I've seen the movies and a third or so of the Attack of the Clones cartoon, but that's the extent of my knowledge. Any recommendations for how to learn more about the SW universe without being completely overwhelmed?
Good Starting Point for SW Lore?
Since this is an X-Wing forum I would say that reading the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron series of books is a great place to start. Although I have stopped due to time constraints watching both seasons of Rebels cartoon is also great, especially with the Ghost now on the board.
There are plenty of places to step in to the EU. It depends what you want to learn more about, really. I could list several more books, but this list is getting long enough already!
Lost Stars is the best novel in the new canon. It follows both an Imperial and Rebel throughout Episodes 4-6 and slightly beyond. It's really neat to see classic scenes like the destruction of Alderaan from a new perspective.
The X-Wing series is well loved here, and picks up where Episode 6 left off. It follows a bunch of fighter pilots led by Wedge Antilles.
The Thrawn trilogy (starting with Heir to the Empire ) is what Episodes 7, 8, and 9 would have looked like if they were made 5-ish years after Episode 6. This follows all the main characters from the original trilogy. It's many peoples' favorites.
Shadows of the Empire is effectively Episode 5.5. It delves into the Black Sun criminal organization.
The Dark Bane Trilogy follows a bunch of Sith 1000 years before the movie, as Darth Bane sets up his "rule of 2." It's a very different type of story than anything else in Star Wars.
Darth Plagueis follows Palpatine and his Sith master in the events preceding and during Episode 1, redeeming much of the movie with a behind-the-scenes look at why those events were taking place.
Both Tarkin and Lords of the Sith give you insight into the workings of the pre-ANH empire and have great characters. They are new canon, too. I'd go for them. If you want something in the direction of TFA I can recommend "Before the Awakening". Its three short stories featuring one of Poe, Finn and Rey. Poes story is the highlight and explains a few things TFA left unclear.
Both Tarkin and Lords of the Sith give you insight into the workings of the pre-ANH empire and have great characters. They are new canon, too. I'd go for them. If you want something in the direction of TFA I can recommend "Before the Awakening". Its three short stories featuring one of Poe, Finn and Rey. Poes story is the highlight and explains a few things TFA left unclear.
What does "new canon" mean? BTW, if any of this stuff has a scene where Jar Jar gets killed, I'd like that.
When Disney bought Star Wars they made a cut and initialy said "None of the old stories are canon anymore" so they could create new stories without having to be carefull not to contradict older work. Later they weakened this to "Everything remains canon until new work contradicts it" because there was a minor shitstorm. Old canon books are still sold under the label "Legends". New canon books are being created now and they are guaranteed to fit into the Disney continuity.
If you're unaware what canon means, in a nutshell, if you were a historian looking at the world of Star Wars, could you say "Did this really happen?" If it's canon, then yes it happened in the universe. Things that are Labeled as "Legends" technically didn't happen, but they also probably could have.
The only difference is when people are creating new stories for Star Wars now, they only need to be careful about fitting in with what's Canon, and don't need to worry about aligning with the Legends content.
This tweet is pinned to Pablo Hidalgo's profile . (If you don't know who he is, he's basically the custodian of Canon for Lucasfilm.)
"When you ask 'is it canon?' The answer means 'do other storytellers need to take it into account?' That's all the answer means."
Some people will say you should ignore Legends now that it's not technically canon, others will whine and say Legends is the only Star Wars there is.
I say just go with the stories that you like regardless. It's not a one or the other thing. It's all Star Wars. It all has good stuff and bad stuff. It's just if you want the 'super official' version of events, maybe pay more attention to canon.
Although as Ahsoka says "there's always a bit of truth in Legends..."
That said,
I'd personally recommend as starting points:
Canon
:
Lost Stars (novel)
A New Dawn (novel)
Battlefront: Twilight Company (novel)
Shattered Empire (Comic)
Lando (Comic)
The Clone Wars (TV Show) (In chronological order)
Rebels (TV Show)
Legends :
Kenobi (novel)
Revenge of the Sith (novel)
Knights of the Old Republic (comic)
Bounty Hunter Wars Trilogy (novel)
Edited by RogueLieutenantHi.....We should really ask you some sub questions first, to understand what it is you are really asking.
1) Are you just asking what is the best way to learn about the whole universe in general?
2) Are you asking about what are the best novels to read? Or just any way in general to learn about the universe?
3) Are you asking about a particular order in which to see/read things?
Just to give you some background, Lucas Arts did let a lot of writers make a lot of novels about Star Wars. These became known as the Extended Universe (or EU for short). Most of these were OK at best and many were just terrible. Some were pretty good. When Disney bought Lucas Arts, they stated that the old EU wasn't "official" or "canon" anymore. It was still there and they were going to draw inspiration for it, but they were free to overwrite it whenever they wanted. So, there is a distinctive split in when things came out and things that happened that are "real".
