How to Read Star Wars Legends Books | Star Wars Legends Timeline Explained | Expanded Universe

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  • čas přidán 28. 08. 2024

Komentáře • 102

  • @swlegendslore
    @swlegendslore  Před rokem +15

    Thank you all for watching! Please like the video and subscribe to the channel. Also, comment below and let me know what you thought of this video.

    • @chheinrich8486
      @chheinrich8486 Před 11 měsíci +1

      one question i have audible and i found many of the bantham era books, but most of them only abrigded, is that downgrade?

  • @LukeTalbot3
    @LukeTalbot3 Před rokem +55

    Now this… this is epic

  • @stevef
    @stevef Před rokem +20

    Thank you so much for doing this. Now I have a plan and chronology to follow.

  • @shaikahmed2586
    @shaikahmed2586 Před 7 měsíci +7

    Finally I could start reading the legends! Thank you so much for making this content...It's awesome as always!

  • @AdrianMartinez-jj3mo
    @AdrianMartinez-jj3mo Před rokem +30

    U should make a comic book legends timeline that would go hard keep up the good work

  • @StarWarsExpandedUniverse
    @StarWarsExpandedUniverse Před rokem +10

    This is a super solid video, nice work man! Really well edited, researched, and formatted! Always great to see other creators coming out with solid videos that spread EU awareness!

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +4

      Thank you! I pride myself on having high quality videos. The views and subs will come hopefully haha

  • @axelpalacios8552
    @axelpalacios8552 Před 10 měsíci +10

    i like his better than canon. a lot of more creative stories and lore building and arcs

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 10 měsíci +5

      Legends books have traditionally been much more lore expansive than Canon books have been.

    • @oleottosen4707
      @oleottosen4707 Před 5 měsíci

      Canon fucking sucks

  • @stephanethegeek
    @stephanethegeek Před 21 dnem +1

    Thank you, super helpful!

  • @shaunfitzgerald7913
    @shaunfitzgerald7913 Před rokem +5

    awesome video. i love the quick rundown of all of the books. i have read most of the bigger ones but now know which ones to tackle next . 🙏

  • @ARC--5973
    @ARC--5973 Před měsícem +1

    PTSD trigger at 10:48. Fair warning to everyone

  • @98Kentuckian
    @98Kentuckian Před měsícem

    this was extremely informative, thanks !

  • @sawyeratkinson
    @sawyeratkinson Před 7 měsíci +4

    Hey look guys, the actual canonical timeline! As a kid i must have read a ton of these...probably have 1/2 to 2/3rds of them in the attic lol
    Also i always pronounced primce xizor as "she-zor"

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 7 měsíci +2

      That’s a solid collection! I’ve heard it pronounced that way as well

  • @thalmoragent9344
    @thalmoragent9344 Před 7 měsíci +4

    Imagine the potential the EU had as far as animated shows, live-action shows, and movies go?
    Man, what could've been.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 7 měsíci +2

      They can still make animated adaptations! Legends isn’t gone, it’s just not being added to anymore.

  • @josesosa3337
    @josesosa3337 Před 6 měsíci

    In early middle school and early high school I made frequent trips to my local library and found some star wars novels and comics so its so nostalgic seeing some of the stuff i read on your channel.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 6 měsíci +2

      I’m glad you’re enjoying the trip down memory lane! Legends books are certainly nostalgic for me too

  • @hugosalcedo691
    @hugosalcedo691 Před rokem +4

    Freaking amazing!!! Is there a video about which Legends are most read?!?!?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +3

      Thanks! I do have a video about the Star Wars Legends Books I recommend you read in order to get started. Those aren't necessarily the most read, but some of the most popular Legends books are mentioned in that video. I'm currently working on a Top 10 Legends Books of All-Time video and a Top 10 Canon Books of all-time video as well. Here's the link to the Legends Recommendations: czcams.com/video/yotQPRvlZI4/video.html

  • @ansemthetrueseekerofdarkne2730
    @ansemthetrueseekerofdarkne2730 Před 9 měsíci +5

