Overview of Star Wars Literature(II)- What do you know about the Star Wars Expanded Universe

The extensive library of books, comics, video games, and other media produced before 2014 that broadened the Star Wars universe beyond the confines of the movies is referred to as the Star Wars Expanded Universe (EU) or Star Wars Legends. Lucasfilm's 2014 reinterpretation of the Star Wars canon formally designated the Expanded Universe as non-canon.

Lucasfilm granted licenses to several authors, illustrators, and developers to explore and enlarge the Star Wars universe, resulting in the Expanded Universe. Outside of the main film narrative, it featured a variety of stories about various characters, events, and historical periods.

III. Overview of Legendary Works

Regardless of when the text was released, the timeline within it serves as the basis for the following synopsis of Star Wars canon. The publisher has separated the Star Wars timeline into seven eras for statistical and classification purposes:

1. The First Republic Era

The period preceding the establishment of the Galactic Republic is known as the Pre-Republican Era. This era has no upper limit; the establishment of the Galactic Republic, some 25,000 years prior to A New Hope, represents the lower limit.

The novel and manga Dawn of the Jedi are the only works currently set in this era. Synopsis of the Story:

For unexplained reasons, nine enigmatic ships transported Force sensitives from various races around the galaxy to the deep-core planet of Tessan more than 10,000 years ago. The Jedi Order was the name of the group of Force-sensitive people known as Jedi. Their descendants, the Force-sensitive on Tessan and the non-Force-sensitive on other worlds have inhabited the whole Tessan system for almost 10,000 years. Due to technical restrictions, the Tessans have never been able to contact the rest of the cosmos and discover the secrets of their forefathers. The Rakata, who had established the Infinite Empire, aimed to subjugate the galaxy's numerous Force-sensitive worlds in the meantime. They attempted an invasion of the Tessan system, but it was a complete failure. The Tessan people routed the attackers.

Later, the Jedi Order changed its focus from honoring the balance between the dark and light aspects of the Force to primarily honoring the light side. The "Dark Jedi" were Force sensitives who revered the evil side of the Force, and the Jedi were hostile toward them. But aside from the setting texts, there is no literature on Jedi becoming Jedi.

2. The Age of the Old Republic

The establishment of the Galactic Republic marks the upper limit of the Age of the Old Republic, while the Russian Reforms of the Galactic Republic, which took place roughly a millennium before A New Hope, mark the lower limit.

The Age of the Old Republic's first 20,000 years or more is a literary vacuum. The comic book collection Legends of the Jedi, which predates A New Hope by almost 5,000 years, is the first work of this era. Synopsis of the Story:

For a millennium, the Sith Empire—which was created by the union of Dark Jedi and Sith—has been a distant and thriving entity. The Sith Empire initiates a hyperspace war and a massive invasion of the Galactic Republic after an unintentional opening of a hyperspace route between the two entities. As a result, the Jedi and the Galactic Republic drove the Sith Empire back, and it finally fell. The Sith Empire's surviving members were banished to the Unknown Regions. The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith started at this point. A thousand years later, Ulric Kyle Droma and Exar Kurn, Dark Jedi who had adopted Sith culture, teamed up with the Mandalorian's and the Kraath religious organization to launch the Sith War in an abject attempt to topple the Galactic Republic.

The Samurai of the Old Republic comic book series is the saga that follows Legends of the Jedi. The single-player video games Samurai of the Old Republic and Samurai of the Old Republic II: Lords of the Sith were released after the comic series. Next was the Old Republic series, which featured comics, novels, and online games. Synopsis of the story:

