Star Wars EU: just the good parts.
November 12, 2013 4:34 PM   Subscribe

What parts of the Star Wars Expanded Universe are worth exploring?

I'm 42, dressed up as Vader for Halloween '77, etc. I've never really made my way through the EU and wonder if I'm missing out. Also, my 6 year old son is a major Lego Star Wars fan, which has made me want to take another look at the whole franchise. I'm a lifelong sci-fi and comic book fan and hated the prequels. I don't really have the time to play long involved games.

What SW books, comics, cartoons or games are worth spending time in?
posted by signal to Media & Arts (18 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
SWTOR, even if you're not crazy about long/involved games. If you have any patience for an MMO, this is seriously one of the greatest games I have ever played because the level of detail the developers dedicated themselves to is so satisfying. Any time you discover something new, be it a creature, person, location, technology, whatever, you get a Codex entry that fleshes that thing out more and brings the Star Wars universe that much more alive. It's free to play, and all the storylines take place in the time BEFORE the prequels which is way cooler than the prequels were. I know a lot of people who just sort of casually play and primarily just explore to see the sights and indulge in how pretty everything is (except Tatooine. Tatooine sucks.) You and your son might enjoy it as he gets older.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 4:41 PM on November 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


The Knights of the Old Republic games are great, a little dated now, but I think they would hold up pretty well. They are however quite long and involved.

I have not seen the Clone Wars cartoon myself, but it is supposed to be quite good.
posted by St. Sorryass at 4:45 PM on November 12, 2013


I really enjoyed the New Jedi Order book series, and I'd recommend it to anyone. It's suitable for all ages and available on amazon. I hesitate to give any plot points as it's exciting to read the series as you go. The first one in the series is Vector Prime, by R.A. Salvatore.
posted by Draccy at 4:47 PM on November 12, 2013


I am a big fan of the post-Return of the Jedi books, and less so the Old Republic or Clone Wars media. (Neverthless, the Knights of the Old Republic games *are* great.)

As for post-Return of the Jedi, the New Jedi Order is indeed excellent. I just finished a re-read of the entire thing and enjoyed it a lot.

As for the era before that, the New Republic era, this post gives a good outline of it, starting from the premise that you must read The Thrawn Trilogy first, and then can branch out and explore. It seems pretty in line with what I remember.
posted by Jacen Solo at 5:02 PM on November 12, 2013 [3 favorites]


I'm back, because... well I'm a nerd. Another good book series is the "Thrawn" trilogy, which occurs in the year 9 ABY (After battle of Yavin; told you I'm a nerd). It involves Luke Skywalker battling the last of Vader's warlords. I enjoyed it a lot.

My all time favorite book in the mythos is one that isn't very much regarded by most fans, but is called "I, Jedi" and follows a Jedi Knight named Corran Horn. You can read more about him in the X-Wing series of books which is also very good.

Kevin J Anderson wrote a good series about Luke building a Jedi Academy, called The Jedi Academy trilogy.
posted by Draccy at 5:08 PM on November 12, 2013


I'll second Thrawn and the X-Wing series. The latter reads a bit like video games at times, but they're engaging, and they cover a key period: the invasion of Coruscant by the Rebellion.

I actually asked a similar question a few years ago, but got exactly nowhere in reading through the suggestions.
posted by supercres at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


I just asked this:

http://ask.metafilter.com/240837/Getting-back-into-Star-Wars

and it was super helpful! Also Martha Wells is starting a new SW trilogy about LEIA!!!
posted by spunweb at 6:13 PM on November 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


Start with the Zahn trilogy mentioned above. He is the only author who really captured the voice and spirit of the characters. The books will leave you wanting more so follow up with the X-Wing series by Aaron Allister (spelling? Sorry I'm on my phone). That's not chronological but Allister used some of Zahn's characters so it's easier to follow along. The main character is the aforementioned Corran Horn so you can read I, Jedi next. Zahn follows up with two more books that revisits one of his story lines from the earlier books and sets the stage for the New Jedi Order books. After Zahn and Allister, you can pretty much stop.
posted by inviolable at 8:29 PM on November 12, 2013 [1 favorite]


You could give the Clone Wars series a shot with your kid (assuming he hasn't already).

