Andor has just wrapped another successful season, marking the end of one of Star Wars‘ more successful spinoffs.
For better or for worst, the Star Wars franchise has expanded greatly since Disney purchased it in 2012, leading to a deeper look into a Galaxy Far, Far Away. This expansion has taken fans to various corners of the universe to fill in plot holes or add further depth.
In Andor‘s case, that came in the form of expanding on a single line from A New Hope, making the film deeper upon further viewing. This idea of expanding on the source material is not new.
Ever since the original trilogy, various storytellers have tried to expand the view of the Star Wars Universe through various media such as books, comic books, video games, and TV.
One such avenue saw its demise in 2014 when Star Wars branded what had been called the Expanded Universe into Legends, a group of non-canonical books that previously helped fill in the gaps from the movies.
Prior to its rebranding, there was a lot of debate around how canonical these books were. Many considered them essential readings while others saw them merely as apocryphal writings.
George Lucas eventually borrowed a lot from them, but indicated he saw them as separate from his larger Star Wars world. Still, that didn’t stop fans from rushing to them in search of more Star Wars.
Since their rebranding, that excitement seems to have withered in large part because they have been replaced. Disney has launched in its own set of books that it considers canon, some that include authors from the Legends line such as Timothy Zahn.
Still, I argue that these Legends novels are worth your time to read. Taking the time to get into these books can reveal an interesting time in Star Wars history.
I am almost done with Zahn’s 1991 novel Heir to the Empire, the first big in his acclaimed Thrawn Trilogy. This book released eight years before The Phantom Menace and still feels really familiar because many of its elements appear in the prequels such as Coruscant.
That’s what’s so great about these novels, they feel familiar. Not everything has to be canon for you to enjoy it and that’s definitely the case with the Legends books and comics.
Readers can see inspiration for what would come or enjoy the writing with the added context of the later movies. Furthermore, there are many characters that have not made the leap to canon that you would miss out on, including Luke Skywalker’s wife Mara Jade.
Look, there’s a lot of fun to be had in a connected and consistent universe. The connectivity can make for an organized package that is a lot of fun to explore.
That said, the search for that clean universe can lead fans away from a lot of fun storytelling simply because it’s not canon. That’s the area where Legends material lives.
Taking time to dive into it adds a lot of additional layers to the source materials even if they aren’t officially connected. Take the time to suspend your disbelief and read these for what they were intended: additional stories in a property we all love.
After all, fans are the ultimate determination of what is canon since head canon exists.
Fans shouldn’t be limited with labels such as canon or not. Fans should enjoy Star Wars as they see fit and that includes Legends material.
What do you think? Have you read any of the Star Wars Legends books? What do you consider your personal Star Wars canon? Let us know in the comments below or head over to our Discord channel to join the conversation.
Featured Image: Random House Books (via Wookiepedia)
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