In this blog writer's humble opinion, the Science Fiction Book Club cover of the original Star Wars novel, the most commonly used in subsequent reprints, has aged much better than the 1977 film poster with its cheesy muscled-up-Luke and leg-showing-Leia being artifacts of the time.
Despite the best intentions of George Lucas, whose aspiration was to be a teller of the kinds of stories that otherwise would not be told in this modern age, Star Wars has always been a multimedia project of one form or another. Let there be no doubt the man is a capitalist: the license, from the very beginning, earned its keep in full (Kenner Toys being a huge beneficiary) until it was finally sold off to the House of Mouse which yielded mixed feelings at best in regard to what direction the property has gone since. Its gaming aspect has been touched before in this blog but, before proceeding further on that front, there needs to be a return to the beginning in order to set the greater context.
The Star Wars Expanded Universe is as old as the films themselves (technically older, in fact). This earlier era, predating the 1991 threshold in which the EU truly took on a life of its own, is fascinating on its own in that it sought to tell more stories of the heroes of the films but not yet build upon the greater history of the galaxy. With his original vision having been 4 trilogies (which it looks like Disney is in the process of bringing to fruition) George Lucas was expected to handle that himself, and the extent of storytelling liberties with the license reflects this.
1976
Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker
"Another galaxy, another time..." as the opening prologue humbly ushers in this new kind of storytelling destined to captivate generations. The Episode IV: A New Hope subtitle will not exist until after success leads to a film sequel. Meanwhile, the brief time between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back is best viewed in the context that direction of the franchise was not the foregone conclusion it is to us today.
The novel adaptation, published well before release of the film, is a fascinating time capsule since it was based on an earlier version of the screenplay. Credited to George Lucas, it was actually ghostwritten by Alan Dean Foster which helps explain why it makes such a good read on its own. Elements mentioned here and not in the film eventually found their way elsewhere (i.e. Obi-Wan contrasts use of a lightsaber to that of a "fusioncutter" which later iterated as a weapon in Dark Forces and tool in Yoda Stories) and, while many story details would later be retconned, the overall narrative context is remarkably consistent to what would come later.
1977
Star Wars (Marvel US original print series)
The first issue of the original comic periodical published prior to the film, but after adapting the story of the film in its first 6 issues it went on its own direction from there. The result is its own distinct storyline which, for the most part, stands just fine as a view of events involving the film heroes following the Battle of Yavin. It would last until 1987 at 107 issues and occasional spin-offs, all of which remain accessible via various omnibus collections generally subtitled A Long Time Ago... while the film adaptations received the Special Edition treatment alongside the source material in 1997.
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
The original film now gets its release mention, not just for placing its relative entry in the timeline, but to iterate that this original version then became the basis of all adaptation and follow-up until the Special Edition upgrade 20 years later. As can be discerned from what has been covered already, the Star Wars universe was always meant to be part of a far more expansive context than just this one film (though if it had been anything less than the phenomenal success it was, who knows what a different direction it may have taken?). Official sources confirm the film itself, not its other media adaptations, as truly canon.
Marvel US Pizzazz
This short-lived periodical was not just for comics, but it was one of several types of media covered and the Star Wars license was taken advantage of in smaller segments forming an overall story over multiple issues. These stories were inaccessible for some time as they were not collected back in the day under Marvel's tutelage...at least in the US (see below). Thankfully, such rare and disparate entries can be read once again in the omnibus Wild Space Volume I.
1978
Bantha Tracks
The Official Star Wars Fan Club newsletter (it was even called such for its premiere issue), it grew in 1987 into The Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine then evolved into Star Wars Insider in 1994 which still runs today. It is mentioned for importance here because, while it generally covered real-world inside information, in its later forms it also included some short stories that have place in the overall lore. Many of these were never reprinted (at least physically), but ought to still be found in the digitized archives of back issues.
Splinter of the Mind's Eye: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker
Both the subtitle and its authorship by Alan Dean Foster bely its direct sequel status to the original 1976 novel adaptation. While remembered fondly today as the first original novel of the Expanded Universe, it was originally developed as the story for a potential film sequel and should be read in that context to fully appreciate its unique elements in the wild time after Star Wars but before The Empire Strikes Back. It endures well, not only receiving almost as many reprintings as its predecessor but a comic adaptation in 1995.
Star Wars Weekly et al (Marvel UK)
While starting as a republishing of the US comic on a different release schedule (with repeats and out-of-order too common), the British Star Wars comic developed some unique aspects of its own. There were quite a few unique stories (in more than one sense of the word) originally developed as filler after the US source material ran dry due to publication schedule disparities; these and other elements distinct to that side of the Atlantic are best detailed in this grand overview. Fortunately the aforementioned Wild Space Volume I collected the vast majority of these for US audiences.
