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| Great Hyperspace War |
Great Hyperspace WarTales of the Jedi is a series of comic books (published by Dark Horse Comics) that are part of the Expanded Universe of Star Wars. They cover the Great Sith War and the Great Hyperspace War and remain the earliest chronological Star Wars sources.
The first books released covered the Great Sith War (4,000 BBY). The latter were prequels that covered the Great Hyperspace War, which happened a thousand years earlier.
The Great Hyperspace War was instigated when two Republic hyperspace explorers accidentally crash-land on the Sith graveyard planet Korriban during the funeral procession of Marka Ragnos. His successor, Naga Sadow, provoked war with the Republic, and installed himself as the leader of the Sith Empire. He fought not only the Republic, but the forces of his chief rival, Ludo Kressh, and was forced to destroy his own fleet to cover his escape. Sadow landed on Yavin IV and constructed vast temples with the labour of his Massassi warriors.
Six hundred years later, fallen Jedi Freedon Nadd arrived on Yavin IV, and learned Sith sorcery from the spirit of Naga Sadow. He took his knowledge and the treasures of Sadow to the planet Onderon, where he used his acquired gifts to install himself as king. His spirit continued to advise his descendants.
Another Jedi, Ulic Qel-Droma, was sent to Onderon to mediate a conflict, where he met the spirit of Freedon Nadd, who told him he would become a Sith Lord. The prophecy came true when the Krath, a secret dark side society, attacked the Republic and injured Ulic with alchemically-treated shrapnel, and then injected him with dark side poisons that would ensure his fall.
Exar Kun left his master, Vodo-Siok Baas, because his master would not let him learn about the dark side. He went to Onderon, where he learned of Freedon Nadd's tomb. Nadd's spirit told him to go to Korriban, where Nadd tricked him into accepting the dark side. They went to Yavin IV, where Nadd gave him a choice: surrender to the dark side, or die. Kun chose life. After learning about the dark side from Nadd, Kun destroyed him with a dark side amulet.
Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma met on Cinnagar, and their battle was interrupted by the spirit of Marka Ragnos, who declared Kun the Dark Lord of the Sith, and Qel-Droma his apprentice. Together, they waged war on the Republic, stealing Jedi students from Ossus and subverting them to the dark side. Qel-Droma defeated Lord Mandalore, earning the services of the Mandalorian warriors. Qel-Droma attacked Coruscant, but was captured. Kun led a rescue attempt, and killed his former master in the process. In retaliation, the Sith Lords caused Ossus's sun to go supernova, destroying countless Jedi artifacts.
Before Ossus was destroyed, Ulic's brother Cay tried to convince him to return to the light. Ulic cut him down, and then surrendered himself to his former lover, Nomi Sunrider, when she forever cut off his connection to the Force. Broken, Ulic surrendered to the Republic, and led them to Yavin IV, where Exar Kun committed a ritual that sapped the life from every Massassi on the planet to separate his spirit from his body and bind it to his temple.
The computer game Knights of the Old Republic, takes place forty years after the end of the Sith War.
Books in the Series in Chronological Order
- Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith (1997) - 5,000 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-56971-229-8
- Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire (1998) - 5,000 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-569-71320-0
- Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic (1994) - 4,000 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-569-71020-1
- Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising (1997) - 3,998 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-569-71307-3
- Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith (1996) - 3,997 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-569-71095-3
- Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War (1996) - 3,996 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-56971-173-9
- Tales of the Jedi: Redemption (1997) - 3,986 BBY ISBN Code: ISBN 1-56971-5351
Authors
- Tales of the Jedi: The Golden Age of the Sith by: Kevin J. Anderson, Chris Gossett, Dario Carrasco Jr
- Tales of the Jedi: The Fall of the Sith Empire by: Kevin J. Anderson, Dario Carrasco, Dario Carrasco Jr, Bill Black, David Jacob Beckett, Ray Murtaugh
- Tales of the Jedi: Knights of the Old Republic by: Tom Veitch, Chris Gossett, Janine Johnston, David Roach
- Tales of the Jedi: The Freedon Nadd Uprising by: Tom Veitch, Tony Akins, Dennis Rodier
- Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith by: Kevin J. Anderson, Tom Veitch, Chris Gossett, Art Wetherell
- Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War by: Kevin J. Anderson
- Tales of the Jedi: Redemption by: Kevin J. Anderson, Chris Gossett
External links
- [http://www.rebelscum.com/darkhorse_totj.asp Tales of the Jedi graphic novel info]
Category: Star Wars books
The Great Sith War
Dark Horse Comicsright
Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book publisher, one of the largest "independent" publishers behind dominant publishers Marvel Comics and DC Comics.
Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson and is based in Milwaukie, Oregon (near Portland). Dark Horse Comics is the third largest comic book publisher in the United States and has published books by such comics luminaries as Mike Mignola (Hellboy) and Frank Miller (Sin City).
Dark Horse comics include titles based on licensed properties, including Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Predator and Aliens. It also publishes original series, and has a small but long-running line of manga titles including Trigun, Berserk, and Hellsing.
Dark Horse titles
See also List of current Dark Horse Comics publications.
Licensed properties
- Æon Flux
- Alien
- Angel
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer
- Conan the Barbarian
- the American Digimon comic books
- the American Dirty Pair manga
- Doctor Solar
- Godzilla
- The Hire (BMW)
- Indiana Jones
- Magnus, Robot Fighter
- Man with the Screaming Brain
- Megatokyo
- Predator
- Robocop (movie & Stand alone stories)
- The Shadow
- Serenity (Firefly)
- Star Wars
- Tarzan
- The Terminator
Original series
- Barb Wire
- Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot
- Ghost
- Concrete
- The Goon
- Grendel
- Hard Boiled
- Hellboy
- Marshal Law
- The Mask
- Usagi Yojimbo
- Sin City
- BPRD
- X
Hawk (will be added in upcoming months)
Manga
- 3x3 Eyes
- Akira
- Appleseed
- Astro Boy
- Berserk
- Blade of the Immortal
- Bubblegum Crisis (aka Bubblegum Crisis: Grand Mal)
- Ghost in the Shell
- Gunsmith Cats
- Hellsing
- Intron Depot
- King of Wolves
- Lone Wolf and Cub
- Nextworld
- Oh My Goddess!
- Lost World
- Metropolis
- Nextworld
- Shadow Star (Narutaru)
- The Ring
- Trigun
- You're Under Arrest
External links
- [http://www.darkhorse.com/ Dark Horse Comics official site]
Category:Comic book publishers (companies)
Category:Manga distributors
Category:Dark Horse Comics
Expanded Universe (Star Wars)
The Expanded Universe (also known as the EU) encompasses all of the officially licensed, fictional background of the Star Wars universe, outside of the six feature films produced by George Lucas. It includes books, comic books, video games, spin-off films, television series, toys, and other media. This material expands and continues the stories told in the films, taking place anywhere from 4,968 years before The Phantom Menace to 31 years after Return of the Jedi.
History
Development
The early development of the Expanded Universe was sporadic and unrefined, particularly because there was so little official material for the creators to build on. For example, the "Expanded Universe" is now considered to have begun with Alan Dean Foster's 1978 Star Wars spin-off novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye. This novel drew inspiration primarily from an early draft of the Star Wars script.
Much of the early EU material from the early '80s contained analogies to the real world, rather than embracing the wholistic fiction of the Star Wars films. Much of this material now seems rather detached from the rest of the EU.
