Understanding the complex world of star wars publishing. Star wars gained many fans thanks to its numerous films, but theres more to the galaxy than just major movie releases. Unlike in the previous decade, all of the canonical star wars content can be placed on a single timeline. I learned very early on not to discuss politics with my father. A complete guide to the new star wars canon before the force. Bloodline by claudia grey honestly, one of the best star wars books ever written, and my personal favorite, featuring a 40something leia and a lot of the political leadin to the force awakens. The franchise has been expanded into various films and other media, including television series, video games, novels, comic books, theme park attractions, and themed areas, comprising an allencompassing fictional. Considered by most star wars fans to be the best star wars expanded universe novel and the birth of expanded universe itself, heir to the empire takes off about 5 years after return of the jedi. So a couple of episodes back, a few episodes back with the show with tim sandefur and the politics of star trek, which kind of prompted doing this show in addition to i think this episode comes out the day the movie does. While most of them are no longer canonical and belong to the star wars legends brand, there are some that were left as canon. When the star wars canon was reorganized a few years ago, article after article decried the loss of the expanded universe. For most people, star wars is the star wars filmsthat one with the teddy bears, the ones with.
Gospel, or canon as we refer to it, includes the screenplays, the films, the radio dramas and the novelizations. Star wars is an american epic spaceopera media franchise created by george lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popculture phenomenon. Why the politics of the star wars universe makes no sense. You can embrace its lessons or ignore as you see fit. The companys focus would be shifted towards a restructured star wars canon based on new material. The galaxy far, far away shows no signs of slowing down any time soon, with new instalments, rewrites and retcons adding to the franchise. Throughout star wars history, the galaxy has been ruled by a number of different governing bodies both in canon and in legends. Fallen order, the new actionadventure videogame from respawn entertainment. The new disney canon can be confusing, but these titles should help ease you in. Clone wars gambit is a series of five books that expand on the story of star wars. The question is, how will the new era of star wars deal with the underlying politics of the universe in the trump era. The star wars movies were about many things good versus evil, the heros journey, tolerance versus oppression, and so on but one of the most fundamental tensions in all six films concerned the relationship between the state and its people. Awakens, the book covers her political career in the new republic. Why disney blew up more than 30 years of star wars canon.
A complete guide to the new star wars canon before the force awakens the books, movies, and tv shows that make up the star wars universe. Not all star wars books were created equally, though. Music movies tv comedy games books drink politics travel tech. In the prequel trilogy, this emphasis on politics was more pronounced. These works spin out of george lucas original stories, the rest are written by other writers. The bounty hunter wars, book 3 tales from jabbas palace star wars book 2 the visual dictionary of star wars, episodes iv, v. Star wars is an american epic spaceopera media franchise, centered on a film series created by george lucas that includes star wars 1977, the empire strikes back 1980, and return of the jedi 1983. This article is about prose novels and anthologies and other books. The definitive ranking of all 12 star wars moviesyes, 12. In fact and im really dating myself here this is the only star wars novel ive read since splinter of the minds eye in 1978. A new dawn is designed to be a prequel to the star wars rebels tv show.
It also shows how the new canon deals with leias relationship to darth vader. Its had a permanent space on my top books of all time, and there is a reason. A list of top 10 of the best star wars books that are actually canon. Star wars is one of the largest film franchises ever. While there is a wide array of star wars books canon to choose from. This timeline is organized chronologically and in six different categories. Shadows of the empire star wars slave ship star wars. There is a whole galaxy of books about star wars, hundreds of them, if were counting the eu expanded universe. Why the politics of the star wars universe makes no sense seriously, do you understand how the galactic senate functioned. Call for chapters star wars tv the television worlds of a transmedia franchise coedited by sean guynes and derek r. Since 2014, the official star wars canon includes all of the. The inescapable politics of star wars the washington post. It refers to an authentic body of work, as opposed to spurious works that purport to be authentic, but which arent. A fullcolor oversized hardcover volume that captures the development of the newest canonical and interactive addition to the star wars universe.