The Star Wars Holiday Special
Like President Donald Trump, everyone who knows of it has an opinion about it (typically strong). Regret may not be the best term describing George Lucas' attitude about the whole thing, though there is no denying it has aged as well as something that should not be left out for very long. Still, the introduction of Kashyyyk, Chewbacca's family, and the first appearance of Boba Fett (even if in a virtual setting) set it as high as anything else of importance in the context of the growing Star Wars universe.
1979
The Han Solo Adventures (at Stars' End, Revenge, and the Lost Legacy)
Not to be confused with the much later Han Solo Trilogy (though both are set in the same general time), this trilogy by Brian Daley (who was later responsible for the radio drama adaptations of the Star Wars trilogy) went in the then-new direction of portraying the screen heroes as they were before getting thrust into the galactic spotlight. Like Foster's stories surrounding Luke Skywalker, elements introduced here would get reused in later works (i.e. one can tell by the world names that the early campaign of X-Wing takes place in the Corporate Sector). Han Solo at Stars' End even got adapted for its own Marvel mini-series in 1980.
Star Wars (LA Times Syndicate)
The Star Wars media reach kept growing, at this point gaining a US-based newspaper comic strip. Like the Marvel comic it centered on the further exploits of the film heroes in the contemporary setting of its launch time (again, between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back); however, its story ended just prior to the Battle of Hoth, publication running through 1984. While not "omnibussed" in full until after the Disney acquisition, the greater part of its content could be re-experienced in the Classic Stars Wars line of trade paperbacks by Dark Horse in the mid-90s.
1980
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Once again, the novel adaptation got published prior to release of the film and was based on an earlier (and more expansive) draft of the screenplay, hence some inaccuracies best glossed over. Since this is a matter of books based on films (rather than the other way around), this written form can be appreciated for its greater details and inclusion of scenes deleted from the film. As it can still be easily found among numerous reprintings, it can also be appreciated for its then-context in that the Skywalker legacy and full history of the Jedi Order were still concepts in development.
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
This is the point the first film got its Episode IV: A New Hope moniker, setting it inside the continuity that was growing at an accelerating pace. Still considered by most to be the best entry of the original trilogy (thus best of all Star Wars films), its addition of major characters Yoda and Lando Calrissian as well as first appearance of Emperor Palpatine widened the stage of the Expanded Universe along with the film saga. Like Goldfinger did for James Bond, this film cemented Star Wars as a worldwide cultural phenomenon and that affected the direction of product licensing from that point forward.
1981
Star Wars (National Public Radio)
As mentioned before, Han Solo author Brian Daley adapted the Star Wars story for its first major foray in electronic media other than film screen. Some of the original cast (including Mark Hamill) got to reprise their roles, but what really makes this worth experiencing at least once is how it explores context details (like Leia's interrogation) not really covered in other forms. This was not the first, nor would be the last, of the same general story everyone already knows but experienced in a different way.
1982
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Parker Brothers)
The first Star Wars video game may be a simplistic shoot-em-up, but it still makes for a fun distraction for several minutes and was not a bad development at all considering the limitations of the Atari 2600 it was made for. The following year it even got ported to the superior Mattel Intellivision; that edition boasts higher resolution and more graphical effects, but its rough execution betrays the fact that the game was developed for the Atari. Easily emulated, it is worth playing (or watching a playthrough on YouTube) at least once to understand its historical impact.
1983
Rebel Mission to Ord Mantell
While its actual publication time is lost to history, this original 30-minute drama by Brian Daley is one of several elaborations of Han Solo's resolve to leave the Rebellion at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. The concept would necessitate re-visitation and retconning, a fact of life in this time before much of an established Star Wars canon. Since it was only released on cassette and vinyl LP acquiring a copy for personal enjoyment is not a simple task; fortunately, archiving on the internet has made it accessible to everyone.
Star Wars: Jedi Arena
As with the licensing of any major property, some results are great steps...and some are missteps. This Atari 2600 exclusive (supposedly there was a cancelled Intellivision port) is actually not that bad for the system. In what may be the first instance (but far from the last), it is the Star Wars license that prompts the whole being less than the sum of its parts. The first game to "simulate" the wielding of a lightsaber, its execution left little to none of such an impression.
The Empire Strikes Back (National Public Radio)
This time the radio drama got published much closer to its source material, but since it was also close to its predecessor it was compiled with much of the same cast and crew. Like its predecessor, it expanded upon certain story elements that in some instances would seep into the greater continuity, officially or otherwise. A follow-up drama for Return of the Jedi would not come until 1996 (among the last works of Brian Daley prior to his death by cancer that year) and is more a product of that time.