A turning point was reached when West End Games began publishing the Star Wars Roleplaying Game in 1987. In order for players of the roleplaying game to create new adventures, West End Games needed to provide supplemental material describing the Star Wars universe in previously unknown detail. For example, the Aurebesh alphabet was originally a random piece of set dressing in Return of the Jedi. Stephen Crane copied those symbols and turned them into a complete and coherent alphabet (which would later be used in the feature films). Developing details like this in a consistent fashion turned West End Games' Star Wars products into a de facto reference library for other EU developers.
Around this same time, Dark Horse Comics acquired the Star Wars license and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy, including the very popular Dark Empire stories. Dark EmpireShortly thereafter, in the early '90s, Bantam published Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Widely publicized as the "sequels which were never made", Zahn's novels reignited Star Wars fandom and sparked a revolution in Star Wars literature.
All this development began to feedback on itself: West End Games was producing roleplaying supplements detailing the material from Dark Horse's comics and Zahn's novels. Novelists and comic creators were using West End Games' supplements as reference material. Sequels to the novels were being published as comics and vice versa. And the scope of the Expanded Universe grew at a prodigious rate.
To date, the bulk of the Expanded Universe has detailed the Star Wars universe after the end of Return of the Jedi, as numerous topics, including the rise of the Galactic Empire, the personal histories of Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine, and The Clone Wars had been declared off-limits by George Lucas prior to the development of the Prequel trilogy.
It was decided in the late '90s that using the Empire as the villains had become repetitive and monotonous. Hence a new threat, the Yuuzhan Vong, was introduced in the New Jedi Order, more specifically, in the first book of the series Vector Prime.
The EU and the prequels
Prior to the release of The Phantom Menace, Lucasfilm specifically prohibited development of the time period prior to A New Hope in the Expanded Universe. With the release of Episode I, however, that changed a broad range of new possibilities opened.
Since The Phantom Menace was set in a time of peace, it was hard to invent any kind of threat for the heroes to fight against. Thus most material that built on The Phantom Menace was either set before or during the film, rather than after.
Attack of the Clones, on the other hand, introduced another fresh conflict -- one which fans had wanted to see for over twenty years. Aside from being explored in comics and novels, the Clone Wars would be given their own animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, which would serve to lead up to the release of Revenge of the Sith. In this series, many battles throughout the galaxy are shown, with the Force shown to seemingly its full extent in fantastic fights, such as Mace Windu destroying a whole droid army. The first (2004) season of the series concludes by introducing the newest villain, General Grievous, an important character in Episode III. Grievous was also a main player on episodes 21-25, released in 2005 and leading directly to Episode III. Following the release of Episode III, events between the two trilogies are now being elaborated, like the Great Jedi Purge.
In addition to adding new possibilities, the prequel trilogy contradicted a number of statements involving the Clone Wars in existing novels. In Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy, for example, the dates given for the war were inaccurate. This was since retconned by explaining that the dates were given using the Noghri calendar.
Works
Film and television
Noghri
- The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) was a two-hour television special portraying Chewbacca's return to his home planet of Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day with his family. Along with the stars of the original 1977 movie, such TV and music stars as Bea Arthur, Art Carney and Jefferson Starship appeared in plot-related skits and musical numbers. The content is considered canonical, but the special is reviled by some fans and virtually disowned by George Lucas, though other fans enjoy its nostalgic sweetness and naively misguided creativity; an online petition for its video release has gotten press in New York Newsday and other media outlets. The Holiday Special features the first appearance of bounty hunter Boba Fett, in an 11-minute animated sequence, and the first reference to Kashyyyk. The general look of the Kashyyyk sets from the Holiday Special formed the basis for the settings used in Revenge of the Sith (2005).
- Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984) was the first of two films featuring the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi. In Caravan of Courage, the Ewoks help two children rescue their parents from a giant known as Gorax. This and the next film are notable for having their stories written by Lucas himself, one of his few contribution to non-film Star Wars productions, other than allowing them.
- Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985). In this second Ewok film, Wicket, Cindel, and the Ewoks ally with a hermit named Noa to defeat Marauders who attacked their village.
- Star Wars: Droids (1985-1986) was an animated series following the adventures of C-3PO and R2-D2 between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It featured Anthony Daniels as the voice of C-3PO.
- Star Wars: Ewoks (1985-1987) was an animated series featuring the adventures of the Ewoks prior to Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003-2004) aired on the Cartoon Network and depicted events between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. The series received an Emmy Award and introduced the character of General Grievous.
- Future film and television projects. On April 23, 2005, at the Celebration III fan-convention, George Lucas announced that two new television series would be produced. The first will be a fully 3-D, half-hour length series continuation of the Clone Wars cartoon to be produced by Lucasfilm Animation. The show is scheduled for a tentative Fall 2007 debut. A second series will be an hour-long live-action show, set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. It will focus on very minor characters from the films, with the possibility of cameos by some of the main characters. The live-action show is expected to make its debut sometime in 2007 or 2008.
Radio and audio drama
:See also: Star Wars (radio)
A radio adaptation of A New Hope was first broadcast on National Public Radio in 1981. The adaptation was written by science fiction author Brian Daley and directed by John Madden. It was followed by adaptations of the next two films in the original trilogy: The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
The radio adaptations were notable for including background material probably created by Lucas but not used for the films. Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, and Billy Dee Williams reprised their roles as Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, and Lando Calrissian, respectively; John Williams composed an original score; and Ben Burtt, who designed the sound for all of the Star Wars movies, did the same for the radio adaptations.
In 1983, NPR broadcast an entirely original Star Wars radio drama, Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell. Like the radio adaptations of the films, Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell was written by Brian Daley.
For more than a decade, Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell was the only Star Wars drama not adapted from a feature film. Then, between 1995 and 1998 more than a half dozen audio dramas were released as audio tapes and CDs. These audio dramas were adapted from Dark Horse comic books, and includes: Tales of the Jedi (1995), Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (1995), Dark Empire (1996), Dark Empire II (1996), Empire's End (1997), Dark Forces (1998), and Crimson Empire (1998).
Adaptations of the prequel films have not been made at this point.
Books
1998
Star Wars-based fiction predates the release of the first movie, with the 1976 novelization of "A New Hope" (ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster and credited to George Lucas). However, Foster's 1978 novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was the first Expanded Universe work to be released. In addition to filling in the time between the movies, this additional content greatly expanded the Star Wars timeline before and after the film series.
Star Wars fiction flourished during the time of the original series (1977-1983), but slowed to a trickle afterwards. In 1991, however, Timothy Zahn's celebrated Thrawn Trilogy debuted, sparking a new interest in the Star Wars universe. Since then, several hundred tie-in novels have been published by Bantam and Del Rey.
Notable books in the series include The X-Wing Series, by Michael A. Stackpole, and the New Jedi Order series, by various authors. Another series of books is the Young Jedi Knights, by Kevin J Anderson, which follow the adventures of Jacen and Jaina Solo and their friends.
Comic books and strips
Marvel Comics published Star Wars comic book series and adaptations from 1977 to 1986. A wide variety of creators worked on this series, including Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Carmine Infantino, Gene Day, Walt Simonson, Michael Golden, Chris Claremont, Whilce Poratio, Jo Duffy, and Ron Frenz.
In the 1980s, as part of its Star Comics line aimed at young children, Marvel also published the short-lived series Ewoks and Droids, based on the two Saturday morning cartoons of the same name.
Star Wars was also a daily newspaper comic strip from 1979 to 1984. Among the creators were Goodwin, Williamson, and Russ Manning.
In the late 1980s, Marvel announced it would publish a new Star Wars comic by Tom Veitch and Cam Kennedy. However, Dark Horse Comics published "Dark Empire" instead, and have gone on to publish a large number of original adventures set in the Star Wars universe. These include: Star Wars Republic, Star Wars Empire, Star Wars Tales and Star Wars Tales of the Jedi. Dark Horse has also published the Marvel series in a collection entitled Classic Star Wars. In addition, the company has reprinted several Japanese manga-interpretations of the films.