Now, if you are looking for the best way to learn about Star Wars overall, then I have some advice. I talked about this with my 10 yr old son after we watched all of The Clone Wars cartoon. We decided that if you were really new to Star Wars, then you should watch Episodes 1 and 2, and then The Clone Wars cartoon, and then Episode 3. After that, there are a mixture of novels, tv shows, and movies to watch. I'd recommend going in chronological order because it makes sense that way. Also, you get to see the rise of certain characters that otherwise just have bit parts. Remember Gran Moff Tarkin in the original Star Wars movies? Well, he's several tv shows and novels that really help flesh out that character so that when you see him in Episode 4, you get a good idea of who he is.
There is even further details that can be broken down when you want to watch Episode 1-3. The first one is that there are a few fan edits of these movies that are better than the originals. The best one that I have seen is one called "Fall of the Jedi 1-3". They have taken the official movies and just creatively edited them to make them better. The only way to see it is to pirate it off an illegal website and I do not recommend you doing that ever. I have found that this version of the movies are much better than the originals.
The Clone Wars cartoon is also confusing. Before Episode 3 came out, Lucas Art hired a cartoonist to make a 2 season show about Anakin becoming a Jedi and introducing two new bad guys: General Grievous and Ventress. The entire second season of this cartoon is a scene where General Grievous attacks the capital and captures the Chancellor. He is wounded in this and is breathing heavily afterwards. When you start to watch Episode 3, you see the Chancellor captures and wonder who this new bad guy is. Also, why is he breathing funny?
After Episode 3 came out, Lucas Arts made another cartoon that they called The Clone Wars with a different artist and it went for 7 season. It even had it's own movie to kick off the tv show. Then, they didn't present all the episodes in chronological order. They skip around. You get to watch all these clones in Season 1, but then watch an episode in Season 2 where they all meet for the first time. It's odd. So....if you want to watch this Clone Wars cartoon, you will have to google "clone wars chronological order" to know which episodes to watch in which order. I've done this and it REALLY helps enjoying the show. I will say that this show almost makes up for all the bad parts of the movies.
Now....if you were really wanting to learn about the Star Wars universe, I would probably recommend learning in chronological order. I would probably avoid reading anything from the EU until you have read all the official stuff first. Here's what I would recommend:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Original Clone Wars cartoon Season 1
All of The Clone Wars cartoon that's on Netflix in the chronological order
Original Clone Wars cartoon Season 2
Read the novel Tarkin
Read the novel A New Dawn
Watch Star Wars Rebels tv show
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
At that point, you will know quite a bit and can probably pick and choose what to do at that point.
Since this is an X-Wing forum I would say that reading the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron series of books is a great place to start.
I know a lot of people like this book series, but I hated it. I couldn't get halfway through the first book. I would not recommend it.
When Disney bought Star Wars they made a cut and initialy said "None of the old stories are canon anymore" so they could create new stories without having to be carefull not to contradict older work. Later they weakened this to "Everything remains canon until new work contradicts it" because there was a minor shitstorm.
Are you sure that's how it happened? I was under the impression that Disney made one announcement that said everything is "Legends" until they re-write it. It's just that everyone freaked out and THOUGHT that they said it was all null and void, but if you actually read what they said in the first place that that is what they said.
Heychadwick, I like that analysis. I got severely bogged down in TCW show (mark II), and haven't picked it up since watching the episode with the droids on the barren/nothingness planet (that whole arc put me off of the show) back in August. I may try to finish from there, going in chronological order now.
I will disagree about X-wing (as I think we have before); I think Stackpole is a hack, but Allston's work is decent at least - and quite humorous!
Also, thanks to everyone with suggestions about new canon - I've finished most of my list from last year (see below), so I may pick up Aftermath , Tarkin , and Lost Stars (plus Kenobi for good measure, though it's Legends).
I asked for recommendations last spring; this is the list I drew up for myself (you can wade through the whole thread if you want; there were some recommendations that I didn't take):
Hi.....We should really ask you some sub questions first, to understand what it is you are really asking.
1) Are you just asking what is the best way to learn about the whole universe in general?
2) Are you asking about what are the best novels to read? Or just any way in general to learn about the universe?
3) Are you asking about a particular order in which to see/read things?
Thanks, that's all very helpful. To answer your questions...
I'm not much of a reader. In the past 20 years, the only fiction novel I've read is LOTR. I prefer non-fiction or encyclopedia type styles of books. However, I also just like to learn by browsing around the web. Of course, learning by watching something entertaining is also nice to do. The list you've provided is mostly watching things, which suits me better than reading. Never know though, I might get an urge to read something.
BTW, I didn't even know what EU meant and I've seen the movies, but have no idea who Gran Moff Tarkin is from memory. Don't worry though, I know who Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader are.
Probably about 15 other main characters, but that's the extent of my character knowledge.
When Disney bought Star Wars they made a cut and initialy said "None of the old stories are canon anymore" so they could create new stories without having to be carefull not to contradict older work. Later they weakened this to "Everything remains canon until new work contradicts it" because there was a minor shitstorm.
