"Tradition", or as we call it - "canon", includes scripts, films, radio shows and novelizations. Some works appeared thanks to the original ideas of George Lucas, the rest were invented by other authors. But, between us: we read everything, and much is taken into account when building a common sequence of events. The complete list of published works contains a huge number of plots with many branches, variations and parallel lines, surpassing any well-developed mythology in number.
To understand the canons and the universe as a whole, you need to consider Star Wars as a collection of stories written by different people and "documenting" the "events" that happened. Although some stories are more authentic than others, they are all considered part of a common "story". But it should be remembered that all stories are nothing more than stories: they contain many errors and inconsistencies, since they were told by different people who had their own ideas about how to tell stories.
One can compare this situation with ancient Greek and Roman mythology, or with the legends of King Arthur. Like Star Wars mythology, they are composed of separate, albeit related, stories told by different authors at different times.
Canon Research[ | ]
Canon Research Papers were published by Will Brooker (English), which refers to the Star Wars Encyclopedia by Stephen Sansweet (English).
According to Sansweet, the films as they were created by Lucas are canon (three films at the time of Sansweet's statement). "Close" to the canon are authorized adaptations: novels, radio shows, comics. "Almost everything else" is "quasi-canon".
Brooker proposes to expand the canon to include works created by "key members" of the Star Wars creative team (for example, adding Daredevil Caravan: An Ewok Adventure, which Lucas himself was among the writers). Brooker himself notes the difficulties of this approach, which in fact introduces a slightly lower level of canonization than the epic itself, using the example of the film Star Wars. Holiday Special". On the one hand, Lucas was one of the writers and Boba Fett appeared in the film for the first time. However, if this film, later rejected by Lucas, is accepted as canon, then Chewbacca has a wife, Malla, which contradicts the rest of the canon.
Brooker points out even greater problems with the inclusion of "authorized" works in the canon, when the brutal scene of killing Obi-Wan Kenobi by Darth Vader in an authorized Marvel comic directly contradicts the scene from the film where the lightsaber only strikes the Jedi's empty clothes.
Even within the original trilogy, questions about canon arise with the changing versions of the films themselves. Sansweet therefore highlights the 1997 version of the first trilogy, "the only guaranteed answer." Brooker asks the question: if we consider that the additions made in 1997 entered the canon, then what are the scenes that were filmed, but not yet included in the series, although we know about their existence? If in the 1997 version the Outrider (eng. Outrider, see Star Wars spaceships) began to take off (English)), then did Dash Rendar, his pilot, enter the canon? And if Rendar entered the canon, then did other elements of the "Shadows of the Empire" also enter it? (English) or do they remain a figment of Steve Perry's imagination? Did Chewbacca shave his head for disguise?
Brooker notes that fans of the series are more strict about canon and it is possible that their definitions are better than those of Sansweet.
Canons and the Expanded Universe[ | ]
When it comes to absolute canon, the real history of Star Wars, you need to go directly to the movies - and only the movies. Even the novelizations are just an interpretation of the events of the film, and although they largely correspond to the ideas of George Lucas (he worked closely with the authors), the methodology used to write the books allows for minor deviations. The novelizations are being written in parallel with the shooting of the film, so the descriptions of the details sometimes do not match. However, the novelizations should be considered very faithful reproductions of the films.
The further the work goes from the plot of the film, the more interpretations and fiction appear. LucasBooks has been diligent in maintaining the integrity of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, while remaining free to stylistic variation. Artists portray Luke Skywalker not always in the same way. Writers give characters different characteristics. Some features of different types of works also play a role: in comics, the description of events implies less dialogue and a different plot line. Video games add the interactivity needed for the gameplay. So do role-playing and card games, which attribute certain characteristics to characters and events, making them playable.
An analogy can be drawn: every published Star Wars work is a window into the "real" Star Wars universe. Some windows are more foggy than others. Some completely distort the picture. But in each there is a particle of truth. As the great Obi-Wan Kenobi said: "Many of the truths we believe in depend heavily on point of view".
The editor in the 6th issue of the magazine "" develops the idea of the place of printed sources of the Expanded Universe:
Canons is an authorized list of books that the editors of Lucas Licensing consider to be an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as it does not contradict or undermine George Lucas's understanding of the saga as outlined in the films and screenplays.
Holocron of Integrity[ | ]
S-canon- "secondary canon", materials used or ignored by the authors according to the situation. This includes mostly older work, such as many comics in the "" series, released before attempts to maintain integrity, as well as other things that "might not quite fit." Many elements of the S-canon pass into the C-canon through their incorporation into new works by integrity-conscious authors, although many other works (like "") were taken into account from the start and thus have always been C-canon.
N-canon- "non-canonical" works. Alternative versions of the story (for example, stories published under the brand name "") and anything that directly contradicts elements of higher canons. Only N-canon has not been recognized as canon by Lucasfilm.
Disney Canons [ | ]
In October 2012, The Walt Disney Company acquired Lucasfilm for US$4.06 billion.
Since geeks are allergic to change, many Star Wars fans were furious when, in preparation for the upcoming Star Wars sequels, the entire Expanded Universe was thrown into the trash in favor of a whole new canon. This is a new timeline for the Star Wars universe.
For 35 years, the Expanded Universe has provided new experiences for Star Wars fans who yearn for more off-screen adventures. With Star Wars, George Lucas created a universe that fired the imagination and inspired creativity. He opened this universe for other people to tell their own stories. This is how the Expanded Universe (EV) was born, consisting of comics, novels, video games, etc.
Heir-to-the-empire-legendsWhile Lucasfilm has always strived to ensure that all VR stories are compatible with each other and with new film and television content, Lucas has always made it clear that he is not bound by VR. He considered the films he created to be canon. This canon included six episodes of Star Wars, as well as many hours of content from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars series, on which he worked as a writer and producer. These narratives are the immovable pillars of the Star Wars story, on whose characters and events all other stories must build.
