Ever since the acquisition of Lucasfilm by Disney in 2012, Star Wars fans have been left with a feeling of both satisfaction as well as frustration. Satisfaction at finally getting a seemingly more unified canon, but frustration at their favorite characters being disregarded and relegated to Legends status.
For the most part, Disney has successfully created a new canon (creating media such as multiple new comic books and novels) but that includes a somewhat divisive new trilogy of movies.
That being said, longtime fans, myself included, long to see some older media reworked into the new canon. There have, so far, been some teases — such as the Revan Legion of Sith troopers in The Rise of Skywalker — but let us take a look at five of the best Legends properties that should be brought into canon.
5. Knights of the Old Republic
This would be no list about Legends properties without mentioning this masterpiece. Spawning not only two amazing video games, developed by Bioware and Obsidian, but also a 55-issue comic book and a 10-year running MMO with some character and thematic connections to the KOTOR games.
Following the adventures of at first Darth Revan and Darth Malak, then the character know as The Exile who worked with Revan during the Mandalorian wars, the games are still known to this day as not just arguably the best Star Wars games ever made, but also some of the best games of all time. It also has a major twist in the first game, that I will not mention here for the unaware, that rivals the twist in The Empire Strikes Back.
Being one of the sub-series set furthest back in the timeline of the franchise, it would not take a lot of narrative integration to bring it all back into the fold — even something as simple as writing in some links to The High Republic within the MMO and just as a few throwaway lines as a setup could do it.
I, for one, am intrigued by the storytelling possibilities that it could bring. Speaking of intriguing storytelling possibilities within the franchise, though…
4. Star Wars: The New Jedi Order
Throughout the entirety of the now Legends material, there have been many sub-series that have taken the franchise in new and even unexpected directions. Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi not only brought in fantastic story arcs featuring moments such as the fall of Jacen Solo and the death of beloved character Mara Jade Skywalker, but The New Jedi Order is a particular favorite.
Fans had been wondering for a long time about whether or not a brand new villain would be introduced. Not just a new villain though, but one unconnected to any previous characters. The door was then left open for the Yuuzhan Vong to invade the galaxy, and they did so in spades. Coming from outside of the galaxy we have come to know and love over many years, the Vong quickly and with a tenacity unlike anything seen before conquered many planets, including Coruscant, that our heroes were left in a state of disbelief.
What was impressive about them from their first appearance was their ability to live outside of the known boundaries of what we understood of the Force. Simply put, there was no way that the Vong could be sensed through the Force and were for the most part unaffected by the powers used on them.
As it stands in the current canon, there would be no way to introduce the Vong during the same period they were previously introduced in the old canon. They are, however, such good villains. It could be a good avenue to go down if Disney wanted to create a new trilogy of films — in the same way Grand Admiral Thrawn was reintroduced into canon through Rebels, perhaps as a way of continuing the stories of the characters presented during the sequel trilogy.
3. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Video games in the Star Wars franchise have been a little bit of a mixed bag over the years. Sure, we have received masterpieces such as Knights Of The Old Republic, but at the same time, there have also been games such as Masters of Teräs Käsi.
Set during the period of time between Revenge Of The Sith and A New Hope, we play as the secret apprentice of Darth Vader known as Galen Marek, or “Starkiller” as he is commonly called. At first fighting for Vader but then meeting and fighting alongside the Rebels, the journey of Starkiller is an interesting but heartbreaking one.
There is a precedent for Force users to be operating during this period. Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger and even Ahsoka Tano. The Inquisitors are the characters most like him, though. Being Dark Side-users with connections to the Light, they serve and work for Vader in hunting down any Jedi possible. While we do have the Grand Inquisitor, it would not be too hard to write him back ito canon as perhaps a secret Inquisitor more personally trained by Vader. Perhaps Starkiller could be the villain of the upcoming Jedi Fallen Order 2.
We do also know that like in the original game, Vader has at times become disillusioned with the Emperor and wanted to take over, so that could possibly be another reason for him to be reintroduced into canon.
2. Dawn Of The Jedi
One of the good things about the entirety of the Legends canon is that we got stories set not only hundreds of years after the time of the films, but also millennia before. It’s one of those stories set before that is not only primed to be brought into canon but is also a personal favorite.
Dawn of the Jedi is such a unique story in the way it conveys the origins of the Jedi. The primary setting of the series is the famed planet Tython, most recently canonically featured in season 2 of The Mandalorian. One of the big points of the series is that it is set before the Light and Dark Sides became what we know them as today. The Je’daii are the predecessors of the modern Jedi, and we see that stuff such as corruption and invasion are things that have plagued them since the very beginning.
The best reason that this one would work in the canon is that it is set further back in the timeline than anything else in Legends or current canon. Aside from the fact that we understand it right now, the current planet of origin for the Jedi is Ahch-to. Even with that change, it would be no problem to reintroduce the series into the canon.
With the comic never having been finished, it is primed for an adaptation to not only bring back the characters but also finish the story. Perhaps as either a trilogy or a Disney+ series.
1. Star Wars Legacy
While I am one of the people that will defend the sequel trilogy and its overarching narrative themes of legacy, Star Wars Legacy is a perfect example of something that not only shows an understanding of what Star Wars is but in some ways better shows that theme of legacy and what that can mean to the galaxy.
Lasting for 55 issues, including the War miniseries, we follow Cade Skywalker and his journey as not only a survivor of a second Jedi purge but also as the last known descendant of Luke Skywalker.
What I love about this series is it perfectly balances the aforementioned themes of legacy and being apprehensive in confronting that, but also charting a new course and showing us as readers that while some characters may be connected to the Skywalker line, the franchise does not need to necessarily focus on the family in order to achieve an amazing story.
One of the things that help show that is the introduction of villain Darth Krayt. Starting life as someone with his own legacy to live up to and then charting his own course by becoming a Sith and creating his own empire, he is a beautifully compelling villain and a perfect example having villains aside from Palpatine, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn.
The big issue with bringing this one into canon is that we have no idea right now if Luke had any family in the events between Return of The Jedi and The Last Jedi. Even if it was the case that he did not, it could always be rewritten that Cade is not his descendant. It could be more of a fanboy request to bring this series into canon, but it is one of the best stories ever written for the franchise, so it would be a waste to have it struck from the narrative.
What Legends stories are you hoping will make it into the canon? Let us know in the comments!