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Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' has been expanded to media other than the original films. This spin-off material is licensed and moderated by
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
, though during his involvement with the franchise ''Star Wars'' creator
George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker. Lucas is best known for creating the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founding Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairm ...
reserved the right to both draw from and contradict it in his own works. Such derivative works have been produced concurrently with, between, and after the
original Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...
,
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
, and sequel trilogies, as well as the spin-off films and
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
. Commonly explored media include
books A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ar ...
,
comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
, and
video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
, though other forms such as
audio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine t ...
s have also been produced. With the exception of the CGI-animated ''The Clone Wars'' TV series, non-film material produced prior to April 2014 was collectively known as the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe (EU). Lucasfilm, now under Disney, later rebranded the Expanded Universe as ''Star Wars Legends'' and declared it
non-canonical The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...
to the franchise. Most works produced after April 25, 2014 are part of the official canon as defined by Lucasfilm, although a handful of ''Legends'' media has still been released after said date.


Publication history


1976–1987: Early films and television series

The first ''Star Wars'' spinoff material was '' Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker'' (1976), the novelization of the 1977 film. Lucas later commissioned
Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghos ...
, who ghostwrote the novelization, to write a sequel, which resulted in ''
Splinter of the Mind's Eye ''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' is a 1978 science-fiction novel written by Alan Dean Foster as a sequel to the film '' Star Wars'' (1977). Originally published in 1978 by Del Rey, a division of Ballantine Books, the book was written with the in ...
'' (1978). Lucas originally intended to use this as the basis for a potential low-budget sequel to ''Star Wars'', but when it became one of the most successful films of all time, Lucas decided to write his own story for the film sequel, ''
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' (1980). While this was in production, Lucas approved the ''
Star Wars Holiday Special The ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a 1978 American television special that originally aired on November 17, 1978, on CBS. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based ''Star Wars'' media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first ' ...
'' (1978), with which he had limited involvement. Running from April 1977 to May 1986, the ''Star Wars'' comic book series from
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
met with such strong sales that former Marvel editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter James Shooter (born September 27, 1951) is an American writer, editor and publisher for various comic books. He started professionally in the medium at the age of 14, and he is most notable for his successful and controversial run as Marvel Comic ...
credited it with saving Marvel financially in 1977 and 1978. The series became one of the industry's top selling titles in 1979 and 1980. An adaptation of the third theatrical film, ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'', was released as a separate four-issue
limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered *Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
(1983–1984). Two novel trilogies with original storylines were written, ''
The Han Solo Adventures ''The Han Solo Adventures'' is a trilogy of novels set in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe by American science-fiction novelist Brian Daley. It follows the smuggling days of Han Solo and Chewbacca two years before the events of the original ...
'' by
Brian Daley Brian Charles Daley (December 22, 1947 – February 11, 1996) was an American science fiction novelist. He also adapted for radio the ''Star Wars'' radio dramas and wrote all of its episodes. Biography Daley was born in Englewood, New Jersey ...
(1979–1980), and 1983's ''
The Adventures of Lando Calrissian Landonis Balthazar "Lando" Calrissian III is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) as an old friend of Han Solo and the administrator of the floating Cloud City on the gas p ...
'' by L. Neil Smith. Daley also wrote radio dramatizations of the original trilogy, which aired in 1981, 1983, and 1996. The first ''Star Wars'' electronic game was released in 1979 by
Kenner Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ' ...
, followed by a handful of
Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...
and
Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...
video games in the early 1980s, mainly adaptations of film scenes. Two spin-off television films focusing on the life of the
Ewok The Ewoks (singular: Ewok) are a fictional species of small, furry, mammaloid, bipeds in the '' Star Wars'' universe. They inhabit the forest moon of Endor and live in arboreal huts and other simple dwellings, being seen as primitive in comp ...
s, introduced in ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'', aired in 1984 and 1985. The furry creatures were also the subject of an American/Canadian animated television series produced by
Nelvana Nelvana Enterprises, Inc. (; previously known as Nelvana Limited, sometimes known as Nelvana Animation and simply Nelvana or Nelvana Communications) is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment company owned by Corus Entertainment. Founded ...
, which ran for two seasons between 1985 and 1986. A sister series, '' Droids'', features the further adventures of
R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
and
C-3PO C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to as ...
. In 1985, Marvel Comics'
Star Comics Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and featured titles that were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys. The last comic published under the imprint f ...
imprint published a bi-monthly ''Ewoks'' tie-in comic, which ran for two years, and in 1986, published an eight-issue ''Droids'' series. The two series featured a crossover storyline. The ''
Star Tours Star Tours was a motion simulator attraction at several Disney theme parks, based on the successful ''Star Wars'' film series created by George Lucas. Set in the ''Star Wars'' universe, the attraction sent guests on an excursion trip to Endor, ...
'' ride was opened at
Disney Parks Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
in 1987 to commemorate the saga's 10th anniversary.


