0:00:00.000,0:00:02.879 With the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn to the galaxy in Ahsoka 0:00:02.879,0:00:05.392 I think it's becoming more and more clear that the future 0:00:05.392,0:00:09.176 of that story is going to continue taking inspiration from Star Wars Legends 0:00:09.176,0:00:10.607 where the character originated 0:00:10.607,0:00:14.705 I get questions about how to get into Star Wars books and comics all the time 0:00:14.705,0:00:17.773 and I've got more videos on those topics coming, but today, 0:00:17.773,0:00:21.199 I wanted to focus on Star Wars Legends because there are hundreds 0:00:21.199,0:00:24.289 of books and there is definitely renewed interest thanks to Thrawn 0:00:24.289,0:00:26.668 but it's daunting and overwhelming to start 0:00:26.668,0:00:28.383 So, where should you start? 0:00:28.383,0:00:31.154 Just like when it comes to making canon recommendations, 0:00:31.154,0:00:34.946 it really all depends on what you personally like about Star Wars so 0:00:34.946,0:00:38.559 I'm gonna try to cover a bunch of different bases in this video 0:00:38.559,0:00:41.994 I generally tell people to begin with the trilogy that started it all, 0:00:41.994,0:00:46.064 the Thrawn trilogy, Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising and The Last Command 0:00:46.064,0:00:50.329 Yes, I know that there were comics and shows and the Han Solo and Lando Calrissian Adventures 0:00:50.329,0:00:52.909 that were part of the Expanded Universe before those books, 0:00:52.909,0:00:56.389 but Timothy Zahn's novels arrived in the early 90's when people were 0:00:56.389,0:00:59.479 unsure if Star Wars would ever continue in a major way 0:00:59.479,0:01:03.479 Then here came some new stories about Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie and Lando 0:01:03.479,0:01:06.610 facing a new kind of villain in the form of Grand Admiral Thrawn 0:01:06.610,0:01:10.610 They were instantly hits and ushered in a brand new wave of Star Wars stories 0:01:10.610,0:01:13.725 in the form of books and comics. To get personal for a bit, 0:01:13.725,0:01:17.046 those books shaped Star Wars for me as much as the movies did 0:01:17.046,0:01:21.607 I got into Star Wars around 1995, I watched the movies constantly 0:01:21.607,0:01:25.557 but obviously, I wanted more. I wanted to find out what happened next 0:01:25.557,0:01:29.177 So most of the Star Wars universe when I was growing up was made up 0:01:29.177,0:01:33.353 of these books, and they very much shaped my view of what Star Wars can be 0:01:33.353,0:01:36.543 Which is to say, it can be pretty much whatever it wants to be. 0:01:36.543,0:01:38.893 I fell in love with the X-Wing books especially 0:01:38.893,0:01:42.701 solidifying my love of pilot stories. Reading these books showed me 0:01:42.701,0:01:47.266 the variety to be found in Star Wars and it's something I still push for today 0:01:47.266,0:01:51.317 I see the occasional comments from people saying they wished I talked about Legends more 0:01:51.317,0:01:54.631 or some going so far to say that I hate Legends which is absurd. 0:01:54.631,0:01:57.712 Some of my favorite Star Wars stories are from that point in time 0:01:57.712,0:02:00.372 in my life where I was reading every book I could 0:02:00.372,0:02:03.295 I even have fond memories of the some of the... let's call them 0:02:03.295,0:02:06.805 the lesser celebrated books. As a young kid, there were definitely 0:02:06.805,0:02:10.718 some weird stories in there but I didn't care. They were all new adventures 0:02:10.718,0:02:15.042 with some of my favorite characters. I definitely agree that I could spend more time 0:02:15.042,0:02:17.680 talking about Legends but it's not because I don't love it, 0:02:17.680,0:02:21.908 it's just that most of my time is spent keeping up with everything that's coming out now 0:02:21.908,0:02:24.600 But it is something I'd like to change in the coming year 0:02:24.600,0:02:28.450 Anyway, to hop off my nostalgia soapbox, my next recommendation 0:02:28.450,0:02:32.030 is a series I already mentioned, the X-Wing novels by Michael Stackpole 0:02:32.030,0:02:36.624 and Aaron Alston. Like I said, these books solidified my love for pilot stories, 0:02:36.624,0:02:40.779 so if you liked the Alphabet Squadron trilogy, these books are right up your alley. 0:02:40.779,0:02:44.550 Or, if you were into Andor, I also think this is a solid recommendation. 0:02:44.550,0:02:47.630 These are stories about normal people, just a bunch of pilots 0:02:47.630,0:02:50.670 doing their best to make the galaxy better. But of course, 0:02:50.670,0:02:53.667 some fans aren't really interested in Star Wars if the Jedi or the Sith 0:02:53.667,0:02:56.712 aren't involved and that's ok, we all have our personal preference. 