Summary
- Marvel’s early
Star Wars
comics expanded the galaxy with new stories, bridging gaps between the original films with important character developments. - Darth Vader in Marvel’s comics was not just a menacing villain, but a master strategist who orchestrated events and manipulated others to stay ahead.
- Mandalorian lore and key elements like lightsaber variants were introduced in Marvel’s comics, shaping the
Star Wars
universe beyond the original films.
The first published works in the Star Wars Legends continuity changed the franchise for the better in a multitude of ways. After the overwhelming success of 1977’s Star Wars (now known as A New Hope), it was not long before Lucasfilm began to expand the galaxy with new stories. A low-budget sequel for A New Hope was planned if the movie was unsuccessful, but this story ended up becoming the 1978 novel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, by Alan Dean Foster. While Splinter is often perceived as the first original Star Wars story, several publications precede it.
The Star Wars franchise underwent a partial reboot in 2014, relegating these early publications to an alternate timeline, but before this, they were part of the official Star Wars canon, initially called the Expanded Universe but now known as Star Wars Legends. Many Legends-era works retain a degree of popularity among viewers and inspire new properties in the modern canon, but the earliest Expanded Universe works have, unfortunately, fallen into obscurity to a degree. Some of these early Legends-era works, particularly Marvel’s original Star Wars comics, are among the most important, and underrated, properties in the Star Wars franchise.
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Star Wars is far more than just a film phenomenon, with a staggering number of books published over the years. Here are the pick of the crop.
7 Star Wars Legends Comics Told The First Original Stories After A New Hope
Considering the overwhelming success of A New Hope, ancillary non-movie materials were inevitable. Technically, the first Legends properties were A New Hope’s adaptations, beginning with the novelization by Alan Dean Foster and Marvel’s six-part comic adaptation. In October 1977, however, the first official Star Wars story set after A New Hope – part one of the Marvel comic story The Keeper’s World – was published in the first issue of Marvel’s Pizzazz magazine. The Keeper’s World sees Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 traveling to a forgotten world in the Outer Rim Territories shortly after the Battle of Yavin.
Alan Dean Foster’s
Star Wars
novelization came out in November 1976, preceding
A New Hope
by a little over six months.
Marvel’s seventh Star Wars comic issue was published later in October 1977. With A New Hope already having been adapted by the previous six issues, Marvel explored new territory, initiating a story arc in which Han Solo and Chewbacca form a band of rogues to defend farmers on Aduba-3 from marauders. The arc was an intentional homage to Seven Samurai, whose director and writer – Akira Kurosawa – was a huge influence on George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise writ large. Marvel’s comics, like other early Legends-era works, would prove to be invaluable additions to the Star Wars franchise.
6 Marvel’s Star Wars Meaningfully Continued The Stories Of The Rebel Heroes
The early Star Wars Legends publications, particularly Marvel’s comics, did an excellent job at progressing the respective characterizations of the Rebel Alliance’s main heroes. These stories bridged the gaps between the original trilogy films, telling meaningful stories that neither contradicted the movies nor allowed the heroes to stagnate. In the early Marvel comics, Luke Skywalker is still trying to hone his connection to the Force and use his father’s lightsaber with adequate skill, despite his minimal formal training, making his few uses of the Force rudimentary at best and his few lightsaber duels extremely perilous.
After the events of Empire, Lando Calrissian quickly earns the trust of his newfound allies, forming a close friendship with Luke Skywalker and earning his place as an invaluable member of the Alliance. Several stories focus on the underrated C-3PO, whose humanity takes center stage, with one issue having him prepared to sacrifice himself to save Luke Skywalker, causing the droid-hating bounty hunter Valance to spare Luke and question his prejudice. After the events of Return of the Jedi, Princess Leia begins the process of rebuilding the Republic, learning that rebelling against a government is far simpler than forging one.
5 Darth Vader Became A Far More Terrifying & Calculating Villain
Marvel’s creators collaborated with Lucasfilm for the original Star Wars comics, receiving mandates and other forms of guidance to ensure that the comics were consistent with the movies. Unsurprisingly, Darth Vader’s interactions with the Rebel heroes, particularly Luke Skywalker, could not occur too frequently, and they needed to be meaningful. Among these few early encounters were Luke and Vader’s duel on Mimban in Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, but Vader was, for the most part, more of a manipulator and master strategist than a villain who engaged his enemies directly.
Marvel’s comics keep Darth Vader consistent with his cinematic portrayals. Vader trusts the Imperial Military to be a competent fighting force (which they are in the older comics), with Vader’s tactical prowess being the key to victory more often than not. When Vader does ignite his lightsaber or pilot his TIE Advanced X1, however, he is a nearly unbeatable menace to the Rebels. Darth Vader also behaves like a true Sith Lord of Darth Bane’s dynasty, orchestrating events and manipulating others, always remaining at least one step ahead of the heroes and recruiting vulnerable Force-sensitives to the Empire.
Related 6 Massive Differences Between Darth Vader In Star Wars Canon & Legends
The Star Wars canon and Legends continuities may share the original and prequel trilogies, but they each characterize Darth Vader differently.
