9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
With the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the galaxy in Ahsoka

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think it's becoming more and more clear that the future

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of that story is going to continue taking inspiration from Star Wars Legends

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where the character originated

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I get questions about how to get into Star Wars books and comic all the time

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and I've got more videos on those topics coming, but today,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I wanted to focus on Star Wars Legends because there are hundreds

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of books and there is definitely renewed interest thanks to Thrawn

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but it's daunting and overwhelming to start

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So, where should you start?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Just like when it comes to making canon recommendations,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it really all depends on what you personally like about Star Wars so

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm gonna try to cover a bunch of different bases in this video

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I generally tell people to begin with the trilogy that started it all,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Thrawn trilogy, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes, I know that there were comics and shows and the Han Solo and Lando Calrissian Adventures

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that were part of the Expanded Universe before those books,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but Timothy Zahn's novels arrived in the early 90's when people were

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
unsure if Star Wars would ever continue in a major way

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Then here came some new stories about Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie and Lando

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
facing a new kind of villain in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They were instantly hits and ushered in a brand new wave of Star Wars stories

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the form of books and comics. To get personal for a bit,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
those books shaped Star Wars for me as much as the movies did

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I got into Star Wars around 1995, I watched the movies constantly

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but obviously, I wanted more. I wanted to find out what happened next

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So most of the Star Wars universe when I was growing up was made up

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
of these books, and they very much shaped my view of what Star Wars can be

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Which is to say, it can be pretty much whatever it wants to be.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I fell in love with the X-Wing books especially

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
solidifying my love of pilot stories. Reading these books showed me

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the variety to be found in Star Wars and it's something I still push for today

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I see the occasional comments from people saying they wished I talked about Legends more

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or some going so far to say that I hate Legends which is absurd.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Some of my favorite Star Wars stories are from that point in time

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in my life where I was reading every book I could

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I even have fond memories of the some of the... let's call them

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the lesser celebrated books. As a young kid, there were definitely

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
some weird stories in there but I didn't care. They were all new adventures

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with some of my favorite characters. I definitely agree that I could spend more time

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
talking about Legends but it's not because I don't love it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's just that most of my time is spent keeping up with everything that's coming out now

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But it is something I'd like to change in the coming year

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Anyway, to hop off my nostalgia soapbox, my next recommendation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is a series I already mentioned, the X-Wing novels by Michael Stackpole

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and Aaron Alston. Like I said, these books solidified my love for pilot stories,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so if you liked the Alphabet Squadron trilogy, these books are right up your alley.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or, if you were into Andor, I also think this is a solid recommendation.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These are stories about normal people, just a bunch of pilots

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
doing their best to make the galaxy better. But of course,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
some fans aren't really interested in Star Wars if the Jedi or the Sith

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
aren't involved and that's ok, we all have our personal preference.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If it's Sith you want, look no further than the Darth Bane trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's the story of the Sith Lord who created the Rule of Two, which also

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
shows how the Sith Order went from tons of Sith to only two hidden in the shadows

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We get to see massive battles between the Jedi and the Sith,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
political ramifications in the galaxy and also a compelling personal story

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the form of Darth Bane. I will say there are some

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
aspects of the story surrounding the Force that don't fully

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
vibe with my view of it. But it doesn't ruin my enjoyment,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's just different and that's fine. To stick with the Sith,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I can't not mention Darth Plagueis by James Luceno,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's considered to be one of the ultimate Star Wars Legends books

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and for good reason. It clarifies some aspects of the Prequel Trilogy

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
while giving us a look at a young, sadistic Palpatine

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and his training and rise to power. It's as much Sidious' book

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as it is Plagueis'. This would probably be my top recommendation

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if you're a Prequel fan above all else. If you're a High Republic fan,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm gonna recommend something that might be controversial,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but I would say give the New Jedi Order series a try. I know not everyone

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
liked the Yuuzhan Vong as villains, but 12 year old me thought they were rad

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
To be fair, I haven't read them since they came out, but really,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm recommending it because it has a similar format

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to the High Republic. A big cast of Jedi characters fighting

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a new kind of enemy in the galaxy that offers some interesting challenges

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It can also be heartbreakingly tragic at times, and it was written by

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a bunch of different authors. Not every book is great, but I loved having

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a big, long book series telling a large story.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's part of why I love the High Republic so much

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because I missed when Star Wars books felt that big and the High Republic

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
has brought me back into that feeling. You can also

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
choose a starting point based on some of your favorite characters,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you love Obi-Wan Kenobi? Read Kenobi by John Jackson Miller.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Do you love Maul? Check out Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There's a whole series of books about Clone Troopers if you're into that

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or Anakin/Darth Vader has an unofficial trilogy in the form of

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and The Rise of Darth Vader once again by Luceno,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and really Stover's Revenge of the Sith deserves a special shoutout

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I hesitate to call it an introduction to Star Wars Legends

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because it's an adaptation of a film, but it is celebrated as one of the

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
best Star Wars books of all time for a reason

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think I've given you enough jumping off points depending on what

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you like within Star Wars and from there, you can just keep on reading

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
what happens after the Thrawn Trilogy if you were into it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or you can just read more books about Thrawn and Mara Jade

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
There are a ton of avenues to follow, but again

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there's no one real answer here, it's all down to what speaks to you as a Star Wars fan

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But I hope that helps anyone who has been feeling overwhelmed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
searching for a way into the Legends universe. And by the way,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
hearing that people started reading Star Wars books or comics

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
because of our channel is one of my favorite things to hear

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Like I said, the books hold a very special place in my heart,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I look forward to some of them as much as I do new movies or series

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Helping Star Wars fans discover a whole new aspect to their own fandom

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is my favorite thing, so hopefully I helped a least one person do that today.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But I'm gonna wrap up, if you haven't already, please like this video,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
subscribe to the channel, follow us on our socials and consider checking out our Patreon page

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
As always, thanks for watching and

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
May The Force Be With You