1987–1991: "The Dark Times"

Following the series' 10th anniversary, the release of ''Star Wars'' spin-off media was largely halted. In 1987, the fan newsletter ''
Bantha Tracks ''Star Wars Insider'' is the official ''Star Wars'' magazine. It began in 1987 as the official magazine of ''The Lucasfilm Fan Club'', and was renamed in 1994 to coincide with the release of ''Star Wars: TIE Fighter''. Its contents include sto ...
'' was absorbed by the official Lucasfilm magazine, which focused on the company's projects outside of ''Star Wars''. Some fans feared that the franchise had come to an end, and the period between 1987 and 1991 has been called the "Dark Times." There were some bright spots in this era, however. In 1987,
West End Games West End Games (WEG) was a company that made Board game, board, Role-playing game, role-playing, and wargaming, war games. It was founded by Daniel Scott Palter in 1974 in New York City, but later moved to Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Its product line ...
began publishing '' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game'', and the subsequent ancillary
role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
material such as sourcebooks, gamebooks, and adventure modules. These have been called "the first publications to expand greatly beyond what was known from the vintage era of the movies," and would serve as a resource for a number of franchise novelists.


1991–1996: ''Thrawn'' novels and ''Dark Empire'' comics

The lack of new ''Star Wars'' material ended with the 1991 release of
Timothy Zahn Timothy Zahn (born September 1, 1951) is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy. He is known best for his prolific collection of ''Star Wars'' List of Star Wars books, books, chiefly the Thrawn trilogy, ''Thrawn'' series, and has publis ...
's novel ''
Heir to the Empire The ''Thrawn'' trilogy, also known as the ''Heir to the Empire'' trilogy, is a trilogy of novels set in the '' Star Wars'' universe, written by Timothy Zahn between 1991 and 1993. The first book marked the end of what ''Star Wars'' fandom calls "T ...
''. ''Heir to the Empire'', which reached #1 on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list, began what would become a large collection of works set before, between, and especially after the original films. StarWars.com wrote in 2014 that the novel "jumpstarted a publishing program that endures to this day and formalized the Expanded Universe". It introduced, among others, the popular characters
Grand Admiral Thrawn Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is notable for appearing as the eponymous character in the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn. Thrawn is an ...
and
Mara Jade Mara Jade Skywalker is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. She appears in the now non-canon ''Legends'' series as the wife of Luke Skywalker and mother of Ben Skywalker. She has been voiced by Heidi Shannon, Edie Mirman and K ...
, and was followed by the sequels ''
Dark Force Rising The ''Thrawn'' trilogy, also known as the ''Heir to the Empire'' trilogy, is a trilogy of novels set in the ''Star Wars'' universe, written by Timothy Zahn between 1991 and 1993. The first book marked the end of what ''Star Wars'' fandom calls "Th ...
'' (1992) and '' The Last Command'' (1993). The ''Thrawn'' trilogy is widely credited with revitalizing the ''Star Wars'' franchise. In ''The Secret History of Star Wars'', Michael Kaminski suggests this renewed interest was a factor in Lucas's decision to create the
prequel trilogy The ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was re ...
. Around this same time, the comics license was transferred to
Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...
, who launched a number of series set after the original film trilogy, including the popular ''
Dark Empire ''Dark Empire'' is a ''Star Wars'' comic book metaseries produced by Dark Horse Comics. It consists of a six-issue Limited series (comics), limited series written by Tom Veitch and drawn by Cam Kennedy, followed by a second six-issue limited seri ...
'' sequence (1991–1995) by
Tom Veitch Tom Veitch (September 26, 1941 – February 14, 2022) was an American writer, known for his work in the comic book industry. He was also a novelist and a poet. He was the brother of comics writer and artist Rick Veitch. Early life Veitch was ...
and
Cam Kennedy Campbell ("Cam") Kennedy is a Scottish comics artist. He is best known for his work on '' 2000 AD'', especially the flagship titles ''Judge Dredd'' and ''Rogue Trooper''. Biography Following work in commercial art in his hometown of Glasgow, ...
. The comic launched months after the first ''Thrawn'' novel and was a sequel to those novels; it notably resurrected the film characters
Emperor Palpatine Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, ''The Empire Strikes ...
and
Boba Fett Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel fi ...
. Zahn was critical of the concept of resurrecting Emperor Palpatine through cloned bodies, feeling it undermined and contradicted the meaning of the ending of ''Return of the Jedi''. The ''Jedi Prince'' series of young-reader novels, released between 1992 and 1993, depicts Luke, Leia, and Han about a year after ''Return of the Jedi''. ''
The Truce at Bakura ''The Truce at Bakura'' is a 1993 '' Star Wars'' spin-off novel by Kathy Tyers. It takes place immediately after the events depicted in the film ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983) and before those of the young-reader series '' Jedi Prince'' (1992–199 ...
'' (1993) depicts the immediate aftermath of the aforementioned film. In 1993, Dark Horse published '' Tales of the Jedi'', expanding the fictional universe to the time of the Old Republic, approximately 4,000 years before the films. The series spawned many other productions, including books, further comics, and eventually the '' Knights of the Old Republic'' computer roleplaying games. In 1994, Lucas Licensing's Allan Kausch and Sue Rostoni discussed the relationship between Lucas' creations and the derivative works by other authors:


