“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”
The moment those words crawled up the screen, across the star-studded galaxy, viewers were captivated. Its myriad stories spoke to men and women, boys and girls, young and old, firing up their imaginations and thrilling them with the tales told on the silver screen.
But the “Force”-ful story that unfolded in the theater was not enough. Since the release of “Star Wars” (now “Episode IV: A New Hope” in the chronology of the saga) in 1977, fans have sought more stories.
They wanted to know all that happened in the halls of the Jedi Temple; the cause of the dent on Boba Fett’s helmet; the extent of Jabba the Hutt’s criminal organization; the history of Coruscant; the adventures of those valiant X-Wing pilots; the military exploits of the Ewoks.
The six movies of the saga didn’t tell these stories. Instead, fans found them in the hundreds—if not thousands—of novels and graphic novels that have been written about the vast Star Wars universe.
It’s a really big universe, actually called the “Expanded Universe” by fans. Since 1977, various authors, artists and publishers have told stories of the galaxy beyond the movies. And if you don’t know how to navigate the books of the “Expanded Universe,” then maybe these suggestions from fans will help.
Timothy Zahn’s “Thrawn” trilogy, also known as the “Heir to the Empire” trilogy, is easily a fan favorite. The first book, “Heir to the Empire,” was published in 1991. The second and third books are “Dark Force Rising” and “The Last Command.”
Many readers of the novels said they captured the overall feel of the original trilogy. Zahn even created Mara Jade and the Solo Twins.
‘Dark Empire’
The Zahn books were so popular that they spawned their own spin-off, the “Dark Empire” series, published by Dark Horse Comics. The first series was written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy in 1991-’92. They also worked on “Dark Empire II.” The third installment, “Empire’s End,” was drawn by Jim Baikie.
Another novel that picks up the story right after Episode VI is “The Truce at Bakura.” Written by Kathy Tyers, the story has Luke and Leia encountering a reptilian race called the Ssi-ruuk.
Looking for the story between the movies? Like, what happened after the Battle of Yavin? The story is told in “Splinter of a Mind’s Eye,” written by Alan Dean Foster and published by Del Rey in 1978.
And how long did Luke, Leia, Lando and Chewbacca have to search for Han Solo?
Lucasfilm answered some of these questions in a multimedia project called “Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.”
Bantam Books published the novel, written by Steve Perry, in 1996. On the same year, LucasArts released the video game for the PC and the Nintendo64; Dark Horse Comics published the comics; and Varèse Sarabande published a soundtrack album.
Fans said they enjoyed reading “Shadows of the Empire” and listening to the soundtrack at the same time.
A lot of these novels deal with the major characters from the movies, but many more have been written about those who had no name—or even screen time.
“Crimson Empire Saga,” written in 1997, was a series of six comics focusing on Kir Kanos, the last surviving member of Emperor Palpatine’s Royal Guard.
Some people just love X-Wing pilots. “Star Wars: X-Wing” is a series of 10 novels written by Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston, and published by Bantam Books.
Books on Jedi
Others love the Jedi, and are thrilled by the tale of Mace Windu as told in the novel “Shatterpoint,” written by Matthew Stover and published by Del Rey in 2003.
Younger readers can read about how young Obi-Wan Kenobi was trained by Qui-Gon Jinn in the “Jedi Apprentice” series.
For stories about the rest of their ranks, recommended is “Tales of the Jedi,” where the stories range from Padawan misadventures to Sith legends.
There may have been only a few Darths on the big screen, but in the video games and novels many more have walked the dark path. Darth Bane is a popular Sith. The Darth Bane trilogy consists of “Path of Destruction,” “Rule of Two” and “Dynasty of Evil.”
If you really want to talk Sith Lords, take a look at “Darth Plagueis.” Master to Darth Sidious, the character is from the novel written by James Luceno and published in 2012.
Then there’s the tale of Mara Jade, Emperor Palpatine’s secret assassin, in “The Emperor’s Hand,” a novel written by Zahn, Stackpole and Carlos Ezquerra.
Sick of the Force-Users? Try “Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina” for excitement from the hive of scum and villainy. Those who love troopers of all colors, shapes and sizes might be interested in the “Republic Commando” novels by Karen Traviss.
Indeed, the books of “Star Wars: Expanded Universe” tell stories not just about Jedi and Sith, X-Wing pilots and Royal Guards, or the Skywalkers. There are tales of love and hate, revenge and redemption, friendship and family.
And now you know where to start.
