Star Wars: Expanded Universe elements could guide the franchise

The Star Wars Expanded Universe has a variety of elements that should guide the franchise into the future.

The Rise of Skywalker will end the Star Wars movies for now, but the Star Wars Expanded Universe has a variety of elements that should lead the franchise going forward.

According to Wookieepedia, there are around 375 titles of printed work in the Star Wars Expanded Universe of what is now called the Legends continuity. This includes novels, ebooks and young adult novels, though it doesn’t include video games or comic books. And out of those, this reader has probably read about fifty, being only a casual Star Wars fan but an eclectic and ravenous reader.

Some of these titles, however, particularly Michael Reaves and Steve Perry’s MedStar duology, Matthew Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the Sith, and James Luceno’s Millennium Falcon, transcend typical sci-fi stories and stand as works of quality literature in their own right.

And these are the sorts of stories from the Star Wars Expanded Universe that the franchise ought to take its cues from in the years ahead.

While I haven’t had the chance to catch up on The Mandalorian yet, it seems like a solid premise, fitting into an obscure corner of the timeline (about five years after Return of the Jedi) and focusing on a random citizen of the galaxy (we don’t even know his name yet, for crying out loud).

Rogue One worked so well because it took an interesting and overlooked aspect of the story –how exactly the Death Star plans were stolen — and centered on ordinary beings with ordinary family cares like Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones).

There is some mention of the Force, due to the blind monk played by Donnie Yen but, in general, it isn’t the focus of the story, like in the main movies. And there’s neither a Skywalker or Solo in sight.

Not that it’s bad to have Skywalkers and Solos involved when they’re appropriate for the story, as the later Legends novels proved, but there are plenty of other beings with stories worth telling.

The MedStar duology takes place during the Clone Wars on the front lines of a jungle planet that’s one of the only sites where bacta can grow, and its main cast involves a team of overwhelmed and overworked surgeons trying to stay sane and find meaning in hectic and horrific working conditions.

The nature of humanity and friendship is a question these novels pose and, while a Jedi is part of the main cast, she’s a Padawan whose main skill with the Force makes her a natural nurse.

The novelization of Revenge of the Sith delves very deeply into the thought processes behind everyone from Count Dooku to General Grievous, which makes the characters much more complex and adds a significant layer of extra heartache when Anakin Skywalker rejects the Jedi Order.

This deep dive into the characters’ psyches also gives the reader a much better grasp on what’s happening with the story than simply watching the movie alone.

While Millennium Falcon (which takes place about forty years after ROTJ) does feature Han Solo and Leia significantly, they don’t hog the spotlight since they, along with their granddaughter, are diving into the history of the legendary ship, which had a variety of adventures (and names) before Han won her from Lando Calrissian in a Sabacc game.

The PlayStation 2 video game Star Wars: Racer Revenge takes place eight years after The Phantom Menace and follows the racers of the Podracing circuit, including Sebulba. This practice of adding depth to minor characters is another good example of a way that the franchise could move forward, and this game could be the basis of a highly intriguing TV series.

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The novels of the Expanded Universe, far more so than the films themselves, made the worlds of the Star Wars galaxy dust-coated and livable, which made them far more complex and interesting to visit compared to the films since the experience seemed much more real. For most beings, Jedi may as well be mythical creatures, and the farthest distance characters may hope to travel is within their own star system.

This is a major reason why the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been so successful because, like the Star Wars novels, there’s a grand interconnected story taking place. But all the details are tied together and built upon one another so well that casual fans can keep up with most of what’s happening with minimal explanation.

Characters like Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn have been reintroduced into the new Disney continuity and, hopefully, Mara Jade (former Imperial assassin, eventual Jedi Knight and wife of Luke Skywalker) will be introduced at some point.

Part of what’s made the sequel trilogy compelling is Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) are mostly blank slates and that much of the galaxy’s history and politics has been left unexplored between ROTJ and The Force Awakens.

Hopefully, whatever follows after the Skywalker Saga will take notes from the Star Wars Expanded Universe and delve deeper into the forgotten nooks and crannies of this grand, galactic playground.