    God-tier legendarium

  • @user-cf6ee2ud2y
    @user-cf6ee2ud2y Před 17 dny

    It’s very helpful to have a full timeline, because even if that’s not how you’re supposed to read the books how else are you gonna structure over 200 books and keep it manageable? It’s all well and good for people to say “read what you like just hop around” but you don’t know what you’re missing like that. How am I supposed to know the next book after the thrown ones? Which Han Solo books come first? Who is Mara jade (pov you didn’t read the zahn books because you went to Jedi academy). And I also appreciate the running commentary on book series, because while they were being broken up by time in universe there was also what’s a sequel to what since there’s multiple authors on the same project and time out of universe since some of the older stuff is wacky and got written over (not invalidating it but at the same time…). So thanks for all the work.

  • @rcdune7132
    @rcdune7132 Před rokem +5

    *Expanded Universe
    Literally no one ever said "legends" until Disney told them to...

  • @animatedink2529
    @animatedink2529 Před rokem +3

    What about the Tales series? Cantina? Bounty Hunters? Jabba's Palace?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +2

      Didn’t include short stories for this video.

  • @priestesslucy3299
    @priestesslucy3299 Před rokem +4

    Disappointed you didn't include any of the comics here. At the very least, Dark Empire has a strong impact on the story going forward. Palpatine's Essence Transfer, Luke's dip in the dark side, the introduction of one of Luke's students, the birth of Anakin Solo...
    It's kind of a big deal. Plus it was incredibly badass.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +4

      This is a book timeline. A comic timeline is coming, but that was not the point of this video.

    • @priestesslucy3299
      @priestesslucy3299 Před rokem +2

      @@swlegendslore fair. I was just a little disappointed because back when I was reading these I didn't know to read Dark Empire either, and I was always wondering when they would reference Luke's experience in the dark side serving the emperor.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +4

      Gotcha. I could make a complete Legends timeline if that’s of interest. That would include all books, comics, and video games.

    • @priestesslucy3299
      @priestesslucy3299 Před rokem +2

      @@swlegendslore That would be amazing.
      Personally the only videogames I feel might be of importance are KotR and the Kyle Katarn games, but by all means feel free to go all out 💞

    • @rollo1004
      @rollo1004 Před 6 měsíci

      @@swlegendsloreyes please do that

  • @VivaLaVila609
    @VivaLaVila609 Před rokem +4

    What would i read if i wanted to know more about Imperial Knights & the Fel Empire?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +4

      Star Wars: Legacy. It’s a 50 issue comic series that takes place 100+ years after The Battle of Yavin. There’s also an epilogue series called Legacy - War.

  • @chheinrich8486
    @chheinrich8486 Před 7 měsíci

    I love how different the eras before and after the movies were told to us, the post episode 6 era was mostly told through novels, with video games and comics here and their, while for the time before episode 1 its the Opposition where comics like tales of the jedi and video games like kotor and old republic where the main story telling mediums

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 7 měsíci +1

      Good points. We could always really on EU material to bring us important and expansive storytelling.

  • @kevincraig4415
    @kevincraig4415 Před 4 měsíci

    I lived these books from Heir to about four books into the new Jedi order and then I stopped reading. I absolutely loved the X-Wing books and I really got a kick out of the young Jedi adventures by Kevin J Anderson. I really enjoyed those even though I was in my late teens when I read them. Thanks for the awesome timeline.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 4 měsíci +1

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video and books. Young Jedi Knights is such an underrated series!

  • @eddya7894
    @eddya7894 Před rokem +1

    Only the Barbara Hambley books in the Callista Trilogy are looked down upon. A lot of people like Anderson's DARKSABER. Plus, it's pretty essential to set up the rest of the post ROTJ universe.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +1

      I'd agree Darksaber is the best of the three, but it's a far cry to say it has a big following. It's still one of the weakest Star Wars books I've read. I'm glad you enjoy it though.

  • @josesosa3337
    @josesosa3337 Před 6 měsíci +1

    Thanks for this.

