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Franchise / Star Wars Expanded Universe

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Expanding this galaxy, following in the footsteps of legends.
The Star Wars Expanded Universe is an Expanded Universe set in the Star Wars franchise. It includes shows, novels, and comics that cover many stories in the Star Wars galaxy.

The Expanded Universe underwent a Continuity Reboot on April 25th, 2014 after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm; the original six theatrical films and Star Wars: The Clone Wars remained canon and became part of (along with serving as the basis) the new Star Wars Canon as result of being created by or directly involved with George Lucas while all of the other previous works here were declared non-canon. Any new installments created by Lucasfilm since 2014 (unless said otherwise) will be part of the canon as well.

Though the old EU continuity is now locked,note  it remains in circulation under the title of Star Wars Legends.

The old Expanded Universe (Star Wars Legends)

The old Expanded Universe has been formally discontinued; however, BioWare and Fantasy Flight Games continue to publish new content for respectively Star Wars: The Old Republic and the Star Wars: Roleplaying Gamenote  despite this.

Details on the the works that made up the old Expanded Universe, and the tropes contained therein, will be covered here.

The Canon Eras

NOTE: The franchise bases its chronology around the Battle of Yavin 4 (also known as the destruction of the first Death Star), using the identifiers "Before the Battle of Yavin 4" (BBY) and "After the Battle of Yavin 4" (ABY).
  • The Dawn of the Jedi Era (Approximately 25000 BBY - Unknown): The Jedi Origins film is to be set here.
  • The Old Republic Era (Unknown - 1000 BBY): The video game Knights of the Old Republic Remake is set here.
  • The High Republic Era (382 BBY - 82 BBY): The Acolyte is set here.
    • The Quest of the Jedi Era (Phase II) (382 BBY)
    • The Light of the Jedi Era (Phase I) (232 BBY - Unknown)
    • The Trials of the Jedi Era (Phase III) (Unknown)
  • The Fall of the Jedi Era (32 BBY - 19 BBY): The Prequel Trilogy is set here.
    • The End of the Republic Era (22 BBY - 19 BBY): The TV show The Clone Wars is set here.
  • The Reign of the Empire Era (19 BBY - 5 BBY): The TV shows The Bad Batch and Kenobi and the film Solo are set here.
  • The Age of Rebellion Era (5 BBY - 5 ABY): The Original Trilogy, the film Rogue One, the TV shows Andor and Rebels, and the Aftermath book trilogy are set here.
  • The New Republic Era (5 ABY - 28 ABY)
    • The Foundation of the New Republic Era (5 ABY - 15 ABY): The Mandalorian TV show and its spin-offs are set here.
    • The Decline of the New Republic Era (Unknown - 28 ABY): The book Bloodline and the comic book The Rise of Kylo Ren are set here.
  • The Rise of the First Order Era (28 ABY - 35 ABY): The Sequel Trilogy and the TV show Resistance are set here.
  • The New Jedi Order Era (50 ABY - Unknown): The Rey Skywalker film is to be set here.
    open/close all folders 

The new Expanded Universe (The Canon)

    Live-Action Shows 
  • The Acolyte (2024) — A series set during the final years of the High Republic.
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022) — A series following exiled Jedi Master Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi, set roughly a decade before A New Hope.
  • Andor (2022) — A spy-thriller starring Rebel spy Cassian Andor set five years before the events of Rogue One.
  • The Mandalorian (2019-) — A action-adventure series focusing on a lone human gunslinger from the nearly-extinct Mandalorian people and his mysterious adopted child five years after the fall of the Empire.
  • The Book of Boba Fett (2021-) — A series focusing on the legendary bounty hunter Boba Fett during the New Republic Era; it is set shortly after Season 2 of The Mandalorian.
  • Ahsoka (2023) — A series following Jedi outcast Ahsoka Tano during the New Republic Era, it is set within the timeline of The Mandalorian.
  • Lando (TBA) — A series following suave smuggler Lando Calrissian during the Imperial Era.

    Animated Shows 
  • Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2014, 2020) — an Interquel that presents the events of the eponymous Clone Wars between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, with its final arc taking place alongside the events of the latter film.
  • Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022) — an anthology series revolving around various Jedi characters from the Prequel Trilogy.
  • Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018) — An indirect sequel to The Clone Wars that focuses on a group of rebels that becomes part of the greater Rebellion.
  • Star Wars Resistance (2018-2020) — A standalone show set before The Force Awakens, where a Resistance pilot goes undercover to spy on the First Order.
  • Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021-) — A series following a unique squad of Clone Troopers from "The Bad Batch" arc of The Clone Wars, exploring the immediate aftermath of the war.
  • Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures (2023-) — A preschool age series following group of younglings during the High Republic Era.

    Web Series 

    Video Games 

Due to the player-centric nature of these games, most are pseudo-canon unless stated otherwise.