The Mandalorian leader, Ultimate Mandalore, is lured by the remaining Sith Empire, or the actual Sith, to launch the Mandalorian War and invade the Galactic Republic, but the Jedi and the Galactic Republic defeat him. Raven and Malak, two significant Jedi heroes, gained notoriety during this conflict. They went to the Unknown Regions to find out the truth after discovering that the Sith were still alive. However, they were deceived by the 1,000-year-old Sith Emperor Vish'et, fell to the Dark Side, adopted Sith society, and became Sith Lords. The Jedi Civil War began when they flipped their weapons and launched an assault on the Galactic Republic. Raven was successfully re-brainwashed by the Jedi using a trap. After assisting the Republic in defeating Malak, Raven ventured further into the Unknown Regions in search of the real Sith. A female Jedi named Mitra Surik stopped the First Jedi Purge, which was started by Sith remnants in the Known Zone. Later, Surik went to the Unknown Regions with Raven. Surik physically died, Raven was put into hibernation, and the Empire stayed with Raven after they were unable to kill Vishiet. Vishiet oversaw the unsuccessful invasions of the Known Regions by the Sith Empire and the Eternal Empire three centuries later.

The text then jumps ahead by more than a millennium to almost 2,000 years prior to A New Hope. This is when the Rogue series—both the books and the comics—was published. This era concludes with the comic Jedi vs. Sith and the Darth Bane literary series, which includes the trilogy of novels of the same name. Synopsis of the Story:

The Galactic Republic and the New Sith Empire, established by Sith Lord Darth Ruin, started a millennium-long conflict known as the New Sith War. The Republic was shattered and plunged into a "Dark Age"; warlords were at each other's throats, and the New Sith Empire was split. Lord Kahn brought the Sith together under the Dark Brotherhood to fight the Jedi Army of Light, which Lord Hoth commanded at the end of the battle. The Dark Brotherhood was obliterated, and the Light side suffered a severe defeat in the decisive battle between the two armies on the planet Rusan. Following the conflict, Darth Bane sent the Sith underground and established the "Law of Two" to reorganize the Sith system. The Russian Reforms were put into effect by the Republic, which eliminated the standing army and left only the judiciary. The Jedi were appointed "peacekeepers" of the Republic.

3. The Age of Rising Empires

The Battle of Yavin between the Galactic Empire and the Boxer Alliance, which is the subject of A New Hope, is the lower limit of the Age of Rising Empires, while the Russian Reformation is the top limit.

The majority of the works are set in the last century of the Age of the Rise of the Empire, which lasted for 1,000 years. There are a lot of works from this era. This era includes the prequel trilogy's films as well as a ton of animated movies, books, comics, and video games. The various pieces are connected and enhance one another. The prequel trilogy movies, the Clone Wars animated miniseries, the Clone Wars companion novels and video games, and the Force Unleashed multimedia project are the main products of this era. It's crucial to remember that the Darth Bane trilogy is a cross-genre work, with the first half taking place in the Age of the Old Republic and the second half taking place in the Age of the Rise of the Empire. Synopsis of the Story:

Through intrigue, the latent Sith Supreme Lord Palpatine became the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic during a millennium of Baneite Sith dominance, particularly under the covert direction of Sith Supreme Lord Darth Plagueis. In order to reorganize the Republic into the Galactic Empire, he used the people's discontent with the Republic's corruption to create an independent Galactic Confederacy covertly. He also led the Clone Wars to weaken the Jedi and increase the public's disenchantment with democracy. Finally, he claimed the title of Emperor and began a massive purge of the Jedi alongside his apprentice, Sith Exalted Lord Darth Vader.

4. Age of Rebellion

The foundation of the New Republic, four years after A New Hope, marks the lower end of the Age of Sedition, while the Battle of Yavin marks its upper end. With a duration of just over four years, the Age of Insurrection is the shortest of the seven periods. But out of the seven eras, it has a unique place. Because the primary trilogy of films was set in the Age of Uprising decades ago, it was the first of the periods to be born.

The primary works of the Age of Uprising are the multimedia project Shadows of the Empire and the ancillary books and games to the main trilogy. Synopsis of the Story:

Humans revolt and organize a coalition of rebels to fight a galactic civil war more than ten years after the Galactic Empire was established. Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, the twin children of Darth Vader, are among the rebel commanders. In the civil war, the Black Sun, the galaxy's most prominent criminal organization, lost badly. Palpatine and Darth Vader are both slain at the Battle of Endor. The Boxer Alliance starts to win little by little.

