Before Disney purged the canon of the old Star Wars Expanded Universe, comic books and novels were the only way to learn what happened after Return of The Jedi. Thankfully, these classic Star Wars comics still exist under the now non-canon Legends label.
Just because the stories aren't canon anymore doesn't mean that readers can't enjoy them. If fans can put aside the feelings of what was lost and what could have been, they will find that there are some truly great stories from the past that are still worth reading.
10 Knights of the Old Republic Is Not The Game, But It's Still Good
Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most beloved Star Wars games ever and the comic books are worth checking out as well. Disney is now doing something similar with the High Republic comic series, but Knights of the Old Republic goes back even further in time.
The Old Republic Era is so far removed from the main Star Wars timeline that, even before it was considered Legends, it had little impact on the main series and vice versa. The best thing for fans is that until new media shows otherwise, elements from Knights of the Old Republic can still make it into the new continuity.
9 Marvel's Star Wars Is The Definition Of A Classic Comic
With Star Wars and Marvel both under the Disney umbrella, it makes sense that Marvel has taken over publishing Star Wars comics from Dark Horse. What some fans might be unaware of is that Marvel published Star Wars comics many years before.
Dark Horse may have had some better stories, but Marvel's old Star Wars series is about as classic Star Wars as comics can get. Marvel's classic Star Wars comics are definitely worth a look for fans of the original trilogy.
8 Infinities Is The What If...? Of Star Wars Comics
With Marvel's What If...? TV series introducing new fans to the concept of 'what if' comics, Star Wars fans might be surprised to learn that Star Wars had its own version of What If...? comics as well. One of the best Infinities stories was the one that explored what would have happened if Luke died on Hoth and Leia assumed his destiny.
Another popular story is the one that saw Vader redeemed without dying afterward. The beauty of a comic series like this is that it doesn't matter what is happening with Star Wars now because it was never canon in the first place. Fans can enjoy it as much now as they could when it was first published.
7 Star Wars: Visionaries Features A Rematch For Maul and Obi-Wan
Star Wars: Visionaries is a collection of art and short stories from the team that worked on Revenge of the Sith. However, the main draw would be Old Wounds that follows Maul hunting Obi-Wan down on Tatooine and for one final dual. Maul would, of course, be brought back with cybernetic legs in canon, and Star Wars: Rebels featured a similar dual.
Some aspects of Rebels' version worked better, such as a weary Maul finally embracing death as Obi-Wan held him in his arms. However, this alternative version has its highlights, particularly Obi-Wan just barely holding back from killing Maul after all the pain he caused him. Owen Lars shooting Maul and then warning Obi-Wan to stay away from Luke was another strong moment.
6 Purge Shows Vader As The Jedi-Hunter Fans Want To See
The rise of the Empire in the dark times between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope has always been an interesting period to explore. The Empire was actively hunting the few Jedi that managed to survive Order 66, and that is the premise behind Purge. Disney canon has revealed that the Inquisitors were the ones who were primarily tasked with finding the remaining Jedi.
Before that, however, Darth Vader was the one who personally hunted them down. Purge shows that Darth Vader was not only hunting Jedi; he was obsessed with finding Obi-Wan. A revenge-fuel Vader is a sight to behold, one that hopefully carries over into Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+.
5 Shadows Of The Empire Set Up Return Of The Jedi Perfectly
As fans like to point out, Shadows of the Empire was a major multimedia event including video games, novels, and comics. Much like the recent War of the Bounty Hunters comic, Shadows of the Empire details what happened between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Like the modern comic, Boba Fett's delivery of Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt wasn't straightforward, and he had to fight off his fellow bounty hunters.
Prince Xizor and the Black Suns are the major antagonists of the story, and Xizor takes it upon himself to kill Luke Skywalker to earn favor with the Emperor. The standout moment is when Vader has the Executor destroy Xizor's skyhook to protect Luke, killing Xizor in the process.
4 Legacy Shows That The Franchise Should Move Forward A Century
Star Wars: Legacy was initially a divisive series that jumped a century into the future and followed a descendent of Luke called Cade Skywalker. The major time skip and Cade abandoning the Jedi to become a pirate made fans skeptical. However, readers would eventually embrace Legacy and it would become one of Dark Horse's best-selling and most popular series.
With fans' mixed response to the sequel trilogy, Disney would have done well to make some of the bold choices Legacy made. What hurts the most for Legacy fans is that it can now never be reintroduced into canon without many changes, considering the Skywalker bloodline is no more.
3 Star Wars Tales Was The What If...? Before Infinities
Star Wars Tales is another non-canon What If...? style series that pre-dated Infinities. In fact, the popularity of Star Wars Tales was what inspired Infinities in the first place. Star Wars Tales allowed writers the freedom to tell Star Wars stories that otherwise wouldn't be told.
One of the best Star Wars Tales is Planet of the Dead, in which Han and Chewie are caught up in a supernatural event where the dead rise each night and relive the spacecraft accident that killed them. The story shows Han at his best, and with Chewie as his moral compass, he ends the cycle of suffering as the dead move on into the afterlife.
2 Invasion Finally Moved Star Wars Beyond Light Side Vs. Dark Side
For many Expanded Universe fans, the original sequel era stories were the New Jedi Order novels that detailed the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. Hailing from the Unknown Regions, the Yuuzhan Vong were unique enemies for the Star Wars series. The Vong despised all forms of technology, using organic ships and weapons instead, and they were unconnected from the Force, making them formidable opponents for the Jedi.
Similar to the sequel trilogy, these stories advanced the saga a few decades and focused on the children of Han and Leia. Invasion is set during the war with the Yuuzhan Vong and was nice for finally bringing the fearsome invaders into a visual medium. With the Unknown Regions being mentioned more often in canon, maybe it isn't too late for the Yuuzhan Vong to terrorize the galaxy.
1 Dark Empire Is The Sequel That Fans Deserved
Dark Empire is one of the best Star Wars comics and is now a classic, though it wasn't without controversy. Fans didn't know how to feel about Luke falling to the dark side and assuming his father's role, although it did make sense. With clones serving as vessels for the resurrected Emperor, much of what was featured in Dark Empire appears to have inspired The Rise of Skywalker.
Unfortunately, Disney and Lucasfilm ultimately failed to adapt what made Dark Empire so great to the big screen. Even if the comic now serves as a reminder of what could have been, fans can always revisit Dark Empire and enjoy it for what it is, an alternative sequel to the original trilogy.