Star Wars

The Expanded Universe

:Main article: Expanded Universe (Star Wars).

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The Expanded Universe refers to all of the officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the two trilogies, including books, comics, games, and other forms of media. The Expanded Universe expands on and continues the stories told in the six films. The Expanded Universe has taken place anywhere from 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace to 31 years after Return of the Jedi. The Expanded Universe material has been portrayed before, during, between, or after a film or films. The Expanded Universe officially began with Alan Dean Foster's 1978 Star Wars spin-off novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye.

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George Lucas has chosen to personally concentrate on his films rather than Expanded Universe material, but he retains ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe. Therefore, Lucasfilm Licensing must devote considerable effort to ensuring continuity between various authors' works and Lucas's films. Occasionally, elements from the Expanded Universe are adopted into the highest tier of Star Wars canon: the movies (e.g., the name of the planet Coruscant first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire). Some purists reject the Expanded Universe, believing that only the events in the film series are part of the "real" Star Wars universe.

Related Topics:
Lucasfilm - Star Wars canon - Coruscant - Timothy Zahn - Heir to the Empire

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However, most of the events in the EU are controlled by the publishers and ultimately by George Lucas. The death of central characters and such must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. The Expanded Universe now numbers several hundred books, most of which are decent-sized novels. While most are either single, dual or trilogy-style books written by the same author, publisher Bantam has recently orchestrated the New Jedi Order series, a massive collection of 19 books written by various authors.

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Live-action productions

Since the premiere of the Star Wars saga, there have been a handful of officially sanctioned Expanded Universe live-action productions:

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Films:

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• The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

A two-hour television special which aired during the 1978 holiday season. In it, Chewbacca, accompanied by his loyal friend, Han Solo, must return to Chewbacca's home planet of Kashyyyk (pronounced ka-SHEEK) for Chewbacca to celebrate Life Day with his family of Mala, Itchy, and Lumpy. They all run into trouble with The Empire, though, which is making the endeavor difficult. The Empire is searching for Rebels on Kashyyyk. Throughout the special, numerous TV and Music stars of the late 70's made an appearance in variety show-type acts. The show was greatly anticipated by fans, but then was just as greatly reviled due to its meager plot, lack of action, and nonsensical musical numbers. It is significant for introducing (in animated form) bounty hunter Boba Fett. In addition to this, it is notable for introducing the planet Kashyyyk, which went on to be featured in many other works of the Expanded Universe, and in Revenge of the Sith. Despite these facts, Lucas has suppressed re-release of the material, and has officially disowned it, claiming that it didn't live up to his vision for Star Wars. Some reports claim that he even wishes every copy in existance to be destroyed.

Related Topics:
Television - 1978 - Holiday season - Kashyyyk - Life Day - Mala - Itchy - Lumpy - The Empire - Rebels - TV - Music - 70's - Variety show - Bounty hunter - Boba Fett - Revenge of the Sith

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• ' (1984)

Caravan of Courage centers on a family marooned on the forest moon of Endor. The family, known as the "Towani" family, are separated when their shuttlecraft crashes on Endor. While the parents are soon captured by the giant known as the Gorax, Mace and Cindel, the son and daughter, are missing. When the Ewoks discover the Towani children in the remnants of the shuttlecraft, it becomes clear that the children must establish trust with them in order to embark with them on an adventure to rescue their parents.

Related Topics:
Endor - Gorax

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• ' (1985)

In Battle for Endor, an army of Marauders, led by King Terak and the witch Charal, attack the Ewok village. Cindel and Wicket escape into the forest, where they meet Teek and Noa. They must befriend Noa in order to team up to defeat the Marauders.

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Multimedia project:

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• ' (1996)

A film-like multimedia project created by Lucasfilm in order to test the market for later Star Wars film releases. The project consisted of a novel (written by Steve Perry), comic book series, soundtrack, video game, concept art, action figures, and so on. The story was set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and introduced a new villain named Prince Xizor.

Related Topics:
Steve Perry - Prince Xizor

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TV shows:

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• ' (2008-Unknown)

A live-action Star Wars series to be produced, beginning in 2008. The new series will be set during the 19-year time period between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It will focus, for the most part, on very minor characters from the films.

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Games:

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• (1996)

For this game from Hasbro, which is set during the era of the original trilogy, new live-action scenes were shot of Darth Vader on the Death Star around the events of '. The footage was made available on a special VHS tape, included in the box of the game. When playing the board game, the players could put in the tape, which would play while they were in a game. David Prowse reprised his role as Vader, and James Earl Jones as the voice of Vader. Some of the original crew for ' even came back to shoot these scenes.

Related Topics:
Hasbro - Darth Vader - Death Star - VHS - David Prowse - James Earl Jones

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• (1997)

A video game which had a few cutscenes which were live action footage of certain EU characters, such as Kyle Katarn.

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Parodies:

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• Return of the Ewok (1982)

A 24-minute fictional mockumentary-style movie, focusing on Warwick Davis's decision to become an actor and act as Wicket in Return of the Jedi. The show begins with Warwick trying to decide what to do in life, and as he becomes Wicket, he searches the sets of the feature film and interacts with the characters until he finally finds where he needs to be and "becomes" Wicket.

