Many derivative star wars works have been produced in conjunction with, between, and after. The first star wars novel was published in 1976 in the decades since, dozens of books set in the galaxy far, far away have been released, stories for all ages starring the likes of luke. In 1991, del rey books launched a new novel from author timothy zahn. May the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels. Star wars has been expanded to media other than the original films. This includes all film novelizations, novels, comics, young readers, reference books, roleplaying sourcebooks, and more. 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. Theres new republic books lukehanleia stuff in 10 or so years past yavin, chronologically starting with truce at bakura and ending with vision of the future. The star wars series began in 1978 with splinter of the minds eye, to be followed by hundreds of novels by many different authors.
As of 2010, the eu spans over 5,000 years and contains over 1,500 novels, short. 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. The expanded star wars universe consists of a whopping 21,647 characters. The star wars expanded universe is dumb and should be. If so, i highly recommend reading books from the star wars the expanded universe. This is a page about the star wars universe and its history. Lately ive noticed a huge amount of posts asking about what books to read first in the expanded universe. These books are part of the original star wars expanded universe, and. Heres your guide to the star wars expanded universe, including tv, comics, books, and video games. On the comlink is a feature in which two writers get on the phone and discuss a specific star wars topic. 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. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. With a new saga trilogy, new standalone anthology movies, tv shows, comics, books, and video games all coming out in a rapidly expanding new canon, has there ever been a better time to be a star wars fan.
The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe. New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since. Originally appearing in our fourth quarterly almanac, where to start with the star wars expanded universe is the latest in our ongoing series of. There is the sith era and the new jedi order and the era of rebellion. Where to start with the star wars expanded universe the book. There are so many books to choose from, and no right answer as to where to begin. Discuss the storylines of the novels, comics and more. Other major protoexpanded universe properties were the much maligned star wars holiday special and the novel splinter of the minds eye, a. From toys to games to artwork, posters and especially books, its force remains strong. Pick an era the star wars expanded universe is conveniently divided into to six eras. However in april 2014, with the knowledge that the new sequel trilogy was not beholden to events created in the expanded universe, lucasfilm announced that, going forward, everything in the star wars expanded universe would be rebranded star wars legends and a new canonical universe would be created. Taylor provides portraits of the friends, writers, artists, producers, and marketers who labored. In the outlying systems, where the trade federation maintains a stranglehold on. 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.
Computer analysis reveals the stunning complexity of the. A reading guide to the new star wars expanded universe. Tackling an era rather than the whole timeline is easier since eras help break the expanded universe down into more manageable chunks. The star wars expanded universe may be dead following lucasfilm and disneys new direction with the franchise, but the following folks from this. Welcome to the star wars expanded universe subreddit. For those unfamiliar with the term, the expanded universe is the official designation for all star wars material that has not been produced directly by lucasfilm, whether it be comic books, novels. Almost as soon as there were star wars films, there were star wars novels. In what order should i read star wars expanded universe. Alan dean foster got the ball rolling, ghostwriting the first films adaptation for george lucas, as well as penning a sequel, splinter of the minds eye. The ultimate guide to reading the star wars books reedsy.
Fans of the star wars expanded universe the spinoff novels and comic books that were pushed out of canon last year might have found star wars. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown. Such derivative works have been produced concurrently with, between, and after the original, prequel, and. Crystal star really is the worst star wars book ever. You can read the film novelizations for deeper understanding of the films themselves, though of course. New to star wars books and dont know where to start. Well, the expanded universe which disney just invalidated consists of the basic story that george lucas wanted to tell, when he thought he might make another trilogy himself episodes 79 in which grand admiral thrawn tried to preserve the rema. Your guide to the entire star wars expanded universe. Lucasfilm unveils new plans for star wars expanded. With the star wars expanded universe having grown so large and encompassing, its also a great way to explain many of the discrepancies and continuityerrors that occur from time to time within the body of lore comprised by the books, comics, films, cartoons, video games and more. Since the older expanded universe books were all recently moved into legends continuity, there isnt much out right now that is canon. The new jedi order series was a massive undertaking involving a foe from another galaxy, the likes of which our heroes had never seen.
The star wars expanded universe timeline home facebook. All stories are presented here in in universe chronological order, as opposed to realworld release dates. Ask any star wars reader what book to start with, and nine times out of 10, youll get the same answer. The official star wars categorization of the eubecause this universe that is obsessed with cataloging star destroyers is also obsessed with cataloging itselfhas several different notations for the myriad eras of star wars media that exist outside film.
Jumping into the star wars book universe can be a bit daunting. This is the realtime chronological novel publishing timeline. In cases where series were not published in their chronological order, we have noted that as well. Simple star wars book list timeline of star wars novels. Lucasfilm confirms no expanded universe for future star wars media, announces new adult fiction books officially official by becky chambers apr 27th, 2014, 12.
These books are part of the original star wars expanded universe, and follow an internally consistent timeline. Of the approximately eleventy billion books in the original star wars expanded universe, there are the hallowed the thrawn books by timothy zahn. This time, thea tackles a subject close to her heart. I surveyed fansites and blogs to find identify the 10 most significant star wars tieins amongst fans. It is not for comics or short stories in legends continuity. The series depicts the adventures of various characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. For a certain generation, the answer may be yes star wars fans who grew up in the 80s, 90s, and early. Star wars is an american epic spaceopera media franchise, centered on a film series. Where to start with the star wars expanded universe.
All novels subsequently published after disneys purchase in 2012 are. Quite possibly the best novel to come out of the star wars new expanded universe, this story of two starcrossed lovers, by claudia gray, is just incredible. 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. That number drops to 19,612 if every character listed as unidentified. The star wars expanded universe timeline is a comprehensive chronology of every star wars story from 1977 to today, including exclusive. 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. We have listed all of these star wars series by their chronology. In how star wars conquered the universe, veteran journalist chris taylor traces the series from the difficult birth of the original film through its sequels, the franchises death and rebirth, the prequels, and the preparations for a new trilogy. How the abandoned star wars expanded universe inspired. Say you decided youd like to read all the star wars books in existence.
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. The star wars expanded universe contains stories in a variety of different formats. But in no particular order, here are the books most commonly listed as the most significant of the very large bunch. Old republic era, rise of the empire era, rebellion era, new republic era, new jedi order era and legacy era.
The struggles are just beginning for the proud, uncompromising sith, driven as they are to. Novels covering the exploits of han solo and lando calrissian soon followed, ushering in what would come to be called the star wars expanded universe. In this installment celebrating star wars reads, megan crouse and amy ratcliffe talk about where fans might want to start reading star wars novels, young adult and middle grade books, and short stories set in a galaxy far, far away. Each format has its own trends, with some exceptions. The best approach i would recommend is using star wars wikia as your guide. We are primarily a source of discussion and news for anything involving the star wars expanded universe legends or story group canon. The star wars expanded universe eu is the further adventures in a. Indeed, using read as shorthand is not entirely correct, since you cant read a tv show, video game or radio drama. New movies and other stories arent based on these books, and will sometimes contradict them. There are so many star wars books for fans to read and consume, but with. Find all books mentioning a character on the wikia page for it. Fleet junkie flagship the technical discussions of the gffa capital ships thread mk. A definitive legends clone wars timeline was never established by lucasfilm. 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.
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