0:02:56.712,0:03:00.982 If it's Sith you want, look no further than the Darth Bane trilogy by Drew Karpyshyn 0:03:00.982,0:03:04.571 It's the story of the Sith Lord who created the Rule of Two, which also 0:03:04.571,0:03:08.950 shows how the Sith Order went from tons of Sith to only two hidden in the shadows 0:03:08.950,0:03:12.026 We get to see massive battles between the Jedi and the Sith, 0:03:12.026,0:03:15.940 political ramifications in the galaxy and also a compelling personal story 0:03:15.940,0:03:18.700 in the form of Darth Bane. I will say there are some 0:03:18.700,0:03:21.430 aspects of the story surrounding the Force that don't fully 0:03:21.430,0:03:24.347 vibe with my view of it. But it doesn't ruin my enjoyment, 0:03:24.347,0:03:27.480 it's just different and that's fine. To stick with the Sith, 0:03:27.480,0:03:30.490 I can't not mention Darth Plagueis by James Luceno, 0:03:30.490,0:03:34.011 it's considered to be one of the ultimate Star Wars Legends books 0:03:34.011,0:03:37.726 and for good reason. It clarifies some aspects of the Prequel Trilogy 0:03:37.726,0:03:40.226 while giving us a look at a young, sadistic Palpatine 0:03:40.226,0:03:43.676 and his training and rise to power. It's as much Sidious' book 0:03:43.676,0:03:47.247 as it is Plagueis'. This would probably be my top recommendation 0:03:47.247,0:03:50.655 if you're a Prequel fan above all else. If you're a High Republic fan, 0:03:50.655,0:03:53.571 I'm gonna recommend something that might be controversial, 0:03:53.571,0:03:57.664 but I would say give the New Jedi Order series a try. I know not everyone 0:03:57.664,0:04:01.667 liked the Yuuzhan Vong as villains, but 12 year old me thought they were rad 0:04:01.667,0:04:04.657 To be fair, I haven't read them since they came out, but really, 0:04:04.657,0:04:06.984 I'm recommending it because it has a similar format 0:04:06.984,0:04:10.113 to the High Republic. A big cast of Jedi characters fighting 0:04:10.113,0:04:13.712 a new kind of enemy in the galaxy that offers some interesting challenges 0:04:13.712,0:04:17.369 It can also be heartbreakingly tragic at times, and it was written by 0:04:17.369,0:04:21.529 a bunch of different authors. Not every book is great, but I loved having 0:04:21.529,0:04:24.379 a big, long book series telling a large story. 0:04:24.379,0:04:27.051 It's part of why I love the High Republic so much 0:04:27.051,0:04:31.072 because I missed when Star Wars books felt that big and the High Republic 0:04:31.072,0:04:33.812 has brought me back into that feeling. You can also 0:04:33.812,0:04:36.508 choose a starting point based on some of your favorite characters, 0:04:36.508,0:04:39.854 you love Obi-Wan Kenobi? Read Kenobi by John Jackson Miller. 0:04:39.854,0:04:42.959 Do you love Maul? Check out Shadow Hunter by Michael Reaves. 0:04:42.959,0:04:46.157 There's a whole series of books about Clone Troopers if you're into that 0:04:46.157,0:04:49.849 Or Anakin/Darth Vader has an unofficial trilogy in the form of 0:04:49.849,0:04:51.672 Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno, 0:04:51.672,0:04:54.255 The Revenge of the Sith novelization by Matthew Stover, 0:04:54.255,0:04:56.915 and The Rise of Darth Vader once again by Luceno, 0:04:56.915,0:05:00.498 and really Stover's Revenge of the Sith deserves a special shoutout 0:05:00.498,0:05:03.639 I hesitate to call it an introduction to Star Wars Legends 0:05:03.639,0:05:07.573 because it's an adaptation of a film, but it is celebrated as one of the 0:05:07.573,0:05:10.190 best Star Wars books of all time for a reason 0:05:10.190,0:05:12.977 I think I've given you enough jumping off points depending on what 0:05:12.977,0:05:16.233 you like within Star Wars and from there, you can just keep on reading 0:05:16.233,0:05:18.797 what happens after the Thrawn Trilogy if you were into it, 0:05:18.797,0:05:21.837 or you can just read more books about Thrawn or Mara Jade 0:05:21.837,0:05:24.167 There are a ton of avenues to follow, but again 0:05:24.167,0:05:29.334 there's no one real answer here, it's all down to what speaks to you as a Star Wars fan 0:05:29.334,0:05:32.138 But I hope that helps anyone who has been feeling overwhelmed 0:05:32.138,0:05:35.148 searching for a way into the Legends universe. And by the way, 0:05:35.148,0:05:38.098 hearing that people started reading Star Wars books or comics 0:05:38.098,0:05:41.108 because of our channel is one of my favorite things to hear 0:05:41.108,0:05:44.398 Like I said, the books hold a very special place in my heart, 0:05:44.398,0:05:48.008 I look forward to some of them as much as I do new movies or series 0:05:48.008,0:05:52.008 Helping Star Wars fans discover a whole new aspect to their own fandom 0:05:52.009,0:05:56.241 is my favorite thing, so hopefully I helped a least one person do that today. 0:05:56.241,0:05:59.636 But I'm gonna wrap up, if you haven't already, please like this video, 0:05:59.636,0:06:03.692 subscribe to the channel, follow us on our socials and consider checking out our Patreon page 0:06:03.692,0:06:06.044 As always, thanks for watching and 0:06:06.044,0:06:07.860 May The Force Be With You