Now, with the future of Star Wars filled with exciting new films, all aspects of Star Wars storytelling will be intertwined. Under the leadership of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, for the first time in the history of the company, a story team has been created to oversee and coordinate all projects in the Star Wars universe.
“We have an unprecedented list of new STAR projects on the horizon,” Kennedy said. - We are bringing Star Wars back to the big screen and will continue to adventure in games, books, comics and new formats that are just being born. The interconnected narratives of the future will allow fans to explore the galaxy at a deeper level than ever before."
Dark Disciple
Announcement: To defeat the mightiest warrior of the dark side, it may take the combined efforts of the Jedi and the Sith.Based on unproduced scripts from the blockbuster TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars!
Lords Of The Sith
"When the Emperor and his sinister apprentice Darth Vader find themselves in the midst of mutiny on an inhospitable planet, they rely on each other, the Force, and their remarkable martial prowess to survive... Cover by Aaron McBride."A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....
When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail.
Tarkin
Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.A New Dawn
Fans read the text on the novel's dust jacket, a photo of which Del Rey showed the day before. Miller once again writes about a lonely Jedi.“The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning.”-Emperor Palpatine
Heir To The Jedi
"An exciting new adventure that takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and - for the first time ever - is written entirely in the first person on behalf of Luke Skywalker... Cover by Larry Rostant."Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens
The second Death Star is destroyed. The Emperor and his powerful enforcer, Darth Vader, are rumored to be dead. The Galactic Empire is in chaos.Most recently, Star Wars #1 came out. It would seem that the next issue tells about the adventures of the heroes of the famous franchise. From a story point of view, this issue does not play a special role, but for a galaxy far, far away, it marked the beginning of a new era: Star Wars is now part of the Marvel Megaverse. This event will be dedicated to the first numbered issue of the Guide, in which you can find out about all the films, comics, books and other media that have been released and are being released in the new canon.
Movies
Six films created by the genius George Lucas have long since gained cult status. It is from them that one should begin acquaintance with the universe. Discovering a galaxy far, far away from the prequel trilogy (episodes I-III) or from the original trilogy (episodes IV-VI) is up to you. If you want to focus on a great adventure, look by release date. If you are more interested in watching the inner experiences of the characters, then watching episodes 1 to 6 will give you an amazing tragedy.
After watching the saga, you should pay attention to two animated films:
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a kind of prologue to the series of the same name and tells about the acquaintance of Anakin Skywalker with his Padawan, Ahsoka Tano. The events of the film take place after the second episode.
- Star Wars. Rebels: Spark of Rebellion- an hour-long prequel to the Rebels series, which tells about a company of daredevils who decide to fight the Empire. This animated film allows you to learn a lot of new and interesting things about what happened between the third and fourth episodes.
In future:
The premiere of the long-awaited film will take place on December 18 this year. Star Wars. Episode 7: The Force Awakens, and over the next few years, five more serial parts of the saga and four spin-offs will be released.
Series
The best way to immerse yourself in the Star Wars universe is to watch the two canonical series. An extended story of familiar and not-so-familiar heroes will make you look forward to the release of each episode with trepidation and involuntarily shed a tear at the end of each season.
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a captivating chronicle of warfare with your favorite characters on the front lines. Battles between armies of clones and droids, ruthless battles of huge fleets in the vastness of the galaxy, amazing adventures and cunning intrigues merge into a wonderful animated series. And don't be fooled by the childish visual style: this series sometimes tells dark, truly adult stories full of violence. In total, 6 seasons were released with 20-22 episodes each. For the most ardent fans of the franchise, they also released 4 unfinished episodes that you can watch.
- Star Wars Rebels. The series, which has only recently begun airing, is already delighting us with interesting details about life in the Empire five years before Luke and Ben met. While the episodes are too childish, the characters are too naive, and the plots are too simple. However, the Inquisitor, whose job it is to find and lure Force-sensitive children to the dark side, as well as the destruction of the surviving Jedi, has already managed to intrigue all fans of a galaxy far, far away. In total, 12 episodes and 4 mini-episodes have been released so far, as well as 10 very interesting promo videos in the form of news that you can watch.
In future:
Already on March 2, a new episode of "Rebels" will appear, and the second season of the series will soon be released.
Comics
A format that allows you to realize the most daring ideas of the authors, because not all stories are ready for Disney producers to put on the screens. Thanks to this, comics become especially valuable for fans. If you love Star Wars, then these series are a must-see:
- Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir. The favorite character of the author of this text was awarded his small but detailed comic strip. The tragedy of Maul, of course, will never be compared in its epochalism and significance with the fate of Anakin Skywalker, but it is still capable of making readers empathize and sympathize. The history of Maul has always been mysteriously attractive and monstrously cruel towards the little Zabrak, by chance, came to Darth Sidious. Growing up in fear and deprived of maternal love, the anti-hero never became a true Sith Lord, he was only a killer, a tool in the hands of a manipulator. The lack of proper attention to the personality of the character in the film and the series did not allow the audience to understand the motives of the hero. And only four issues of this comic for the first time showed Darth Maul not as an insensitive villain, but as a real person.
- Star Wars: Rebels—Ring Race. Curious purely from a story point of view, the comic was exclusively released in Star Wars Rebels Magazine No. 1. Unfortunately, it was the plot that turned out to be the weakest element of the work: it is too simple and predictable, although it sheds light on one important detail. But the visual style of the comic was a pleasant surprise: it has a special charm. But still, buying a magazine for the sake of this little adventure is definitely not worth it.
- Star Wars(2015) - the newest series of comics published by Marvel, has already become a hit, and yet only 2 issues have been published so far. The quality of performance is at its best, the plot is intriguing, and the main characters have already become part of an interesting story. No real fan of the franchise can miss such a good comic.