Star Wars: The Arcade Game
The scant handful of Star Wars video games up to this point were played more arcade than adventure anyway because that is what the hardware of the time could support. This full cabinet (also available in cockpit form) by Atari took it to a new level, simulating the entirety of the Battle of Yavin from the flight controls of Red 5 in a sequential manner that would be replicated in numerous adaptations of the same content for years to come (Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader being a key exception in that it faithfully follows the film sequence of the battle). Both concept and execution proved well, leading to this title being the first Star Wars video game widely ported to home consoles and computers while the arcade original is included as an extra in Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Published only weeks before the film, the novel still contains key differences but they are not as stark this time. The original trilogy novel adaptations can be experienced as either companions to the films with their greater elaborations, or like the radio dramas or other alternative adaptations as their own distinct telling of the same story in the context the reader chooses (as the standalone adventures Lucas provides or in the greater context of the Expanded Universe). In any case, it is great to see these time capsules be republished over the years so new audiences can choose for themselves.
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
The trilogy was complete, but the episode numbering promised more which George Lucas was resolved to deliver...it just took longer than expected (Indiana Jones & Willow proved significant distractions, not to mention the need to first go back and "fix" what was not quite right with the trilogy). Ian McDiarmid proved so irreplaceable as Emperor Palpatine that the character was his to keep, while Sebastian Shaw got to be the face of Anakin Skywalker for a generation at least. At this time Lucas was contemplating a sequel trilogy, the prequels being put on the backburner until moviemaking technology grew to a point of accommodating his vision.
The Lando Calrissian Adventures (Mindharp of Sharu, Flamewind of Oseon, Starcave of Thonboka)
That other scoundrel of the Star Wars hero cast of characters got his own trilogy covering several of his notable encounters prior to losing the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo. Authored by L. Neil Smith then later, like Daley's Han Solo equivalent, collected for republishing under Del Rey's Classic Star Wars novel branding specifically for the original trilogy adaptations, Splinter of the Mind's Eye and these other such vintage works, it took full advantage of the liberty to explore aspects of the Star Wars universe that were never touched before. This makes them a fascinating read that not only got them a shout-out in Solo: A Star Wars Story but introduced deep elements that would be further elaborated in much later works on the Expanded Universe (identity of the Sorcerers of Tund, the Sharu as contemporaries of the Celestials, and Vuffi Raa's race having once been rivals of the Yuuzhan Vong).
Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle
Sequel to The Empire Strikes Back by Parker Brothers, it was supposed to be one of two adaptations for each major aspect of the Battle of Endor but the companion game Ewok Adventure got cancelled. Like its predecessor, taken in the context of its time it can be a fun if fleeting challenge. No Intellivision port this time, but it did make it to the Atari 5200 console and a couple 8-bit home computers (albeit having few, if any, substantive improvements in those ports).
1984
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Atari)
The arcade game would cover both ground and air aspects of the Battle of Endor, alternating between the two like the film had. Unusually for the games in this little arcade trilogy, this is an isometric shooter using raster graphics (think Zaxxon), but like the others its immersion is aided by use of actual voice clips from the film. Its only ports were to home computers (the Amiga Trilogy version being the best), but the emulated original is unlockable in Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.
Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
Not bearing the Star Wars branding but set in that universe, this is one of two prequels to Return of the Jedi best enjoyed in its own standalone context. The story and execution can be cheesy since it was made for younger audiences, but Star Wars media is no stranger to such and this film can be enjoyed by the whole family for an evening. Widely available for streaming or home video formats, it and its sequel are worth seeing at least once although the unique elements they introduced are specific to Endor and not essential for a greater appreciation of Star Wars lore.
1985
Ewoks (Star Comics)
This is the point the world got introduced to the cartoony portrayal of the cute but vicious Rebel allies from Return of the Jedi, well before the cartoon this comic was a companion to. Star Comics is a Marvel branding for young audiences, making this a spin-off the their regular Star Wars print which at this point was still going with stories beginning to portray past the Battle of Endor. Like regular Marvel Star Wars, a few stories made for this series never got individually published in the US (but were in the UK).
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Atari)
Back to first-person vehicle-based shooting with vector graphics, this was reportedly available both as its own acquisition and as a conversion kit for Star Wars: The Arcade Game since it used the same controls and engine. This time the Battle of Hoth is the setting (of course), and this sequence of events likewise would be emulated in future game portrayals such as those in Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Shadows of the Empire. Some additional features were added over Star Wars: The Arcade Game, and it can be experienced at home in any of Domark's Star Wars Trilogy computer ports (Amiga being the best of these) or the original unlocked in Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike.