4 Mandalorian Lore Began With Marvel’s Comics
Thanks to properties like The Mandalorian, Mandalorian culture is a widely popular element of the Star Wars franchise. Yet Mandalorian lore did not begin with the modern canon’s TV shows or even the many works of Karen Traviss, but rather the original Marvel comics. Donald F. Glut’s novelization of The Empire Strikes Back makes a vague reference to the origin of Boba Fett’s armor, but the comics set between Empire and Jedi are the first Star Wars properties to explore Mandalorian culture and even the planet Mandalore itself.
Marvel’s Mandalorian storylines introduced Fenn Shysa (the Mand’alor at the time), Spar (his predecessor and a rogue ARC Trooper who masqueraded as Boba Fett during the Clone Wars), and Tobi Dala to the Star Wars franchise. The trio were once members of the Mandalorian Protectors – later revealed to be a Separatist-aligned Mandalorian faction during the Clone Wars who were nearly wiped out by clone troopers during a battle on Norval II. These stories would lay the groundwork for further explorations of the Mandalorians after Jango Fett’s debut, as well as Karen Traviss’s novels.
3 Marvel Expanded The Star Wars Galaxy With Enduring Lore
In addition to Mandalorian culture, many other elements of Star Wars lore debuted in early Legends-era works. The Verpine, Boltrunian, and Zeltron species each made their first appearances in the Marvel comics, as did the Kaleesh, thanks to a retcon. The lightsaber combat form Trispzest, designed for duelists who can fly, made its first appearance in Marvel’s comics as well. The lightwhip, a rare and deadly lightsaber variant, also debuted in Marvel’s comics. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye notably introduced the planet Mimban and the Kaiburr crystal, which would inspire lightsaber crystal lore in both Legends and the modern canon.
Marvel’s comics also saw the debut of the Imperial TIE Bomber years before it made its live-action debut in Empire. Later Marvel issues would also introduce other galaxies, such as Firefist, which not only contained the Nagai and Tof home planets but was also shown in the Jedi archives in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. Marvel’s comics were even the first property to have Boba Fett escape the sarlacc pit, though their hesitance to undo a major event from Return of the Jedi likely explains why Fett’s escape was short-lived.
Boba Fett would make his second and final escape from the sarlacc in the 1995 short story
A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett
, by J. D. Montgomery.
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2 Star Wars Legends Comics Brought The Sith Back With One Of Its Best Villains
One of the most important characters to debut in the early Star Wars Legends publications is Lumiya, the Dark Lady of the Sith. Initially an elite Imperial spy who operated under deep cover within the Rebellion’s Rogue Squadron, Shira Brie began her Sith training after her cover was blown, and her body was left critically injured when her TIE Fighter was shot down. Having been resuscitated via extensive cybernetic reconstruction, Shira Brie underwent formal Sith training under Darth Vader and, with Palpatine’s approval, became the Sith Lady Lumiya.
Lumiya’s generation of Sith was founded after
Return of the Jedi
but before Palpatine’s return during Operation Shadow Hand, meaning that both versions of the Sith Order existed separately and simultaneously for a time.
Lumiya was not only one of Luke Skywalker’s greatest rivals, but she also founded the next iteration of the Sith after Vader and Palpatine’s deaths. In her first appearances as a Sith, Lumiya bested Luke Skywalker in single combat (less than a year after Return of the Jedi), orchestrated the Nagai-Tof War, and would go on to further menace the galaxy in later Legends stories. Lumiya played key roles in Jacen Solo’s conversion to Sith and the Second Galactic Civil War, making her one of the most impactful characters from Marvel’s comics.
1 Marvel Kept The Star Wars Galaxy Alive In Between (& After) The Films
The earliest Star Wars Legends properties had an important role in the Star Wars franchise overall. In the years between the original trilogy film releases (and in the years after the trilogy’s conclusion), works like Marvel’s comics and early novels like Splinter of the Mind’s Eye kept Star Wars viewers invested in the galaxy far, far away while enriching it with more planets, characters, and development for the trilogy’s heroes and villains. The Star Wars original trilogy’s heroes convey years of adventures and fire-forged friendships in Empire and Jedi, which the early Legends books depict, making the films more meaningful.
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Upcoming Star Wars Movies |
Release Date |
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The Mandalorian & Grogu |
May 22, 2024 |
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
Created by George Lucas First Film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope Cast Mark Hamill , James Earl Jones , David Prowse , Carrie Fisher , Harrison Ford , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Ewan McGregor , Rosario Dawson , Lars Mikkelsen , Rupert Friend , Moses Ingram , Frank Oz , Pedro Pascal TV Show(s) The Mandalorian , Andor , Obi-Wan Kenobi , The Book of Boba Fett , Ahsoka , The Acolyte , Star Wars: Skeleton Crew , Lando , Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels , Star Wars: The Bad Batch , Star Wars: Resistance , Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures , Star Wars: Visions Character(s) Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , Rey Skywalker , Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious , Obi-Wan Kenobi , Ahsoka Tano , Grand Admiral Thrawn , Grand Inquisitor , Reva (The Third Sister) , The Fifth Brother , The Seventh Sister , The Eighth Brother , Yoda , Din Djarin , Grogu , Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader , Leia Organa , Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Video Game(s) Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic , Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords , Star Wars Battlefront (2015) , Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (2005) , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II , Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order , Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Expand