- Star Wars: Darth Vader- George Lucas dedicated the entire saga to the personal tragedy of Anakin Skywalker - a personality with a very deep inner world. His experiences, motives and actions are always justified, there is a certain reason behind every act, and few people can remain indifferent to his story. Each new page from his media biography - whether it's a film, series or comics - makes you admire every step of the hero with rapture. That is why every fan should read the first issue of Darth Vader, which is literally woven from the pain and hatred of Skywalker.
In future:
The sequel will be released February 25 Star Wars: Darth Vader; An all-new comic book series will debut on March 4 Star Wars: Princess Leia; On March 11, the third issue will reach the shelves of digital stores Star Wars(2015); the first issue of the prequel to the series "Rebels" Star Wars: Kanan: The Last Padawan, which tells the story of a Jedi survivor of Order #66, will be available for purchase starting April 1st. Read about how and where you can buy Marvel comics.
Books
Saturated with small details, filled with the feelings and thoughts of the characters, with a carefully crafted story, the books allow you to carefully study the inner world of each character. Instead of entertainment and spectacular scenes, there is a leisurely narration and monologues that perfectly reveal your favorite images. If you are ready to spend quiet and cozy evenings with a good book, then these literary works about the characters of Star Wars will not disappoint you:
- Star Wars: Tarkin- a novel whose main character is Wilhuff Tarkin - one of the most cruel officials of the Galactic Empire. The plot of the work takes place 5 years after the Clone Wars and tells about the life of the governor of the Outer Rim, driven only by his hatred of the enemies of the Empire. One of the most important achievements of the novel, oddly enough, was that Palpatine finally received the name - Shiv.
- Star Wars: A New Dawn- A Jedi named Kanan Jarrus, who survived the destruction of the order, survived in a cruel world ruled by the Sith. Trying by any means to hide his past and avoid the fate of his comrades-in-arms, the hero soon realizes that sooner or later he will have to take a fateful step and start fighting the Empire.
- Star Wars: Blade Squadron, Star Wars: One Thousand Levels Down and Star Wars: The End of History- several interesting stories published in different issues of the magazine Star Wars Insider. Blade Squadron from Star Wars Insider#149 and #150 describe one of the unused scenes in episode six: an elite squadron of B-wing starships embark on a dangerous mission during the Battle of Endor. One Thousand Levels Down from issue 151 tells of the fate of two Alderaanians trying to escape during the Imperial genocide. The End of History tells about Mira Nadrinakar, a girl who kept Jedi artifacts for many years after the destruction of the order. This story was released in issue 154.
In future:
Very soon in Star Wars Insider No. 156 there will be a short story about pilots Last Call at the Zero Angle, and in #157 a little story of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader called Orientation; these two Sith will also be the subject of a novel Lords of the Sith, coming out April 28; you can read about the fate of another servant of the dark side of the Force, Asajj Ventress, on July 7 in the book Dark Disciple.
Location of Star Wars in Marvel
The Marvel Universe has a complex multi-level structure. The basis is the so-called "Earth-#", "chronologies" and "sequences", each of which exists in a unique time and space. All classic versions of the characters live on Earth-616, which, in addition to the planet itself, includes all the surrounding galaxies. Alternate and parallel universes (such as Earth-1610 "Ultimate" or Earth-199999, where the films take place) contain the same characters, but provide a new perspective on their stories and destinies. All realities associated with the classic make up the Marvel Multiverse. But if the sequence has nothing to do with the main chronology, then it is part of the Megaverse. So, for now, Star Wars will be located in the Megaverse, so you should not expect a full-fledged Avengers vs. Sith crossover in the coming years.
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Star Wars Canons
Star Wars Canons were first mentioned in the first issue of Lucasfilm's Star Wars Insider magazine:
"Tradition", or as we call it - "canon", includes scripts, films, radio shows and novelizations. Some works appeared thanks to the original ideas of George Lucas, the rest were invented by other authors. But, between us: we read everything, and much is taken into account when building a common sequence of events. The complete list of published works contains a huge number of plots with many branches, variations and parallel lines, surpassing any well-developed mythology in number.
To understand the canons and the universe as a whole, you need to consider Star Wars as a collection of stories written by different people and "documenting" the "events" that happened. Although some stories are more authentic than others, they are all considered part of a common "story". But it should be remembered that all stories are nothing more than stories: they contain many errors and inconsistencies, since they were told by different people who had their own ideas about how to tell stories.
One can compare this situation with ancient Greek and Roman mythology, or with the legends of King Arthur. Like Star Wars mythology, they are composed of separate, albeit related, stories told by different authors at different times.
Canons and the Expanded Universe
This principle has been refined over the years. The Star Wars website details the role of canon and the Expanded Universe, and their impact on the overall continuity of the entire sci-fi saga. Chris Serazi writes:
When it comes to absolute canon, the real history of Star Wars, you need to go directly to the movies - and only the movies. Even the novelizations are just an interpretation of the events of the film, and although they largely correspond to the ideas of George Lucas (he worked closely with the authors), the methodology used to write the books allows for minor deviations. The novelizations are being written in parallel with the shooting of the film, so the descriptions of the details sometimes do not match. However, the novelizations should be considered very faithful reproductions of the films. The further the work goes from the plot of the film, the more interpretations and fiction appear. LucasBooks has been diligent in maintaining the integrity of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, while remaining free to stylistic variation. Artists portray Luke Skywalker not always in the same way. Writers give characters different characteristics. Some features of different types of works also play a role: in comics, the description of events implies less dialogue and a different plot line. Video games add the interactivity needed for the gameplay. So do role-playing and card games, which attribute certain characteristics to characters and events, making them playable. An analogy can be drawn: every published Star Wars work is a window into the "real" Star Wars universe. Some windows are more foggy than others. Some completely distort the picture. But in each there is a particle of truth. As Jedi Grand Master Obi-Wan Kenobi said: "Many of the truths we believe in depend heavily on point of view".
