Clone Wars every time. And then, there are those who walk the line between the two or choose neither and settle on a path of gray. A Star Wars board game was also released by Ravensburger in Germany in 2002. The game centers on Darth Vader's secret apprentice, called Starkiller, who goes out to destroy the last of the Jedi. The Star Wars Expanded Universe is no more. Here are the 10 Expanded Universe books, comics and more that we'll miss the most. George Lucas retains ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe. Characters and concepts are being revived and folded into new projects all the time. The first Star Wars first-person shooter, Dark Forces, was introduced by LucasArts in February 1995. But the real star is the ancient setting, which was so awesome it spawned countless comics and novels nearly as many as the modern era of Star Wars. Story eras. 2006 STAR WARS 30TH ANNIVERSARY BATTLE PACKS - JEDI TRAINING ON DAGOBAH - NEW. She was also an accomplished pilot, spy, and swordswoman. These minor additions peppered through the novelizations, along with the shifts in plot points or inclusion of lines that deviated so clearly from the movies, planted the seed in my mind that the Star Wars universe wasnt bound to what appeared on the screen. Although inspired by a few popular videogames, Michael A. Stackpole's X-Wing books didn't lack depth. This is a lot of TV for the money, and it also happens to be one of the best 4K TVs you can buy right now, according to Gizmodo. Jacen was an empathetic and scholarly Jedi Knight whose experiences in war drove him to seek lasting peace no matter the cost, culminating in his descent into darkness and a reign of terror that plagued his family and the galaxy. The previously mentioned Admiral Thrawn of the Thrawn trilogy was one of the biggest losses to fans of the EU, but he was quickly revived through the Star Wars: Rebels animated series where he appeared as the primary villain for the latter half of the show. Then, between 1995 and 1998 more than a half dozen audio dramas were released as audio tapes and CDs. Its responsible for introducing a number of popular Expanded Universe characters like Lukes wife, Mara Jade. For more, make sure youre following us on our Instagram @io9dotcom. And his mastery of lightsaber combat led to his appointment as the New Jedi Order's chief instructor. 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