    Books 
  • Choose Your Destiny (2018-) — A series of choose-your-own-adventure style books and audiobooks.
  • Path of Deceit (2022) — The first young adult novel — and the first story itself — of The High Republic Phase II. Focuses on Kevmo Zink, a Padawan who is sent to Dalna with his master to investigate a cult that shuns use of the Force and has been stealing Force artifacts.
  • Quest for the Hidden City (2022) — The first junior novel of the High Republic Phase II. Focuses on two Jedi, who in the midst of trying to find some missing Pathfinders, are lead to a haunted planet.
  • Convergence (2022) — The first adult novel of The High Republic Phase II. Focuses on two Jedi investigating an assassination that disrupted peace negotiations between two worlds locked in a Forever War.
  • Cataclysm (2023) — The second adult novel of The High Republic Phase II and the sequel to Convergence.
  • Quest for Planet X (2023) — The second junior novel of The High Republic Phase II and the sequel to Quest for the Hidden City.
  • Path of Vengeance (2023) — The second young adult novel of The High Republic Phase II and the sequel to Path of the Deceit.
  • Light of the Jedi (2021) — The first adult novel of The High Republic Phase I.
  • A Test of Courage (2021) — The first junior novel of The High Republic Phase I — taking place simultaneously with Light of the Jedi. Focuses on the youngest Jedi Knight and her companions as they are stranded on a jungle moon after the Great Disaster.
  • Into the Dark (2021) — The first young adult novel of The High Republic Phase I — taking place simultaneously with Light of the Jedi and A Test of Courage. Focuses on Padawan Reath Silas, who in the midst of the Great Disaster — alongside his Jedi Master and a freighter crew — find themselves trapped on a seemingly abandoned space station.
  • The Rising Storm (2021) — The second adult novel of The High Republic Phase I, serving as a sequel to Light of the Jedi.
  • Race to Crashpoint Tower (2021) — The second junior novel of The High Republic Phase I, serving as a connection story to The High Republic Adventures (2021). Focuses on Ram Jomaram, a tech-minded Padawan stationed on Valo who finds himself fighting when the Nihil threaten his home during the Republic Fair. Takes place during the Republic Fair in The Rising Storm.
  • Out of the Shadows (2021) — The second young adult novel of The High Republic Phase I, serving as a sequel to both A Test of Courage and Into the Dark and taking place after The Rising Storm.
  • Mission to Disaster (2022) — The third and final junior novel of The High Republic Phase I, serving as a sequel to A Test of Courage.
  • The Fallen Star (2022) — The sequel to The Rising Storm and the third and final adult novel of The High Republic Phase I.
  • Midnight Horizon (2022) — The third and final young adult novel of The High Republic Phase I, serving as a sequel to Out of the Shadows and the final arc of The High Republic Adventures (2021). Takes place simultaneously with The Fallen Star.
  • The Vow of Silver Dawn (2020-) — A Chinese web novel about the padawan Sean during the age of the High Republic.
  • Master and Apprentice (2019) — focusing on Obi-Wan Kenobi's time as Qui-Gon Jinn's apprentice.
  • The Living Force (2024) — set shortly before The Phantom Menace, it follows the Jedi Council as they go on a goodwill mission to the planet Kwenn as its Jedi Outpost is set to be decommissioned, only to find their presence challenged and unwelcome as pirates seek to assassinate them.
  • The Glass Abyss (2024) — set shortly after The Phantom Menace, it follows Mace Windu grappling with Qui-Gon Jinn's death at Naboo and fullfilling one of the maverick Jedi's last requests.
  • Queen's Peril (2020) — covers the very beginning of Padmé Amidala's reign as Queen of Naboo.
  • Queen's Shadow (2019) — covers the transition of Padmé Amidala's political career from queen to senator.
  • Thrawn Ascendancy trilogy:
  • Star Wars: Brotherhood (2022) — focused on Obi-Wan and Anakin transitioning from Master and Apprentice to Jedi equals in the aftermath of Episode II.
  • Catalyst (2016) — a prequel tie-in to Rogue One centered around the Erso family, Orson Krennic and the early days of the Death Star project before the reign of the Empire.
  • Dark Disciple (2015) — a novel staring Asajj Ventress and Quinlan Vos that is based on an unproduced story arc of The Clone Wars.
  • Adventures in Wild Space (2016-2017) — A young readers' series. Milo and Lina Graf, the two children of frontier explorers, go on a journey through Wild Space to find their parents, who have been abducted by Imperial agents.
  • Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade (2023) — a novel that focuses on the early days of the Inquisition
  • Ahsoka (2016) — focuses on Ahsoka Tano in the early years of the Empire.
  • Lords of the Sith (2015) — takes place between Revenge of the Sith and Rebels, detailing how Darth Vader and Darth Sidious take action when a rebellion on Ryloth threatens the newly-established Empire.
  • Tarkin (2014) — featuring the character from A New Hope, battling a rebel cell, five years after the rise of the Empire.
  • Jedi: Battle Scars (2023) — an interquel that bridges the gap between Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor
  • Lando's Luck (2018) — A Flight of the Falcon young readers' book, focusing on one of Lando and L3's adventures.
  • Most Wanted (2018) — A prequel to Solo, showing Han and Qi'ra in their youth on Corellia.
  • Crimson Climb (2023) — A young adult novel that tells Qi'ra's story between the prologue of Solo and the rest of the film.
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) — The film novelization of Solo, by Mur Lafferty.
  • Rebel Rising (2017) — a young adult prequel tie-in to Rogue One centered around Jyn Erso during her days as a Partisan.
  • Thrawn (2017) — the origin story of Grand Admiral Thrawn and his early career with the Empire.
  • A New Dawn (2014) — a prequel to the Rebels TV series showing how series protagonists Kanan Jarrus and Hera Syndulla met.
  • Lost Stars (2015) — follows two friends who find themselves on opposing sides over the course of various historical events; from the rise of the Empire to the Battle of Jakku.
  • Servants of the Empire (2014-2015) — focuses on the adventures of Rebels character Zare Leonis, as he goes undercover in the Imperial Academy to find out what had truly happened to his missing sister, Dhara.
  • Battlefront: Twilight Company (2015) — Thematic tie-in to the first Battlefront game.
  • Ezra's Gamble (2014) — a prequel to the Rebels TV series starring Ezra Bridger and bounty hunter Bossk, who team up to find a wanted bounty on Lothal, and end up discovering a conspiracy regarding the local garrison.
  • The Rebellion Begins (2014) — the junior novelization of the Rebels series premiere episode, "Spark of Rebellion".
  • Star Wars Rebels chapter books (2014-2015) — junior novelizations of Rebels Season 1.
  • Leia, Princess of Alderaan (2017) — focuses on the story of Leia Organa as she grows up as royalty under House Organa on Alderaan and subsequently becomes a young leader of the Rebellion.
  • Thrawn: Alliances (2018) — A sequel to Thrawn, where the Grand Admiral teams up with Darth Vader.
  • Thrawn: Treason (2019) — the third novel focusing on Thrawn. Thrawn comes to odds with Director Krennic and is forced to make an impossible choice between his loyalty to the Empire, or to his homeworld.
  • The Mighty Chewbacca (2018-?) — a young reader's series about Chewbacca.
  • Guardians of the Whills (2017) — a middle-grade prequel tie-in to Rogue One following Chirrut Îmwe and Baze Malbus after the Empire's takeover of Jedha and Saw Gerrera's arrival.
  • Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) — The film novelization of Rogue One by Alexander Freed.
  • A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy (2015) — The first in a new series of film novelizations, by Alexandra Bracken. Adapts A New Hope.
  • From a Certain Point of View (2017) — An anthology of forty stories from numerous viewpoints of characters present in A New Hope, each story written by a different writer/author in the Star Wars franchise.
  • Inferno Squad (2017) — taking place after Rogue One, from the perspective of an Imperial infiltration squad sent to eliminate the remaining Partisans from the Galaxy for once and for all. A tie-in and prequel to the storyline of Battlefront II.
  • Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo Adventure (2015) — Han Solo and Chewbacca fly the Millennium Falcon on a top-secret mission for the Rebellion. Set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back.
  • Heir to the Jedi (2015) — Takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, told by Luke Skywalker in first-person.
  • The Weapon of a Jedi: A Luke Skywalker Adventure (2015) — Set between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the story finds Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and R2-D2 stranded on a mysterious planet, and explores Luke’s first-ever duel with a lightsaber.
  • The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi? (2015) — The second in a new series of film novelizations, by Adam Gidwitz. Adapts The Empire Strikes Back.
  • Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure (2015) — Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the story follows Princess Leia as she leads a ragtag group of rebels on a dangerous mission against the Empire.
  • Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side! (2015) — The third in a new series of film novelizations, by Tom Angleberger. Adapts Return of the Jedi.
  • Alphabet Squadron Trilogy — Set after Return of the Jedi, several Rebel pilots flying different classes of starfighters team up to hunt down the infamous Imperial Shadow Wing after the Battle of Endor.
  • The Princess and the Scoundrel (2022) — Takes place in the immediate aftermath of ''Return of the Jedi' as Han and Leia marry and try to embark upon their honeymoon in the wake of the Battle of Endor.
  • Star Wars: The Aftermath Trilogy:
    • Aftermath (2015) — Takes place in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Endor while the Rebels consolidate their gains and the Empire struggles to regroup.
    • Life Debt (2016)
    • Empire's End (2017)
  • Last Shot (2018) — A prequel to Solo while jumping to after Return of the Jedi, telling of an encounter Han had with a criminal.
  • Poe Dameron: Free Fall (2020) — Takes place around 18 ABY when Poe is sixteen years old and focuses on his time with the Spice Runners of Kijimi.
  • Shadow of the Sith (2022) — Takes place in 21 ABY, concerning Luke and Lando's search for leads on and Exegol and Rey's parents running from the Sith Eternal.
  • Bloodline (2016) — Set six years before The Force Awakens, centered around Leia's political career in the New Republic before the emergence of the First Order and the founding of the Resistance.
  • Force Collector (2019) — Set just before The Force Awakens, a teenager with Force abilities investigates the remnants of the Jedi and the connection they share through the Force.
  • Before the Awakening (2015) — Tells a story in the lives of Finn, Rey, and Poe Dameron each before their fateful encounters in the events of The Force Awakens.
  • Join the Resistance (2017-?) — A series about a ragtag group of new, young Resistance trooper recruits who think they're ready to take on the First Order, but things are not as all cracked up as they seemed to be.
  • Phasma (2017) — A novel telling the story of Captain Phasma before the events of The Force Awakens.
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) — The novelization of the film of the same name. Written by Alan Dean Foster, ghost writer of the original Star Wars novelization and writer of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, the very first EU novel (making this a Remake Cameo gig of sorts).
  • Tales from a Galaxy Far, Far Away Volume 1: Aliens (2016) — A collection of short stories based around alien characters from The Force Awakens. Four of the stories received a digital release in December 2015, while all six were released in print in April 2016.
    • All Creatures Great and Small — Bobbajo tells how he escaped from and destroyed the Death Star.
    • A Recipe for Death — When his sous chef turns up dead, the cook at Maz Kanata's castle holds an unusual competition to find the culprit.
    • The Crimson Corsair and the Lost Treasure of Count Dooku — The Crimson Corsair and his crew race in the hunt for an old Separatist ship after hearing rumors of it housing Count Dooku's treasure.
    • The Face of Evil — The Frigosian cryptosurgeons of Takodana give a criminal on the run just what she asks for.
    • High Noon on Jakku — On Jakku, faithful droid goes rogue and commits a bank robbery, forcing Constable Zuvio to get to the bottom of things.
    • True Love — Unkar Plutt finds love.
  • BB-8 on the Run (2017) — A tale about BB-8 on the run on Jakku after the attack on the village of Tuanul and before meeting Rey.
  • Canto Bight (2017) — An anthology of four stories, each telling the tale of characters on Canto Bight.
  • The Legends of Luke Skywalker (2017) — A series of tales from people who claimed to have met Luke Skywalker.
  • Cobalt Squadron (2017) — Follows Rose, Paige, and other members of Cobalt Squadron during their service to the Resistance.
  • Galaxy's Edge: Black Spire (2019) — Vi Moradi seeks support for the crippled Resistance in the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu.
  • A Crash of Fate (2019) — Also set on Batuu, two teens get into trouble and have to go on the run while figuring out their relationship.
  • Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2018) — The novelization of The Last Jedi, written by Jason Fry.
  • Resistance Reborn (2019) — Finn, Rey, Poe and General Leia struggle to rebuild the Resistance after their defeat by the First Order in The Last Jedi.
  • Spark of the Resistance (2019) — Rey, Poe and Rose answer a distress call on the distant planet of Minfar.
  • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2020) — The novelization of The Rise of Skywalker, written by Rae Carson.