Computer and video games
:See also Star Wars computer and video games and List of LucasArts Star Wars games.
List of LucasArts Star Wars games
Since 1983, over 120 video games have been published bearing the Star Wars name, beginning with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back published for the Atari 2600 by Parker Brothers. Other early titles include the Star Wars Nintendo Entertainment System game (published by JVC) and three other titles for the Atari 2600.
Atari produced arcade games based on the original trilogy, beginning with Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, which were both 'flight sim' style games that utilized vector graphics. The third, Return of the Jedi, used more traditional raster graphics.
Star Wars has also, and not surprisingly, opened the way to a myriad of Space-flight simulations that take the space wars of the saga in a more serious manner, teaching the player to fly various Star Wars Universe starfighters along the lines of more traditional "Modern Aircraft" flight simulators. The first among these were "X-Wing" and its two expansions, "B-Wing" and "Imperial Pursuit", dealing with the Rebellion's side of the war, taking place in the period right before, and up to, the destruction of the first Death Star. The second was "TIE Fighter", dealing with the Empire's starfighters at the time prior to Episode VI. Both games were released for DOS and Macintosh. "TIE Fighter" also had an expansion disk, "Defender of the Empire". In addition, both the original "X-Wing" and "TIE Fighter" games saw two collector's edition releases (one for DOS and another for Windows 9x) which featured enhanced graphics quality and added missions. Newer simulators are also available, with "X-Wing Alliance" in the lead.
The first Star Wars first person shooter, "Dark Forces", was introduced by LucasArts in February 1995. Telling the story of Kyle Katarn, Imperial soldier gone mercenary, the game featured a little over a dozen levels where the player explored various original and familiar settings. Featuring an original and interactive soundtrack by reknowned game composer Clint Bajakian using the iMUSE sound system, along with state-of-the-art graphics, the game succeeded in capturing many gamer's imaginations. The 1997 sequel, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II, was notable for having a few cut scenes which were made up of live action footage of certain Expanded Universe characters, such as Kyle Katarn.
Rogue Squadron was a cross-platform title on Nintendo 64 and PC which allowed the player to experience a more arcade-action version of the same gameplay in "X-Wing" and "TIE Fighter". The game consisted of piloting several different Star Wars vehicles through missions on planet surfaces and in space. "Rogue Squadron" saw two sequels, both on the Nintendo Gamecube system.
Star Wars: Rebellion allowed players to compete in the Star Wars universe on a larger scale, focusing more on the strategic aspect of handling (or defeating) a rebellion, with resource management and agent-allocation, as well as large-scale conflicts between entire fleets of starships.
Other games are: Knights of the Old Republic by BioWare, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords by Obsidian Entertainment, Battlefront, Battlefront II, Galactic Battlegrounds, Republic Commando, Episode III: The video game, Lego Star Wars, Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy, Star Wars Galaxies, and soon to come is Empire at War.
Board and roleplaying games
In a 1996 game from Hasbro, entitled Star Wars: The Interactive Video Board Game, which is set during the era of the original trilogy, new live-action scenes were shot of Darth Vader on the Death Star around the events of Return of the Jedi. The footage was made available on a special VHS tape, included in the box of the game. When playing the board game, the players could put in the tape, which would play while they were in a game. David Prowse reprised his role as Vader, and James Earl Jones returned as the voice of Vader. Some of the original crew for A New Hope came back to shoot these scenes.
Two Star Wars role playing games have also been published, and in 2005, Hasbro developed and released a DVD TV Game based on Star Wars and utilizing the Trivial Pursuit game-play format.
Multimedia projects
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (1996) was an ambitious multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. Dubbed "a film without a film", Shadows of the Empire told the story of the events between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and introduced a new villain named Prince Xizor. Utilizing all previous types of media that have been used to present the Expanded Universe, the project included a novel written by Steve Perry, multiple comic book series, a soundtrack, a video game, concept art, action figures, and the like.
- The Clone Wars (2003-2005). Using methods similar to the Shadows of the Empire project, Lucasfilm directed a widespread project to tell the stories of the Clone Wars. This project was made up of films, novels, video games, comics, and even its own animated series (described above).
Mockumentaries
- Return of the Ewok (1982) was a 24-minute fictional mockumentary-style movie, focusing on Warwick Davis' decision to become an actor and act as Wicket in Return of the Jedi.
- R2-D2: Beneath the Dome (2002) was a 20-minute mockumentary-style movie, focusing on the "true" story of R2-D2's life. It was made as a fun side-project by some of the crew of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, but was later deemed suitable for television and for its own DVD.
Star Tours
In 1987, Lucasfilm and Disney, utilizing the power of ILM, teamed up to produce Star Tours, an amusement park simulator ride through the Star Wars galaxy. The ride is advertised as an opportunity to take a tour to the forest moon of Endor via the Starship 3000. The ship is controlled by a robot named Rex (voiced by Paul Reubens of Pee Wee Herman fame), who happens to be new at giving the tours, and your riding experience happens to be his first time at the controls. Along the way, the rider encounters many mishaps, including run-ins with Imperial Star Destroyers, and near collisions with asteroid fields, until their ship finally makes it safely back into the port. A Star Tours II has been announced by George Lucas, to be based on prequel situations. Although exactly when it will begin production or its opening date are as of yet to be confirmed.
Toys
In addition, many other toys have been made. The Star Wars toy phenomenon began in 1978 with the original action figures, toy lightsabers and blasters, twelve-inch figures, toy vehicles, and much more products. These toys are known as the vintage Star Wars toys. Today many of these "vintage" figures are quite rare and hard to find. Many are also worth a lot of money. Recently, a toy line called Star Wars: The Original Trilogy Collection, brought back elements of the original vintage toy line, such as vintage packaging. With the coming of Star Wars: Episode I, Lego began creating little (and quite large) buildable Star Wars characters and scenes. Recently, the Lego creators have invented light-up lightsabers for their figures. Lego even made a video game (metioned above).
Many types of toys have been made. Darth Vader helmets and voice changers now inhabit the shelves, usually right next to the Ultimate Lightsaber Kit, which contains parts to design and assemble your own functional lightsaber toy.
Continuity and canonicity
The Expanded Universe is intended to be a continuation, and an expansion, on the six Star Wars theatrical films, produced by George Lucas from 1977-2005. All EU material, combined with that presented in the films is meant to function as a complete story. However, in order to allow this story to function as a whole, it must be kept under in an order of continuity. Lucasfilm holds this of such high importance that a team's sole job at Lucasfilm is maintaining continuity between Lucas's films, and the EU, which is written by many other authors and artists, many times out of order, and with many different ideas. Lucas, however, is free to go in any direction he wishes in his films to tell the story he intends. He acknowleges and supports the works of the EU, however, he still tells the stories he wants to tell in his films. When asked in an interview his general opinion on the EU, he replied:
:I don't read that stuff. I haven't read any of the novels. I don't know anything about that world. That's a different world than my world. But I do try to keep it consistent. The way I do it now is they have a Star Wars Encyclopedia. So if I come up with a name or something else, I look it up and see if it has already been used. When I said [other people] could make their own Star Wars stories, we decided that, like Star Trek, we would have two universes: My universe and then this other one. They try to make their universe as consistent with mine as possible, but obviously they get enthusiastic and want to go off in other directions. - George Lucas, from an interview in Starlog #337
George Lucas retains ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes considerable effort to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across multiple companies. Nothing in the Expanded Universe is supposed to contradict the films or any other part of the Expanded Universe. Upon occasion, Lucas's new films, reedited Original Trilogy films, or statements have contradicted existing EU material, and several retcons have been used to fix these inconsistencies.
