15 Biggest Things Star Wars Stole from the EU

Between 1983 and 1999, there were no Star Wars films.  I know.  I was alive the entirety of that time and most of it sucked (because of the no Star Wars, clearly).  Then came the Prequel Trilogy (I’ll pause and let you shout your opinions into the ether), and another ten year gap before The Force Awakens.  Now, we’re going to get a Star Wars film every year forever.  Don’t think they’re stopping at Episode IX.  They will be cranking out episodes and spin-offs as long as Disney has the license.  And, if they’re as good as TFA and Rogue One appears to be, there is absolutely no problem with that.  But, what filled the gap, keeping Star Wars alive during the aforementioned 16 and 10 year gaps?  The Extended Universe.

Timeline of the New Star Wars Extended Universe (What is Canon and When Did it Happen?)

Outer Places has put together a truly fantastic timeline showing an integrated layout of when all of the movies, TV series, comic series and novels take place in relationship to one another.  In the previous extended universe, which had hundreds of books and comics, nothing was quite certain as to whether it was really canon or not.  In the new extended universe, everything is.  If it happens in a comic book, it’s just as relevant as if it happens in a film.

And, just in case, you think big things aren’t happening in the fantastic comics that Marvel is putting out: Han Solo has a wife at the time of Episode IV and we see the moment Vader releases that the pilot the blew up the Death Star is named “Skywalker”; that Padme’s child (later children) survived.  In two week, Aftermath, the first novel that will begin to connect Return of the Jedi with Episode VII will release.  Exciting times for Star Wars fans!

Star Wars: Shattered Empire Will Tell What Happens After Return of the Jedi

FROM COMIC BOOK RESOURCES

For thirty years, Star Wars fans have been wondering what happened after the events of Return of the Jedi. And now we finally have our first concrete information about what went down between the ending of that film and the start of J.J. Abrams’ upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

A comic called Shattered Empire, one of the 20 different stories Lucasfilm is releasing between now and December 18th, is the source of this new information. We’ve already seen some art for the release, which hits shelves on September 2nd (variant cover above, via /Film), and it’s been reported that the story is told through the eyes of C-3PO, but now we have a detailed official synopsis that actually gives some legitimate information about what happens following the destruction of the second Death Star:

In December, a new chapter in the Star Wars saga will begin when Star Wars: The Force Awakens — the seventh Star Wars film and the first to take place after Return of the Jedi — arrives in theaters. As the excitement for the new film builds, Lucasfilm and its partners will explore the aftermath of Return of the Jedi in a series of canonical projects debuting in September, and Marvel Comics leads the way with Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto’s Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire #1 (JUL150767)!
Emperor Palpatine’s twenty-year reign of terror came to an abrupt and fiery end in the skies above the forest moon of Endor. A decisive victory for the Rebel Alliance, to be sure, but even with the loss of its leadership, the Empire’s Moffs and regional governors retained their hold on important systems from the Core to the Outer Rim, thanks to the might of the Imperial Starfleet. Now, with a power vacuum atop the Empire, those Moffs will jockey for position and control, and the heroes of the Rebel Alliance will soon discover that a wounded and fractious Empire may be more dangerous than any threat they faced before!
Greg Rucka, the acclaimed writer of Wolverine and Cyclops, reteams with his collaborator on The Punisher, Marco Checchetto, for a Star Wars tale that will reveal the untold story of the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the political machinations that ensued. The Rebellion’s desperate struggle to liberate the galaxy from the Empire’s tyranny will face new challenges, and Rucka and Checchetto will bring their incisive storytelling to a story that no Star Wars fan will want to miss.
A new addition to the Star Wars canon, Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire will take readers into uncharted territory and set the groundwork for the new Star Wars film. Put your Empire Strikes Back soundtrack in the stereo and cue up “The Imperial March” when you read Rucka and Checchetto’s Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire #1 (JUL150767) this September!

Top 5: Star Wars Graphic Novels

For over 20 years, Dark Horse Comics has been producing Star Wars comics.  That massive body of work was excommunicated from the official “canon” with the elimination of the Extended Universe, and the license to publish Star Wars comics will soon revert back to Disney-owned Marvel Comics.  That doesn’t mean there still aren’t a wealth of great stories.  These are my favorite five.