An Unrevised Exploration of Star Wars Expanded Universe
Rebel Je'daii 
The Phantom Menace is integral to the Star Wars saga, because it foreshadows Anakin’s entire journey. It reveals his strength that saved a galaxy, and his love that brought it hope. It also shows that his weakness isn’t a penchant for sadism, or mere raw anger or hatred. The Phantom Menace explains how Anakin could … Read more
Ann Crispin set a very high standard with the Han Solo trilogy. She proved that a universe full of characters and stories was an opportunity for creativity, not an annoyance to be rebooted. She was one of the most creative writers of the Expanded Universe. While early writers had at most a framework from the … Read more
Dave Wolverton wrote some of the foundational expanded universe material with excellent world building. His stories include: The Courtship of Princess Leia, The Sandtender: The Hammerhead’s Tale, Payback: The Tale of Dengar, Tessek: A Free Quarren in Jabba’s Palace, Jedi Apprentice: The Rising Force, and several of the Episode 1 Adventures. This may include some … Read more
Splinter of the Mind’s Eye often pops up when people complain about contradictions in the Expanded Universe. However, people perhaps aren’t noticing the publishing date. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye was written before The Empire Strikes Back, and is the story Lucas considered doing if Star Wars initial movie had not made enough for the … Read more
This is one of the most amazing trilogies ever regarding continuity. Han Solo’s story is followed from his childhood taken in by a thief to right before A New Hope. It’s also one of my favorites. The Han Solo trilogy explains many things never seen but clearly implied by the movies. Less a case of … Read more
Dark Forces: The first video game. Dark Forces primarily starts life as a video game. Built on the old Dos System, by modern standards its pretty out of date. But this pixelated adventure starring Kyle Katarn (the player) is the first critical movie tie in. That’s because it is Kyle Katarn who steals the primary, … Read more
Going into Scoundrels one knows 2 things: it’s bound to be a good read, because its by Timothy Zahn. That said, how much it is enjoyed depends on what one is in the mood for. If one is expecting Jedi, space battles, or Rebel vs Empire action, one may be disappointed. If however one is … Read more
Medstar 2 picks up the pace from the first book. Barriss makes a startling discovery about the Bota that brings her to face the real, subtle temptations of the Dark Side. Her questioning is a serious question on what one should do for the greater good. It also gives a great arc for Jos Vondar. … Read more
Star Wars games have a continuity set in the Expanded Universe. Some would prefer to assume that they have no game canon versions since there are many different endings. There are even some that are determined to believe that game mechanics mean the games contradict any other source and try and use it to give … Read more
There is a wide variety among Star Wars fans. There is a wide variety in the characters in its media. But ultimately Star Wars itself (under Lucas) had one very important theme set: love, hope, and redemption. Anakin Skywalker is the central character of the six movies he made and the entire arc goes through … Read more
The billboard is back! Twin Suns Foundation started out as Give Us Legends. This is where the first ever Star Wars billboard requesting new Expanded Universe came from. While it’s intent was misconstrued by the mainstream media and the clickbait fan sites ignored it, LFL knew exactly what it meant. Cut to years later, the … Read more
I was very young when Star Wars was first released. I quickly grew to love Science Fiction. I knew nothing of human biases. I grew up in a school with different races and never had a particular problem with any. My fav Sci fi being Star Wars and Star Trek, even classic Battlestar Galactica, none … Read more
Peter Mayhew died at the end of last month on April 30, 2019. His 75th birthday would’ve been on May 19, the same day The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith came out. I never met the man but all the reports I’ve heard are that he was a very nice man and a … Read more
Once upon a time and what seems like yesterday for some of us the Phantom Menace premiered on May 19, 1999. Dial up internet was still at thing. And word went out the Prequels were finally being filmed. I poured over every picture presented in the Star Wars Insider, made sure to stay up to … Read more
The early Marvel comics were a huge part of helping Star Wars become a success. 20th Century Fox’s reluctance to promote the film meant that Lucas had to do it himself. This included setting up comics to whet fans appetites for a new sci adventure that would change the face of film making in spite … Read more
Jar Jar Binks has a story arc that is so accurate a statement on humanity that people rejected it, backlashing against artist, actor and character but he can teach us a lot about how even the most worthless looking person may just need to be chosen and accepted to make a difference. His journey begins … Read more