    Comics 
  • The High Republic (2020-)
  • The High Republic Adventures (2020-) — a spinoff of Adventures set in the High Republic era.
  • Adventures (2017-?) — a series of comics that range from taking place before The Phantom Menace up to The Last Jedi.
  • Forces of Destiny: Adventures (2018) — a five-issue Spin-Off series of the Adventures comics and the Forces of Destiny animated shorts.
  • Darth Maul (2017) — a five-issue limited series set before The Phantom Menace showcasing a younger Darth Maul's descent into the dark side of the Force.
  • Probe Droid Problem (2017) — a mini-comic published in Darth Maul, Part I, set during the events of The Phantom Menace, centered around a DRK-1/Sith probe droid used by Darth Maul while on Tatooine. Bundled with Droid Dilemma and SaBBoTage in Droids Unplugged #1.
  • Obi-Wan & Anakin (2016) — a five-issue limited series set between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones dealing with the early years of Anakin's training in the Jedi Order.
  • Age of Republic (2018-2019) — an eight-issue anthology series with each part focusing on a hero or villain from the Prequel era.
  • Jedi of the Republic (2017-?) — a series of five-issue arcs revolving around different Jedi during the Clone Wars.
  • Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir (2014) — a four-issue limited series based on an unused story arc of The Clone Wars. This holds the distinction of being the only canonical comic book to not be published by Marvel Comics or IDW.
  • Kanan (2015-2016) — a twelve issue series featuring the backstory of one the lead protagonists of Rebels, explaining how the young Jedi was able to go into hiding following Order 66 and was eventually able to strike out as a rebel leader.
  • Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith (2017-2018) — a series exploring Darth Vader's adjustment in the early days of the Empire, transitioning from being a man to the cold and ruthless machine he becomes forever known for.
  • Dark Temple (2019) — A five-issue limited series serving as a prequel to Fallen Order, detailing Cere Junda's transformation from impulsive Padawan to Cynical Mentor.
  • Star Wars: Thrawn (2018) — a comic series adaptation of Thrawn.
  • Star Wars: Lost Stars (2017) — a manga webcomic adaptation of Lost Stars.
  • Rebels Magazine comic strips — (2015-2017) — a series of twelve-page comics released with every issue, telling stories of the Ghost crew and others in between episodes of Rebels.
  • Beckett (2018) — a oneshot about Tobias Beckett's life as a scoundrel before meeting Han during the events of Solo.
  • Lando: Double or Nothing (2018) — a five-issue limited series exploring what Lando and L3-37 were doing immediately prior to their appearance in Solo.
  • Solo: A Star Wars Story — a comic adaptation of Solo
  • Han Solo -- Imperial Cadet (2018-2019) — a five-issue limited series set during the three-year time skip in Solo, covering Han's time at the Imperial Flight Academy.
  • Vader: Dark Visions (2019) — a five-part series about Darth Vader from the point of view of various minor characters.
  • Target Vader (2019) — a six-issue limited series about Captain Valance, a cyborg bounty hunter with a vendetta against Vader.
  • Tales from Vader's Castle (2018) — a five-part Spin-Off from Adventures about a series of horror stories set in the Star Wars universe.
  • Star Wars: Rogue One — a comic series adaptation of Rogue One.
  • Cassian & K-2SO (2017) — a one-shot special of the Rogue One comic adaptation, featuring how Cassian met K-2SO.
  • Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi (2017) — a four-issue comic series adaptation of The Weapon of a Jedi.
  • Star Wars: Age of Rebellion (2019) — an anthology series with each part focusing on a hero or villain from the Classic era.
  • Star Wars: Smuggler's Run (2018) — a limited comic series adaptation of Smuggler's Run.
  • Star Wars: Story Before the Force Awakens (2015-2016) — a Korean webcomic that acts as a prequel to, and then adaptation of, the Original Trilogy. Considered Broad Strokes canon by Disney. English version available here.
  • Princess Leia (2015) — a five-issue limited series showing Leia Organa's attempt to find and unite all surviving Alderaan refugees following the destruction of the planet.
  • Star Wars (Marvel 2015) (2015-ongoing) — an ongoing series iitially taking place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, shown from the perspective of several different members of the Rebel Alliance. In 2020, a second volume taking place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi began.
  • Darth Vader (2015-2016) — a series that takes place in the same timeframe as the 2015 Star Wars comic series, showing how Darth Vader rebounded from his defeat at the Battle of Yavin.
  • Vader Down (2015) — a crossover between the Star Wars and Darth Vader series.
  • Droid Dilemma (2016) — a mini-comic published in Marvel Star Wars #25 — The Last Flight of the Harbinger, Part V, centered around R2-D2 as he gets caught up in miscellaneous activities in the settling of a temporary rebel base on Reamma in his attempt to meet up with Luke when they're assigned a mission. Bundled with Probe Droid Problem and SaBBoTage in Droids Unplugged #1.
  • The Misadventures of Triple-Zero and Beetee (2016) — a mini-comic published in Darth Vader 20: End of Games, Part I, featuring Triple Zero and Beetee, who visit a workshop for supplies on Aphra's behalf, only to turn against the owner when he tries to steal Triple Zero's personality matrix for a high bounty.
  • Doctor Aphra (2016-beyond) — a series that takes place after Darth Vader Issue #25, centered around Doctor Aphra going into hiding and attempting to return to her life of archaeology, while simultaneously dealing with her debts to Black Krrsantan and keeping her droids under control.
  • The Screaming Citadel (2017) — a crossover between the Star Wars and Doctor Aphra series.
  • Lando (2015) — a five-issue limited series showing Lando Calrissian before he became Baron Administrator of Cloud City, in which he steals a starship that turns out to be Emperor Palpatine's personal yacht.
  • Han Solo (2016) — a five-issue limited series revolving around Han and Chewbacca on a mission for the Rebellion to investigate the murders of rebel informants, doing so by participating in the Dragon Void Race.
  • Chewbacca (2015) — a five-issue limited series about Chewbacca getting temporarily stranded on a planet while on a mission for the Rebellion, finding himself getting mixed up in the local crisis.
  • Storms of Crait (2017) — a oneshot spin-off of the main comic series, about Leia and Luke as they come across Crait in their search for a new rebel base after the Battle of Yavin.
  • Empire Ascendant (2019) — a special one-shot crossover between the Star Wars, Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, and Target Vader series. It acts as a Crossover Finale for Marvel's Star Wars comic series and directly leads into the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
  • Darth Vader (2020-) — a series following Vader after The Empire Strikes Back, as he hunts down those responsible for hiding his son from him.
  • Bounty Hunters (2020-) — a series about Valance, Bossk, Boba Fett and other bounty hunters operating in the time period immediately following the events of The Empire Strikes Back.
  • War of the Bounty Hunters (2021) — a Crisis Crossover between the Star Wars, Darth Vader, Bounty Hunters, and Doctor Aphra series.
  • Crimson Reign (2021-2022) — A mini-series and sequel to War of the Bounty Hunters that is part two of a storyline focusing on Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn.
  • Hidden Empire (2022-2023) — A mini-series and sequel to Crimson Reign that is part three of a storyline focusing on Qi'ra and Crimson Dawn.
  • Shattered Empire (2015) — a prequel to the events of the The Force Awakens, showcasing Poe Dameron's parents in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Endor.
  • TIE Fighter (2019) — a mini-series that follows an elite TIE Fighter squadron known as Shadow Wing that are tasked to protect Imperial points-of-interest.
  • The Rise of Kylo Ren (2019-?) — a four-part miniseries that details the backstory of Kylo Ren's fall to the Dark Side.
  • Star Wars Special: C-3PO (2015) — a oneshot story explaining how C-3PO got his red arm by The Force Awakens.
  • Age of Resistance (2019) — an anthology series with each part focusing on a hero or villain from the Sequel era.
  • Galaxy's Edge (2019) — a tie-in miniseries for the titled theme-land at Disney Theme Parks, where relic dealer Dok-Ondar describes how he acquired some of his rare goods.
  • Poe Dameron (2016-2018) — a series that follows Poe Dameron and a squadron of Resistance pilots as they search for Lor San Tekka.
  • SaBBotage (2016) — a mini-comic published in Poe Dameron #1 — Black Squadron, Part I, centered around BB-8 on D'Qar, helping a tech officer confess her feelings to her crush, an X-Wing pilot. Bundled with Probe Droid Problem and Droid Dilemma in Droids Unplugged #1.
  • Captain Phasma (2017) — a series taking place from the perspective of Captain Phasma at the end of The Force Awakens to the beginning of The Last Jedi.
  • DJ (2018) — a oneshot about a day in the life of DJ and his backstory, taking place before the events of The Last Jedi.
  • Allegiance (2019) — a series about General Leia reaching out to her old allies, the Mon Calamari, for help to rebuild the Resistance after The Last Jedi.
  • The Halcyon Legacy (2022) — a series taking place at various points in the Star Wars timeline centered on the luxury starcruiser Halcyon.