Lucas Licensing editor Sue Rostoni, in Star Wars Gamer Magazine 6, expands on the place of Expanded Universe printed sources:
Canons is an authorized list of books that the editors of Lucas Licensing consider to be an authentic part of the official Star Wars history. Our goal is to present a continuous and unified history of the Star Wars galaxy, insofar as it does not contradict or undermine George Lucas's understanding of the saga as outlined in the films and screenplays.
Canons in the Holocron of Integrity
In 2000, Lucas Licensing commissioned Leland Chee to create a database to track the integrity of the Star Wars universe. The base was named the Holocron of Integrity. The Holocron follows many years of canonicity principles, but also allows each element of the stories to be evaluated individually, and not just the stories as a whole.
The Holocron database leaves room for a letter (G, C, S, or N) indicating the level of canonicity of the element. With their appearance, the levels of the canon began to be informally called G-canon, C-canon, S-canon and N-canon. The classification was developed by Chi while creating the Holocron, and at first he improved it until he brought it into its current form.
G, C and S together form the entirety of the Star Wars universe. A higher level overlaps a lower one: for example, the story of Boba Fett was radically reworked (that is, subjected to a "retcon") after the release of the Star Wars movie. Episode II: Attack of the Clones", requiring old footage to be brought into line with the new G-canon. This solution, however, is not universal, and each case is considered separately.
G-canon- "George Lucas' canon"; six episodes and everything provided by Lucas Licensing directly from Lucas (including unpublished commentary by the director and crew that was never shown to the public). Elements created with the participation of Lucas for novelizations, reference books and other sources are also classified as G-canon, although everything created by the authors of these works is considered C-canon. When conflicts arise between different versions of films, the most recent changes take precedence over older ones, as they fix errors, improve the relationship between the trilogies, and most accurately express Lucas' current understanding of the Star Wars universe.
C-canon- the "canon of integrity", consisting of all new works (and many old ones) released under the Star Wars brand: books, comics, games, cartoons, videos, etc. A special case is games, since they have C- only the story is canon, things like character traits and gameplay are not. The games also offer non-canonical options to the player, such as choosing a female for a canon male character. There are known cases of C-canon elements appearing in films, making them G-canon; examples include names and titles: Coruscant, swoop, Quinlan Vos, Aela Secura, YT-2400, Salropin, and the Action VI transport.
S-canon- "secondary canon", materials used or ignored by the authors according to the situation. This includes mostly older work, such as many of the Marvel Star Wars comics that were released before integrity was attempted, as well as other stuff that "may not quite fit". Many elements of the S-canon pass into the C-canon through inclusion in new works by integrity-conscious authors, although many other works (like The Han Solo Adventures) were taken into account from the start and thus have always been C- canon.
N-canon- "non-canonical" works. Alternate stories (such as stories published under the Infinites brand) and anything that directly contradicts elements of the higher canons. Only N-canon is not recognized as canon by Lucasfilm.
see also
- Fanon (Star Wars)
- List of C-canon elements in films
- List of fanon elements in the Star Wars universe
Before proceeding directly to the discussion of comics, I consider it necessary to draw the attention of readers that this article is aimed at those fans "Star Wars" who are familiar with the products Old Canon and Expanded Universe either indirectly or not familiar with it at all, and just want to know what is happening in the universe George Lucas after the massive reboot and the release of episode 7 of the saga. I, among other things, do not consider myself any special expert in the intricacies of the old canon. And although I have read a dozen books and comics from the era before the reboot (plus many games have been completed), I will not rely on them and compare them with the new rules, due to insufficient knowledge on the issue. And just in case, let me remind you that my opinion is not the only true one, moreover, it is thoroughly subjective. This article contains minor spoilers., but I'll keep the key stuff hidden, so if you don't want to know the important bits of the stories ahead of time, then this article is farsightedly safe for your eyes and minds.
With that said, I invite readers to set up their spaceship dashboards, take a look at the sky, and embark on a journey that leads to stories that happened...
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...
October 30, 2012 studio Lucasfilm was sold The Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion. Following the successful completion of the deal, Disney and Lucasfilm formed a special committee Lucasfilm Story Group, whose task was to monitor the integrity of the canon of the universe, which includes films, books, comics, games, and so on. However, such a unit existed even before the reboot and was under the leadership of Leland Chee, who bears the official title of "Keeper of the Holocron". Therefore, almost all members of the old organization migrated to the new committee without any problems, including Chi himself.
Already April 25, 2014 the top management made a truly controversial decision to remove all Expanded Universe material from the modern canon and move it to the " Legends". The updated version of the canon at that time included all 6 films of the saga, as well as the animated series " Clone Wars". This was done, according to the studio, in order to maintain the integrity of the universe in the future, taking into account the release of new episodes on the screens. The announcement has pissed off many fans who have been following Expanded Universe stories for years and probably expected that, at the very least, those ideas would be used in future Disney projects.
However, the studio insisted on its own, and released in December 2015 Episode 7 of the saga - " The Force Awakens" , became (and continues to be) the central moment of the new canon, which the second owners of the universe began to create. There are many ways to think about The Force Awakens, but the fact of its existence cannot be erased (although I heard that many fans try hard). The main thing in this situation is not the film itself, but its environment - the empty spots of history that were supposed to fill the works of art of the updated universe. These included all the same books, games and, of course, comics.
However, to start a conversation about how the canon has changed is not from comics, but from books. At the moment, the main source of important information not included in the films is the book. Chuck Wendig "Aftermath" . This is the first installment in a planned trilogy set in a period that takes place shortly after the original trilogy's finale. And although movie characters appear in the book, the central characters, with the exception of the famous galactic pilot Wedge Antilles are new characters.