1996–1999: Special Editions and ''Shadows of the Empire''

The 1996
Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the rock band Journey during their most commercially successful periods from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co ...
novel ''
Shadows of the Empire ''Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire'' is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. The idea was to create a story set between the films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', and to explore all commercial possibilities of a ...
'', set in the as-yet-unexplored time period between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi'', was part of a multimedia campaign that also included a comic book series and
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
. The multimedia project was largely meant to reinvigorate the franchise ahead of the prequel trilogy, along with Lucas's 1997
Special Editions The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...
of the original trilogy. Lucas incorporated elements of the Expanded Universe into the Special Editions; for example,
Coruscant Coruscant () is an ecumenopolis planet in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Its first appearance was onscreen in the 1997 Special Edition of ''Return of the Jedi'', but was first depicted and mentioned by name in Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel '' ...
, the New Republic capital planet created by Zahn in the ''Thrawn'' trilogy, made its film debut in the Special Edition of ''
Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'', before being featured more heavily in the prequel trilogy. An eponymous comic book series, later subtitled ''Republic'', launched in 1998 and introduced
Ki-Adi-Mundi This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...
ahead of his appearance in the films. In 1999, ''Star Wars'' book publishing moved from
Bantam Spectra Bantam Spectra is the science fiction division of American publishing company Bantam Books, which is owned by Random House. According to their website, Spectra publishes "science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative novels from recogniz ...
to
Del Rey Books Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn, by Penguin Random House. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It ...
. A new series set between 25 and 30 years after the original films, ''
The New Jedi Order ''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...
'' (1999–2003), was written by multiple authors and introduced a new threat: the Yuuzhan Vong, a powerful alien race attempting to invade and conquer the entire galaxy. The first novel in the series, R. A. Salvatore's ''
Vector Prime ''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...
'', killed off popular character
Chewbacca Chewbacca ( ), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute, bipedal, intelligent species originating from the fictional planet of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and firs ...
.


1999–2014: Prequel film trilogy and ''The Clone Wars''