    Audio Plays 
  • The Battle of Jedha (2023) — an audio book set in The High Republic Phase II.
  • Tempest Runner (2021) — an audio book set in The High Republic Phase I, focusing on the Nihil Tempest Runner Lourna Dee and delving into her past.
  • Dooku: Jedi Lost (2019) — an audio book delving into the hidden past of Count Dooku.
  • Doctor Aphra (2020) — an audio book retelling the events of archaeologist Doctor Aphra’s assignment with Darth Vader.

    Multimedia Projects 

    Reference Books 

Treated as in-universe material

  • Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy (2016) — a worldbuilding guide that explores propaganda used in the conflicts seen up to The Force Awakens.
  • A series of in-universe handbooks where characters have scribbled notes in the margins, continuing from the Legends releases The Jedi Path, Book of Sith, The Bounty Hunter Code, and Imperial Handbook.
    • The Rebel Files (2017) — a series of rebel documents from throughout the Galactic Civil War, spanning from Rebels to Return of the Jedi, with footnotes written by members of the Resistance in the time leading up to The Force Awakens.
    • Smuggler's Guide (2018) — a journal started by Maz Kanata and passed between a number of smugglers, pirates, and other scoundrels over the years, who added their own entries and commented on previous ones.
  • Scum and Villainy: Case Files of the Galaxy's Most Notorious (2018) — a selection of documents on various criminals in the galaxy collected by the Divo family over decades.
  • Haynes Owner's Workshop Manual series; a set of crossovers with the real-life Haynes series of vehicle manuals. The series started in the Legends era with Millennium Falcon and Death Star manuals.
    • YT-1300 Millennium Falcon: Haynes Owner's Workshop Manual (2018) — a new edition of the Millennium Falcon manual from Legends, updated to include features of the Falcon that were seen in the sequel films and Solo.
    • TIE Fighter: Haynes Owner's Workshop Manual (2019)
    • Rebel Starfighters: Haynes Owner's Workshop Manual (2019)

Guides

  • Star Wars Rebels: The Visual Guide (2014) — provides background details for the main characters and villains of Rebels.
    • The Visual Guide: Epic Battles (2015) — a Season 2 edition of the Rebels Visual Guide.
  • Star Wars in 100 Scenes — an illustrated overview of the six films, providing minor details and background info, along with naming many characters who had only been named in Legends.
  • Ultimate Star Wars — a guide based on the DK visual dictionaries.
  • Ships of the Galaxy — a visual guide dedicated to the many starships in the franchise.
  • Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (2015) — a reference guide that highlights "anecdotal, quirky and obscure facts" about the franchise.
    • Updated and Expanded (2017)
  • Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded (2016)
  • Stormtroopers: Beyond the Armor (2017)

    Short Stories 
  • "Kindred Spirits" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 159 and a tie-in to Dark Disciple as a prequel, featuring Asajj Ventress having an encounter with the pirate Lassa Rhayme.
  • "Orientation" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 157 that takes place in the middle of Lords of the Sith and features an Imperial officer attempting to assassinate the Emperor.
  • "The Voice of the Empire" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 170 that ties into Catalyst and Rogue One as a prequel, taking place from the perspective of a disillusioned HoloNet news reporter during the second Empire Day.
  • "Mercy Mission" — a short story in the Rise of the Empire omnibus that features Hera Syndulla on one of her first missions as a rebel running supplies to her homeworld of Ryloth.
  • "Bottleneck" — a short story in the Rise of the Empire omnibus that features the first meeting between Grand Moff Tarkin and efficiency expert Count Vidian as they attempt to solve production issues at a vital Imperial factory.
  • "TK-462" — a short story detailing the life of a stormtrooper, from his childhood to his abrupt death.
  • "The End of History" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 154 which follows a member of the Corellian Resistance on the run from the Empire who encounters a man with several Jedi artifacts.
  • "Rebel Bluff" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 158 and a tie-in to Rebels Season 2 premiere "The Siege of Lothal" as a prequel, featuring Lando Calrissian on the planet Lothal pursuing a young woman who steals the pot of a sabacc game he and Vizago were playing.
  • "One Thousand Levels Down" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 151 that takes place on Coruscant shortly after the destruction of Alderaan, following two refugees from the doomed planet in their attempts to escape persecution from the Empire.
  • "Last Call at the Zero Angle" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 156 which focuses on a group of TIE fighter pilots drinking at the Zero Angle.
  • "Inbrief" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 161 featuring Twilight Company during the battle of Allst Prime.
  • "Blade Squadron" — a two-part short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 149-150 which focuses on a squadron of B-Wing pilots during the Battle of Endor and their attempt to destroy a Star Destroyer.
  • "The Levers of Power" — a short story in the Rise of the Empire omnibus that shows the Battle of Endor from the point of view of Admiral Rae Sloane.
  • "Turning Point" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 169 set after Return of the Jedi as a tie-in to Life Debt, telling the tale of a tracker named Gorlan Seba, who lived peacefully on the fringes of the Galaxy until the Empire hired him to hunt down rebels.
  • "Blade Squadron: Zero Hour" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 160. In the aftermath of the Battle of Endor, Blade Squadron rebuilds while struggling to deal with their own relationships with each other before the Battle of Malastare.
  • "Blade Squadron: Kuat" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 168 and a tie-in to Life Debt. Blade Squadron leads an assault on Kuat Drive Yards.
  • "The Light You Bring" — a short story on the Star Wars Squadrons official website that ties into the game as a prequel.
  • "Blade Squadron: Jakku" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 172 and a tie-in to Empire's End as a simultaneous episode. Takes place from Blade Squadron's perspective during the Battle of Jakku.
  • "Scorched" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 165 and a tie-in to Bloodline as a prequel, exploring Greer Sonnel's past with Han before she joined the New Republic and became an ally of Leia's.
  • "Bait" — a short story in Star Wars Insider Magazine 162 that follows big game hunter Grummgar during a hunt on the planet Ithor.
  • "The Perfect Weapon" — Bazine Netal is hired by an unknown employer to retrieve a mysterious package from a retired stormtrooper.

    Rides 
  • Star Tours: The Adventures Continue (2011-present) — an overhaul of the original Star Tours ride at Disney Theme Parks; a civilian transport flight goes wrong when a Rebel or Resistance spy is caught on board. (Whether the original Star Tours is canon to the current continuity is unclear.)
  • Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (2019-present) — a new addition to Disneyland, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Walt Disney Studios Park, the land is set on the remote planet of Batuu, just on the edge of the Outer Rim. Taking place after The Last Jedi, guests can interfere with a battle between the First Order and the Resistance, and they can also take control of the Millennium Falcon, while exploring the many repurposed spaces of the old outpost planet.