And this "birth" of a new order of the expanded universe sounded like a loud false start. Among many fans and just lovers of literature, the book caused a big scandal, as its devastating reviews and low ratings perfectly speak. For example, in the most popular and very eloquent review on the site Amazon, the author claims to have read more than 85 books on the universe in his life, but the only one he could not finish was this novel.
Basically, Wendig is scolded for his lack of knowledge of the universe (for example, he practically does not use the terms of a galaxy far, far away), faceless new characters, and terrible writing style. From my point of view, I can say that some of the claims are true. I myself am in the process of reading this “masterpiece”, and if you take this book in your hands, then be prepared for the fact that from the very prologue, the author’s vision of the text will begin to drip on you in abundance. It looks something like this - imagine that Wendig writes about some event from the point of view of the cameraman, who forgot to assign a director. He seems to never be fully interested in what is happening and is watching the events because of some special kind of dense glass.
So, for example, the prologue meets us with a wonderful scene of the destruction of the statue Palpatine on the Coruscant, followed by a brawl between "police" and "protesters". Of particular bewilderment in this scene (and in some subsequent ones) is some incredible amount of monstrous pathos, and the vulgar picture of a little boy like a “young rebel” rising to fight with his father.
At the same time, the description of the scene goes something like this:
Spoiler (plot reveal)
The guy is young, only twelve standard years old, not old enough to fight. Not yet. He looks at his father with pleading eyes and shouts through the noise, “But Father, the battle station has been destroyed! The battle is over!" They saw it an hour ago. Proposed end of the Empire. The start of something better.
Now try to imagine the whole book in this spirit and you will have the necessary picture of what is happening in your head. Pearls a la "Don't kill him - we're not animals!" sounding from the lips of imperial soldiers and plot revelations, such as Mon Mothma who, in a half-mad hippie impulse, decides that the best political-strategic solution for the future of the rebels is
Spoiler (plot reveal) (click on it to see)
disarmament
And this is taking into account the unfinished Empire, whose resources magically evaporated at the speed of light.
The new heroes do not save the situation either - they are boring, and they are so because of the chosen author's style. There is simply no life (and epithets) in his presentation, descriptions of thoughts and feelings, and, therefore, there is no interest in the reader. I have a hard time imagining what will happen in the remaining two future books. Second "episode" Coming out July 19th , and the third will have to wait until 2017.
Hope in the book direction, as if in the original trilogy, rests on the shoulders Lei or, more specifically, books. Claudia Gray bloodline which comes out on May 3 this year. Claudia Gray was responsible for the novel Lost Stars, which, based on reviews, is considered by some fans to be the best book in the new canon. As I understand it, "Stars" is a kind of reworking of Romeo and Juliet, where the hero is on the side of the Rebels, and the beloved is on the side of the Empire. "Bloodline", in turn, will tell about the political battles of Leia in the Senate, taking place after the victory of the rebels on Endor. Whether the book was successful will soon become clear.
This, of course, is not all the content of the new canon in book equivalent, but in my opinion, the most important. Perhaps, if I can master all the stories and stories, I will have to add new facts to this article, but at the moment I do not see a strong need for this.
On this note, let's move on to what the author nevertheless mastered - to comics. However, it should be noted that the story of Darte Mole I deliberately bypassed, due to the low interest in the fate of this character. Also, I do not include in the list of comics about By Damerone- a pilot from episode 7, since at the moment only one issue has been released.
I decided to place the series in ascending order of quality, or in other words - from worst to best.
Least of all, perhaps, I liked the story about Chewbacca by Gerry Duggan. This mini-series consists of 5 releases and takes place after episode 4.
In general, separate stories about Chewbacca are a rather strange idea, since it is very difficult for me personally to imagine him as an interesting protagonist, and not only because of the lack of understandable speech. In my opinion, the character himself does not carry such strong and exciting character traits to be shown in a leading role, and feels great in secondary positions. However, why not, they wrote and wrote. The problem is that, confirming the above, from the point of view of an addition to the canon, the story carries very little useful information, and, in essence, is not very interesting.
The short story is this - Chewbacca stops on the planet of the Outer Rim occupied by imperial forces Andelm-4, where she comes across a girl Zarro who has escaped from local businessmen / slave traders (they sell resources to the Empire) and helps her, her father and their friends escape from the whips of local rulers. In addition, throughout the story, Chewbacca recalls his own years spent in slavery.
In general, that's all. The comic is very simple and direct, and its emotional component confidently tends to zero. The antagonist is shallow and shown very uninteresting. Zarro also does not shine with character and serves rather as a tool for touching the reader, actively and on any occasion embracing the furry Chewbacca. By and large, the entire comic is built on this kind of tenderness, in the spirit of: "He helped them and now they will fight together." The main addition to the canon in this comic, I would say that Chewbacca
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gives Zarro the medal Leia gave Han and Luke at the end of episode 4. Whose exactly he gave the medal comic does not explain
The gesture is beautiful and symbolic, but it seemed superfluous to me, since the scale of this story is painfully small for such awards.
Of the really good aspects, there is only a pretty drawing here. Phil Notto, which is just sometimes nice to look at, especially if it is not closed by local clumsy dialogues.
The general plot (didn't like it at all) - Lando, because of his debts, gets involved in an adventure and steals someone's ship. The ship turns out to be the personal property of the Emperor.
The problem with the storyline is that there was much more potential in the original idea than what is shown in the miniseries. By and large, we are given a little bit of information about Lando's past, and then he gets involved in an adventure with might and main ... and that's it. The local "twist" is not only strange, but also completely uninteresting in terms of history. Its essence is
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one of the members of the team (elite wars) finds Sith artifacts on board that drive them crazy, and Lando and his colleague are forced to flee from them
This twist, like the events of the miniseries, leads nowhere at all, since
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the ship is blown up with Lando's friend
Yes, Soul is trying to squeeze drama out of this situation, but within 5 numbers it looks far-fetched and unconvincing. The author came up with only two good moments in this story - Lando has a couple of cool scenes in the spirit of Han Solo, and the girls that the hero comes across along the way potentially look like very interesting characters.