Before 1999, the bulk of Expanded Universe storytelling explored the time periods either after ''Return of the Jedi'' or long before ''A New Hope'' (''e.g.'' the '' Tales of the Jedi'' series). The time period shortly before the original trilogy (including the rise of the
Galactic Empire Galactic empires are a common trope used in science fantasy and science fiction, particularly in works known as 'space operas'. Many authors have either used a galaxy-spanning empire as background or written about the growth and/or decline of s ...
and the personal histories of
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
and
Emperor Palpatine Sheev Palpatine, also known by his Sith name Darth Sidious, is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Initially credited as the Emperor in the original trilogy films, ''The Empire Strikes ...
) was left open for Lucas to develop in the form of a prequel trilogy, which began with '' Episode I: The Phantom Menace'' (1999). The character
Aayla Secura This incomplete list of characters from the '' Star Wars'' franchise contains only those which are considered part of the official ''Star Wars'' canon, as of the changes made by Lucasfilm in April 2014. Following its acquisition by The Walt D ...
, introduced in 2000 in the ''Republic'' comic book series, appears in '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' (2002). The 2003 animated series ''
Clone Wars Clone Wars may refer to: Star Wars Film and television * ''Star Wars: Clone Wars'' (2003 TV series), an American animated television series set in the ''Star Wars'' galaxy * ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008 TV series), an American 3D CGI anim ...
'' and various spin-off books, comics, and video games explore the titular conflict in more detail leading up to '' Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'' (2005). Ahead of the film's release, Lucas announced a 3D "continuation" of ''Clone Wars'', which was released as the animated film '' The Clone Wars'' (2008) and a television series of the same name (2008–2020). These reveal that Anakin had a Padawan learner,
Ahsoka Tano Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced as the Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, she is a supporting character in the animated film '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008) and the subsequent animated telev ...
, during this period. Various characters seen only briefly in the films or in other spin-off material are featured in more depth. At this time, Lucas denied any plans to ever make a ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy. As of 2004, over 1,100 ''Star Wars'' titles had been published, including novels, comics, non-fiction, and magazines. Then-president of Lucas Licensing, Howard Roffman, estimated that there were more than 65 million ''Star Wars'' books in print. He said, "The books are a way of extending the fantasy of ''Star Wars''. The movies have had a really profound effect on a couple of generations. ''Star Wars'' has become a cultural touchpoint, and our fans are avidly interested in exploring more stories."


Holocron database and canonicity

Originally, Lucasfilm tracked the narrative content of the Expanded Universe in story bibles, alongside official reference books such as ''
A Guide to the Star Wars Universe ''A Guide to the Star Wars Universe'' is a reference book based on the '' Star Wars'' franchise published by Del Rey. The first edition was published in 1984 and written by Raymond L. Velasco. It is 215 pages long and contains roughly 951 entries ...
'' (1984/1994) and the ''
Star Wars Encyclopedia ''Star Wars Encyclopedia'' is a 1998 reference book written by science-fiction author Stephen J. Sansweet, the director of content management at Lucasfilm. The book defines, explains, and illustrates the characters, creatures, settings, objects ...
'' (1998). In 2000,
LucasArts Lucasfilm Games (known as LucasArts between 1990 and 2021) is an American video game brand licensing, licensor that is part of Lucasfilm. It was founded in May 1982 by George Lucas as a video game development group alongside his film company; as ...
lead tester Leland Chee was hired as Continuity Database Administrator for Lucas Licensing, and developed a database of franchise continuity based in part on 1998's encyclopedic ''Star Wars: Behind the Magic'' . The database came to be known as the Holocron, a term used within the ''Star Wars'' universe for "ancient repositories of knowledge and wisdom". The Holocron consists of over 55,000 entries for franchise characters, locations, species, and vehicles. Lucas Licensing's managing editor Sue Rostoni said in 2001, "Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the ''Star Wars'' galaxy, insofar as that history does not conflict with, or undermine the meaning of Mr. Lucas's ''Star Wars'' saga of films and screenplays." Lucasfilm's director of fan relations
Steve Sansweet Stephen J. Sansweet (born June 14, 1945) is the chairman and president of Rancho Obi-Wan, a nonprofit museum that houses the world's largest collection of '' Star Wars'' memorabilia. Prior to his retirement in April 2011, he was Director of Con ...
clarified: In August 2005, Lucas said of the Expanded Universe: Regarding the Holocron database in 2012, Chee said: "What sets ''Star Wars'' apart from other franchises is that we develop a singular continuity across all forms of media, whether it be the films, TV series, video games, novels and comics, and the Holocron is a key component to Lucasfilm being able to do this." The Holocron was divided into five levels of canon (in order of precedence): *G-canon was "George Lucas canon": Episodes ''I–VI'' (the released films at that time) overrode the lower levels of canonicity, even when referring to elements introduced in other media. In the words of Leland Chee: "George's view of the universe is his view. He's not beholden to what's gone before." *T-canon was Television canon: The canonicity level comprising ''The Clone Wars'', which Lucas co-created. * was Continuity canon: Most of the material from the Expanded Universe including books, comics, and video games. The creation of stories that introduced radical changes in the continuity, like ''
The Force Unleashed ''Star Wars: The Force Unleashed'' is an action-adventure game developed by LucasArts and part of ''The Force Unleashed'' multimedia project. It was initially developed for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and Xbox 360 consoles and on ...
'' video game (which introduced
Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
's secret apprentice), required Lucas's approval, and he spent hours explaining the character relationships to the developers. *S-canon was Secondary canon: Any element introduced in Continuity canon that was contradicted by other material. The ''Holiday Special'' is an example, except for elements referenced in higher levels of canon. *D-canon was Detours canon: Elements of the unreleased show '' Detours'', though primarily intended as a parody of the franchise, were to follow a serial storyline that existed in a low level of canonicity. *N-canon was Non-canon: "What if" stories (such as the first 20 issues of the ''
Star Wars Tales ''Star Wars Tales'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics, beginning on September 29, 1999, and completing its run on July 13, 2005. Each issue is 64 pages and features a few unrelated stories from various eras of the ''Star Wars'' ...
'' comic anthology), crossover appearances (such as ''Star Wars'' character appearances in ''
Soulcalibur IV is the sixth installment in the ''Soulcalibur'' series of fighting games, released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2008. It features greatly improved graphics over the previous title, and includes three guest characters from the ''Star War ...
''), game statistics, and anything else directly contradicted by higher levels of canon.