    Promotional Material 
  • HoloNet News (2014) — Imperial propaganda news report shorts on Tumblr providing background information on Lothal for the then-upcoming show, Rebels.
  • The Weapon of a Jedi (2015) — a short animated comic adapting excerpts from The Weapon of a Jedi, as part of a promotional campaign by Nestlé.
  • Smuggler's Run (2015) — a short animated comic adapting excerpts from Smuggler's Run, as part of a promotional campaign by Nestlé.
  • Squadrons - Hunted (2020) — a short centered around Varko Grey shortly before the main campaign in Squadrons.

    Canon-Adjacent 

    Cancelled Projects 
  • Rangers of the New Republic — A series that would have been set within the timeline of The Mandalorian. Announced to be no longer in development in November 2021, with elements from its planned story integrated into other shows set in the same era.

Canon Policy

In April 2014, virtually all of the Expanded Universe was declared non-canon to the upcoming third trilogy. Only the theatrical films, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and new material released after this point will be considered canon (as listed above). However, the old Expanded Universe remains a resource used as a frame of reference for future material, at the discretion of their writers and the new Lucasfilm Story Group. In fact, the "new" Expanded Universe is in and of itself a misnomer — everything from this point on is simply being referred to as being either "Canon" or "Legends" in order to reflect the fact that everything is being approved by Lucasfilm.

Will contain heavy spoilers for The Mandalorian, Star Wars Resistance, Marvel Star Wars, and all recently released books. Browse through at your own caution.

Tropes used throughout the Star Wars Expanded Universe:

  • Anachronic Order: Star Wars in general could qualify as the king of this trope.
    • First, we have the Prequel Trilogy, which were released 16 years after the Original Trilogy.
    • Then, we have The Clone Wars, which was released after the Prequel Trilogy but takes place between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.
      • The Clone Wars actually qualifies twice, at least in the first two and a half seasons. The majority of the episodes featured in the aforementioned seasons were aired and released anachronically — with two of them taking place before the pilot movie.
    • Rebels takes place almost fifteen years after Episode III but a few years before Episode IV — and was released in 2014.
    • The sequel trilogy — probably the only entries in the franchise post-OT to be aired in proper order, were released in 2015, 2017, and 2019... and the Anthology films were served as prequels to the original trilogy, and were released in 2016 and 2018.
    • This isn't even getting into the novels, comics, video games, and other media that the franchise has spawned — not to mention future material.
  • Bat Family Crossover: War of the Bounty Hunters, the story of which runs through all four ongoing Marvel SW titles and a self-titled miniseries.
  • Big Bad: Senator/Supreme Chancellor/Emperor Sheev Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, in the Skywalker Saga and associated works. The Man Behind the Man behind other series antagonists such as Nute Gunray, Darth Maul, Count Dooku, General Grievious, the Grand Inquisitor, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Director Orson Krennic, Grand Moff Tarkin, Darth Vader, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, Supreme Leader Snoke, Kylo Ren, the Knights of Ren, Alligiant General Pryde and the Sith Eternal cult, with supplementary material post-Episode IX also revealing that he and his Sith Eternal cult were also behind numerous notable events post-Battle of Endor, such as the Sentinels, the Contingency, Rax's plan to rebuild The Empire out in the Unknown Regions, the Acolytes of the Beyond, the creation of Supreme Leader Snoke and Ben Solo's fall to the Dark Side.
  • Big Bad Ensemble: Notable antagonists include:
  • Big Good: Several throughout the franchise.
  • Bittersweet Ending: Various conflicts, such as the Clone Wars, Galactic Civil War and the First/Final Order War tend to end on these.
    • The Clone Wars end with the Galactic Republic triumphant, with many prominent Separatists deadnote , its droid armies disabled and its Navy destroyed, with many worlds now free, but the Jedi Order have been wiped out, entire planets are being strip-mined for valuable resources *, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine has seized power of the Republic; renaming it the First Galactic Empire, and with Anakin Skywalker by his sidenote , fully intends to rule the galaxy through a mixture of fear, intimidation, propaganda, the military and the Death Star.
    • The Galactic Civil War ends in a Rebel Alliance/New Republic victory, with the deaths of Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader & Grand Moff Tarkin, their leadership at Jakku * and most of their other high-ranking imperial leadership*, the disappearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn, collapse of the Imperial Government and all associated organisations and with the now universally despised Grand Vizier Mas Amedda left as the nominal leader and figurehead of Coruscant under a powerless provisional council following the the destruction of both Death Stars and failure of the Contingency but the new government still did lose a lot of friends and allies getting therenote , Alderaan was still destroyed while untold othersnote  were left ecologically damaged beyond repair, various other leading Imperialsnote  are still currently unaccounted for and the newly created Senate is still suffering from the same political stagnation as its predecessor along with a now openly corrupt Senate Guard, while various other threats, both new and existing, such as surviving Imperial Remnants, growing piracy, rising crime and a growing Dark Side cult calling itself the "Acolytes of the Beyond" are busy terrorising the growing republic; while out in the Unknown Regions, an imperial splinter group led by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and Commandant Brendol Hux, are busy reforming the empire under a new name: the First Order.
    • The unnamed conflict with the First Order ends in a victory for the Resistance following the death final death] of [[TheEmperor Emperor Sheev Palpatine following the death of Ben Solo, aka Kyo Ren, along with the rest of the FO's military leaders*, most of their proxy allies*, the eradication of both the Sith Order & the Sith Eternal cult, destruction of the Supremacy & Starkiller Base and with their entire fleet wiped out following multiple simultaneous uprisings against them throughout the known galaxy, but the Resistance still lost several friends and allies along the waynote , Hosnian Prime and Kijimi were both still destroyed along with the New Republic, various civilizationsnote  were wiped out as were the Skywalker and Solo bloodlinesnote  and with the final fate of sympathisers such as Senator Carise Sindian are still currently unaccounted for, though on a brighter note, now that the Galaxy is finally free from the long dark shadow of Palpatine and the Sith, along with the possibility that the Jedi Order may finally return again under Rey's leadership and guidance, the future is looking more hopeful than ever before.
  • Broad Strokes: Creators within the new continuity (many of whom also wrote for the "old" EU) often take the broader details of previous EU works by themselves or others in this sense. For instance, the novel Tarkin by James Luceno clearly takes the broader plots of his previous three novels* as still having happened, and Kanan makes some veiled references to the events of the novel Shatterpoint*. And in general, while the post-Endor slate has been wiped clean, there also seems to be less need or desire to retcon Prequel-era material.
  • Canon Immigrant: Any new works that are influenced by works that were made in the Legends continuity utilize this trope, reworking old characters (and iconic ships) into the new setting. (Perhaps the most obvious example is that many background characters only given names by the Legends continuity have kept their names, and in many cases their backstories, in newer works.) See the individual pages for more.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Remember Rae Sloane, that one Imperial officer that was a major character in A New Dawn and she started appearing in a bunch of other works, and then ended up being a major character in the Aftermath Trilogy? She becomes the founder of the New Order after killing Rax, as he wanted to kill the Empire instead of keeping it alive.
  • Continuity Lockout: Not official and necessary, but it's been widely accepted among fans that you'll get more mileage if you read/watch certain material in a particular order for a connecting plot.
    • For Saw, Jyn, and the Partisans: Catalyst -> Rebel Rising -> Guardians of the Whills -> Inferno Squad. This assumes you've already watched Rogue One, but if you haven't, it is advised you watch it after Catalyst. It is most effective to read Rogue One novelization right before or right after Rebel Rising (and of course, after watching the movie). The comic book adaptation adds a couple of new scenes, but is not necessary. Rebels episodes "Ghosts of Geonosis" and "In the Name of the Rebellion" feature Saw and the Partisans, and they are also a Minor Major Character in Leia, Princess of Alderaan.
    • For Leia: You can read Bloodline and Leia, Princess of Alderaan in either order, the former taking place when Leia is older, the latter when Leia is a teenager. While both books have the benefit of being written by the same author, however, Bloodline was written first. Rebels episode "A Princess on Lothal" and Forces of Destiny episode "Bounty of Trouble" are related to Princess of Alderaan, but are not necessary. Of course, this is assuming you've watched all the movies up to The Force Awakens.
    • The Tales from Wild Space section of the Adventures comics have background from Adventures in Wild Space, which in turn is majorly tied to a piece of backstory of Rebels.
    • Averted for the most part with Thrawn, which, despite being a prequel to Rebels, can fit easily in the Legends continuity. The assumption being made here is that you're reading Thrawn because either you're a newcomer that is curious to learn the backstory of this new character thanks to Rebels, or you're an old Thrawn fan and you just want to learn what's going on with him in this new continuity. Thrawn does get namedropped in Empire's End with possible Foreshadowing, though it does not serve much at the moment.
    • As it is Rebels tie-in material, you'll be more inclined to read Servants of the Empire if you are a fan of Rebels or at least watch Rebels.
    • For Kanan: Similarly, you'll be more inclined to read A New Dawn and Kanan if you're a viewer of Rebels. A New Dawn can be read at any time, though it seems to be more effective if read at least after Season 1 of Rebels. Kanan delves into Kanan's backstory, but similarly, it also seems more effective if read after Season 1 of Rebels (and after reading A New Dawn).
    • For Imperials/First Order: Tarkin and Thrawn in either order (though again, Tarkin was written first), with Catalyst and the Aftermath Trilogy being readable at any time.
    • For Ahsoka: Assuming you've watched all the movies currently released (or just the Original and Prequel Trilogies) and The Clone Wars (which is probably the only reason why you know of Ahsoka), watch Rebels, then read Ahsoka (which is an interquel between The Clone Wars and Rebels).
    • For Inquisitors: Same as the advice given about the Ahsoka plotlines, except read Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith after reading the Ahsoka novel.
  • Continuity Porn: Again, king of the trope. Star Wars has so many Call Backs, Call Forwards, Continuity Nods, Mythology Gags, and Internal Homages you could spend hours listing them all. In fact, it's safe to say Star Wars has more of them than any other franchise.
  • A Day in the Limelight: The Leia limited series expands upon how she responded to Alderaan's destruction, and what she did immediately after A New Hope.
  • Decadent Court: The Imperial Court, full stop. Comprised of the Imperial Ruling Council, Joint Chiefs, the various intelligence agencies and the Moffs, along with members of the Imperial Senate and numerous Ministries; its members included Grand Admiral Thrawn, COMPNOR Director Armand Isard, Vice Admiral Dodd Rancit, Colonel Wullf Yularen, Minister Pitina Mar-Mas Voor, Director Orson Krennic, Count Denetrius Vidian, Governor Arihnda Pryce, Dr. Cylo and Grand General Cassio Tagge, as well as (presumably) the Grand Inquisitor, Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax and Morgan Elsbeth. It often suffered from constant political infighting and Interservice Rivalry as a result of multiple attempts by many of its members at usurping each other through various means, in order to gain power, influence and the Emperor's favour; much to the pleasure of one of the leaders and only major power-broker within the Court itself: Emperor Palpatine himself.
  • The Don: Major leading male crime figures in the Galactic Underworld include Marlo & Jabba the Hutt, (Darth) Maul, Marchion Ro (Nihil), Lom Pyke, Marg Krim, Ziton Moj, Yonak, Triple-Zero, Papa Toren, Tasu Leech, Shortpaw, Rinnrivin Di, Lorgan Movellan, Terex and Gwi.
  • Earth-Shattering Kaboom: Alderaan during Emperor Palpatine's reign and thirty years later, the Hosnian System, which subsequently signalled the start of the First Order conflict, followed by Kijimi a year later by the Final Order.