Some purists reject the Expanded Universe as apocrypha, believing that only the events in the film series are part of the "real" Star Wars universe. This line of thought is supported to the extent that some Expanded Universe material released before Lucas's prequel films drew erroneous conclusions that Lucas later corrected. However, elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films. For example, the name of planet Coruscant first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire before being used later in the prequel trilogy. This has ended up confusing the issue, as it has blurred the lines between the Expanded Universe and "his world."
There are also minor disputes about what is, and what is not, part of the Expanded Universe. For example, the two Star Wars spin-off films: Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor were written by George Lucas and are films, but they are not one of the six main films in the series, so they are usually considered to be a part of the Expanded Universe.
Official levels of canon
The [http://starwars.wikicities.com/wiki/Holocron_continuity_database Holocron] is an internal database maintained by Lucas Licensing for the express purpose of trying to maintain continuity within all licensed products. The Holocron is sorted into four levels of canon, reflecting LFL's canon and continuity policies: G, C, S, and N.
:"When it comes to absolute canon, the real story of Star Wars, you must turn to the films themselves - and only the films." - LucasBooks' Chris Cerasi, 2001
- G (George Lucas) canon is absolute canon. This category includes the six films, the deleted scenes from the films, the novelizations of the films, the radio dramas based on the films, the film scripts, and any material found in any other source (published or not) that comes directly from George Lucas himself. G canon outranks all other forms of canon.
- C (continuity) canon refers to the main body of EU work, and is the next most authoritative level of canon. All material published under the Star Wars label but not falling into either G, S, or N is C canon, and is considered authoritative as long as not contradicted by G canon.
- S (secondary) canon refers to older, less accurate, or less coherent EU works, which would not ordinarily fit in the main continuity of G and C canon. For example, this includes the popular online roleplaying game Star Wars Galaxies and certain elements of a few N-canon stories.
- N continuity material is also known as "non-canon" or "non-continuity" material. What-if stories (such as those published under the Infinities label) and anything else that cannot at all fit into continuity is placed into this category. "N-continuity" is not considered canon.
Lucas's use of the EU
C-canon elements from licensed creators have been known to appear in Lucas' films. Most of these are brief, cameo appearances, almost taking the form of Easter Eggs (which may have been added by animators or others under Lucas, rather than specifically dictated), but others are more substantial:
- The name "Coruscant" was originally used by Timothy Zahn in the Thrawn trilogy of novels. Lucas was going to include the capital world of Had Abbadon in Return of the Jedi, but adopted Zahn's name for Imperial Center when presenting the planet in the Special Edition and prequel movies.
- Swoop bikes. In the special edition scenes added to A New Hope, a swoop bike scares a ronto. Anakin Skywalker also pilots a swoop during his search for his mother in Attack of the Clones.
- Quinlan Vos. Vos briefly appeared as a background extra on Tatooine, in The Phantom Menace at a Mos Espa café. His character and story was later elaborated upon in the EU. A cameo appearance of this character was planned, but not filmed for Revenge of the Sith. His name (as "Master Vos") was still mentioned in the film, however, by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Jedi briefing room in the Jedi Temple.
- Aayla Secura. Appeared as a significant, albeit minor, character in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. She is the second victim of Order 66, as seen in Revenge of the Sith
- The Outrider and with it, the YT-2400 freighters in general. It has a minor cameo, seen from a distance, lifting off from Mos Eisley, in the special scenes added to A New Hope for the special edition.
- Action VI Transports, initially appeared as the Wild Karrde in Heir to the Empire, they also arrive at the Theed Spaceport in Attack of the Clones.
- Prince Xizor. Cameo appearance in The Phantom Menace on a Coruscant landing pad. Also, a Micro Machines model of the Shadows of the Empire villain was used to populate the spectator stands at the Mos Espa Arena in The Phantom Menace.
- The Force Speed ability, first created for the West End Games Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Used in The Phantom Menace by Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to evade droidekas.
- The planet Tund, first mentioned in the Adventures of Lando Calrissian series of books, was identified as the planet Ben Quadinaros was from in The Phantom Menace.
- The planet Rishi, introduced in Dark Force Rising, was given a mention via the Rishi Maze in Attack of the Clones.
- Nee Alavar, a background character in Revenge of the Sith, was identified as a Lorrdian. The Lorrdian people first appeared in the novel Han Solo's Revenge.
Lucas has often worked very closely with EU creators:
- Lucas wrote the stories for both of the Ewok films from the mid-eighties: Caravan of Courage and The Battle for Endor.
- Lucas is planning to write, direct, and produce part of the upcoming Star Wars live-action TV series.
- James Luceno based his book Labyrith of Evil the background Lucas informed him of, of what happened right before Revenge of the Sith.
- Lucas also gave Genndy Tartakovsky information on specific events during the Clone Wars, which Genndy used in part of the series. Lucas also will likely give input on the upcoming 3D expansion of the series.
- In writing the novelization of The Phantom Menace, Lucas informed Terry Brooks of the extensive history of the Sith and Jedi before that time period, so he could include it in his book. Lucas also gave Brooks other extensive bits of info of what went on during The Phantom Menace.
On the other hand, Lucas has been known to ignore C-canon material when creating his films, even when this material is well-established and central to the EU continuity. This has led some to believe that the C-canon material is not, in fact, closely aligned with Lucas' vision. Examples of these inconsistencies include:
- While in the EU the Republic has been extant for roughly 25,000 years, based on statements made by Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, in Attack of the Clones, Palpatine says that the Republic has stood for a thousand years. Taken at face value, this would not only delete the majority of the EU's history, but contradict another piece of G-canon as well. Authors invented the Ruusan Reformation, in which the Republic is reorganized following the defeat of the Sith, occurring a thousand years before the movies, in order to explain, or "retcon," this statement.
- The deaths of Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Darth Vader in the original trilogy made it appear that dead Jedi typically disappeared and reappeared as Force ghosts. Revenge of the Sith revealed that this is in fact a very rare ability only a few Jedi have ever mastered.
- Boba Fett's origins originally named him as one "Jaster Mereel," a Journeyman Protector exiled from Concord Dawn. It was later revealed that Jaster Mereel was merely an alias Fett was using when he was exiled.
- The Clone Wars, as described in Zahn's Thrawn trilogy, were, at least in part, a struggle between the Old Republic and a army of insane clones grown by a number of "clonemasters." Attack of the Clones, on the other hand, revealed that the Clone Wars were fought between the Old Republic (using clones) and a (single) Separatist movement (using droids). When writing the prequel trilogy, Lucas changed the dates he had originally given Zahn for the Clone Wars, so Zahn's estimate was at least a decade off. This inconsistency was easily explained, since it is the Noghri who give the former date, and this species was using their own unique dating system.
See also
Star Wars lists
Other Star Wars articles
External links
- [http://www.starwars.com/eu Official Expanded Universe site]
- [http://starwars.wikicities.com/wiki/Expanded_Universe Star Wars Wiki | Expanded Universe]
- [http://www.starwars.com/databank/appearance/ep0.html EU Databank]
- [http://www.echuta.net/smwu SMWU (EU Character Fansites)]
- [http://www.timelineuniverse.net/Holocron.htm Fan timeline of the EU known as "The Holocron."]
- [http://www.starwarsfanworks.com/timeline Website where Nathan Butler's extremely thorough "Star Wars Timeline Gold" of the EU can be downloaded.]