Disney acquisition and canon restructuring

In October 2012,
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
acquired Lucasfilm for (equivalent to about $B in ). Subsequently, Lucasfilm formed the "Lucasfilm Story Group", which was established to keep track of and define the canon and unify the films, comics, and other media. Among its members are Chee, Kiri Hart, and
Pablo Hidalgo Pablo Hidalgo is a Chilean-born creative executive based in California, currently working for Lucasfilm on the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Early work Hidalgo was born in Santiago, Chile and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. In 1987 he became ...
. To prevent the planned sequel trilogy from being beholden to and restrained by the plotlines of the Expanded Universe works, the choice was made to discard that continuity. On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm rebranded the Expanded Universe material as ''Star Wars Legends'' and declared it non-canonical to the franchise. The company's focus would be shifted towards a restructured ''Star Wars'' canon based on new material. Chee said in a 2014
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
post that a "primary goal" of the story group would be to replace the previous hierarchical canon (of the Holocron) with one cohesive one. However, the final season of ''The Clone Wars'', which was released in 2020, contradicted aspects of the 2016 canon novel ''
Ahsoka Ahsoka Tano is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced as the Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, she is a supporting character in the animated film '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' (2008) and the subsequent animated te ...
''. The next year, ''The Clone Wars'' spin-off series '' The Bad Batch'' contradicted canon elements of the 2015 '' Kanan'' comic book series. ''The Bad Batch'' executive producer Jennifer Corbett explained that "Everything we did was for a reason and it might not match 100% but it's sort of just wanting to honor what existed but also give another take on it in this story."