The force awakens is a new beginning for the storied franchise, its a painful reminder of something else. Filoni previously worked with george lucas to develop the canonical history of mandalore for the animated star wars. Novels and novelizations are separated, as are junior novels and junior novelizations. Reading the story sheds more light on the politics that happen in the. It makes all of the politics in the prequels seem much more worth it. Planet of the mists the politics of contraband planets of the galaxy, volume two the. If youre here for political intrigue and need more leia. Why star wars is a political force to be reckoned with it may have lightsabers, stormtroopers and fussy droids, but george lucass star wars saga is. The phantom menace, jar jar binks has been a goto punchline for many star wars fans. Almost as long as there have been star wars movies, there have been star wars books. The bounty hunter wars, book 2 tales of the bounty hunters star wars book 3 rogue squadron star wars. A star wars liveaction tv series may be coming sooner rather than later. Star wars canon was first defined in the first issue of the lucasfilm magazine, star wars insider. Now that disney holds the keys to the star wars universe, theyve been adamant about.
With anakin skywalkers story more or less in the books at this point via the prequel trilogy and the animated. The series depicts the adventures of various characters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Star wars books about politics youtini reading guide. To step into the world of star wars publishing is to enter a very particular universe, one with its own rules and language, a fanboyfangirl paradise that is complex and perplexing and about to grow even more so with the release of the seventh film star wars. As i have only seen the first couple of episodes of star wars rebels, a new dawn has helped me get to grips on what is happening after the creation of the galactic empire. The basic complaint was tat mara jade and grand admiral thrawn and all the cool stuff from star wars books were taken away from the fans and turned into legends, which was code for noncanonical stories. Star wars is more political than you think huffpost.
The politics of star wars should always have been allowed to stay warmfuzzy and mundane. The story of star wars, for the kind of fan that wants to know everything, is much bigger than the movies, spanning several novels, comic book series. Joining us to discuss the politics of star wars is ilya somin, professor of law at george mason university school of law. The first book loosely covers the film, while the others are new stories set in the same era, generally during or between episodes of the show. Please help improve this list or discuss it on the talk page.
If youre a star wars fan, theres a good chance youve read a star wars books or two. They began shortly after the films debuted in the late 1970s, and scores have been written. Bloodline is now, by far, my favorite star wars book in the canon, ranking as high as some of my absolute favorite books from the old expanded universe, now legends. The tiein novels are still being published, but theyre not part of the official canon. Star wars announces 20 new books, first gay character. Ultimately, star wars is a political parable, looking at our world through the lens of a big epic fantasyscifi story. Longterm star wars fans, the sort that kept up with the novels and comic books and video game tieins and so forth, were mighty bummed when.
In the four years since, new star wars stories have been added to the new timeline, from novels and comics to a new animated series star wars. This article is about star wars books by inuniverse chronological order. Enjoy the magical world of disney, including marvel, star wars, pixar and more. A complete guide to the new star wars canon before the. All of that makes for a compelling story about the political.
Young readers books are almost always an adaptation of a previously released piece of content. Shattered empire comics series by greg rucka, marco checcheletto, and joe caramagna, followed by star wars. Star wars officially gives jar jar binks a lightsaber. So, whats the best way to go through all the canonical movies, tv shows and comic books. First off, its important to understand that the term canon means measuring stick or baseline. Why star wars is a political force to be reckoned with. For reference books, see list of star wars reference books. If youre new to star wars books in general, you might want to check out this piece by a fellow rioter on where to start, but this list. For graphic novels and comics, see list of star wars comic books. Meanwhile, twin sister leia embarks on a promising political career while secretly ferrying stolen data on behalf of the rebel alliance. Star wars books fill in the blanks left by the movies, so weve looked at 10. The jedi as portrayed in the movies and in many of the books of the expanded universe are basically the lightsaberwielding jihadists of. First let me say that although i am a big star wars fan, i dont read star wars novels. This is a timeline for books considered canon in the new continuity.
Let us do you a fan service by giving you our recommendation. A galaxyspanning adventure awaits in star wars jedi. Many authors have been contracted to write all sorts of stories that add on to the star wars saga. Star wars was nearly ruined by a hacky alien invasion. Category star wars books check out shop star wars for the newest books and adaptations that expand the star wars universe with new stories, characters, comics, and more. The name evokes billiondollar blockbusters, a film franchise that has last more than forty years.