With the addition of Disney’s new trilogy and stand-alone entries, there are now 11 Star Wars films. It’s one of the most popular and lucrative franchises ever, and yet a large portion of the fan base can agree that there are maybe only a handful of legitimately good Star Wars movies, with the rest often failing to impress.
Which films are the good ones remains a topic of heated debate and mostly comes down to which of the films someone grew up with. So it’s perfectly understandable for a person whose only exposure to the franchise has been the movies to wonder how is Star Wars still so popular? What’s the big deal?
Where's the Good Stuff?
Well, it’s all found in a magical place called the Expanded Universe, or EU for short. The Star Wars EU consists of all officially licensed media that is not a theatrically released film. That means TV, video games, books, comics, and any other form of media in which a Star Wars story can be conveyed.
The Expanded Universe has always been the place where Star Wars has been allowed to explore its larger ideas without the constraints of having to fit stories into a 2-hour movie and without the pressures of working with a Hollywood budget. For decades, the EU has offered fans deeply satisfying, complex, and exciting ways to engage with the Star Wars universe. Not only that but often the EU is used as an opportunity to course-correct away from unpopular decisions in the films or fill in the gaps for any of the many glaring plot holes or underdeveloped characters.
There has also been a slew of pivotal characters that can only be found in the EU. While the names Ahsoka Tano or Kyle Katarn mean nothing to people who have only seen the films, these characters who exist solely in the EU are, among others, held with the same reverence as Han Solo or Darth Vader to die-hard fans — and with good reason. The EU is the haven for creators who have grown up with and cherish the franchise and are allowed to put their stamp on the Star Wars galaxy. The weapons-grade cuteness that is Baby Yoda? That’s all part of the EU.
Legends vs. Canon
The most important thing to keep in mind is that any part of the EU, no matter the medium, is filed into one of two categories: canon or legends. This matters because depending on where your interests lie, you can save yourself a lot of time. Canon and legends are very polite terms for what still counts and what doesn’t.
Canon is the current Star Wars continuity and consists of the main films and any EU product released after Disney’s 2012 purchase of the franchise. There are a couple of exceptions, but that’s mostly a hard and fast rule. Any EU product made before that point has been rendered out-of-continuity and labeled as Star Wars’ Legends timeline.
Canon
The most accessible parts of the EU, and a perfect showcase for what makes Star Wars great can be found right on Disney+.
To start, there is Disney’s first live-action Star Wars outing, The Mandalorian, which needs little introduction at this point. Baby Yoda is everywhere and the character is here to stay. But for those who groaned their way through Attack of the Clones and felt rushed through Revenge of the Sith, you can rejoice in the animated Clone Wars series.
Gone is the whiny brat, Anakin. In his place is the Jedi Knight which was as incredible as Obi-Wan made him out to be in A New Hope. The true scale of the Emperor’s schemes, the full impact of the war on the galaxy, the hubris of the Jedi which leads to their demise -- all of it is played out to its fullest. That’s not to say there aren’t bumps. Early on Jar Jar has multiple storylines as the main character. But in later seasons the show finds solid footing, telling some truly thrilling and heartbreaking stories.
It should be noted that Clone Wars began in 2008, before Disney’s purchase but it is still most definitely canon. In fact, Disney surprise announced that they were producing a final season to the canceled series and fans of the show eagerly await its release this February.
In addition to Clone Wars is its excellent follow-up, Rebels. It charts the journey of a small rebel cell and shows the beginnings of the larger rebellion against the Empire. It also digs deep into Jedi mythology, exploring the secrets of the Force. Plus James Earl Jones shows up to play Darth Vader and he is terrifying. It’s great.
Beyond TV, Star Wars has a long history with video games and gamers were given a treat in 2019 with Jedi: Fallen Order. The game follows the thrilling exploits of a young Jedi Padawan on the run from the Empire while also taking the time to slow down and address his mental health in meaningful ways. Dealing with Cal’s trauma of surviving the death of the Jedi Order is basically the point of the whole thing.
And if you feel like reading, Disney has released books and published comics through Marvel that have offered us glimpses into some interesting new corners of Star Wars. The Darth Vader comic, in particular, is a high point.
Legends
That’s a lot of content already with dozens of hours of high-quality Star Wars that are much, much better than most of the films. But this is just what’s considered canon. If you look further back, you’ll find the decades of media that have been placed in the out-of-continuity legends timeline.
People dissatisfied with the new trilogy can find refuge in the alternate future exploits of Luke, Han, and Leia. The New Jedi Order series stands out as a high point. If you wanted to see Luke in action as the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, training a new generation, those books deliver.
Before Marvel made Star Wars comics, that was Dark Horse’s turf, and they put out some really good stuff. Of note is Star Wars: Legacy, which took Star Wars further into its future than it had ever been, over a hundred years from A New Hope, and followed Luke’s descendant, Cade Skywalker. Cade was the dark, brooding, badass that you wish Anakin had been in the films.
There are too many great games to mention, as well. The one that cannot be ignored is Knights of the Old Republic. Released in 2003, it’s a juggernaut that continues to hold reverence to this day. Try saying the name Darth Revan within earshot of a Star Wars fan and see what happens. Die-hards have been begging Disney to make this game canon, and while they’ve peppered a reference in here or there, the game’s true fate is kind of in limbo at present.
The Expanded Universe's Impact
The EU has become such an important part of the Star Wars franchise that it’s sewing itself back into the movies it’s based on. Among the many voices that can be heard encouraging Rey in the climax of Rise of Skywalker is Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s apprentice from the Clone Wars cartoon. And as cool as Darth Maul looked in The Phantom Menace, a lot of moviegoers scratched their heads as to why he showed up at the end of Solo. The only time he was on screen Obi-Wan cut him in half and let both halves fall down a giant pit.
Well, that’s true — if you’ve only seen the films.
In the EU, Darth Maul has been given his chance to shine as the villain we always wished we could see. His rivalry with Obi-Wan is one for the ages and the character is set to make another big appearance in the aforementioned final season of Clone Wars. He wasn’t in Solo because of The Phantom Menace, his cameo was warranted because of his presence in the EU.
While the quality of the movies is up for intense debate, there is objectively great Star Wars waiting just beyond the big screen. Now that the Skywalker Saga is finished and Disney is putting a hold on producing new Star Wars films for a few years, it’s a perfect opportunity to explore the parts of Star Wars that have kept fans engaged for decades.