There was also the non-computerized Clone Wars mini-series from '03 to '05. Some fans prefer those, but their shorter running length meant (for me) more shallow episodes. But sampling either one won't be as time-consuming as the novels.
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 8:40 PM on November 12, 2013


Definitely definitely start with the Thrawn Trilogy. They're really quite good, and introduce a ton of interesting characters and developments indispensable to really enjoying all of the post-movie extended universe.
posted by willbaude at 9:59 PM on November 12, 2013


I know you asked for EU stuff, but your statement about wanting to take another look at the whole franchise makes me hope I'm able to recommend some fan projects based on the original trilogy, which there are still neverending ways to explore:

Star Wars Begins - The entire movie, with bits of text trivia, audio interview clips, and inserted behind-the-scenes/alternate footage. The sequels got the same treatment. (MeFi)

Star Wars Minute - Podcast where each episode spends about ten minutes discussing one exact minute of the original film, in order. Not too hardcore, and mostly enjoyable although the periodic guests are hit-or-miss. (MeFi)

Star Wars Uncut - Fans submitted 15-second clips reenacting the original, and this version compiles selected clips running the entire length of the film. A must-see. (MeFi)
posted by TheSecretDecoderRing at 11:50 PM on November 12, 2013


The Knights of the Old Republic comics by John Jackson Miller are incredibly entertaining. They do make a few references to the KOTOR video games (which, as mentioned, are excellent but pretty time consuming) but are mostly stand-alone.

The Legacy comics are also pretty good, if you don't mind a grittier take on Star Wars and an antihero who occasionally swerves into being completely unlikeable.
posted by fearthehat at 12:04 AM on November 13, 2013


The X-Wing novels basically stand alone, and are super fun (particularly the Aaron Allston ones - I think who inviolable was referring to).

(However the Corran Horn X Wing novels were written by a different author. They're good, but I have a soft spot for Allston).
posted by chiquitita at 12:10 AM on November 13, 2013


Response by poster: Thanks for all the answers!
posted by signal at 3:36 AM on November 13, 2013


Most of these recommendations are set in, around, or within a few years after the original trilogy, 'cause that's my thing.

NOVELS:
- The reviewer Jacen Solo links to has pretty similar taste to mine. Nthing Truce at Bakura, Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor (the EU novel that best captures the swashbuckling feel of the original trilogy to me), the X-Wing novel series if you're cool with non-movie characters, the Thrawn trilogy and from there, anything else by Timothy Zahn.

The Jedi Academy and Corellian trilogies are decent but mediocre, in my opinion. I, Jedi is enjoyable but only really worth it if you've read X-Wing 1-4 and want more Corran Horn, or you've read the Jedi Academy trilogy and want some in-universe snark on all the plot holes and characterization weirdness. Aside from Zahn's books, most of the novels set more than 15 years after RotJ leave me a bit cold.

I've heard good things about Scoundrels (Ocean's Eleven with Han, Chewie and Lando, by Zahn), Razor's Edge (the aforementioned Leia book by Martha Wells) and Kenobi (the man himself on Tatooine, John Jackson Miller), but haven't had a chance to read them yet.

COMICS:
- Brian Wood recently started a series, helpfully titled Star Wars, which is set shortly after A New Hope and has absolutely no ties to any other part of the EU. I'm a few issues behind, but it's pretty good so far.
- The "Janek Sunber" arc of Star Wars: Empire and its sequel Star Wars: Rebellion: read Empire: To the Last Man, Empire: The Wrong Side of the War, and Rebellion: My Brother, My Enemy. Don't look up plot summaries.
- X-Wing: Rogue Squadron, also written by Michael Stackpole and set a little before the novel series, but with mostly different characters.
- If you like Vader, Darth Vader and the Last Command and Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison are set early in his career.

- The Legacy series is set a bit over a century after the original trilogy and is quite interesting, although I don't know anyone who hasn't wanted to smack the main character around the head a few times.
posted by bettafish at 4:23 AM on November 13, 2013


The Timothy Zahn books are outstanding Star Wars novels. Zahn writes in a way that really captures the feel of the original movies. I would highly recommend them.

For as much as I love his Forgotten Realms work, R.A. Salvatore is the devil after his Star Wars books. I won't say anymore on the matter.
posted by Silvertree at 7:16 AM on November 13, 2013


nthing the X-Wing series. I'd say all of them but they're fun and a quick read. Also if you can I really loved the Han Solo trilogy when I read it back in the day. As the blurb from wikipedia says "The trilogy begins in the Star Wars galaxy 10 years before the events of the first film, and follows the adventures of a young Han Solo from his childhood as a street urchin picking pockets to survive to his days as a competitive racing pilot, up until the very moment when he approaches the table in the Mos Eisley Cantina where Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker are waiting with Chewbacca to arrange passage to Alderaan, as depicted in A New Hope."

So certainly a fun book by my estimation!
posted by Carillon at 7:43 AM on November 13, 2013


No one has mentioned the Tag and Bink comics which I just read this week in a collected graphic novel form. I thought they were funny and clever at the same time. Worth looking into...
posted by wittgenstein at 4:42 PM on November 16, 2013


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