- [http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/ Site of the RandomHouse Star Wars novels.]
- [http://www.st-v-sw.net/STSWCanon2.html A thorough explanation of the canon policy]
Category:Star Wars
Category:Continuity (fiction)
Star Wars
Star Wars is an influential science fantasy saga and fictional universe created by writer/producer/director George Lucas in the early 1970s. The saga began with the film Star Wars, which was released on May 25, 1977. The film, later retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, led to a pop culture phenomenon, spawning five more feature films and an extensive collection of licensed books, comics, video games, spin-off films, television series, toys, etc.
An example of the space opera genre, the Star Wars story also employs archetypal motifs common to both science fiction and classical mythology, as well as the classical music motifs of those aspects. The film series is widely considered to be the major impetus which launched the new era of high-budget, special-effects blockbuster movies that continues to this day. In 2005, Forbes Magazine estimated the overall revenue generated by the entire Star Wars franchise (over the course of its 28-year history) at nearly US$20 billion, easily making it one of the most successful film franchises of all time.
Conception
Forbes Magazine
Star Wars began with a 13-page treatment for a space adventure movie which George Lucas drafted in 1973, inspired from multiple myths and classic stories.
Influences
:See also: Star Wars sources and analogues
Many different influences have been suggested for the Star Wars films by fans, critics, and George Lucas himself. For example, Lucas may have been inspired by the plot and characterizations of the 1958 Japanese film The Hidden Fortress, which was directed by Akira Kurosawa. Lucas has said in an interview, which is included on the DVD edition of The Hidden Fortress, that the movie influenced him to tell the story of Star Wars basically through the eyes of the simple droids, rather than a major player.
Prior to writing the script for Star Wars, George Lucas originally wanted to make a film of Flash Gordon. The rights for Flash Gordon, however, were held by Dino de Laurentiis, and Lucas decided to work on his own science fiction project instead.
Another influence in Lucas' creation of Star Wars were the writings of Joseph Campbell. Campbell's work explored the common meanings, structures, and purposes of the world's mythologies. Lucas has stated that his intention was to create in Star Wars a modern mythology based on Campbell's work. The original Star Wars film, for example, closely followed the archetypal "hero's journey", as described in Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
It is also thought that the setting for the Star Wars universe came from Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy, published in the early 1950s. This saga also involves a galaxy teeming with inhabited worlds held together by a collapsing galactic empire using hyperdrives (for long-distance transportation). It also features the planet Trantor, which is entirely covered by the galaxy's capital, similar to Coruscant, and the protagonist of Foundation and Empire is Lathan Devers, a character resembling Han Solo. Even lightsabers have precursors in the The Foundation Trilogy as force field penknives.
Scripts
According to one source, Star Wars creator George Lucas originally wrote summaries for fifteen stories that would make up the Star Wars saga. Out of these fifteen stories, Lucas originally planned to film only one of them as a feature film. Then, in 1978, following the success of the original Star Wars movie, he publicly announced that he would create a total of twelve films to chronicle the adventures of Luke Skywalker (in the original scripts, the character was then known as Luke Starkiller). In 1979, Lucas retracted his former statement, saying that he would only make nine of those twelve films. Four years later, around 1983, having completed Episode VI of the series, Lucas announced that he was finished with Star Wars and no additional films would be made. Finally, in 1995, Lucas suddenly announced that he would produce a trilogy of prequels (Episodes I–III), for a total of six films. He also claimed that he had always envisioned "the whole thing as a series of six films".
Other sources, including publicly available draft scripts of Star Wars, show that Lucas had an incomplete and quickly-changing conception of the Star Wars story up until the release of the first film in 1977. Story elements such as the Kaiburr crystal present in early scripts are missing entirely in the films, while names were freely exchanged between different planets and characters—"Organa Major" being the original name for Alderaan, for instance (and Organa changed into Leia's surname). Even as late as the production of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, there were significant diversions from the films which immediately emerged: for example, Lando Calrissian being a clone from the Clone Wars and the climatic battle of Return of the Jedi taking place against two Death Stars in the orbit of the Imperial capital planet, then known as Had Abbadon. [http://www.starwarz.com/starkiller/scripts.htm] Another version of the Return of the Jedi script had Luke turning to the dark side after killing Darth Vader. Leia would then become the next Jedi to fight the dark side. This did not happen, however, because Lucas felt that the ending would be too dark especially with having children as a major part of the audience. In addition, the story released as the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye was intended as a possible direction for a low-budget Star Wars sequel—however, the success of A New Hope allowed Lucas to pursue the more ambitious The Empire Strikes Back instead.
For his part, Lucas claimed in a segment filmed for the THX-remastered VHS release of the original trilogy that the original Star Wars story was intended as a single film, but was later split into three because the story was too long to be told in a single film. In the DVD commentaries for the original trilogy, Lucas claims that many story elements were changed within the production of the films—for instance, the attack on the Death Star in A New Hope was moved from the end of the trilogy in order to strengthen A New Hope on its own merits, while the character of Chewbacca established the Wookiees as a technologically advanced race, necessitating their replacement with Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Other changes, including the death of Obi-Wan in A New Hope, were made during the filming. Lucas also stated in the commentaries that the prequel stories existed only as "notes" explaining the backstories of characters such as Obi-Wan. In an interview with Wired prior to the release of Episode I, Lucas remarked that he had allowed the publication of novels written as sequels to the films (see Expanded Universe) because he would never make the sequels himself.
Lucas' history of different statements regarding his future and past plans for the Star Wars saga have caused a great deal of popular confusion, while drawing criticism from some. For example, some still believe that Lucas' original plan was for a "trilogy of trilogies." For more information on the supposed sequel trilogy, see Sequel trilogy (Star Wars).
It has been reported that Lucas' original script was almost 500 pages long. The title, originally The Adventures of Luke Starkiller, was changed several times before becoming simply Star Wars.
Films
The Star Wars film series is made up of a total of six films. These six films, which technically make up a hexology, are generally split into two trilogies: The "original trilogy" of Episodes IV–VI, released between 1977 and 1983, and the "prequel trilogy" of Episodes I–III, released between 1999 and 2005.
Production and release
Sequel trilogy (Star Wars)
There were countless problems during the production of Episode IV, and few critics expected the film to achieve the measure of success it did. Many problems with effects, editing, funding, and shooting caused the film to be pushed back from its expected release date of December of 1976. The production company, not to mention many involved in the actual production, had little faith in the movie. According to reports, it was a daily struggle merely to complete the film on time. Despite these difficulties, the first film was released on May 25th, 1977 and became a surprise hit. Though its novelization had hit the shelves a year earlier, the book had not seen nearly the amount of interest that the film would draw.
Episodes IV, V, and VI were shot at, among other locations, Elstree Studios, in Hertfordshire, England. The Phantom Menace was filmed at Leavesden Film Studios and the subsequent prequels were filmed in Sydney, Australia. Tunisia, and the sand dunes of Yuma, Arizona, have served as the location for filming scenes set on the desert planet Tatooine in A New Hope, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith. The Palace of Caserta, Italy, was used to create The Palace of Theed, on the planet Naboo: Queen Amidala's home. Shooting in Italy also includes the Lake of Como. The outdoor scenes from the ice planet Hoth in Episode V were shot at Finse, Norway. Also, one shot of the Rebel Base on Yavin IV in Episode IV was of Mayan temples in Tikal, Guatemala.
Both the "original trilogy" and the "prequel trilogy" were released over a period of six years (1977–1983 and 1999–2005, respectively), each movie taking three years to produce.
Musical score
Guatemala.]]