  • Elite Agents Above the Law: The Inquistorius, a division of Imperial Intelligence composed of Force sensitive operatives. Their mission is to recruit or kill any latent Force sensitives they can find, they answer only to Darth Vader himself, and they are allowed to requisition any Imperial resources they deem necessary for their task.
  • Elite Mooks: While the Imperial Stormtroopers and B1-Battle Droids have cemented their status as Cannon Fodder, they have several close relatives who are competent enough to give the heroes a rough time.
  • The Empire: Several, such as the First Galactic Empire, Chiss Ascendancy and Grysk Hegemony, while the Nikardun Destiny, a militant power, was shaping up to be this before their military forces subsequently fell apart thanks to Thrawn.
  • Enemy Civil War: The Galactic Empire undergoes one after the Emperor's death, thanks to a growing New Republic, defecting Imperials, and rogue Moffs and officers becoming warlords or declaring themselves Emperor, which resulted in both the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy abandoning Coruscant, and leading to the ISB (or Imperial Security Bureau) usurping control from Grand Vizier Mas Amedda and heavily defending the isolated capital, with the planet slowly descending into a battleground against the New Republic supported insurgents and the de facto leaders of the planet. Meanwhile, the leaders of the Imperial Army and Imperial Navy (Grand General Kenner Loring and Fleet Admiral Gallius Rax, respectively), the two biggest factions within the empire go through their own Civil War with each other, all whilst fighting off the New Republic forces.
  • Evil Is Deathly Cold: Numerous characters has noted that they felt cold in the presence of the Dark Side:
    • The first time this trope is in The Empire Strikes Back, when Luke describes the cave on Dagobah as cold.
    • On Rebels, Ezra felt cold after his brush with the Dark Side. Later, both him and Kanan also described the presence of Vader as such.
    • In Shattered Empire, Leia felt cold when entering the hangar of the Royal Palace of Theed, sensing the lingering presence of Darth Maul.
  • Fantastic Medicinal Bodily Product: Both bacta and kolto — potent healing fluids central to the galaxy's medical industries — are derived from secretions of specific species.
  • Flanderization: Happened to a lot of species and characters Depending on the Writer. A notable example is the Cantina Biths from the original Star Wars, who instead of being a band who happen to be Biths, possibly from the same planet (and thus, logically, the same species) they are members of an entire race of 1-dimensional musicians.
    • Hutts are another example; as Jabba in the films is an example of the 'ruthless Hutts', the Expanded Universe banks on the fact that the Hutts are all gangsters.
      • Likewise, Jabba himself is frequently only characterized by his vicious greed and gluttony.
    • On the other hand, both above examples and many more are subverted or even averted completely in different media, again Depending on the Writer; there are even writers who have created Sith Biths and Jedi Hutts, even if such examples are almost universally accepted as Jumping the Shark.
  • Founder of the Kingdom: Various governments and organizations throughout the franchise. Notable examples include:
    • The Jedi with their semi-mythical "Prime Jedi" as their founder.
    • The Galactic Empire was founded by Palpatine, who was eventually seen as a lionized founder figure for the Empire and its successors. The Final Order was likewise founded by Emperor Palpatine by merging the First Order with the forces of his Sith Eternal cult.
  • Galactic Superpower: The High Republic, Separatist Alliance, Galactic Empire and First Order, with the ancient Sith Empire(s) also being alluded to as being this in the past, along with several regional powers such as Shu-Torun, Anoat, Mon Cala, the Corporate Sector Authority, Hutt Space, Pantora, Mandalorian Space and Zygerria. The Unknown Regions had the Chiss Ascendancy, Paataatus Hiveborn, Grysk Hegemony and (very briefly) the Nikardun Destiny.
  • Greater-Scope Paragon: Notable major forces of good include any Supreme Chancellor or Jedi Grand Master
  • Greater-Scope Villain: The Dark Side in general
    • Solo has (Darth) Maul, as leader of the Crimson Dawn.
    • The Grysk Hegemony are shown to be this by the Chiss Ascendency, as revealed in Thrawn: Alliances.
  • Killed Off for Real: The franchise isn't especially shy about killing off major characters, and almost every major work sees one or more main cast members die off before its end.
  • Lingering Social Tensions: The official name of the Rebellion in the original trilogy was "the Alliance to Restore the Republic". Season 3 of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka show that, after overthrowing the Empire, the Rebels did exactly this, corrupt and ineffective government and all: like its predecessor, the New Republic abolished its regular military and is leaving the Outer Rim to fend for itself, and is doing a terrible job de-radicalizing Former Regime Personnel to boot, while Luke Skywalker uncritically repeats the personnel management mistakes of the prequel-era Jedi, setting the stage for their canonical fall to the First Order.
  • Loophole Abuse: After the Galactic Concordance was signed, Sienar were told they couldn't make ships for the First Order. Their solution? Create a subsidiary that wasn't beholden to the treaty, and get right back to work.
  • The Milky Way Is the Only Way: Despite having access to faster-than-light travel (called Hyperspace), the Galactic Republic and later the Empire act as if nothing exists beyond one single galaxy. In the Expanded Universe, they seem not to care very much about the satellite galaxies of the one they inhabit. Justified seeing hyperdrive technology is shown as taking a while to get you anywhere. Expanded Universe materials establish that it takes months to get from one side of the galaxy to the other, gravity wells can pull you out and wreck you, and finding safe hyper routes is both very dangerous and very random. For the ones in charge, it would appear foolish to take the risks or spend the logistics of traveling to other galaxies when they have superweapons to build instead. On top of that, hyperspace travel is said to be 100,000 times faster than light speed. The diameter of the Milky Way is at least 100,000 light-years, meaning it would take at least a year for a ship at this speed to traverse the entire galaxy. The distance between the Milky Way and the next closest galaxy, Andromeda, is approximately 2.5 million light years. This makes the travel time via Hyperspace at least 25 years. The galaxy we see in Star Wars is said to be about the size of the Milky Way. However, assuming a distance to the nearest galaxy would be baseless.
  • Named by the Adaptation: Tarkin reveals Emperor Palpatine's first name is Sheev.
  • N.G.O. Superpower: Crimson Dawn. The War of the Bounty Hunters arc shows that they have spies, informants & sympathisers embedded in every major crime syndicate and MegaCorp throughout the Galaxy, as well as inside The Empire and Rebel Alliance.
  • Pose of Silence: A lampshade is hung on this when C-3PO leans over in an "overly conspiratorial" fashion in a novel.
  • Protagonist Title: Tarkin, Princess Leia, Ahsoka, Chewbacca, Han Solo, Kanan, Poe Dameron, C3-PO, Darth Vader, Doctor Aphra, Lando, Obi-Wan & Anakin, Darth Maul, TK-462, Thrawn, Darth Maulnote , and Twilight Company. Technically, you could also count Rogue One and Rebels.
  • The Purge: Various galactic governments carried these out, wiping out entire organizations, sects and species that they considered inferior or dangerous to their goals, such as what the Separatist Alliance did to the Dathomirian Witches and Mahran during the Clone Wars, the First Galactic Empire to the Jedi Order, Kaminoans, Geonosians, Lasat, Alderaanians, Herglic, Mon Calamari, Nothoiins and Mandalorians before & during the Galactic Civil War and the First Order did the population of Parnassos (courtesy of Phasma), both the Tehar and Tah'Nuhna civilization's and Kajimi before and during their unnamed conflict against the Resistance.
  • Outcast Refuge: New Alderaan was established as a safeworld by the Rebel Alliance to protect surviving Alderaanians from the Empire, who was targeting them for destruction in order to complete the genocide against them. Alderaanian survior Janray Tessime relocated to New Alderaan and helped tend to the civilian population there.
  • The Queenpin: Major leading female crime figures in the Galactic Underworld include Maz Kanata (An Unnamed pirate/smuggling syndicate), Mama the Hutt (Hutt Clan/Desilijic Tiure clan), Zorii Bliss (Spice Runners of Kijimi), Lady Proxima (White Worms), Qi'ra (Crimson Dawn) and Xev Xrexus (Xrexus Cartel).
  • Rebel Leader: Several throughout galactic history, such as
    • During the Twilight era of the Galactic Republic, there were:
      • The Confederacy of Independent Systems, or Separatist Alliance as it was more commonly known, which was led by Count Dooku, the Separatist Parliament, Darth Sidiousnote , General Grievous and a Council consisting of various corporate backersnote .
      • The Onderon Rebels/Partisans which was led by Captain Saw Gerrera along with Steela Gerrera & Lux Bonteri and later by Benthic and Edrio "Two Tubes".
      • The Free Ryloth Movement led by General Cham Syndulla alongside his wife, Eleni Syndulla and friend, Gobi Glie. He would later be joined by his eventual second-in-command and second love, Isval.
      • The Mandalore Resistance/Nite Owls which had Lady Bo-Katan Kryze as their founder/leader.
    • The Imperial era had the following:
      • The Wookiee Underground which was led by General Tarfful.
      • The early Mon Cala Resistance which was led by King Lee-Char and the failed Jedi Padawan, Ferren Barr, along with Mayor/Admiral Raddus and then-Commander Gial Ackbar.
      • An unnamed insurgency group that had Berch Teller as their founder/leader.
      • The Batonn Insurgency led by Nevil Cygni, aka "Nightswan".
      • The Cloud-Riders led by Enfys Nest.
      • The Lothal Insurgency led by their former governor, Ryder Azadi.
      • The Rebel Network, which was led by Senator/Viceroy Bail Organa, Queen Breha Organa, Princess Leia Organa, Ahsoka Tano/Fulcrum, Captain Alexsandr Kallus/Fulcrum II, General Jan Dodonna of the Massassi Unit, Commander Jun Sato of the Phoenix Squadron and Senator-in-exile Mon Mothma.
      • The Alliance to Restore the Republic, or Rebel Alliance as it was more commonly known, was led by Senator/Chancellor Mon Mothma, Viceroy Bail Organa, a Council consisting of Senator's Nower Jebel, Tynnra Pamlo & Vasp Vaspar and Alliance High Command, which is comprised of various military commanders & officers, most notably Admiral's Raddus & Gial Ackbar*, General Jan Dodonna*, General Antoc Merrick*, General's Airen Cracken & Davits Draven* and General Crix Madine*.
      • The Crimson Dawn syndicate of all organizations, which, at the time both the Rebel Alliance and Galactic Underworld saw them declare their war against Palpatine and Galactic empire, was led by Lady Qi'ra, Margo and "the Archivist" (aka Madelin Sun)
      • The Uprising, which was led by "The Smuggler", Riley, Voras the Hutt, Deathstick, Shortpaw, Her Majesty, Sir Corto Belrake and rebel leaders such as Tam Bastion and presumably Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian as well.
      • So far, the New Republic era has the Resistance, which was led by Princess-General Leia Organa along with Admiral's Gial Ackbar & Ushos Statura, Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, Major/General Caluan Ematt, Yendor, C-3PO and later, the newly promoted General Poe Dameron.