Picture Alexa Maleeva seemed ambiguous to me. In places, the shots look stylish, but the faces of the characters often look somehow strange, as if rumpled or lifeless. However, some of the action scenes are quite spectacular. In addition, I like Maleev's work with light and shadow, especially when the authors need to show some kind of gloomy or cruel intention of the characters.
Liked a little more Princess Leia by Mark Waid. Again, miniseries, 5 numbers. Happens after episode 4.
According to the story, Leia, having learned that the Empire wants to exterminate all the surviving Alderaans, goes in search of them along with one of the pilots of the Resistance, also an Alderaan.
The overall plot, again, is pretty straightforward. Leia flies to look for her - finds her, they get involved in the battle with the imperial forces - the end. In the plot, like in "Lando", there is a stupid "twist", the essence of which is that Leia
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caught by the imperials
Obviously, given the reader's knowledge of the future, this turn is doomed to failure in advance. All this is also not presented in the best style - for example, the troops of the empire are easily led to an obvious bait, and, of course, they lose in all respects. Even Leia
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they don’t really have time to take on the ship
.The good side of the comic is in some interesting plot elements. For example, many Alderaans hate Leia not only because of her (in fact, it is) the planet was blown up, but also because she did not have the necessary level of emotional experience about this. At the same time, Wade well reflects the psychological state of Leia, who cares, but has to control herself, because she bears a mountain of responsibility for the Rebels, and now also for her citizens.
In addition, there is an interesting idea about how relatives in the many ordinary families of the Distant Galaxy could vote for different forces. So, secondary characters - two sisters, are on opposite sides of the barricades, and one quite successfully enjoys the trust of the second. True, in the best traditions of simple stories, the “harmful” sister is the one that serves on the side of the Empire.
I will also add that occasionally Wade allows Leia to relax for a moment - then he gives her a joke, then he makes a sarcastic comment, then something else. These moments are really cool, very lively, but, alas, they are few.
There's a nice little moment tucked away for new canon in the comic, which is Leia's first trip to Naboo between episodes 4 and 5. In addition, it is in this segment that Wade fleetingly nods to the past:
There is something similar in the series "Shattered Empire", but, as will be seen later, the authors refer to another memory from the past.
Even in the pros, in part, you can write down the drawing Terry Dodson, which, although too cartoonish for my taste (which especially affects the faces of the participants), nevertheless emphasizes the rebellious spirit of Leia in an interesting way, and allows you to make this story not a gloomy drama, but an interesting adventure.
The next series takes us back to a deeper past. This is a miniseries Obi-Wan and Anakin, again from the same Charles Soule . Takes place between episodes 1 and 2. The series has not been completed, it should have 5 issues, but so far only 3 have come out. However, you can already make an impression from them.
In the story, Anakin is 12 years old and he doubts whether he should be a Jedi. Together with Obi-Wan, they respond to a signal for help sent from the planet Carnelion-4, find the ruins of an ancient civilization and unwittingly get involved in local local conflicts.
I always liked the series of books about adventures as a child. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan prior to the events of the first episode, and the comic is similar in spirit to that series. Conceptually, all this does not look so interesting and looks like another episode in the style of the animated series Clone Wars - some kind of another planet, some kind of local problems. And the ideological confrontation of the inhabitants of the planet is really not the most interesting thing in the comics. The best part of the story is Anakin's time on Coruscant. It shows his doubts about choosing the Jedi path, emotional imbalance and the first serious meeting with Palpatine. In addition, we are witnessing the beginning of their conscious relationship, which is quite interesting. It is especially well shown how Palpatine manipulates Anakin from the very beginning. Also in the "planetary" plot there is a good psychological moment associated with how Anakin's naivety is played up, who is clearly imbued with sympathy for a pretty alien. In my opinion, this is a very good moment, since his character in this respect was never shown beyond the love line with Padmé.
I really liked the drawing Mark Checceto, especially landscapes and battles of airships, which create the atmosphere of an unknown mysterious planet, which, although it is home to mountains and snowstorms, is very different from the good old Hoth.
Together with the next series, we are transported to the newest period of time - to the future. Shattered Empire Miniseries by Greg Racca comprises 4 releases, and takes place immediately after the finale of episode 6.
The plot centers on Poe Demeron's mother, Shara Day., a Republican pilot who participated in the attack on the second Death Star. After the victory on Endor, she is assigned to Leia's team. Each issue, by and large, is a kind of sketch about battles with imperial troops in different parts of the galaxy. In addition to Shara herself, Po's father appears - Kes Demeron who travels with Khan's team.
I put this comic a little higher than the previous one, mainly because of the information that it carries for the new canon and drawing (although the artist is the same as in the previous series - Ceccetto). In general, among all, this comic is the most popular with some Star Wars fans, and I do not really understand the reasons for this popularity. That is, in general, this is a good comic, but it looks more like a series of sketches than a single story.
However, compared to other comics, Shattered Empire succeeds in presenting new information, although it shares it bit by bit. So, for example, it turns out that 1) the empire had another base on Endor (so-so surprise), 2)
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The Emperor gives a posthumous order to destroy Naboo to protect his secrets, but the rebels with Leia stop the enemies.