2014–2019: Sequel trilogy and anthology films

In its 2014 announcement, Lucasfilm explained that the only preexisting works to be considered canonical within the franchise would be the primary episodic films and the 2008 ''The Clone Wars'' film and TV series. The announcement called these works "the immovable objects of ''Star Wars'' history, the characters and events to which all other tales must align." It was also made clear that a planned ''Star Wars'' sequel trilogy, and subsequent works developed within the restructured canon, would not be based on ''Legends'' material but could possibly draw from it. The first new canonical novel was ''
A New Dawn ''A New Dawn: The Don A. Stuart Stories of John W. Campbell, Jr.'' is an archival collection of science fiction stories by John W. Campbell, published in hardcover by NESFA Press in 2003. The volume was compiled and edited by James A. Mann. It ...
'' by
John Jackson Miller John Jackson Miller (born January 12, 1968) is an American science-fiction author, comic book writer, and commentator, known for his work on the ''Star Wars'' franchise and his research into comic book circulation history, as presented in the St ...
, published in September 2014, acting as a prologue to the CGI-animated television series ''
Star Wars Rebels ''Star Wars Rebels'' is an American 3D animation, 3D animated science fiction on television, science fiction television series produced by Lucasfilm Animation and set in the ''Star Wars'' universe. It takes place over a decade after ''Episode ...
'', which was released a month later. Marvel began publishing new ''Star Wars'' comic book series in January 2015, and the ''
Journey to Star Wars "Journey to ''Star Wars''" is a Disney/ Lucasfilm publishing initiative that connects the '' Star Wars'' sequel films with previous film installments in the franchise. It currently includes the initiatives "Journey to ''Star Wars: The Force Awake ...
'' publishing initiative included books and comics tying in to the sequel trilogy films. The first sequel trilogy film, ''
The Force Awakens ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens'') is a 2015 American epic space opera film produced, co-written, and directed by J. J. Abrams. The sequel to ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983) ...
'', was released in December 2015. There was some minor fan backlash against the restructured canon, with one group successfully campaigning to buy a billboard pleading for Lucasfilm to continue the original non-canonical Expanded Universe separately from the canon. ''Rebels'' supervising director
Dave Filoni David Filoni (born June 7, 1974) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and voice actor. He has worked on ''Avatar: The Last Airbender'', ''The Mandalorian'', and on the theatrical film and television series of '' Star Wars: The Clone ...
reintroduced popular ''Legends'' character Thrawn into the canon in the 2016 third season of ''Rebels''. Timothy Zahn was hired to write new canonical novels about the character. Since co-creating ''The Clone Wars'', Filoni has followed Lucas (who incorporated Expanded Universe elements into the Special Editions, prequels, and ''The Clone Wars'') in incorporating multiple spin-off elements into his series. Some cancelled ''The Clone Wars'' episodes were adapted into books and comics in ''
The Clone Wars Legacy ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' is an American computer-animated television series created by George Lucas. It is set in the fictional '' Star Wars'' galaxy during the three years between the prequel films '' Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' ...
'' multimedia project. After ''The Force Awakens'', multiple films were released, including the anthology films ''
Rogue One ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story'' (or simply ''Rogue One'') is a 2016 American epic space opera film directed by Gareth Edwards. The screenplay by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy is from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It was produced by Luc ...
'' (2016) and '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' (2018), as well as the second and third sequel trilogy films, ''
The Last Jedi ''Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi'') is a 2017 American epic space opera film written and directed by Rian Johnson. Produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pict ...
'' (2017) and ''
The Rise of Skywalker ''Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker'') is a 2019 American epic space opera film produced, , and directed by J. J. Abrams. Produced by Lucasfilm and Abrams' production ...
'' (2019). Dozens of novels, comics published by Marvel and IDW, and games like '' Battlefront II'' (2017) were released. Additionally, the animated series ''
Resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...
'', set in the sequel trilogy era, premiered in late 2018 and ran until early 2020.


2019–present: ''The Mandalorian'' and other titles

''
The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, beginning five years after the events of ''Retur ...
'', a post-''Return of the Jedi'' live-action series written by
Jon Favreau Jonathan Kolia Favreau (; born October 19, 1966) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as ''Rudy (film), Rudy'' (1993), ''PCU (film), PCU'' (1994), ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' (1996), ''Very ...
premiered in late 2019 on the Disney streaming service
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
. In early 2020, a final season of ''The Clone Wars'' animated series debuted on the streaming service. In February 2020, it was announced that a new line of books and comics, labeled '' The High Republic'', would begin publishing starting in August. The line takes place 200 years prior to the events of ''The Phantom Menace'' and will not overlap any films or series currently planned for production. In December 2020, multiple live-action series were announced for Disney+, including ''
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
'', ''
Andor Andor may refer to: * ''Andor'' (TV series), a television series in the ''Star Wars'' universe **Cassian Andor, the titular character * Andor (''Wheel of Time''), a country in Robert Jordan's ''The Wheel of Time'' novels * Andor Technology, a ...
'', ''
Lando Lando may refer to: People * Lando (name), a given name or surname of Italian origin ** Pope Lando (913–914) Other uses * Lando Calrissian, fictional character in ''Star Wars'' * Landó (music), a style of Peruvian music * Lando, South Carolina, ...
'', three ''Mandalorian'' spin-offs, and '' The Acolyte'' (set during the High Republic). On April 2, 2021, several legacy ''Star Wars'' films and series were added to Disney+. ''The Bad Batch'' debuted on May 4. Multiple Marvel comics rebooted in 2020, moving to the era between ''The Empire Strikes Back'' and ''Return of the Jedi''.


