Star Wars Legends

Star Wars Legends
Name	Star Wars Legends
Creator	George Lucas
Origin	Star Wars franchise
Type	Expanded universe

Star Wars Legends. This is the branding for the vast collection of Star Wars stories and characters created outside the original six films and the 2008 animated series. Formerly known as the Expanded Universe, it encompasses thousands of stories told through novels, comic books, video games, and other media, creating a rich, interconnected history. While these stories are no longer part of the official Star Wars canon, they remain a beloved and influential part of the franchise's heritage, exploring events millennia before and decades after the Skywalker saga.

Overview

The Legends continuity constructs an elaborate tapestry that greatly expands upon the lore introduced in the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. It details the ancient history of the Jedi Order and the Sith, chronicles the rise and fall of empires like the Sith Empire, and follows the adventures of iconic characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia far beyond their cinematic appearances. This narrative web includes legendary conflicts like the Sith Wars, the Mandalorian Wars, and the Yuuzhan Vong War, introducing pivotal figures like Grand Admiral Thrawn, Darth Revan, and Mara Jade. The scope spans from the dawn of the Old Republic to the legacy of the Skywalker family over a hundred years after the Battle of Endor.

Publication history

The foundation of what would become Legends began with the 1978 novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster. Following the success of the films, Lucasfilm licensed stories to publishers like Bantam Spectra and Dark Horse Comics, leading to landmark series such as the Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn and the Dark Empire comics. The West End Games roleplaying game provided crucial reference material that helped standardize the universe. In 1991, Lucasfilm established the Lucasfilm Licensing group to maintain continuity, with key editors like Sue Rostoni and Leland Chee overseeing the Holocron continuity database. This coordinated effort allowed stories from Del Rey Books, Dark Horse, and developers like BioWare and LucasArts to coexist in a largely cohesive timeline for decades.

Content and storylines

Legends content is organized into several major eras, including the Old Republic era, the Rise of the Empire era, the Rebellion era, and the New Republic era. Key storylines explore the Jedi Civil War featuring Darth Malak and the Knights of the Old Republic games, the Clone Wars multimedia project with characters like General Grievous and Asajj Ventress, and the post-Return of the Jedi adventures of the New Jedi Order under Grand Master Luke Skywalker. Major narrative events include the Dark Nest Crisis, the Second Galactic Civil War, and the fate of the Solo family across generations. These stories introduced foundational concepts like the Sith Holocron, the planet Korriban, and the Imperial Remnant.

Relationship to Star Wars canon

In April 2014, following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, the company redefined the official continuity. All new projects from Lucasfilm Story Group would form a single canon, while the existing Expanded Universe was rebranded as Star Wars Legends. This meant stories like the Jedi Academy trilogy, the New Jedi Order series, and games like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed were designated as separate from the continuity of new films like The Force Awakens and series such as The Mandalorian. However, elements from Legends have been selectively reintroduced into the new canon, including characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn, planets like Lothal, and concepts like the Sith Eternal.

Reception and legacy

The Legends material has been critically acclaimed and commercially successful, with works like the Thrawn trilogy often credited with revitalizing mainstream interest in Star Wars during the 1990s. Characters such as Darth Revan, Kyle Katarn, and Mara Jade achieved iconic status within the fandom. The multimedia Clone Wars project, including the 2003 animated series by Genndy Tartakovsky, is particularly celebrated. While the canon reset was controversial among some fans, the Legends imprint continues to publish new stories, such as The High Republic comics from Marvel Comics, demonstrating its enduring appeal. The imprint preserves a vast, alternative history that has profoundly influenced Star Wars storytelling and world-building.

Notable works

Significant works in the Legends continuity include foundational novel series like the Thrawn trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command) and the Jedi Academy trilogy. Landmark comic series include Dark Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, and Star Wars: Legacy. Influential video games are Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, and Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast. Major multimedia projects encompass the Clone Wars initiative, which included novels, comics, and the 2003 animated series, and the sweeping New Jedi Order series of novels that chronicled the invasion of the Yuuzhan Vong.

Category:Star Wars