3) Luke picks up
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two remaining sprouts of a tree that once grew in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and one of them he gives to Shara
.By the way, another nod to the past, in the form of Leia's flashback, which I mentioned above, again takes place on Naboo, during her second visit, and it is done in a really interesting way. According to the plot
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Leia and Shara have to go down to the hangar with the ships, on which the pilots in the first episode tried to destroy the station of the Trade Federation
And when they are in the right place, this happens:
Among other things, we are allowed a glimpse of Poe Demeron's parents, although for the most part, we are watching the mother. According to the new canon, this couple was formed even before the Battle of Hoth, and by the time of the events of the comic, Shara is already tired of these endless battles and wants to find peace on some peaceful planet with her husband. Shara is a talented Rebel pilot, and Kes Demeron is, well... just a brave man, without any particular distinguishing features. Demeron's mother, by the way, suspiciously resembles Norra Wexley- heroine of the novel aftermath, about which I wrote above. The fact is that according to the plot of Aftermath, Norra is also a talented Rebel pilot who is tired of fighting and also wants to find peace. True, unlike Shara, she seeks to see her son on the planet Akiva, not her husband, but still the type is suspiciously similar.
What the comic is really good for is the drawing. As I said - the artist is the same as on Obi-Wan and Anakin, that is Mark Checceto, but here he is allowed to open up to 100%. The battle scenes look simply amazing, reminding us that a galactic war is going on here on a truly epic scale:
I can’t agree on the title of the “best comic” of the new canon, in my opinion - no, but still a worthy thing.
Finally, we come to the highest quality representatives of the comics of the new canon, and the next story was a surprise to me, since I did not know anything about its central character before reading.
This is a miniseries Kanan in 12 issues by Greg Weissman. Action takes place between episodes 3 and 4, starting shortly before order 66 and with flashbacks between episodes 2 and 3.
It is dedicated, as you might guess, Kanan Jarrus, the hero of the animated series Rebels. The series follows Kanan's training at the Jedi Temple and reveals how he survived Order 66 and what he did after that. By and large, the story revolves around the fact that Kanan, due to a smuggling mission, has to return to the planet Keller, where he, in fact, once met the unhappy consequences of Order 66.
Since I haven't watched the animated series, there weren't any expectations initially, except that the stories of the fall of the Jedi during Palpatine's orders have good potential for some decent drama. And although I "sick" for the principles of Qui-Gon, that is, roughly speaking, the gray Jedi, when I first watched "Revenge of the Sith", I was really sad to see how the Jedi were cut almost to the root. And that necessary drama that Lucas could not show, the novel displayed for me Matthew Stover for 3 episodes. In his book, episode 3 is a real epic tragedy with betrayal and pain. To me, this is probably the best Star Wars book I've ever read.
Returning to Kanan, I liked this story because, compared to all previous comics, it was able to hook me with the story and characters, and not with canon information or art. Already from the first issue, it is easy to sympathize with a character who, in his youth, is a bit like Anakin, in the sense that he does not always follow the precepts of the Jedi and asks a lot of questions, which constantly confuses and angers many Padawans and teachers. Moreover, his mentor Depa Billaba, somewhat reminiscent of Qui-Gon in personality, and also annoys many of the Jedi in the temple with his unorthodox methods and emotional outbursts.
Actually, order 66 is executed already in the second issue, setting a good dramatic point. Kanan rushes around the planet in horror, hiding from the stormtroopers, who have been his friends since morning, literally digging in garbage cans in search of food and living on the streets. Great start, in short. The comic goes on to quite skillfully and consistently show the evolution of Kanan, who has to become much more violent and emotionally closed in order to survive in this world. The author makes a beautiful feint, tying Kanan
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with former enemies
Not only showing that not everything was so simple in this war, but also revealing secondary characters in an unexpectedly interesting light.
Another plus is the deepening into the backstory of the relationship between Kanan and Depp, when he was still at the Temple. The comic paints a compelling picture of the adventures of Padawan and Master, who matched like Anakin and Obi-Wan. True, there is one minus associated with the structure of the plot. Yes, Depp
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killed in the second episode
Which looks impressive, but if this memory was moved closer to the series finale, then the emotional return could be better. I understand that Weissman did it this way to give a sad undertone to the flashbacks, but for me it didn't work out as planned.
Another major success of "Kenan" was the line of his former clone friends. Personally, I have always been interested in the question of what the Clones think and how they perceive the very order 66. Similar topics were raised in a series of books about clones Republic Commando, novels James Luceno "The Rise of Darth Vader" and "Darth Plagueis", as well as in the novelization of the same episode 3, but everything except Stover's novel is no longer canon.
In the book for episode 3, it is very well explained why the Jedi did not notice the betrayal and did not feel it (which surprised me notably before reading). If anyone else was interested in this question, then the answer looks like this - order 66 was "dictated" to the clones even before birth, it remained somewhere in the crust of their subconscious, so when they killed the Jedi, they simply followed the order like robots, without experiencing while anger or embarrassment or anger that the Jedi could sense in the Force. And this is a really terribly smart and terribly cold-blooded scheme of Palpatine (and Plagueis).
But "Keynan" is good because it draws attention to the possible consequences of such an action specifically for the clones. Like, did they really shoot their friends (after all, many clones were friends with the Jedi during the war) and went on, there were no pangs of conscience after? As it turns out, some of them had, and this minor line does a good job of fulfilling this issue. Its problem, however, as well as the problem of the entire series, is that all these ideas are somewhat underwhelmed. The story is good, but it unfolds too quickly, ends some lines too abruptly, and jumps from action to conclusion. Why it was not made more than 12 issues is completely incomprehensible to me, since now it is just a good story that had the potential to become great.
Picture Pepe Larraza good, though not overly complex, with a slightly more cartoony twist than it was in Princess Leia. Some of the shots are very good in terms of storyboarding, creating the right cinematic effect.
The last items on the list have in their cage the largest number of issues and the most famous characters in the universe.
In second place in this peculiar top I will put Darth Vader Kieron Gillen. Ongoing, now consists of 19 issues (+ 1 issue of the Vader Down crossover). Action - between episodes 4 and 5.
In the story, Vader fell out of favor with the Emperor after the explosion of the first Death Star and is forced to win his trust back. Parallel to the Emperor's assignments and loyalty checks under General Tugg, Vader seeks out the pilot who blew up the AP, hiring a pair of smugglers to do so, including Bobba Fett. In addition, he creates his own secret squad, trying to figure out who is spying on him for the Emperor, with the help of archaeologist Dr. Aphra and her droid companions.