The scores for all six Star Wars films have been composed by John Williams. Lucas's intentions for Star Wars involved a grand musical sound, with leitmotifs for different characters and important objects; an approach used to great effect, for instance, in the operas of Richard Wagner. Toward this end, Lucas put together a collection of classical pieces for composer Williams to review, as an idea of what effects Lucas desired for the films. The music Williams composed was often distinctly reminiscent of the original classical pieces. Williams' score for the original Star Wars film A New Hope, in 1977 set a new standard for science fiction films by drawing its inspiration primarily from a palette of classical symphonies, rather than pseudo-futuristic themes (in choosing this classical approach, Williams was following the lead of 2001: A Space Odyssey and a mix-tape of Wagnerian opera and other selections compiled by George Lucas.) Although Williams had already established himself as a film composer with scores for blockbusters such as The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, and Jaws, the Star Wars score catapulted him to super-stardom.
Williams' scores for the original trilogy were primarily motif-based: individual characters and settings were each given their own, unique musical theme which would identify their presence in the film, whether physically or figuratively. By combining and varying these motifs, Williams could create a score possessed of a rich, interwoven fabric.
By the time of the prequel trilogy, however, Williams had grown and changed as a composer. His new scores de-emphasized motifs, tending to weave them subtly into a broader and more dynamic musical composition. He had also expanded his use of thematic motifs, using the technique to highlight the emotional or archetypal structure of the film, rather than the more literal associations to character and setting used in the earlier scores.
Setting
Unlike the traditional science fiction films preceding it, the Star Wars world was portrayed as dirty and grimy, rather than sleek and futuristic. In interviews, Lucas tells of rubbing the new props with dirt to make them look weather-worn, a concept he refers to as "a used future." He may have been inspired by Sergio Leone, whose 1960s films performed a similar function for the Western genre.
Each Star Wars film opens with the text, "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..." Lucas intended this as an allusion to the classic fairy tale opening of, "Once upon a time, in a faraway land..." To some, Lucas' allusion suggests that the films are to be interpreted as myths of the future, rather than literal events of the past. Lucas himself has intentionally left the details open to interpretation.
Although the film series itself spans the events of only two generations, other stories set in the Star Wars universe (those from the so-called "Expanded Universe") cover events that span millennia.
Plot
:For more detailed storylines, see the individual articles for each film.
span millennia
Episodes I, II, and III chronicle the downfall of the Old Republic and the Rise of the Galactic Empire. It is also the story of Anakin Skywalker's rise as a gifted young Jedi and his eventual fall to the Dark Side of the Force. In the films, Darth Sidious manipulates the Trade Federation into invading and occupying the planet Naboo. Using his public identity of Senator Palpatine, Sidious uses the crisis to manipulate the Senate into electing him Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. Sidious then further manipulates the Senate into granting him emergency power, and orchestrates the Clone Wars, a conflict between the Republic (which he controls as Chancellor Palpatine) and a Separatist movement (which he controls as Darth Sidious). Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala fall in love. They hold a secret wedding at the end of Episode II. During the latter parts of the Clone Wars, Padmé becomes pregnant with twins, Luke and Leia. As the Clone Wars come to an end, Sidious turns Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side. Anakin, now known as Darth Vader, helps Sidious to wipe out the Jedi and Sidious, as Palpatine, declares himself Emperor of the Galactic Empire. Padmé gives birth to Luke and Leia but dies during childbirth. Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda choose to go into exile. Obi-Wan takes Luke to Tatooine with the intent to watch over him from afar, while Senator Bail Organa takes Leia to Alderaan and raises her. Yoda goes to Dagobah to await the arrival of Luke.
Episode IV, V, and VI pick up approximately nineteen years after the events of Episode III, during the Galactic Civil War, which leads to the downfall of the Galactic Empire at the hands of the Rebel Alliance. These films follow the story of Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin Skywalker, and his rise in the Rebel movement against the Empire. Leia, now a Princess and a member of the Imperial Senate, sends a plea for help to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke inadvertently intercepts the message and meets Kenobi. After the murder of his aunt and uncle by Imperial Stormtroopers, Luke joins the ragtag Rebel Alliance. He trains to become a Jedi like his father, whom he believes was betrayed and murdered by Lord Darth Vader. When Luke learns the truth — that his father is Darth Vader — he is profoundly shaken. Despite this, Luke successfully resists the efforts of Vader and the Emperor to turn him to the Dark Side, instead turning his father back to the Light Side of the Force. A mortally wounded Vader then kills the Emperor, while the Rebel fleet scores a decisive victory against the second Death Star, ending the war. The Rebel Alliance's victory eventually leads to the formation of the New Republic, as described in the Expanded Universe (see below).
Major characters
:See also: List of Star Wars characters
Opening Crawls
Yoda
The Star Wars films use an opening text to provide the audience with the background to the story. Lucas emulated the Flash Gordon serials by having his opening text "crawl" up the screen from bottom to top at a high pitched angle, as if the text were disappearing into the distant starscape.
In a May 15th, 2005 interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Lucas described the creation of the distinctive crawl: "The crawl is such a hard thing because you have to be careful that you're not using too many words that people don't understand. It's like a poem. I showed the very first crawl to a bunch of friends of mine in the '70s. It went on for six paragraphs with four sentences each. Brian De Palma was there, and he threw his hands up in the air and said, 'George, you're out of your mind! Let me sit down and write this for you.' He helped me chop it down into the form that exists today."
Recurring themes
George Lucas embraces a style of epic storytelling that he refers to as "motifs": Common themes and concepts which he "plays" in different ways each time they recur. The concept is lifted from classical music, but Lucas applies it both visually and as an integral part of his storytelling.
On a large scale, there are the parallels between the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. The stories of Anakin Skywalker and Luke Skywalker echo and reflect each other in myriad ways.
Re-releases
In 1997, Episodes IV, V, and VI were re-mastered and theatrically re-released as the "Special Editions." For the re-release, in addition to extensive clean-up and restoration work, Lucas also made a number of changes to the films in order to "finish the film the way it was meant to be" (as Lucas said in a September 2004 interview with the associated press).
changes
Many of Lucas' changes for the Special Editions were cosmetic, generally adding special effects which weren't originally possible. Other changes, however, are considered to have affected plot or character development. These changes, such as the change often referred to by fans as "Han shot first," have proven to be controversial.
In 2004, in addition to an extensive and comprehensive hi-definition digital cleanup and restoration job by Lowry Digital, the original trilogy films were changed once again for their release on DVD. In these new versions of the films, in addition to new scenes and minor tweaks and adjustments, a few changes which had been made for the 1997 Special Editions were removed. With this release, Lucasfilm created a new high-definition master of the films, which will be used in future releases as well.
At a ShoWest convention in 2005, George Lucas demonstrated new technology and stated that he is planning to release all six films in a new 3-D film format, beginning with A New Hope in 2007.
Lucas has also hinted in the past that he will release his definitive, often called "archival" editions of all six Star Wars films on a next-generation home-video format in 2007. This release would coincide with, and celebrate, the 30th anniversary of the Star Wars saga.
The Force
The Force is one of the most recognizable elements of the Star Wars mythos. It is described by Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars film as, "An energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds the galaxy together."
Those who can use the Force, such as the Jedi, can perform feats of telepathy, psychokinesis, prescience, and mental control. In the original trilogy, there were two aspects of the Force given emphasis: the light side and the dark side. The light side of the Force is the facet of that energy field aligned with good, benevolence, and healing. The dark side of the Force is the element aligned with fear, hatred, aggression, and malevolence; this side of the Force seems more powerful, but it is merely easier, and thus more tempting to those who crave power.