5. New Republic Era

Twenty-five years after A New Hope, the Yuuzhan Vong War broke out, marking the lower end of the New Republic Era, while the New Republic's formation marks its upper end.

Like the works of the Rebellion and Rise of the Empire periods, the New Republic era is characterized by a variety of forms and overlapping narratives. The main works are briefly introduced as follows:

The Bakura Incident Novel: To fight off the Ssi-ruuvi invasion, the Imperial garrison of the Bakura system and the Rebel Alliance band together.

Issue #96 of Marvel Comics' "Star Wars" series and issue #107 of the final edition: The New Republic, which the Rebel Alliance restructures, is compelled to protect the galaxy from the Nagai invasion. However, the Tof species, the Nagai's archenemy, enters the fight halfway through. The New Republic, the Rebel Alliance's successor, joins forces with the Nagai to combat the Tof. A small number of Nagai join the galaxy's new government after the Tof are vanquished, while the majority of Nagai still hunt down the Tof.

In the novel Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, the New Republic kills Cronal, the former Empire intelligence minister and Dark Side prophet.

The New Republic defeats Ysanne Isard, another Empire intelligence minister, and takes control of Coruscant, the capital city, and Thyferra, a key location in the novels X-Wing, Books 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The Imperial warlord Zsinj is vanquished by the New Republic in Books 5, 6, and 7 of the "X-Wing" novel.

Novel "The Courtship of Princess Leia": The New Republic ultimately destroys the Warlord Zsinj after allying with the Hapes Consortium. Han Solo and Leia are wed.

The Solos return to Bakura in the novel "The Truce at Bakura," where they discover Anakin Skywalker's and his mother's beginnings.

The novel The Thrawn Trilogy tells the story of Grand Admiral Thrawn, an imperial military genius who revitalized the Empire and severely damaged the New Republic before being killed in a rebellion by his people. Jaina and Jacen Solo, twins, are born to Leia.

Book 8 of "X-Wing": Ysanne Isard and the Imperial warlord Krennel are ultimately destroyed by the New Republic.

Emperor Palpatine is brought back to life through cloning and essence transfer in the comic book series "Dark Empire" trilogy. For a bit of time, he commands an army to recapture Coruscant before the Jedi slay him once more. Anakin Solo, Leia's youngest son, is born.

The "Jedi Academy Trilogy" novel: Luke destroys the spirit of Exar Kun, rebuilds the Jedi Academy, and creates a new order of Jedi Knights. The New Republic routes Admiral Daala's Imperial fleet.

The trilogy of Crimson Empire comic books: The remains of the Empire, commanded by Carnor Jax and Imperial warlord Xandel Carivus, are routed by the New Republic with the aid of Kir Kanos, a former member of the Imperial Imperial Guard.

"Children of the Jedi": Roganda Ismaren, the former Imperial Empress, and her illegitimate son are vanquished by the New Republic.

New "Dark-saber": The Hutts are unable to build the superweapon. The New Republic routes Admiral Daala's remaining elements of the Empire, and Gilad Pellaeon assumes command of them.

In the novel Planet of Twilight, Admiral Daala formally retires, and the New Republic ends the insurrection on the planet Nam Chorios.

In book 9 of the novel X-Wing, Adumar allies with the New Republic when an emissary from the New Republic ends the unrest on the planet.

"The Crystal Star": Hethrir, the previous Imperial leader, is killed by the New Republic.

The trilogy of novels "The Black Fleet Crisis": The New Republic successfully stops the Yuuzhan Vong from starting a genocidal campaign inside the Koornacht Cluster and ends a diplomatic dispute with them.

"The New Rebellion": The Dark Jedi Kueller is destroyed by the New Republic.

"The Corellian Trilogy": The Corellian Rebellion is put down by the New Republic.

The Galactic Civil War formally ended when the New Republic and the Galactic Empire (Imperial Remnant) signed a peace treaty acknowledging one another in the novel "The Hand of Thrawn" duology.

