A Guide to the Star Wars Book Canon

Star Wars is the legendary creation of director and screenwriter George Lucas (*May 14, 1944). There are few people who don't know Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. Even if it's just knowledge gained from the countless memes referencing these heroes from a galaxy far, far away.

Jedi Knights, Sith, clone troopers, or even Mandalorians have gained billions of fans over more than forty years. Thanks to EU (Expanded Universe) books, we were able to meet entirely new characters and experience the fates of heroes who never made it to the big screen. Let's not forget video games, either. I believe Kyle Katarn and Revan are still among the most popular Star Wars characters ever. But they aren't talked about among younger fans anymore. Why?

Well… Disney arrived.

No, okay. That's certainly not the only reason, and Cal Kestis is a more than worthy successor to the Star Wars heroes found on our PCs and consoles. However, when Disney gobbled up Lucasfilm and the entire Star Wars franchise in 2012, the popular company's executives faced a difficult task. There were over a hundred books under the EU at the time. Reading through them, fitting them correctly into the vision of "future" Star Wars (especially since inconsistencies occasionally appeared even in the EU), and placing them on a timeline just didn't work. So they did what any inquisitive entrepreneur would do – they wiped everything clean and started with a blank slate.

Since then, we have divided Star Wars works into Legends and Canon.

Legends (formerly known as the EU) are, simply put, all books, comics, games, toys, etc., released before 2014. Legends do not include the original films (I-VI) and certain supplementary works, such as The Clone Wars series.

Canon is everything released after 2014.

Simple, right?

Forget the beautiful and complicated Mara Jade, Ben Skywalker (not Solo), the talented Starkiller, or Darth Nihilus, and welcome Rey, porgs, nerf sausages, and cooing loth-cats! Yay! Ahem… I'm probably getting into the details now. Emotions aside, back to the topic.

So, how do you make sense of the official Star Wars canon?

The High Republic Era

We are in a time approximately 200 years before the events of Episode I – The Phantom Menace.

• The High Republic: Light of the Jedi
• The High Republic: Into the Dark
• The High Republic: The Rising Storm
• The High Republic: Out of the Shadows
• The High Republic: The Fallen Star
• The High Republic: Midnight Horizon
• The High Republic: Tempest Runner
• The High Republic: Convergence
• The High Republic: The Battle For Jedha (planned US release, February 2023)
• The High Republic: Cataclysm (planned US release, April 2023)
• The High Republic: Quest For Planet X (planned US release, April 2023)
• The High Republic: Path of Vengeance (planned US release, May 2023)

Before Episode I – The Phantom Menace

The Queen's trilogy tells the story of Queen Padmé before she met Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Qui-Gon.

• Queen’s Peril
• Queen’s Shadow
• Queen’s Hope

Between Ep. II – Attack of the Clones and Ep. III – Revenge of the Sith

From the adventures of Obi-Wan, through the unfilmed events of the Clone Wars, to the reappearance of Thrawn (the character of Thrawn is simply too good not to be revived for the canon).

• Brotherhood
• Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel
• Thrawn Ascendancy: Chaos Rising
• Star Wars: Dark Disciple

Between Ep. III – Revenge of the Sith and Ep. IV – A New Hope

You can experience a lot in 19 years. And the writers hired by Disney have taken full advantage of that.

• Thrawn Ascendancy: Greater Good
• Thrawn Ascendancy: Lesser Evil
• Ahsoka
• Thrawn
• Lords of the Sith
• Tarkin
• Most Wanted
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (Novelization)
• Rebel Rising
• Star Wars: A New Dawn
• Star Wars: Lost Stars
• Battlefront: Twilight Company
• Leia, Princess of Alderaan
• Thrawn: Alliances
• Thrawn: Treason
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Novelization)
• Battlefront II: Inferno Squad

Between Ep. IV – A New Hope and Ep. V – The Empire Strikes Back

Nerf sausages, oh yes. Luke's favorite delicacy.

• Heir to the Jedi (currently sold out)
• Star Wars: The Weapon of a Jedi
• Star Wars: Smuggler's Run

Between Ep. V – The Empire Strikes Back and Ep. VI – Return of the Jedi

• Star Wars: Moving Target

Between Ep. VI – Return of the Jedi and Ep. VII – The Force Awakens

We're getting to the new Star Wars, which both burns and warms millions of fans around the world.

• The Princess and the Scoundrel
• Hunters: Battle for the Arena (planned US release, March 2023)
• Alphabet Squadron
• Aftermath
• Shadow Fall
• Aftermath: Life Debt
• Victory’s Price
• Aftermath: Empire’s End
• Last Shot
• Poe Dameron: Free Fall
• Shadow of the Sith
• Star Wars: Bloodline
• Star Wars: Before the Awakening
• Force Collector
• Phasma
• The Force Awakens (Novelization)

author Eva Lassler