Expanded Universe
psychokinesis
The term "Expanded Universe", also known as the "EU," has come into existence as an umbrella term for all of the officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the two trilogies, including books, comics, games, and other forms of media. This material expands and continues the stories told in the films, taking place anywhere from 25,000 years before The Phantom Menace to 36 years after Return of the Jedi. The Expanded Universe officially began with Alan Dean Foster's 1978 Star Wars spin-off novel, Splinter of the Mind's Eye.
It should be noted that although George Lucass name is on the cover of the original Star Wars novel, Alan Dean Foster actually wrote it. He was given a copy of the working script, and a tour of the production. Most of the actual description was from the mind of Foster. It could be said that this was the unofficial start of the Expanded Universe.
The early development of the Expanded Universe was sporadic and unrefined, particularly because there was so little official material for the creators to build on. It still had a major impact though, for example, Marvel Comics was reputedly saved from closure by its publishing of Star Wars comics (the print runs ran into millions). A turning point in the honing of a concrete "expanded universe" was reached when West End Games began publishing the Star Wars Roleplaying Game in 1987. In order for players of the roleplaying game to create new adventures, West End Games needed to provide supplemental material describing the Star Wars universe in previously unknown detail.
Around this same time, Dark Horse Comics acquired the Star Wars license and used it to launch a number of ambitious sequels to the original trilogy, including the very popular Dark Empire stories. Shortly thereafter, in the early '90s, Bantam published Timothy Zahn's Thrawn trilogy. Widely publicized as the "sequels which were never made", Zahn's novels reignited Star Wars fandom and sparked a revolution in Star Wars literature.
George Lucas retains ultimate creative control over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes considerable effort to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across multiple companies.
Some purists reject the Expanded Universe as Apocrypha, believing that only the events in the film series are part of the "real" Star Wars universe. However, elements of the Expanded Universe have been adopted by Lucas for use in the films. For example, the name of the planet Coruscant first appeared in Timothy Zahn's novel Heir to the Empire before being used later in the prequel trilogy.
Fan works
:See also: Star Wars fan films
Star Wars fan films
The Star Wars saga has inspired many fans to create their own stories set in the Star Wars galaxy. In recent years, this has ranged from writing fan-fiction to creating fan films.
In 2002, Lucasfilm sponsored the first annual Official Star Wars Fan Films Awards, officially recognizing filmmakers and the genre. Due to concerns over potential copyright and trademark issues, however, the contest remains open only to parodies, mockumentaries, and documentaries. Fan-fiction films set in the Star Wars universe are ineligible. Initially this limitation caused an outcry for those interested in creating serious fan-fiction for a competition.
While many of the serious fan films have used elements from the licensed Expanded Universe to tell their story, they are obviously not considered an official part of the Star Wars canon. Lucasfilm has, for the most part, turned a blind eye to the creation of these derivative fan-fiction works, so long as no such work attempts to make a profit from or tarnish the Star Wars franchise in any way.
Lucasfilm's open support and sanction of fan creations is a marked contrast to the attitudes of many other copyright holders. Some owners, such as Paramount Pictures with the Star Trek properties, have been known to actively discourage the creation of such works by fans.
Notable fan films include:
- TROOPS (1997) is Kevin Rubio's parody of the TV show COPS, humorously following the Imperial stormtroopers charged with tracking down the droids on Tatooine at the beginning of Episode IV. This film, with its professional production values and its ability to take advantage of Internet distribution, is generally credited with kickstarting the modern fanfilm phenomenon.
- Star Wars: Revelations (2005) was directed by Shane Felux. Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, the film attempts to explain what happened to the Jedi after the Great Jedi Purge of 19 BBY. Produced for nearly $20,000 and with an international crew, it is notable for being one of the most ambitious fanfilms to date. While expensive by most standards, it took a large step in showing that professional-quality filmmaking was becoming available at the consumer level.
References
- On philosophy and religion influences: [http://pcasacas.org/SPC/spcissues/23.1/wetmore.htm The Tao of Star Wars, Or, Cultural Appropriation in a Galaxy Far, Far Away]
- On Technology influences: [http://hem.bredband.net/wookiee/development/ This site] explains the many influences in its analysis of the writing of Star Wars.
- Books about religion/philosophy and Star Wars:
- The Tao of Star Wars by John M. Porter ISBN 0893343854
- The Dharma of Star Wars by Matthew Bortolin ISBN 0861714970
- Star Wars And Philosophy by Kevin S. Decker, Jason T. Eberl, William Irwin ISBN 0812695836
- "Conception" section based on: The Star Wars Timeline Gold-Appendice L-Understanding the Lost Episodes (p. 141–142).
See also
General information
Star Wars universe
External links
- [http://www.starwars.com/ The official Star Wars website]
- [http://www.TheForce.net TheForce.net]; one of the oldest Star Wars fan sites.
- [http://www.Starwarz.com Starwarz.com]; Everything for the Star Wars enthusiast.
- [http://www.starwarsfanworks.com/ StarWarsfanworks.Com]; A fan site of Star Wars audio and radio dramas.
- [http://www.moviemistakes.com/film1226 Mistakes in Star Wars] at [http://www.moviemistakes.com moviemistakes.com]
- National Geographic News: [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0603_050603_starwars.html So how believable is the Star Wars galaxy?]
- [http://dmoz.org/Arts/Movies/Titles/S/Star_Wars_Movies/ Directory to Star Wars sites on the internet.]
- [http://www.blueharvest.net/ Star Wars behind the scenes]
Film preservation
- [http://www.originaltrilogy.com OriginalTrilogy.com] A fan site dedicated to preserving the theatrical cuts of the original trilogy on DVD through fan edits.
- [http://www.x0project.com The X0 Project] LaserDisc-to-DVD project of the Original Trilogy.
- [http://www.starwarslegacy.com STAR WARS - Legacy Edition] An Original Trilogy Restoration Project.
Wiki guide
- [http://starwars.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page The Star Wars Wiki]; also known as "Wookieepedia."
- [http://jediarchives.info Jedi Archives]; A new Star Wars wiki created using MediaWiki.
- [http://swfanon.wikicities.com/wiki/Main_Page Non-Canon Star Wars]
- [http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Star_wars Uncyclopedia Parody]
Star Wars
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zh-min-nan:Seng-kiû Tāi-chiàn
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BBYFans of the fictional Star Wars universe keep track of the dates of key events with a dating system (or calendar) centered around the Battle of Yavin featured in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In this dating system, BBY stands for Before the Battle of Yavin, and ABY stands for After the Battle of Yavin, so 50 BBY would come before 5 ABY, and 45 BBY would come after 50 BBY, much as in AD and BC. (Occasionally, the defeat of the Empire at the Battle of Endor (four years after Yavin) has been used as an alternate starting year, but has generally been phased out in favor of the current standard system.)
Note: In-universe, this dating system is used almost exclusively by the Rebel Alliance/New Republic. The earlier Galactic Empire preferred to date events from the Great Resynchronization of 35 BBY, or from the Emperor's ascension to the throne (19 BBY). The Old Republic dated years from the Ruusan Reformation of 1,000 BBY.
A galactic year, based on the length of a year on Coruscant, is 368 standard days, one standard day being a day of equal length as a day on Coruscant (twenty-four hours). It is composed of 10 months plus the Festival of Yule.