  • @MegaFeeso
    @MegaFeeso Před rokem +6

    Are there any canon books that can be (for the most part), harmlessly slotted in here? I’m curious if it’s possible to make a fan made joined timeline with the best aspects of both

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +5

      Great question! There are plenty of Canon Books that can fit into the Legends Timeline. Canon has often opted to tell character centric stories that don’t always heavily affect the films, so most of those books will still fit with the Legends Timeline. It also depends how much of Canon you want to include in your Timeline. Obviously, almost everything written post-Return of the Jedi in Legends contradicts the New Republic Era and Sequel Eras of Canon. The Sequels can’t co-exist in the timeline once you get to the NJO Era in Legends. Off the top of my head, mostly all of early Canon such as Tarkin, Lords of the Sith, Heir to the Jedi (which was supposed to be a Legends Book), Dark Disciple, and Ahsoka should all be able to slot in. The High Republic is also a time period that is not covered by any Legends material so you could slot that series in as well. I made a Canon Timeline video if you’d like to see the exact years all of those books take place in.

    • @MegaFeeso
      @MegaFeeso Před rokem +3

      @@swlegendslore that's really helpful, thanks!

  • @aaronlaughter6471
    @aaronlaughter6471 Před 6 měsíci

    What I love about legends, it was willing to take chances, have fun, and not be afraid to tell important stories.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 6 měsíci +1

      Same! Canon is starting to follow suit a bit more than previously, but that has been my biggest critique of Canon stories.

  • @bonehead.6743
    @bonehead.6743 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Epic, but where is the dark Empire trilogy?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 3 měsíci +2

      The Dark Empire Trilogy takes place during the New Republic Era from 10-11 ABY. It’s not a book series, so it’s not featured on this time. It is featured on the comic timeline I made though

  • @hayleygeek
    @hayleygeek Před 4 měsíci

    So good. I haven't read any, will I be able to start from scratch?. I'd love to know how the timelines fits with all of the games and the TV/movies altogether.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 4 měsíci +2

      If you're starting from scratch, I'd recommend checking out my recommendations in either my "Star Wars Legends Books for Beginners": czcams.com/video/yotQPRvlZI4/video.htmlsi=dhNb5cIQbZ_8PhRK or my "Essential Legends Books": czcams.com/video/uLOViH_N-m4/video.htmlsi=oYoZx8SF-aKa9g-D videos for reference. I personally wouldn't recommend following timeline order unless you have some general Star Wars EU knowledge. Release order would also be good for starting from scratch. You would have to be pretty committed to reading everything though because getting through some of the 90s books post-Thrawn Trilogy and Jedi Academy Trilogy can be pretty rough. Hope that helps out

    • @hayleygeek
      @hayleygeek Před 4 měsíci

      @@swlegendslore thank you 😊 I have some existing knowledge but that comes from mostly movies, TV, wiki and gaming from back to Kotor onwards. I just haven't read anything yet. Which is bizarre as a major book fiend. Thanks for these. I will check em out

  • @Isaacisaperson4677
    @Isaacisaperson4677 Před rokem +2

    Thank you so much is there a way you could put this into release order rather than chronological

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +1

      I have another series on my other channel where I give every Star Wars release ever in order. Link to the playlist here: czcams.com/play/PLZigB5kkaALv0M5f_YuvpCJP1-hkuL4Qz.html

    • @Isaacisaperson4677
      @Isaacisaperson4677 Před rokem

      @@swlegendslore thank you

  • @RLJSlick
    @RLJSlick Před 7 měsíci

    Good stuff, I have maybe 95% of the books, other than the Jr novels. I still think the so call, Legends books, are far better than any of the Disney Star Wars books, or movies out there. Thanks for the timeline...