Gillen once said about "Vader" that it would be his personal House of Cards from the world of Star Wars, with political games, deceit, betrayal and psychologism. In general, Gillen did not deceive, although in terms of political intrigue, the level turned out to be much simpler than the series with Kevin Hubris, which I, however, am not the biggest fan of.
At this stage, the plot of the series is divided into four sections - in the first, Vader finds out about his potential replacement, and also finds out the name of the pilot, in the second, he follows his trail, while hiding his activities from the Emperor. In the third, he catches up with Luke, but in doing so, he is trapped on a planet with a large number of rebels. In the fourth, the Emperor sends him to deal with one of the Empire's many conflicts.
I'll start with the cons, since there are still many pros in the series. The main disadvantage is the plot about the potential replacement of Vader with imperial
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trained fighters in the style of Darth Maul
Not that the idea itself was bad. Given the presence of Maul himself in the past, such a move was made quite in the spirit of the Emperor - to hide a couple of trump cards just in case. However, this plot turns out to be the most uninteresting, since these characters do not have any kind of charisma and, which is immediately obvious, were created only for subsequent destruction. What actually happens to them.
Not too twisted political intrigues can also be written down as a minus, but I will not do this. In my opinion, Vader in this perspective as a character works with great difficulty, no matter what Gillen says. Yes, he deceives and weaves intrigues, but his character is not designed for complex plans, which is why he was so easily manipulated by the Emperor. Vader's Force - persuasion, often forceful, and various psychic attacks using the Force. In the comic, and not only, it was well emphasized that when Anakin woke up in the operating room in a new body, he was no longer as powerful as during the Clone Wars. For example, Stover in the novel describes his condition as: "A blinded artist, a deafened musician."
All this made it possible to limit the strength of Vader, lowering his character to the ground so that competitors pose at least a minimal threat to him. However, in the crossover of the Vader and Star Wars series - vader down, as often happens, the authors forgot about their own rules, and Vader demolishes equipment and crowds of people with a wave of his hand.
Let's move on to the pluses, the first of which is that the authors forgot their own rules, and Vader demolishes equipment and crowds of people with a wave of his hand. Seriously, who doesn't want to see the powerful Vader in action? So here he is really impressive, especially when he stops holding back. This is a terrible, unstoppable force that acts not only on the ground, but also in the air:
The second of the pluses is the line about Vader's search for Luke. First, there are some really interesting secondary characters here in the form of Dr. Aphra, who has something of an enthusiastic fanaticism towards Vader. It all looks pretty funny, plus it creates good chemistry between her and the main character. Then, there are a couple of droids, a kind of Gillen's answer Threepio and R2D2 who, unlike movie characters, are natural sadists and get a lot of pleasure from torturing and killing people. It turned out pretty creepy. All this is seasoned with black humor, which is ideal for such heroes.
Another plus is the scenes when Vader recalls the past, the moment turned out to be especially strong in this sense, when he learned Luke's name:
Well, the overall story is also very interesting, filling the gap between episodes with exciting adventures in dark colors. However, the last few issues, where Vader participates in one local war, seemed to me somewhat weaker than all the previous ones.
Picture Salvador Larocca good, and battle scenes and moments of calm. Most of all, I liked the fact that the artist manages to convey Vader's emotions visually, and not through monologues, which is very valuable for the series.
And finally, we move on to the last comic, which seemed to me the best representative of the new Star Wars.
I was most pleased with the main series - Star Wars by Jason Aaron, also ongoing, out so far 17 rooms. Action - between episodes 4 and 5.
The main plot revolves around the same old acquaintances - Luke, Leia, Han and Chewbaki. The story follows a series of mishaps that the heroes find themselves in, beginning with an attempt to break into one of the largest factories in the Empire. Further, the lines of Luke and the others are separated, and while the latter is chasing the legacy of the Jedi and hiding from Bobba Fett, Han and Leia find themselves in a stalemate, which is organized by ... Han's wife.
I liked the series mainly because it reproduces the adventure spirit of the original trilogy better than any other stories. She is not just trying to repeat the material already covered and draw the approximate characters of familiar characters. Here, in every issue, you can see that Aaron is an ardent fan of this universe, these characters, and he, like many, did not have enough of their adventures in the films. As a result, he begins to create stories that are not inferior in quality to the original trilogy. This series successfully blends epic scope, humor and exploration of worlds, flavored with the study of the universe's past, all with familiar faces at the center. On these comics, you enjoy the corny fact that the plots feel like a natural continuation of the 4th movie. At the same time, the author often creates situations, as they say, from fans for fans, turning the level of good fan service and coolness by 200%:
The first story in the plot sets the mood, and then very successfully breeds the characters in different parts of the galaxy. Moreover, the right mood is created everywhere - the line of Khan and Leia is full of typical Khan's "oops, it seems we got it", and in the line of Luke there is a lot of research into the past and search for oneself. By the way, in this last thread, Aaron successfully appeals to the reader's sense of nostalgia, much more subtly than episode 7 of the film franchise. For example, when in the second plot, Luke gets
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on Nar Shaddaa - the moon of smugglers
Aaron introduces a character who collects Jedi artifacts, resulting in a nod to the fallen Jedi:
By drawing Stuart Immonen there is nothing special to say - it is ordinary, but it suits the series well. However, the point here, as I hope it is clear from the text above, is not at all in the figure.
CONCLUSION:
Such is the analysis of the comics of the new canon. As it should be clear from the article, things are still rather tight with filling in the blank spots of history, which, however, does not prevent some of the created stories of the new format from delighting the reader. I hope there will be more stories like this in the future. In the meantime, it's time again to saddle your space horse and go on an adventure, because the familiar galaxy far, far away is still endless and full of secrets.