If you’ve ever played Star Wars: The Old Republic, you are probably familiar with this line. The Jedi say it a lot in conversation. It’s not exactly witty dialogue but it is truly what Jedi are supposed to stand for. Even Anakin Skywalker, right before he fell knew that this is what they were meant … Read more
Lando Calrissian apparently wanted to be a gambler and con artist from an early age. And he succeeded well enough to win fortunes (and lose them), starships, robots, and a mining colony. He also smuggled part time and even tried his hand at legitimate shipping. He had an entrepreneurial streak, but while on the surface … Read more
Star Wars was always a space fantasy heavily influenced by myth with elements from many religious traditions. Among them it also has a Christian element, specific to the Easter time of year, that of redemption. Redemption in the Movies Anakin Skywalker He was the best star-pilot in the galaxy, and a cunning warrior. I understand … Read more
In Honor Among Thieves When the Empire threatens the galaxy’s new hope, will Han, Luke, and Leia become its last chance? This book would be better if it wasn’t clearly ignoring the movies and the expanded universe in some spots. When the mission is to extract a high-level rebel spy from the very heart of … Read more
Diversity in Star Wars On Earth, this tends to mean ‘color’. In Star Wars its a bit more than that, given the sheer number of non human species. Everyone isn’t black or white or brown. They might be blue, green, yellow, red or any other color. They aren’t all male or female, some are both, … Read more
The Han Solo Adventures are some of the oldest stories in the Expanded Universe, before it had an official name or continuity. In fact, at the time of writing they there was no original trilogy, just one movie called Star Wars. Brian Daley did a fabulous job of staying true to the character and actually … Read more
Luke Skywalker was just a farm boy with big dreams. It looked like would never act on them. But he had a past even he knew nothing about. And a destiny that was greater than he could imagine. Due to his Uncle’s interference, he kept procrastinating at going away to the Imperial Academy. Falling for … Read more
Watching the original movie back in the day, we had no clue there would be more. An unexpected hero had big dreams but was afraid to leave the familiar old responsibilities for new ones. Then he was forced too. The hero had a chance to save the beautiful Princess and save a Rebellion fighting a … Read more
Sue Rostoni She maintained the Expanded Universe in print and helped plan the New Jedi Order series, as Executive Editor and fiction and comic editor at Lucas Licensing. She held that job for 20 some years, retiring in 2011. Lucy Audrey Wilson Director of Publishing the President of Lucas Licencing. She came up with the … Read more
This is a salute to the female models, actors and voice actors that made the Expanded Universe an audio and visual adventure. This is not a complete list, but some of those who had either the most roles in the Expanded Universe or the most influential characters. Everyone probably knows about the movie actors, but … Read more
Cathleen Hunter She was a prolific WEG art. Most West End Games are includes black/white and gray line drawings. Rosaria J. Baldari Another WEG Artist with credits in the following: June Brigman This artist was a penciller for River Of Chaos, an early Star Wars Dark Horse comic, set in the Rebellion era. She also … Read more
Most of us know the characters already. But what about the female writers who invented them? Without them, these heroes we know and love would not exist. This is not a comprehensive list. Charlene Newcomb Author of Several short stories. Some of her main characters are Alex Winger, and Celia Durasha. Patricia Jackson Author of … Read more
Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia has inspired my imagination. It set fire to possibilities both on the movie screen and in games, books and comics. It was her acting and likeness that set fire to our hearts to imagine all the possibilities. When I first ‘met’ the character of Leia, she wasn’t my favorite. She … Read more
The man who stole the Death Star Plans. The beginnings of Kyle Katarn. Kyle Katarn is a farmer’s son who only went to the Carida imperial Academy for the educational opportunities. He had no idea his father was head of a local Alliance Resistance cell. His final graduation mission was to lead an attack on … Read more
The Star Wars Sourcebook by West End Games even predates Heir to the Empire. merchandise, the first new companies to put out new products. It came out in 1987. Coming out even before Heir to the Empire, let alone the prequels, there were a lot of unknowns. Some might assume the later works are contradictory. … Read more
Tales of the Jedi is one of the biggest tie-ins to the Expanded Universe. The Dark Horse Comics story was later subtitled ‘Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic’ and was followed three sequels arcs: Dark Lords of the Sith, The Sith War and Redemption. It also had a prequel, Golden Age of … Read more
Just in Time for Woman’s History month, a celebration of some of the strong women in Star Wars Old Republic era. From the most ancient of times before the Republic to its very end before it became the Galactic Empire, brave woman have stood up for their beliefs and supported others. These are some of … Read more