  • @spikeanny5710
    @spikeanny5710 Před rokem +1

    Found this and wow thanks im doing dnd research on a big bad so basically reading all thr sith books are there any others thay delve deep into the sith mind

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +1

      Thanks! The essential books for getting into the mind of a Sith are definitely the Darth Bane Trilogy and Darth Plagueis. Other Sith books in Legends include Lost Tribes of the Sith The Collected Stories, Revan, Deceived, Maul: Lockdown, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, The Dark Lord Trilogy (Labyrinth of Evil, Revenge of the Sith, & Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader), and you could also track the fall of Jacen Solo through Legacy of the Force. There’s also the Knights of the Old Republic video games that deal heavily with Sith and Sith Mentality. In Canon, you could look at any of the three Darth Vader comic runs, Shadow of the Sith, or the Dark Legends myths and fables short story compilation.

  • @brandscape356
    @brandscape356 Před 2 měsíci

    Hard mode: Add in the comics.
    Extreme mode: Add in any short stories you can get your hands on.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 2 měsíci +1

      Funny you should say that….
      Complete Star Wars Legends Timeline Part 1: Dawn of the Jedi & The Old Republicczcams.com/video/5Gveoz_ABH0/video.htmlsi=mu50ktNLIzCxQkGN
      Complete Star Wars Legends Timeline Part 2: Rise of the Empire czcams.com/video/auzz6TC80fI/video.htmlsi=0wO1Wx5sCDcdKdex
      Part 3 is coming soon!

  • @GraveDawgg
    @GraveDawgg Před 6 měsíci

    I feel overwhelmed

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 6 měsíci +1

      It’s certainly overwhelming haha, but if you’re looking for a good place to start I have this beginners guide with my recommended starting points. I hope it helps! czcams.com/video/yotQPRvlZI4/video.htmlsi=f7dnrIt69t05r26V

  • @brandonwolak836
    @brandonwolak836 Před 10 měsíci

    Absolutely love this I just watched both canon and legends as after 19 years of life I am finally fully getting into the books. I have a few of both canon and legends and this is exactly what I needed to get on track. I do have a few questions though, I know I am a bit late to the party on this video. They will probably be under the read more section of the comment. Any help would be much appreciated.
    Apologies if any were covered and I missed.
    1. I have two books, one called Star Wars The Clone Wars Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy and Star Wars The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi. I have no idea where they go, are they adult or young adult novels that belong or are they something separate?
    2. Have you ever done a count of how many technical novels there are for both canon and legends in sort of like a checklist way?
    3. Will you ever do a comic timeline for Star Wars as I do have a good few of those as well?
    4. Are the novels called Star Wars A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and The Farmboy, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want To Be A Jedi, and Star Wars Return of the Jedi: Beware of the Dark Side canon? Or what exactly are they because they seem like retellings of the original trilogy but they were also not in the canon timeline video?
    Sorry for so many questions, I could go on and on about lore in the movies, shows, and games but the books are just so plentiful that they are hard to fully take in. Any help from anyone would be very much appreciated. Thank you.
    Little edit here: Forgot to mention that I have looked on many websites which all say different things and this honestly seems the most reliable and this is why I have turned to you, again thank you.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 10 měsíci +1

      Thanks for your kind words and questions!
      1.) Darth Maul: Shadow Conspiracy is a young readers book adapting TCW S5E1, S5E14-E16. It’s part of a serious of TCW young reader adaptations. I didn’t mark the series on the timeline, but you read them between 22 BBY and 19 BBY respectively based on which episode of the show they are adapting. The Life and Legend of Obi-Wan Kenobi is a young adult novel, but the reason I didn’t include it on the timeline is because it’s a retelling of the entire Legends life of Obi-Wan through his perspective. You could read it all at once (maybe after ANH so that you can reflect on his life) or break it up to read each part of the story that takes place in a new era during your read-through of that era.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 10 měsíci +1

      2.) I have made my own personal checklist of the Legends Novels, but I’ve never released one. If you’re interested, I can put a link to it in the description.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 10 měsíci +1

      3.) I have made a Legends Comic Timeline. I’m still working on the Canon Timeline. You can check it out here: czcams.com/video/5sCf_UqMCvc/video.htmlsi=HuT_GohX4-dWxJCS

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 10 měsíci +1

      4. Those books are technically Canon YA novel adaptations of the original trilogy. However, I didn’t include them in the Canon video because quite a few things referenced in them about dates and ages are contradicted by other Canon material. So whether they are truly Canon or more like unique retelling of OT (like the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars adaptations) still remains up for debate.
      Thanks for all of your questions! I hope you enjoy reading Star Wars! Stick around the channel, I have lots more timelines coming.