In the "Union" comic book series, Luke Skywalker weds Mara Jade.

6. New Jedi Order Era

The start of the Yuuzhan Vong War marks the top limit of the New Jedi Order Era, while the conclusion of the Swarm War—37 years after "A New Hope"—marks the bottom limit.

Few works exist from the New Jedi Order era, primarily the "Dark Nest Trilogy" novel series, the "Invasion" comic series, and the "New Jedi Order" novel series. The story can be summed up as follows:

The Yuuzhan Vong brutally invades the New Republic from outside the galaxy. Early in the conflict, Han Solo's close friend Chewbacca gives his life in valor. Anakin Solo, Han Solo's young son, also loses his life in combat in the midst of the conflict. The head of state of the New Republic perished, and the Yuuzhan Vong briefly seized the galactic capital of Coruscant. The Galactic Alliance is the new organization that the New Republic is compelled to form. In the end, the Galactic Alliance defeats the Yuuzhan Vong. Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade had a son called Ben Skywalker during the conflict. The Galactic Alliance, led by Head of State Cha Niathal, effectively puts an end to the Dark Nest Crisis and Swarm War five years later, which are caused by the Killiks of the Unknown Regions.

7. The Era of Inheritance

There is no lower limit for the Inheritance Era; the end of the Swarm War is its upper limit.

The novel series "Force Heritage" is the first work of the Era of Inheritance. Here is a quick synopsis of the narrative:

The Galactic Alliance's central authority grows stronger and stronger in an effort to swiftly reconstruct the galaxy and avoid a repeat of the Madman's War disaster. This significantly reduces the economic growth rates and sense of national honor of worlds like Fondor, Commenor, Bothawui, and Corellia. The Sith Dark Lady Lumiya, who is hiding, incites these worlds to rebel and establish a confederation in order to gain independence. The Second Civil War of the Galaxy begins. Jacen Solo, Han Solo's oldest son, is also tempted to turn evil by Lumiya at the same time. After serving as a colonel in the Galactic Alliance Guard, Jacen and Cha Niathal, the Supreme Commander of the Galactic Alliance Defense Force, plot a military revolution to take control. The two take on the role of co-heads of state together. Jacen's tactics, motivated by the Dark Side, grow more brutal. After killing his aunt Mara Jade, he turns into the Sith Lord Darth Caedus, and Luke kills Lumiya. Luke and Niathal leave Jacen one by one as a result of his activities, and the Alliance in Exile government and the Jedi Coalition are established to fight Jacen. Jacen also implicitly permits Tahiri Veila to kill Gilad Pellaeon, the leader of the Imperial remnant, in an effort to appease them. Admiral Daala then confronts Jacen after making a reappearance with her erratic Deep Core fleet. Jaina Solo, Jacen's twin sister, ultimately kills him. Daala is chosen head of state, and the exiled Alliance government and Jedi Coalition rejoin the Galactic Alliance. Jagged Fel is accepted as head of state by the Imperial remnant. The Second Galactic Civil War comes to an end as the Confederation, the Imperial Remnant, and the Galactic Alliance resume negotiations.

The novel "Crucible," the tenth book in the "X-Wing" series, and the nine-volume "Fate of the Jedi" novel series come right after this. Here is a brief synopsis of the narrative:

Luke Skywalker and his son are forced into exile as the Galactic Alliance blames the Jedi for the Second Galactic Civil War. In their search for the causes of Jacen's descent into the Dark Side, the father and son Skywalkers travel to a number of Force-sensitive institutions, including the Baran Do Sages, Aing-Tii Monks, Mind Walkers, Dathomiri Witches, Fallanassi, and the Jal Shey. They meet the Lost Tribe of the Sith, the ancient and formidable Force-wielder Abeloth, and the descendants of the Sith Empire while they are exiled.