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• ' (2002)

A 20-minute mockumentary-style movie, focusing on the "true" story of R2-D2's life. This was actually an alternate, made-for-fun movie by some of the crew of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. This was, unlike the other made-for-fun mockumentary, released on DVD.

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Fan works:

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• The Official Star Wars Fan Film Awards (2002-present)

A Lucasfilm-sponsored contest of short films, known as "FanFilms," made by Star Wars fans about, referencing, and parodying the Star Wars saga.

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• ' (2005)

Directed by Star Wars fan and video expert, Shane Felux, Revelations is a fan film produced for nearly $20,000 that intended to give an explanation for what happened to the Jedi after the Great Jedi Purge of 19 BBY. The film is set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It is notable for being one of the most ambitous fanfilms that, while expensive by most standards, took a large step in making filmmaking available to the consumer level.

Related Topics:
Fan film - Great Jedi Purge - BBY

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Radio and television

See also: Star Wars (radio)

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A New Hope, the radio adaptation (BBC 1981), was written by science fiction author Brian Daley. It was followed by adaptations of the next two films of the original trilogy: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Adaptations of the prequel films have yet to be made.

Related Topics:
A New Hope - BBC - 1981 - Science fiction - Brian Daley

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Three cartoon series have been based on Star Wars. The first two: ' and ', debuted in 1985, while ' began in 2003. Ewoks features the adventures of the Ewoks prior to Return of the Jedi, while Droids follows C-3PO and R2-D2 between Episodes III and IV. Clone Wars is set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, as the Jedi fight against the Confederacy of Independent Systems in the Clone Wars. Unlike the previous two series, Clone Wars proved popular enough to receive an Emmy Award.

Related Topics:
1985 - 2003 - Ewok - Confederacy of Independent Systems - Clone Wars

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On April 23, 2005, at the Celebration III fan-convention, George Lucas announced that two new television series would be produced. The first will be a fully 3-D, half-hour length series continuation of the Clone Wars cartoon. The show will be produced by Lucasfilm Animation, with locations both in California and Singapore. The show is scheduled for a tentative Fall 2007 debut. The second show will be a live-action, hour-long series, and will take place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It will focus on very minor characters from the films, with the possibility of cameos by some of the main characters. The live-action show is expected to make its debut sometime in 2008.

Related Topics:
April 23 - 2005 - 3-D - 2007 - Second show - 2008

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Books

See also: List of Star Wars books

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Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first movie, with the 1976 novelization of "A New Hope" (written by Alan Dean Foster but credited to George Lucas). However, Foster's 1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was the first EU work to be released. In addition to filling in the time between the movies, this additional content greatly expands the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series.

Related Topics:
Alan Dean Foster - Splinter of the Mind's Eye

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Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of the original series (1977-1983), but slowed to a trickle afterwards. In 1991, however, Timothy Zahn's celebrated Thrawn Trilogy debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star Wars universe that gained momentum with the releases of the special editions and new films beginning in the late 1990s. Other notable books include The X-Wing Series, by Michael A. Stackpole, and the New Jedi Order series, by various authors. Another series of books is the Young Jedi Knights, by Kevin J Anderson, which follow the adventures of Jacen and Jaina Solo and their friends.

Related Topics:
1991 - Timothy Zahn - Thrawn Trilogy - Michael A. Stackpole - New Jedi Order

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The most recent series of books published is the Dark Nest Trilogy, taking place five years after The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force.

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In the future, fans are expecting the Legacy of the Force series along with Outbound Flight and Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader.

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Comic books and strips

See also: List of Star Wars comic books

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Marvel Comics published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Walt Simonson, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Whilce Poratio, Jo Duffy, and Ron Frenz. Some fans, including some officials at Lucasfilm, no longer consider the Marvel series story canon, although some events have been mentioned in Star Wars reference books. In the 1980s, as part of their Star Comics line aimed at young children, Marvel also published the short-lived series Ewoks and Droids, based on the two Saturday morning cartoons of the same name.

Related Topics:
Marvel Comics - 1986 - Archie Goodwin - Howard Chaykin - Al Williamson - Walt Simonson - Chris Claremont - Jo Duffy - Ewoks - Droids

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Star Wars was also a daily newspaper comic strip from 1979 to 1984. Among the creators were Russ Manning, Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson.

Related Topics:
1979 - 1984 - Russ Manning - Archie Goodwin - Al Williamson

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Starting in the 1990s, Dark Horse Comics has published a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. These include Star Wars Republic, Star Wars Empire, Star Wars Tales and Star Wars Tales of the Jedi. Dark Horse has also published the Marvel series in a collection entitled Classic Star Wars. In addition, the company has reprinted several Japanese manga-interpretations of the films which retell the stories using the artistic devices and idioms of the form.

Related Topics:
Dark Horse Comics - Japan - Manga

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Games and toys

See also Star Wars computer and video games, List of LucasArts Star Wars games, and List of Star Wars toys.

