The star wars expanded universe, called the eu for short, is the name used to denote the star wars books, comics, video games, and more that were part of the star wars canon prior to april 25, 2014. In print, the first new books to come from this creative collaboration include novels from del rey books. When disney took over lucasfilm and star wars from george lucas in 2012, a lot of exciting times came for the star wars fandom with new films, as well as new books, comics, video games, and tv shows, all on the way. If youre a star wars fan, theres a good chance youve read a star wars books or two. It is derived from and includes most official star wars books. On the screen, the first new canon to appear will be star wars rebels.
There are thousands of worlds, characters, and creatures to learn about that an entire lifetime wouldnt be enough. Robert mullins wildly unique chronology project attempts to fuse the eu canon with disneys. The exact chronology of the events described in this article is currently unknown. The expanded universe encompasses the huge array of star wars media that flourished in the decades postreturn of the jedi. The star wars expanded universe, much like star wars in general, was a project both paradoxically dumb as hell and yet also a grand, admirable achievement in worldbuilding and adventure. It used to be that all of the eu was considered canon unless directly. The other side of that, though, was the removal of the expanded universe from canon. Simple star wars book list timeline of star wars novels. 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. And in the wake of the zahn books come more and more in the new republic era. If it was published before 2014, then its not canon. Disney has signalled a fresh start for its star wars trilogy by officially ruling out storylines borrowed from the scores of expanded universe eu novels in book shops fans of the books.
New movies and other stories arent based on these books, and will sometimes contradict them. The 10 best stories in the star wars expanded universe. All novels here are published in collaboration with the lucasfilm story group, and are canon with the films and animated. A lot of great star wars things have come out of the disneylucasfilm merger. The eu began in 1978 with the release of splinter of the minds eye, and has spanned thousands of inuniverse years since then. No love for expanded universe in new star wars films cnet. A guide to all the new star wars books in the expanded. Bantam books next to fett is a weirdlooking droid named ig88. The rise of skywalker is a celebration of star wars old.
Notable eu works include the thrawn trilogy by timothy zahn, the new. The best books from the old star wars expanded universe. Demand for past tales of the expanded universe will keep them in print, presented under the new legends banner. It is a chronology of all the events that have ever occurred in the star wars universe, in all the films, books, cdroms, nintendo games, comic books, and roleplaying guides, and each medium is seamlessly coordinated with the others. An easy way to spot a canon novel is to look at the publication date. 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.
The main vehicle for the galaxys expansion was the massive array of. 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. Expanded universe changes star wars wiki guide ign. The new books we got as a result have also been nothing short of incredible, shedding light on the years between star wars. May the fourth be with you as we explore my collection of star wars expanded universe novels. Lucasfilm unveils new plans for star wars expanded. Many derivative star wars works have been produced in conjunction with, between, and after. This is the complete star wars encyclopedia published in 2008, and provides information on anything and everything to do with star wars up until that date. Star wars expanded universe skip to main search results. The legendary star wars expanded universe turns a new page. 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. The expanded universe is a collection of star wars fiction compiled over the last 30 years.
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. Various authors penned exciting narratives in the star wars universe featuring all your favorite characters and a bunch of new ones. New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since. These three books take place about 16 years after a new hope, during the new republic era of the expanded universe. 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. No love for expanded universe in new star wars films. There is a whole galaxy of books about star wars, hundreds of them, if were counting the eu expanded universe. New books would therefore not be considered legends by definition. 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. Before the storm, shield of lies, and tyrants test by michael p. Welcome to the star wars expanded universe subreddit.
It covers the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy, as well as the expanded universe as depicted in the novels and videogames. New canon the newly standardized star wars canon includes all the movie episodes, the clone wars and rebels tv shows, and new books since 2014. Furthermore, all star wars creative development is under the supervision of the lucasfilm story group, so disney will not allow other authors to write new noncanon works. See, before disney took over, star wars had a huge amount of extra material novels, comics, etc. Star wars really is the poster child for how this trope works. If so, i highly recommend reading books from the star wars the expanded universe. A definitive legends clone wars timeline was never established by lucasfilm. Dark force rising by timothy zahn, heir to the empire by timothy zahn, the last command by timothy zahn, sh. However, after the disney acquisition, the expanded universe books became known instead as legends, and a new, official canon that ensured the continuity of the star wars universe was established. These books were published between 1978 and 2012 and represent a massive collection of star wars stories. Almost as long as there have been star wars movies, there have been star wars books. 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. Lucasfilm president casts doubt on new star wars films. Novels, comic books, spinoff films, and even the occasional television series create what is collectively known as the star wars expanded universe sweu related.
Tom dupree, editor for bantam spectra star wars books article from the new yorker, why the force is still. If youre new to star wars books in general, you might want to check out this piece by a fellow rioter on where to start, but this list. Popular star wars expanded universe books goodreads. It is not for comics or short stories in legends continuity. Star wars expanded universe novels were almost always fun, but they werent always great. The series depicts the adventures of various characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. A reading guide to the new star wars expanded universe. Expanded universe fiction includes material from books, comics, tv specials and series, radio dramas. The star wars universe expands far beyond characters and events from the original film series. Star wars is an incredibly expansive universe, one of the largest in all of entertainment media. The 10 best star wars legends books, ranked screenrant. Star wars expanded universe book collection youtube. After the conclusion of the original trilogy of star wars films, fans relied on various novels and comic books in the star wars expanded universe realm of mythology to hold them over, though.
These books are part of the original star wars expanded universe, and follow an internally consistent timeline. In an official statement friday, lucasfilm said the new star wars. Star wars legends, formerly known as the expanded universe abbreviated eu, encompasses every one of the licensed, fictional background stories of the star wars universe, outside of the original six star wars films produced by george lucas and certain other material such as star wars. When he created star wars, george lucas built a universe that sparked the imagination, and inspired others to create. The new star wars expanded novel universe that includes all star wars novels and media created after the legends rebranding of the old eu. Articles, columns and quotes in defense of the star wars expanded universe. If youre new to star wars books in general, you might want to check out this piece by a fellow rioter on where to start, but this list is a good starting point into what i think are the best star wars books. Things have become peaceful enough in the galaxy that many of the characters are taking time to focus on themselves.
See this article in wookieepedia for how it all works. For years before disney purchased lucasfilm the star wars story was primarily told through the expanded universe, or eu, a collection of books, comics, audio dramas and games that continued and expanded on the stories from the movies. We are primarily a source of discussion and news for anything involving the star wars expanded universe legends or story group canon. The expanded universe quotes databank star wars legends. 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. 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.
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