Public indignation is sparked on Coruscant by Daala's suppression of the Outer Rim slave insurrection, while the Jedi's suppression of Daala stokes animosity toward the Jedi. A triumvirate led by Jedi Grand Master Saba Sebatyne temporarily governs the Galactic Alliance after the Jedi, with the backing of the populace, stage a military coup to depose Daala. Additionally, Luke's trial is reversed. Luke chooses to evacuate the Jedi Order from Coruscant after returning there and seeing that the Sith and Abeloth have penetrated the planet. As a result, the Triumvirate is dissolved. The Council temporarily elects a head of state, which the Sith and Abeloth manipulate. In the end, a female senator who poses as Abeloth is chosen to serve as the Galactic Alliance's provisional head of state.

In order to combat the Sith on Coruscant, the Jedi and Galactic Alliance forces concurrently look for a means of defeating Abeloth. Peace returns to the galaxy as the Sith are vanquished one by one, and each of Abeloth's avatars is destroyed. But after helping the Jedi fight Abeloth, another Sith group known as the "One Sith" gains dominance, and the Jedi no longer settle on Coruscant. General Vitor Reige becomes the first democratically elected leader of the Galactic Empire after its inaugural election. Jagged Fel replaces the head of state. On suspicion of treason, Borath Maduous, the director of the Galactic Alliance Intelligence Service, and General Stavin Thaal, the commander of the Galactic Alliance Army, are detained and dismissed from office. A year later, in the enigmatic Chiloon Rift Nebula, Luke, Leia, Han, and other ancient heroes defeat the Krayt brothers, who were trying to take over the galactic economy.

After that, there was a lapse of over a century before the renowned comic series "Legacy" began. The comic book series "Legacy" has two volumes and seventy-four issues. This is a synopsis of the narrative:

Former Jedi Master Asharad Hett receives a revelation from the Holocron of Sith Lord Darth Krayt after braving the craziness of the Yuuzhan Vong War, the inferno of the Clone Wars, and the violence of the First Galactic Civil War. He turns evil and becomes Darth Krayt, the new Sith Lord. He establishes a new Sith group known as the "One Sith" and changes the "Rule of Two". The "One Sith" stays concealed from the galaxy for a long time and avoids the Second Galactic Civil War and the Yuuzhan Vong War. Through stasis chambers, Darth Krayt gradually gains power and prolongs his life for almost a century. He emerges from the stasis chamber and leads the "One Sith" to assist the remaining members of the Empire in their "Ossus Project," which aims to demolish the Galactic Alliance, initiate a conflict between the Sith and the Imperial Alliance, topple the Galactic Alliance, rid Ossus of the Jedi Temple, remove Emperor Roan Fel (Jagged Fel's grandson), and return the Empire to the galaxy. A civil war breaks out within the Empire. An assassination attempt leaves Darth Krayt gravely injured, leaving the Empire without a leader. He gets up fast and vows war on the Jedi, the Sith traitors, the remaining members of the Galactic Alliance, Roan Fel's Galactic Empire in Exile, and Luke's descendants, particularly Cade Skywalker! Ultimately, Cade Skywalker's lightsaber kills Darth Krayt by a beheading. He also loses his Sith Empire. On the verge of victory, Roan Fel, an Imperial Knight, succumbs to the Dark Side, compelling his subordinates to murder him. Marasiah Fel, the daughter of Roan Fel, inherits the throne. The "Galactic Triumvirate" is formed to rule the galaxy following the conflict by Jedi Master K'Kruhk, Admiral Gar Stazi of the Galactic Alliance, and Empress Marasiah Fel of the Galactic Empire. After being forced underground, the remnant Sith forces start to cause instability throughout the galaxy. One of them, Darth Wredd, is a Sith who seeks to eradicate all other Sith and reinstate the Sith "Rule of Two" throughout the galaxy. His scheme nearly works, but Ania Solo kills him after every other Sith has been vanquished. At last, the galaxy exterminates every Sith, and a new era in history starts!

This article focuses on the mainstream Legends stories, which are accompanied by a plethora of more miniature tales found in various books, comics, video games, and short stories. Furthermore, rather than being a total emptiness, the so-called "gaps" indicate that the majority of the associated artistic works are made up of one or two pieces, each of which is a small, unimportant story.