5 Star Wars Legends That Are Still Relevant

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THE HEIR TO THE EMPIRE TRILOGY by Timothy Zahn

Though there isn’t much chance of this last Legend being canon, I personally consider it essential reading, as it is the first Star Wars book trilogy to delve into what happened after the events of Return of the Jedi. Timothy Zahn is as legendary a name in Star Wars literature as his Heir to the Empire series, and he writes a compelling future for our original trilogy heroes. He also introduces two extremely popular Legends characters, Mara Jade and Grand Admiral Thrawn (the latter is a personal favorite of mine), along with many other familiar names and exciting places.

This, my dear reader, is Legends at its finest. In fact, I am still hoping for a canon book that treads the same writing style and epic scale that the Heir to the Empire trilogy delivered.

Though we are moving forward into a bright new future where every piece of Star Wars literature is canon, that doesn’t mean that the Legends aren’t still relevant in some way. Not only did they shape many of us as Star Wars fans and fill those long gaps between films, they laid down an entire foundation of lore that is helping to keep the new Star Wars books grounded in familiar terms. There are even some Legends stories that could be completely canon even as they are, and perhaps only await the word of the story group to validate their place in Star Wars history.

But in the end, the important thing is that you enjoy what you read, whether it’s canon or not. There is room for all of the stories in Star Wars, if we are but open-minded enough to accept them.

Next: Will We See a New Teasr for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at D23?

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