Related Topics:
Star Wars computer and video games - List of LucasArts Star Wars games - List of Star Wars toys

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Since 1983, over 120 video games have been published bearing the Star Wars name, beginning with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back published for the Atari 2600 by Parker Brothers. Other early titles include the Star Wars Nintendo Entertainment System game (published by JVC) and three other titles for the Atari 2600. The Rogue Squadron and Dark Forces series were published more recently by LucasArts.

Related Topics:
Video games - Atari 2600 - Parker Brothers - Star Wars - Nintendo Entertainment System - JVC - Rogue Squadron - Dark Forces - LucasArts

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Atari produced arcade games based on the original trilogy, beginning with Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, which were both 'flight sim' style games that utilized vector graphics. The third, Return of the Jedi, used more traditional raster graphics.

Related Topics:
Atari - Arcade game - Vector graphics - Raster graphics

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Two Star Wars role playing games have also been published, and in 2005, Hasbro developed and released a DVD TV Game based on Star Wars and utilizing the Trivial Pursuit game-play format.

Related Topics:
Role playing game - Hasbro - DVD TV Game - Trivial Pursuit

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Star Wars has also, and not surprisingly, opened the way to a myriad of Space-flight simulations that take the space wars of the saga in a more serious manner, teaching the player to fly various Star Wars Universe starfighters along the lines of more traditional 'Modern Aircraft' flight simulators. The first among these were 'X-Wing' and its expansion 'B-Wing', dealing with the Rebellion's side of the war, taking place in the period right before, and up to, the destruction of the first death star. The second was "Tie Fighter", respectively dealing with the Empire's starfighters at the time prior to Episode VI. Both games were released for DOS. Newer simulators are also available, with 'X-Wing Alliance' in the lead.

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Star Wars: Rebellion allowed players to compete in the Star Wars universe on a larger scale, focusing more on the strategic aspect of handling (or defeating) a rebellion, with resource management and agent-allocation, as well as large-scale conflicts between entire fleets of starships.

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Other games are: Knights of the Old Republic by BioWare, by Obsidian Entertainment, ', ', ', ', the loveable Lego Star Wars, ' and ', Star Wars Galaxies, and soon to come is '.

Related Topics:
Knights of the Old Republic - BioWare - Obsidian Entertainment - Lego Star Wars - Star Wars Galaxies

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In addition, many other toys have been made. The Star Wars toy phenomenon began in 1978 with the original action figures, toy lightsabers and blasters, twelve-inch figures, toy vehicles, and much more products. These toys are known as the vintage Star Wars toys. Today many of these vintage figures are quite rare and hard to find. Many are also worth a lot of money. Recently, a toy line called Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Collection, brought back elements of the original vintage toy line, such as vintage packaging. With the coming of ', Lego began creating little (and quite large) buildable Star Wars characters and scenes. Recently, the Lego creators have invented light-up lightsabers for their figures. Lego even made a video game (metioned above).

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All kinds of toys have been made. Very cool Darth Vader helmet and voice changers now inhabit the shelves, usually right next to the Ultimate Lightsaber Kit, which contains parts to design and assemble your own functional lightsaber toy.

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The ride

See also: Star Tours

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In 1987, Lucasfilm and Disney, utilizing the power of ILM, teamed up to produce Star Tours, an amusement park simulator ride through the Star Wars galaxy. The ride is advertised as an opportunity to take a tour to the forest moon of Endor via the Starship 3000. The ship is controlled by a robot named Rex (voiced by Paul Reubens of Pee Wee Herman fame), who happens to be new at giving the tours, and your riding experience happens to be his first time at the controls. Along the way, the rider encounters many mishaps, including run-ins with Imperial star destroyers, and near collisions with asteroid fields, until their ship finally makes it safely back into the port. A Star Tours II has been announced by George Lucas, to be based on prequel situations. Although exactly when it will begin production or its opening date are as of yet to be confirmed.

Related Topics:
1987 - Disney - ILM - Star Tours - Star Wars galaxy - Forest moon of Endor - Paul Reubens - Pee Wee Herman - Star destroyers

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Major EU Characters

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• Nom Anor
• Joruus C'Baoth
• Kyp Durron
• Borsk Fey'lya
• Boba Fett
• Ghent
• Garm Bel Iblis
• Talon Karrde
• Kyle Katarn
• Exar Kun
• Tsavong Lah
• Gilad Pellaeon
• Dash Rendar
• Rukh

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• Mara Jade
• Leia Organa
• Ben Skywalker
• Luke Skywalker
• Luuke Skywalker
• Anakin Solo
• Han Solo
• Jacen Solo
• Jaina Solo
• Grand Admiral Thrawn
• Ulic Qel-Droma
• Vergere
• Winter
• Prince Xizor

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Major EU Locations

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• Bakura
• Carida
• Corellia
• Dantooine
• Kessel
• Korriban

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• Mon Calamari
• Myrkr
• Ord Mantell
• Rhen Var
• Wayland
• Zonama Sekot

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