Continuity and the Story Obi-Wan plays. In between the story bits there are training / sparring levels in between the main ones. The game starts out before The Phantom Menace, and has Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon investigating the Black Heth gang and their Jin Ha allies. It starts on Coruscant and moves to Obredaan. On Coruscant … Read more
Leia Organa Solo After the heroism of the Rebellion, Leia found the talents in diplomacy inherited from her mother, Padme Amidala Skywalker and her adoptive father, Bail Organa, in high demand. It was Leia who brought the aid of the Hapans to the New Republic as well as helping free Dathomir from Nightsisters and Warlord … Read more
Princess Leia and Mon Mothma were not the only women to lead the charge for freedom and democracy. There were others that made a huge impact, overcoming long odds and adversity to become strong leaders in their chosen causes in the years the Galactic Empire was in control. These blurbs may include minor spoilers, and … Read more
I expect this to get long as I am still playing the Star Wars The Old Republic game and I can’t walk a few steps without running into references. This isn’t surprising as its a follow up to the Knights of the Old Republic series which itself was based on the Tales of the Jedi … Read more
The Last Adventure Of Han, Luke, Leia and Lando – the Original Trilogy Heroes Crucible the culmination of a lifetime of service that began with the Original Trilogy, as well as a chance to unexpectedly reflect on the past and decide on the future. Youth has been replaced with age, but also with wisdom and … Read more
Han Solo started out as just a smuggler with a fast mouth and fast blaster. But he had something different from the start. He had the intense loyalty of the wookiee copilot and an incredible ship, the Millenium Falcon. Far from the piece of junk she appeared to be, the Falcon was in fact a … Read more
In the Star Wars Galaxy, Kaminoans are the most famous cloners but not the only ones. The Clone Armies of the Republic too, are famous. But again, they are not the only clones. Clones: Jango Fett clones: While the first clones were born on Kamino and trained by mostly Mandaloreans, later clones were born on … Read more
The Jedi Academy Game is a tie in that goes in all directions. By this I mean previous games, comics and books, as well as those that come after. For that alone I would love it. I also find it most helpful in that I had previously been stuck on Jedi Outcast. After playing this … Read more
Medstar, Battle Surgeons is not an adventure in the sense where the heroes are running from or blasting bad guys. These are the kind of heroes who fight to save lives with medical supplies. This is the Star Wars version of M*A*S*H with a mystery twist set during the Clone Wars. Barriss Offee is sent … Read more
If one has seen Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and realizes where Darth Maul: Shadowhunter lies in the timeline, one might assume one knows how it ends. If Darth Maul gets halved by Obi-Wan there, he clearly doesn’t die here. But sometimes the journey is more important than the destination. Sometimes, things don’t turn out … Read more
Save the EU Star Wars Timeline Rebel Librarian News on the EU Rebellion Online Map of the Star Wars Galaxy EU Comics Digital Archive (FB) Matt Wilkins Expanded Universe (Youtube)
The Truce at Bakura is the literal aftermath of the Battle of Endor and deals with the emotional and very real strategic fall outs of it. As such, its a great place to dive into the Expanded Universe. The Truce at Bakura starts immediately after Return of the Jedi. It is literally the day after … Read more
Wedge Antillies started as a mere background character in the original trilogy movies. He was the sole survivor of all 3, survivor of 2 Death Stars and the Battle of Hoth. He had very few lines. But he became a real everyman’s hero in the other media. After the battle of Endor, Luke was given … Read more
The prequels introduced to the movie screen things that were, until now, only in print. Things that some viewers complain about were actually explained in print, in some cases, long before the movies. From Print to Movie The world of Coruscant was glimpsed in Return of the Jedi’s Special Edition. But until The Phantom Menace, … Read more
Keys: M = Movie | N = Novel | C = Dark Horse Comics | G = Video Games | R = Audio/Radio Drama Rogue Squadron was never a planned multimedia event. It became one without any help, featuring novels, comic books, video games and action figures. In Universe Influence[ The most important thing about … Read more
The Jedi Academy trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson is the new beginning of the Jedi Order. At the time of writing, the Jedi philosophy of the prequels the specifics of Jedi training were unknown, including the rules of no attachments (families), one master to one apprentice and that usually they began as infants. Even if … Read more
Asajj Ventress grew up on Rattataki. When the man who raised her was killed in war, a Jedi Master named Ky Narec found and began training her. The two went on to become heroes, fighting unknown to the Jedi Council for peace. They became heroes. But their enemies struck back, killing Narec and orphaning Ventress … Read more