Time Measurement in the Star Wars Galaxy
In the Official Continuity’s Star Wars universe (based on Coruscant's rotation) :
- 368 days = 1 year
- 60 minutes = 1 hour
- 24 hours = 1 day
- 5 days = 1 week
- 7 weeks = 1 month
- 35 days = 1 month
- 10 months + 3 festival weeks + 3 holiday days = 1 year
The year
The Tapani Sector's Year
- By the Tapani Sector's domestic calendar, which is Galactic Standard with local names, the year flows as follows:
- Month 1: Elona
- Month 2: Kelona
- Holiday 1: Tapani Day
- Month 3: Selona
- Festival Week 1: Expansion Week
- Month 4: Telona
- Month 5: Nelona
- Holiday 2: Productivity Day
- Month 6: Helona
- Festival Week 2: Shelova Week
- Month 7: Melona
- Month 8: Yelona
- Holiday 3: Harvest Day
- Month 9: Relona (The Freeworlds Region of the Tapani Sector also recognizes Relona 10 - 15 as Independence Week.)
- Month 10: Welona
- Festival Week 3: Winter Fete
The Galactic Year
- From the above information, we can extrapolate that the year, whether Tapani-named or not, in the Star Wars galaxy flows as follows:
- 2 months
- 1 holiday
- 1 month
- 1 festival week
- 2 months
- 1 holiday
- 1 month
- 1 festival week
- 2 months
- 1 holiday
- 2 months
- 1 festival week
The week
- The week flows as follows:
- Day 1: Atunda
- Day 2: Katunda
- Day 3: Satunda
- Day 4: Datunda
- Day 5: Natunda
Film Timeline
- 32 BBY - Episode I: The Phantom Menace: May 19, 1999
- 22 BBY - Episode II: Attack of the Clones: May 16, 2002
- 22–20.5 BBY - Clone Wars: November 7, 2003
- 19 BBY - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: May 19, 2005
- 15 BBY - Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO: September 7, 1985 – June 7, 1986
- 0 BBY - Episode IV: A New Hope: May 25, 1977
- 1 ABY - The Star Wars Holiday Special: November 17, 1978
- 1.5 ABY - Ewoks: September 7, 1985
- 3 ABY - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back: May 21, 1980
- 3.5 ABY - Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure: November 25, 1984
- 3.5 ABY - Ewoks: The Battle for Endor: November 24, 1985
- 4 ABY - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi: May 25, 1983
- 5 ABY - Star Tours: January 9, 1987
Timeline of Star Wars History
Before the Battle of Yavin (BBY)
- c. 7,500,000,000+ BBY
- The universe is created.
- c. 5,000,000,000 BBY
- The Star Wars galaxy forms.
- The first star in the Cularian System, named Morasil, is formed.
- c. 3,000,000,000 BBY
- The Sharu race is created in the Rafa System.
- c. 2,000,000,000 BBY
- The Oseon System is created. A rogue star is believed to have passed too close to the system, disrupting the planet formation and creating an abnormally large asteroid belt.
- c. 100,000 BBY
- The planet Coruscant is now covered entirely by its principal city, later known as the Galactic City.
- The ancient Sith civilization begins to develop on the planet Korriban.
- The Jedi rise.
- c. 90,000 BBY
- The surface of Coruscant sees the sun for the last time this year.
- c. 49,000 BBY
- The Infinite Empire of the Rakata is established.
- c. 28,000 BBY
- After a protracted civil war, a plague affecting only the Rakata causes the Infinite Empire to collapse.
- c. 27,000 BBY
- The first human colonists land on Alderaan.
- c. 25,200 BBY
- The Force is discovered by many groups across the galaxy; many dismiss them as mystic crackpots.
- c. 25,130 BBY
- The reign of Xim the Despot begins.
- c. 25,100 BBY
- Xim the Despot is killed while battling the Hutts at Vontor, ending his tyrannic reign over the Tion Hegemony.
- c. 25,000 BBY
- The hyperdrive is invented.
- The Unification Wars are fought.
- The Galactic Constitution is signed. After the signing of this constitution the Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are founded. Coruscant becomes the Republic's capital.
- c. 24,500 BBY
- The first war between the Jedi, the First Great Schism, begins when some of their number are drawn to the dark side.
- c. 24,400 BBY
- The Dark Jedi, known as the Legions of Lettow, lose the war and are exiled from the Republic.
- A prophecy tells of a Chosen One who will bring "balance to the Force."
- c. 9,990 BBY
- Lightsabers are invented.
- c. 8,000 BBY
- The Republic colonizes the planet Malastare. Gran colonists arrive over the following centuries and begin to displace the native Dugs.
- c. 7,000 BBY
- The beginning of the Second Great Schism: the Hundred-Year Darkness.
- c. 6,900 BBY
- The Hundred-Year Darkness presumably ends. The rebellious Dark Jedi are exiled from Republic space. In the realms beyond the Republic's reach they found the Sith Empire, which remains unknown to rest of the galaxy for almost two thousand years.
- c. 5,500 BBY
- The first leg of the Rimma Trade Route is established by Tapani Sector merchants.
- c. 5,000 BBY
- The Great Hyperspace War. Gav and Jori Daragon accidentally lead the Sith Empire to the Republic. The Republic wins the following war, but Naga Sadow escapes to Yavin 4.
- The planet Tatooine is discovered by the Republic (approximate date). It had formerly been a part of the Infinite Empire.
- c. 4,400 BBY
- The Jedi Knight Freedon Nadd falls to the Dark Side, learning the secrets of the Sith from the Dark Lord Naga Sadow, and becomes the ruler of the planet Onderon.
- 4,250 BBY
- The Third Great Schism: the Vultar Cataclysm.
- 3,998 BBY
- The Jedi impose order on Onderon, sealing away Freedon Nadd's tomb on the demon-moon Dxun within a container of Mandalorian iron. The heirs to the Empress Teta system begin dabbling in Sith magic, stealing an ancient tome from a Coruscantan museum. The two twins become corrupted by the Sith lore and Freedon Nadd's ghost.
- 3,997 BBY
- The two heirs, aided by dark Sith magic, stage a coup, assuming control of the seven planets of the Empress Teta system. A civil war rages, and the Old Republic dispatches a military task force assisted by Jedi to restore peace. Exar Kun discovers Freedon Nadd's tomb, and goes to Korriban, where he is corrupted. The Jedi meet at Ossus, where in the discussions on the recent resurgence of the Dark side, Satal and Aleema unleash their Tetan war droids on the Jedi, killing Ulic Qel-Droma's master, Arca Jeth. Exar Kun sets up base on Yavin 4 with Qel-Droma after destroying the spirit of Freedon Nadd.
- 3,996 BBY
- The Great Sith War. Fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma and Exar Kun lead a war against the Republic, but are defeated by the Republic and light-sided Jedi.
- 3,986 BBY
- Ulic Qel-Droma is killed.
- c. 3,983 BBY
- The Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders begin to conquer worlds in the Outer Rim. The Jedi Council forbids involvement by the Jedi until the problem has been assessed.
- 3,963 BBY
- The Mandalorian Wars begin.
- The Jedi Revan and Malak defy the Jedi Council and lead the Republic forces against the invaders.
- 3,960 BBY
- The Mandalorian Wars end. A Jedi serving Revan as general, later called the Exile, willfully severs all ties to the Force to end the pain caused by the thousands of deaths at the Battle of Malachor V. The Exile is called to Coruscant to answer for defying the Jedi Council, and is banished when the Council learns of the general's willful abandonment of the Force.
- Revan and Malak disappear. Shortly after this time, Revan and Malak fall to the Dark Side, each assuming the title of Sith Lord and adding Darth to their names. The tradition of using "Darth" as a prefix for a Sith name is used often, but certainly not by all Sith Lords for the next 3,000 years.
- HK-47 is built by Revan.
- 3,959 BBY
- Revan and Malak, who have been seduced by the dark side, declare war on the Republic. Only the | | |