''Legends'' fictional timeline

The ''Star Wars'' Legends
fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...
spans multiple eras. The names, symbols, and dates of the publishing eras were first introduced in October 2000 and were refined up to February 2015: * Before the Republic (pre-25,053 BBY efore the Battle of Yavin: The only major releases in this era were the ''
Dawn of the Jedi ''Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi'' is an American comic book series set in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe, universe. The series, published by Dark Horse Comics, is written by John Ostrander, penciled by Jan Duursema, inked by Dan Parsons, and c ...
'' comic series and novel. * Old Republic (25,053–1,000 BBY): Includes the '' Tales of the Jedi'' comic series, the '' Knights of the Old Republic'' video games, '' The Old Republic'' MMORPG, the ''
Knight Errant A knight-errant (or knight errant) is a figure of medieval Chivalric romance, chivalric romance literature. The adjective '':wikt:errant, errant'' (meaning "wandering, roving") indicates how the knight-errant would wander the land in search of adv ...
'' comic series, and the
Darth Bane Darth Bane is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise. He was created by George Lucas, within the ''Star Wars'' canon where he is first mentioned in a deleted scene from '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', where Bane ...
trilogy of novels. * Rise of the Empire (1,000–0 BBY): The era leading up to and including the
prequel trilogy The ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy, colloquially referred to as the prequels, is a series of epic space-opera films written and directed by George Lucas. It was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The trilogy was re ...
as well as the subsequent reign of the Empire. * Rebellion (0 BBY–5 ABY fter the Battle of Yavin: The era of the
original trilogy The original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, formerly marketed as the ''Star Wars'' Trilogy (and colloquially referred to as the 'original trilogy'), is the first set of three films produced in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, an American space opera cre ...
and its associated novels, comics, and video games. * New Republic (5 ABY–25 ABY): The era following the original trilogy, including the ''
Jedi Prince ''Jedi Prince'' is a series of science fiction young-reader novels set in the '' Star Wars'' universe, written by Paul and Hollace Davids. They were published by Bantam Skylark between 1992 and 1993. The series takes place about a year after '' ...
'', ''
X-wing The X-wing starfighter is a name applied to a family of fictional spacecraft manufactured by the Incom Corporation from the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Named for the distinctive shape made when its s-foils (wings) are in attack position, the X-win ...
'', ''
The Thrawn Trilogy Grand Admiral Thrawn (full name: Mitth'raw'nuruodo) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He is notable for appearing as the eponymous character in the ''Thrawn'' trilogy of novels (1991–1993) by Timothy Zahn. Thrawn is an i ...
'', ''
Young Jedi Knights ''Young Jedi Knights'' is a '' Star Wars'' young adult fiction series by science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta. It was published from 1995 to 1998. It covers the Jedi training of Jacen and Jaina Solo, the twin c ...
'', and other novel series. * New Jedi Order (25–40 ABY): The era of ''
The New Jedi Order ''Star Wars: The New Jedi Order'' (or ''New Jedi Order'' or ''NJO'') is a series of 19 science fiction novels, published from 1999 to 2003, set in the ''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe. The series revolves around the Yuuzhan Vong invasion of ...
'' and ''
The Dark Nest trilogy The ''Dark Nest'' trilogy is a trilogy of science-fiction novels set in the '' Star Wars'' galaxy 35–36 years after the Battle of Yavin depicted in the original ''Star Wars'' film. The series serves as a follow up to the events of the ''Ne ...
'' novel series. * Legacy (40–140 ABY): The era of the ''
Legacy of the Force In law, a legacy is something held and transferred to someone as their inheritance, as by will and testament. Personal effects, family property, marriage property or collective property gained by will of real property. Legacy or legacies may refer ...
'' and ''
Fate of the Jedi ''Fate of the Jedi'' is a series of nine science-fiction novels set in the '' Star Wars'' universe. The series is written in three cycles by the authors Aaron Allston, Christie Golden, and Troy Denning. Overview The series picks up two years ...
'' novel series as well as the '' Star Wars: Legacy'' comic series. * Infinities: Alternate universe stories and parodies that are intentionally set outside of the ''Star Wars'' Legends continuity.


See also

* List of ''Star Wars'' characters * List of ''Star Wars Legends'' characters


References

Footnotes Citations


External links

* * {{Template group , title = Articles related to ''Star Wars'' expanded to other media , list = {{Star Wars {{Star Wars universe {{Star Wars canon novels {{Star Wars comics {{Star Wars Legends novels Canons (fiction) Fictional universes