  • @mightygalvatron9911
    @mightygalvatron9911 Před měsícem

    I'm reading in chronological order I'm on Tales from jabbas palace

  • @uninformedopinion1668
    @uninformedopinion1668 Před 4 měsíci

    I want to know which are the longest to read. Looking for thick novels. And is the Yushon von considered canon?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 3 měsíci

      The Yuuzhan Vong are not considered Canon, but none of the books in this timeline are. Star Wars Legends is the Pre-Disney Star Wars timeline, whereas Star Wars Canon is post-Disney acquisition. The longest Legends book is the second book of the Hand of Thrawn Duology: Vision of the Future.

  • @ThePeck97
    @ThePeck97 Před 5 měsíci

    I got to the hand of thrawn and they were talking about Exar Kun I was like wtf

  • @osirissmith5254
    @osirissmith5254 Před rokem +1

    Recommendations for only Sith books?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před rokem +3

      The Darth Bane Trilogy and Darth Plagueis are the best. Other Sith books include: Lost Tribe of the Sith: The Collected Stories, The Old Republic: Revan, The Old Republic: Deceived, The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance, Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter, Darth Maul: Lockdown, Revenge of the Sith, Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader, etc.

  • @stuart00knight
    @stuart00knight Před 3 měsíci

    Dark Disciple?
    Heir to the Jedi?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Dark Disciple and Heir to the Jedi are both Canon books. Not Legends

  • @ovierdelacruz7158
    @ovierdelacruz7158 Před 2 měsíci

    do you prefer canon over EU?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 2 měsíci +1

      Overall, I prefer the EU continuity to Canon’s continuity. There are still some excellent stories in Canon that would rank up there amongst my favorites in all of Star Wars, but the EU is just far more fleshed out, and its books/comics are much more impactful to the the Star Wars universe than Canon’s have been.

    • @ovierdelacruz7158
      @ovierdelacruz7158 Před 2 měsíci

      @@swlegendslorethank you. Do you have a top 10 legends comics?

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 2 měsíci

      That might be a video I make one day, but I do have a 10 Essential Legends Comics video coming out this week

  • @josesosa3337
    @josesosa3337 Před 6 měsíci

    Whats a juniir novel??

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 6 měsíci +2

      A junior novel (also sometimes called a Chapter Book) is a children’s book usually written at a below middle school reading level. The stories also usually feature children as the main characters.

    • @josesosa3337
      @josesosa3337 Před 6 měsíci +1

      @@swlegendslore thanks you for the info.

  • @hqer
    @hqer Před 9 měsíci

    Why did you put The Clone Wars materials, if they are contraficting everything.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 9 měsíci +1

      I’m confused what you are asking.

    • @MattStormage
      @MattStormage Před 2 měsíci

      @@swlegendslore Some people consider that the 3D "the clone wars" animation breaks the continuity of many other books in the same time period. A solution they see is to consider this animation canon and not part of legends.

    • @swlegendslore
      @swlegendslore  Před 2 měsíci

      @@MattStormage I'm aware of that, and the show does contradict a lot of things from previous Legends material. That being said, since this is the objective Star Wars Legends Book Timeline, they still have to be included on the timeline since they are official Legends releases.

  • @kevinbaumhoer7359
    @kevinbaumhoer7359 Před 5 měsíci +2

    The Superior canon even the worst Books are better than anything Disney has made

    • @BlueBoboDoo100
      @BlueBoboDoo100 Před 18 dny

      This is so not true. I generally prefer the Legends canon vs the Disney canon, but there's a few books that are serious crap.
      Plus, some of the same writers have done work in both canons, including Timothy Zahn and James Luceno. Don't throw the baby out with the bath just because the Disney movies are bad.