Are you sure that's how it happened? I was under the impression that Disney made one announcement that said everything is "Legends" until they re-write it. It's just that everyone freaked out and THOUGHT that they said it was all null and void, but if you actually read what they said in the first place that that is what they said.
Not entirely, because to be honest I don't really care about "canonicity" as long as the story is enjoyable. Just peaced it together from peoples reactions.
Have to counter your points on the X-Wing series a bit, I did enjoy that series when it entered the Wraith Squadron cycle. Characters are a lot more believable with some internal struggles. Not sure if I'd recommend it for a start anymore, though.
It's fine to skip episodes of Clone Wars that you find boring.
Audio books might be a good option if you aren't a big reader.
Edited by heychadwickI've seen the movies and a third or so of the Attack of the Clones cartoon, but that's the extent of my knowledge. Any recommendations for how to learn more about the SW universe without being completely overwhelmed?
The Stele chronicals / Star Wars TIE FIGHTER. Its one of the best SW stories ever, its from the Empires pov, which we see that the majority are just normal people fighting for a cause they believe in. The players manual and game guide are also novels, it adds alot to the story so getting them is a must.
Same reason as above to get Star Wars X-Wing, X-Wing Alliance, and X-Wing vs TIE Fighter and its addons. X-Wing game guide and players manual are novels, not sure about XvsTIE, I heard Alliances are novels.
Rogue Squadron 1-3, pretty fun flight sims, feels like its part of the TIE & X quadriliogy mentioned above.
As a side note get battle for naboo. It was made by same people who made the Rogue Squadron games. Theirs just something gravey about flying a Blue Naboo Fighter.
Shadows of the Empire Game, novel, comic. Get all three because each is from a diffrent characters perspective, game = Dash Rendar aka Jack Burton, Novel = Luke, Comic = Boba Fett.
Star Wars the Force Unleashed 1 & 2, games, novels, comics, SWTFU 2 Game & Comic = Star Kilker story, SWTFU2 comic = Boba Fett story. Must complete bronze in all SWTFU2 challenges to get Vaders part of the story.
Star Wars Battlefront 2-4, SWBF 3= Star Wars Battlefront Renegade Squadron, SWBF 4=Star Wars Batgle front Elite Squadron. 2 has a good story about the 501st, 3&4 have amaxing stories. 4 actully has one of the main characters from Star Wars the Force Unleashed 1&2 in it as the Jedi Master from Trooper Jedi Clone X1.
Dark Empire trilogy. One of my favs, glad its refrenced over and over in primary canon sources. Has dark ties from a point of view with both SWTFU2 and any game eith Dark Troopers.
Dark Forces series.
Kinect Star Wars. Make sure your kinect is calibrated, its story is light BUT you should like most the characters, the gameplay is fun gut very hard, the best parts being the star fighter, gunner, speeder parts. I only had trouble shile playing coop, it would make me left handed. 1 player mode the controls were 100% perfect.
When Disney bought Star Wars they made a cut and initialy said "None of the old stories are canon anymore" so they could create new stories without having to be carefull not to contradict older work. Later they weakened this to "Everything remains canon until new work contradicts it" because there was a minor shitstorm . Old canon books are still sold under the label "Legends". New canon books are being created now and they are guaranteed to fit into the Disney continuity.
Pretty much. You dont believe the bs I get from fans that dont like the change on the change about canon.
You should also start watching (and catch up on all of the shows you've missed) Collider's Jedi Council talk show on YouTube. It's basically a handful of Star Wars geeks chatting about everything Star Wars for an hour or so on a weekly basis.
It comes out each Thursday / Friday and is a real highlight of the week for me.
You should also start watching (and catch up on all of the shows you've missed) Collider's Jedi Council talk show on YouTube. It's basically a handful of Star Wars geeks chatting about everything Star Wars for an hour or so on a weekly basis.
It comes out each Thursday / Friday and is a real highlight of the week for me.
Sounds like something that would be way over my head for now, but maybe after I do some more prep.
Sounds like something that would be way over my head for now, but maybe after I do some more prep.
Not at all. It's super accessible and entertaining. Just give it a try.
Edited by Richard_Thomas_
When Disney bought Star Wars they made a cut and initialy said "None of the old stories are canon anymore" so they could create new stories without having to be carefull not to contradict older work. Later they weakened this to "Everything remains canon until new work contradicts it" because there was a minor shitstorm . Old canon books are still sold under the label "Legends". New canon books are being created now and they are guaranteed to fit into the Disney continuity.
Pretty much. You dont believe the bs I get from fans that dont like the change on the change about canon.
The "bs" you get is because you hold to aspects that are clearly contradicted, like "Darth Caedus", when Kylo Ren isn't even attempting to be associated with the Sith order.
Thrawn trilogy
Then Hand of Thrawn ideology
Then Choices of One
Anything Timothy Zahn
I don't think the Thrawn series is good as a starting point into lore.