  • Recursive Reality: Apparently. On this design sheet for an episode of The Clone Wars, there's a holomovie called Space Wars, which features a story being told "long long ago in a galaxy far far away" with a superweapon that totally isn't the Death Star.
  • Rite-of-Passage Name Change: With the Gand species. From Wookieepedia: "Gand society placed heavy importance on the achievements of an individual and held that an individual had no name, and thus no worth, until he or she proved otherwise. The speech patterns of Gands utilized third-person self-reference within each level of identity earned. Young or unproven Gands were all called "Gand," as they were considered merely aspects of the same whole. Major accomplishments earned the use of a family surname."
  • Sacred Scripture: The Church of the Force revers the Journal of the Whills.
  • Schrödinger's Canon:
    • Propaganda mentions that there was a "Dark age" of the Galaxy, during which there was a Jedi-Sith war, which included at least two Battles of Coruscant; one of the Sith taking it over, with a later one of the Jedi Order liberating Coruscant from the Sith. In Legends, you could argue that it began with the Sacking of Coruscant, where the Sith Empire took Coruscant, forcing the Jedi Order to flee to Tython. It wouldn't be until about two-thousand and a half years later that at the end of the New Sith Wars (also known as the Jedi-Sith War) that the Jedi were able to retake Coruscant. There was also a Cold War between the Jedi and Sith after the Sacking of Coruscant and the Jedi returning to Tython. In addition, said the Jedi-Sith War is also said in both canons to have resulted in Darth Bane creating the Rule of Two, which helps enforce the idea that the events alluded to by the New Expanded Universe may be the same ones from Legends.
    • The online Encyclopedia (the precursor to the Databank before the Star Wars website was overhauled; it is no longer accessible) states that the Hundred-Year Darkness from a thousand years before the main era was started by a rogue Jedi exiled by the Jedi High Council, as he believed that the right way to go about things is tapping into the dark side, resulting in the birth of the Sith with the help of his followers. In Legends, the Jedi is named Ajunta Pall, who was dabbling around in alchemy and discovered how to create and shape life while doing so. The Jedi High Council was so disturbed by this that they shunned his discoveries for being dark sided and tried to destroy his work, much to the anger of him and his followers, setting off the war. At the end of the Hundred-Year Darkness, Pall and his followers were exiled from Republic space... though this proved to be a bad choice, as they ended up finding the Sith species on Korriban and things went from there.
    • Inquisitors were originally part of Legends canon, via various Star Wars Role-Playing games, before being used in other Legends material, before being officially re-canonized as the main antagonists of Star Wars: Rebels.
  • Serial Escalation: Each generation of the franchise tries to outdo the previous in terms of special effects, characterization, and sheer awesomeness.
    • A New Hope was The Hero's Journey by way of Space Opera, with some Japanese and Western elements blended in. The Empire Strikes Back introduced lots of tragic elements, and helped flesh out the mythology a bit more. Return of the Jedi acted as a Grand Finale for the Original Trilogy with strong themes of redemption and a good sense of closure (at least at the time).
    • The Phantom Menace was little more than the groundwork for the following five films, yet had significantly better special effects than had been seen in the series to date; it also introduced Anakin as a young, unassuming protagonist who was thrust into extreme circumstances. Attack of the Clones introduced much darker elements, as well as expanded upon the roles of a Jedi Knight and Padawan Apprentice. Revenge of the Sith turned the dark elements up to eleven, and simultaneously gave us some of the most expansive battles (both literal and spiritual) the series had seen up to that point.
    • The Force Awakens was a retread of A New Hope, but with several elements from across the franchise and pumped up on steroids.
    • This could also be seen in the series' trademark weapon, lightsabers. The original weapons were simple, single-bladed swords with blades of plasma or lasers, depending on who you ask. The sword fights in these films were equally simple — probably because knowledge of how to wield them had long since been lost. The Phantom Menace introduced us to double-bladed lightsabers, while simultaneously portraying Jedi and Sith wielding the weapons extremely competently. Attack of the Clones introduced lightsabers with curved hilts wielded by an Old Master, only for Revenge of the Sith to one-up this by giving us a cyborg who quadruple-wielded his. The Clone Wars then went ahead and gave us animated saber duels, with one of its arc villains Dual Wielding double-bladed lightsabers. It still wasn't enough. Rebels gave us the Inquisitorius, whose double-bladed lightsabers can spin on an axis, while The Force Awakens gave us crossguard-sabers with unstable blades, wielded by a Psychopathic Manchild with a flair for the dramatic. And now, the Season 2 finale of Rebels has shown us there is still more to come, with the revelation that the aforementioned inquisitors can use their spinning lightsabers to fly. It's anyone's guess what the franchise's most iconic weapon will be capable of next.
  • Sole Survivor: Numerous massacres and purges throughout Galactic history had at least one member survive. Some of the more notable ones include:
    • The Dathomirian Massacre saw Asajj Ventress, Mother Talzin, Merrin, Shelish/ Jhas Krill, Jerserra and Morgan Elsbeth all survive.
    • The Great Jedi Purge included Grand Master Yoda, Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, former Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Knight Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus and the Temple Guard member known as "The Sentinel". Other known survivors included Chief Librarian Jocasta Nu, Master Taron Malicos, Master Quinlan Vos, Master Kirak Infil'a, Jedi Knight Cal Kestis, former Knight Cere Junda and former Padawans Ferren Barr and Grogu (aka The Child).
  • Spared by the Adaptation: The major ones are General Cassio Taggenote , Admiral Ackbarnote , Chewbacca and Mon Mothma, who have all escaped their original EU fates.
  • State Sec: Several, such as:
    • COMPNOR (Commission for the Preservation of the New Order), which is basically the Empire's equivalent of the SS. It has an executive committee, its own military and intelligence wings, a social engineering agency, and its own youth group. The Imperial Security Bureau, one branch, has the responsibility of, among other things, rooting out spies and traitors in the Imperial ranks, as well as hunting down rebel cells.
    • In some ways, the Jedi act this way given the allegiance to the Republic as opposed to simply the Light Side of the Force. In addition, their level of power gives them a fearsome reputation that they are willing to use to their advantage in both The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones as "keepers of the peace".
    • Rebels features the Inquisitorius; a secret division consisting of dark side Force-sensitive agents tasked by Emperor Palpatine to hunt down the remaining Jedi. The Imperial Security Bureau also makes an appearance in the form of Agent Kallus.
    • We find out in Poe Dameron that the Imperial successor state, the First Order, has a successor agency to the ISB called the First Order Security Bureau.
  • Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: As with the old EU, the new EU makes it painstakingly clear that just because the Rebels blew up a major Imperial space station, destroyed a good portion of their fleet, and killed the Emperor and his most prominent subordinate doesn't mean that the entire Galactic Empire collapsed overnight.
  • The Syndicate: Various crime empires have flourished throughout the history of the Galaxy, from the rise of the Hutt Clan and Maz Kanata's unnamed pirate/smuggling syndicate pre-Galactic Republic through to the brief periods of rule of the Zygerrian Slave Empire, Nihil, Xrexus Cartel, Black Sun, Pyke Syndicate and various others, until the twilight days of the Republic, when the Pykes, Hutts, Black Sun and Mandalorian Death Watch banded together to form the Shadow Collective under the leadership of (Darth) Maul, for mutual protection, survival, profits and as part of Maul's revenge plot against his former Master, Darth Sidious.
    • The Imperial era saw the rise of the five Syndicates*, along with other, smaller criminal groups such as the Hidden Hand, Zann Consortium, Trade Spine League, Mourner's Wail Syndicate, Unbroken Clan and the Castell Cabal.
    • By the end of the Imperial era and during the formative years of the New Republic, the major criminal groups were Black Sun, Crymorah Syndicate and Crimson Dawn.
    • The major power players in the criminal underworld during the New Republic era and (possibly) beyond are Black Sun, Droid Gotra, Guavian Death Gang, Kanjiklub and the Red Key Raiders.
  • Ungovernable Galaxy: Even to superpowers such as the Galactic Republic and Galactic Empire, the Galaxy still proves to be quite ungovernable. Even before Palpatine carried out his master plan, the Republic was crumbling due to corruption, while the Empire kept somewhat better control of its territory at the cost of vastly increased military expenditure, curtailed rights, and ensuing rebellions. Even with its military might, the Empire was still unable to stamp out the seemingly thousands of crime syndicates that flourished in the galaxy; some space was even ruled by crime lords. The Empire was also unable to exterminate the Rebels or crack down on Rebel sympathizers. After all, it is very difficult to track down offenders in the vast void of space.
  • Villain Decay: As referenced in various expanded universe works such as Rebels, Rogue One, Marvel's Star Wars, Battlefront II and the Aftermath Trilogy, the First Galactic Empire now suffers from this in the new canon, thanks to a combination of The Emperor's management skills and Decadent Court, liberation of Lothal (which saw the death of Governor Arihnda Pryce, destruction of the Seventh Fleet, and disappearance of Grand Admiral Thrawn), Operation Cinder, and subsequent mass defections, warlord-ism, imperial pretenders, constant civil war, and the ISB usurping control of Coruscant from the Ruling Council, following the Emperor's death, destruction of both Death Stars, and loss of fleets at Jakku that eventually saw their sole surviving legitimate ruler, Grand Vizier Mas Amedda, willingly sign the Galactic Concordance, which finally signaled the end of its 24-year military rule.
  • Villain Episode:
    • Lords of the Sith, starring Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.
    • Tarkin, starring the titular Grand Moff.
    • The Darth Vader comic, starring... well, guess.
    • Darth Maul: Son of Dathomir, which picks up where The Clone Wars left Maul. Also features Darth Sidious and Mother Talzin.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: Kind of a guarantee, since the stories tend to jump around different places and in different parts of the timeline. Lots of unique places and characters may be explored at one point in the timeline (such as the Republic era), but has yet to be covered in later eras. There's also deliberately not showing a topic's past/future to obviously keep up the mystery of what happens to them until a Wham Episode answers the question. So of course, this trope generally leads to seeds later sprouting into something greater later on.

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