Enjoying Star Wars- in all its forms- is my longest-running hobby. I became hooked at age 3 . . . 34 years later, I'm still going strong. I introduce it here, and reflect here on this galaxy and my fondness of it.
Things changed in a big way when Disney bought the franchise in 2012. The original books and comics- called the Expanded Universe (EU)- were 'thrown out' of the canon so Disney could start from scratch. Some thoughts on that are here.
Star Wars pervades popular culture like few other things. Today you can experience Star Wars movies, TV shows, books, games, comics, clothing . . . you name it, they probably make a Star Wars version of it. If I've reviewed something in these categories, I link to it below.
Movies
This is where it all began, and movies continue to be the bread and butter of the Star Wars universe.Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Solo
Rogue One
Episode IV: A New Hope
Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Television
Star Wars came to television in 2003 with release of the short 2D animations called the Clone Wars. In 2008, they started a 3D animated series by the same name that ran for six years before transitioning to Rebels, which is currently running strong.Clone Wars (2003 series): A drawn animated series taking place between Episodes II and III, looking at the Clone Wars. It was released before Episode III came out, giving us a first hint at what was to come.
Volume 1, Volume 2
Clone Wars (2008-2014, 2020): An CG animated series taking place between Episodes II and III, a movie and 6 seasons were produced before being shut down after Disney (who then brought it back for one final season in 2020). I link to reviews of each here, or see below:
Movie, Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4, Season 5, Season 6, Season 7
Tales of the Jedi (2022): A CG animated series of shorts showing formative moments in the lives of popular Jedi.
The Bad Batch (2021-2023): Taking place immediately after Episode III, this follows a bad of superior genetically deformed clones as they grapple with the change in galactic order.
Rebels (2014-2018): Taking place before Episode IV, this animated series tells the story of the beginning of the Rebellion.
Season 1, Season 2, Season 3, Season 4
Andor (2022): Taking place just before Rogue One.
The Mandalorian (2019-2023): The first live action Star Wars TV show, this takes place during the New Republic era (post Return of the Jedi).
Season 1
The Book of Boba Fett (2021-2022): A spinoff of The Mandalorian, this follows what happens to the infamous bounty hunter in the years after his escape from the Sarlacc.
Season 1
The old canon (before Disney, now called Legends):
Revan
Shadows of the Empire
The Courtship of Princess Leia
Crosscurrent
Darth Plagueis
Shadow Games
The Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command
The Jedi Academy Trilogy: Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice, Champions of the Force
Jedi Twilight
The New Jedi Order (a 19-book series)
William Shakespeare's Star Wars
Scoundrels
The current canon (after Disney):
What I've read of the current canon is summarized here.
Tales of the Jedi (Omnibus volume 1)
Tales of the Jedi (Omnibus volume 2)
Darth Maul: Death Sentence
Emissaries to Malastare
Prelude to Rebellion
Clone Wars- a 9-volume series:
In Defense of Kamino, Victories & Sacrifices, Last Stand on Jabiim,
Light and Dark, The Best Blades, On the Fields of Battle,
When They Were Brothers, The Last Siege, The Final Truth, Endgame
In the Shadow of Yavin [and] From the Ruins of Alderaan
The Force Unleashed
Books
I've read more Star Wars books than I care to acknowledge. Okay, it's been over 100. Most of them were read well before I started this blog, and thus are not reviewed. And that's for the best- many of them are poorly written. One list here gives you an idea just how many titles were produced.The old canon (before Disney, now called Legends):
Revan
Shadows of the Empire
The Courtship of Princess Leia
Crosscurrent
Darth Plagueis
Shadow Games
The Thrawn Trilogy: Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command
The Jedi Academy Trilogy: Jedi Search, Dark Apprentice, Champions of the Force
Jedi Twilight
The New Jedi Order (a 19-book series)
William Shakespeare's Star Wars
Scoundrels
The current canon (after Disney):
What I've read of the current canon is summarized here.
Comic Books
Dark Horse Comics had the rights to Star Wars for a long time and, in my opinion, produced some of the best stories outside of the movies. My reflection on the Dark Horse years is here.Tales of the Jedi (Omnibus volume 1)
Tales of the Jedi (Omnibus volume 2)
Darth Maul: Death Sentence
Emissaries to Malastare
Prelude to Rebellion
Clone Wars- a 9-volume series:
In Defense of Kamino, Victories & Sacrifices, Last Stand on Jabiim,
Light and Dark, The Best Blades, On the Fields of Battle,
When They Were Brothers, The Last Siege, The Final Truth, Endgame
In the Shadow of Yavin [and] From the Ruins of Alderaan
The Force Unleashed
Empire- a 7-volume series:
Betrayal, Darklighter, The Imperial Perspective, The Heart of Rebellion,
Allies and Adversaries, In the Shadows of Their Fathers, On the Wrong Side of the War
Darth Vader and the Lost Command
Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison
Purge
Boba Fett is Dead
Mara Jade, By the Emperor's Hand
Union
Star Wars Infinities
X-wing Rogue Squadron Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3
The Crimson Empire Saga
The Star Wars
The Dark Empire Trilogy
Dark Times story arc (7 volumes)
Legacy story arc (11 volumes)
Vector (2 volumes)
Chewbacca
What I've read of the current canon is summarized here.
Games
Star Wars CCGStar Wars: The Card Game
Star Wars Miniatures
Star Wars Armada
Star Wars: Rebellion
Carcassonne: Star Wars
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Enjoy the galaxy far, far away!
No comments:
Post a Comment