Retrospective: 10 Years Of Canon 'Star Wars' Books
Image Source: Wookieepedia
This month, September 2nd to be exact, marked the tenth anniversary of Star Wars Canon in the realm of books. We here at CultureSlate want to look back at the decade and have broken down the decade to talk about what Star Wars books have looked like and what they may look like in the future.
The Early Canon
Image Source: Wookieepedia
The book that inaugurated the new canon following Disney’s purchase of Star Wars was A New Dawn, created as a prequel story to the upcoming Star Wars Rebels. In quick succession, the novels Tarkin and Heir to the Jedi also dropped, yet they were much different. Both began their life as Legends novels, but due to the new purchase by Disney, became some of the first stories in the canon. As a result, both included elements and details which are now somewhat awkward with the rest of Star Wars lore, as they fit with the wider lore of Legends at the time.
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Tarkin, for instance, mentions interdiction technology and vessels that have never appeared again in canon, likely due to how Star Wars Rebels established the technology. But, while Heir is unfortunately rarely remembered today, both Tarkin and A New Dawn are much better known and enjoyed by the community, with A New Dawn in particular featuring one of the most notable new SW characters to date: Rae Sloane.
The 'Journey To Star Wars' Series
Image Source: StarWars.com
Shortly after Star Wars began to produce books for the canon, the Journey to Star Wars series began releasing. This brand was made up of books that tied into each new Sequel Trilogy film, with examples like the Aftermath trilogy, Phasma, and Resistance Reborn. Each group of books was written to provide background or greater information for things like characters set to premiere in that film or who were part of the existing cast. Phasma, for instance, was a Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi book and went over the origin story for Captain Phasma.
The Legends of Luke Skywalker, also from that initiative, told about the galaxy’s perception of Luke Skywalker during the time of the Sequels and explored some of his journeys before the new trilogy. Rogue One and Solo also got a few books or comics each, a similar treatment as the core films, though without the official Journey label. Many of these novels helped to add significant details to the lore and world of the Sequel Trilogy, while Rogue One and Solo largely had books that fleshed out characters from each film. However, all of these were tie-ins, and this era of Star Wars publishing largely served to further the films, with some exceptions.
The 'Galaxy’s Edge' Entries
Image Source: CNN.com
Nestled within the various tie-ins to the films was an initiative in books connected with promoting the new Disney theme park Galaxy’s Edge, which is set on the planet of Batuu in the Star Wars universe. Three novels, A Crash of Fate, Black Spire, and the more distantly related Force Collector, added context to the planet in the time in and around the Sequel Trilogy, but also told their own stories.
While some have looked at these books with dislike, believing they’re soulless or less than the other Star Wars media, these novels are important. Force Collector was an interesting examination of the Skywalker Saga from a true outsider’s perspective, A Crash of Fate explored Batuu from a local level and told a heartfelt love story, while Black Spire serves as a duology to Phasma, and explains the background to the Resistance operatives at the theme park. But, these releases are also notable for the introduction of Zoraida Córdova to the world of Star Wars novels (she had already written a short story), and she would go on to write material for the next subject of discussion.
'The High Republic'
Image Source: StarWars.com
Lucasfilm had already played around with interconnected narratives across multiple pieces of media by the time The High Republic began conception. In Legends, there were projects like Shadows of the Empire, but in canon, we can see it in places like Star Wars: Squadrons, which linked to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy and a comic miniseries about TIE fighter pilots. The High Republic, though, was a considerable step up. Featuring five core authors in Phase One who created the core ideas of the initiative (now sometimes called the Luminous Authors), the project has since grown to include several other names, who wrote much of Phase Two, with both groups now writing material for Phase Three.
Primarily fueled by books and comics, The High Republic has also appeared in audio dramas and video games, with Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor the most obvious example. It is an intricate, layered story, with many new fan-favorite characters, and the recent television series The Acolyte drew on many elements from these books to tell its story set at the tail-end of the overall era.
The Present And The Future
Image Source: Wookieepedia
There is a lot to be said regarding recent releases, and other aspects brushed over in the above discussions. For instance, Star Wars has continued to drop a series of excellent reference books, some attached to films or shows, but others summaries or culminations of knowledge that help to blend the vast lore. The High Republic continues to release and will be ending midway through next year, but that is very unlikely to be the end of it. Michael Siglain, creative director at Lucasfilm Publishing, has repeatedly teased and hinted that the formal initiative ending will not be the end of High Republic stories, while also suggesting there is another initiative in the works.
Our best guess here at CultureSlate is another jump back in time, to an era where the Sith are numerous, and the threats to the Jedi may be more dire. Evidence for this may exist in teases of certain characters or objects from more recent High Republic stories and would be a familiar tactic to the Star Wars authors who may be involved. The High Republic itself was referenced briefly as an era in the Star Wars universe many months before the formal announcement. But proof may also exist in how Star Wars canon has been embracing the Sith through many myths, legends, and artifacts in recent years. But, only time will tell.
All and all, the past ten years have been filled with amazing stories that have grown the Star Wars universe. Many have drawn from new sources of inspiration, or looked to mash-up existing sources, all to create many exciting and interesting characters, places, and plotlines. CultureSlate eagerly awaits news of what is coming next!
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Source(s): A New Dawn, Tarkin, Heir to the Jedi, Phasma, Resistance Reborn, The Legends of Luke Skywalker, A Crash of Fate, Black Spire, Force Collector
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