Droids: The Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO
One of the classic quality cartoons of the decade, it proved not to be as popular or lasting as its Ewoks companion show. For the longest time it was also inaccessible, the series only released in full on home video in PAL VHS format. Now that it is available for on-demand streaming it could be worth viewing [with the kiddos of course] if only to appreciate origins of the Expanded Universe elements it wrought (i.e. Screed).
Ewoks
Companion cartoon to Droids made in the same style, it was likewise lost for a time due to the series as a whole only being released via PAL VHS. Now that streaming has alleviated that issue it can be enjoyed as the kiddie entertainment it was made to be or as an interesting piece of Star Wars media history that is not bad quality. As this was meant to be standalone and is specific to Endor, scant elements made it into the grater Expanded Universe.
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
Not to be confused with the actual Battle of Endor, this is the direct sequel to Caravan of Courage which is a prequel to Return of the Jedi. While its predecessor is more of a fantasy adventure for children, this one can be more appreciated in the greater Star Wars context. It is also more generally exciting: a quest to escape culminating in a battle with slaver pirates who are aided by a sorceress retroactively identified as a rogue Dathomirian Nightsister.
1986
Droids (Star Comics)
The companion comic to the cartoon came late in the series. Later issues even stepped into adapting events from Star Wars, at this point another perspective among many. So long as it is not confused with either later Droids series by Dark Horse, this should be easy to find in the Droids and Ewoks omnibus.
1987
Star Tours
This theme park ride is worth mentioning not so much for how it played with existing elements from the Expanded Universe but introduced some as well. Considering what it was made for it is all in good fun, which is typical of its callbacks in that they are more shout-outs than story features. For those interested, doing one's own research is recommended since the original version(s) of this ride have long shut down.
Star Wars (Namco)
Though some later entries would give it a run for its money, this is hands-down the most BIZARRE Star Wars game ever. Not that it is terrible (though it is notoriously difficult); it is just a key exhibit of how the imaginings of Japanese culture can turn something well-known into something unrecognizable. Outside of emulation it is inaccessible to Western audiences anyway, so at least it can be enjoyed in translation-patched form, the aid of save states, and a "take it for what it is" attitude.
Star Wars 3-D
The original Star Wars Marvel comic was wrapping up its run. Instead of following that up this final spin-off went back to between the battles of Yavin and Hoth in a mini-series designed specially to be read via colored anaglyph glasses. The stories themselves were translated into 2-D for the Wild Space Volume I omnibus so they can at least still be experienced today.
1987-
Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game (West End Games)
This blog author is NOT a pen-and-paper RPGer due to insufficient creative imagination (computer and console RPGs can be OK though since their settings and scenarios are predefined). With that out of the way, the best Star Wars media of the era is saved for last because it expanded the universe to a greater extent than anything up to that point; Star Wars Adventure Journal editor Peter M. Schweighofer would indicate that fact almost verbatim. While geared towards that particular gaming audience, what all the supplements, sourcebooks, and newsletter content prompted by this first Star Wars RPG brought into the overall lore can hardly be overstated.
The next line of era demarcation for the Star Wars Expanded Universe is 1991 which saw the levee break in the trifecta of novels (Heir to the Empire), comics (Dark Empire), and video games (Star Wars plusThe Empire Strikes Back for NES), bringing a slew of new original content giving the Star Wars franchise renewed life as it marched towards the Trilogy Special Edition before culminating in the prequel films and tales from the Clone Wars. What must not be forgotten is how much of a part this Star Wars RPG had in that development: between the end of the Marvel comic run in 1987 and that threshold in 1991, its material was the only source of new Star Wars stories. When it came time for that next multimedia push, the technical aspects of Star Wars technology and lore aspects were based on figures originally provided by the Star Wars RPG (like how Tom Clancy used Larry Bond's Harpoon game as an aid in writing The Hunt for Red October).
West End Games was only able to afford the Star Wars license until 1998, leaving their Star Wars RPG as a capsule of the Expanded Universe prior to the prequel trilogy. Its supplemental newsletter, Star Wars Adventure Journal, included many short stories which were later compiled into anthologies published by Bantam Spectra during their Star Wars literary tenure in the 1990s. The entirety of the gaming materials themselves are long out-of-print and abandoned, but have been preserved by Joseph Bongiorno on his Star Wars Timeline site (he is possibly the foremost authority on the Star Wars Expanded Universe and authored Supernatural Encounters, a comprehensive fiction tying together not just all of pre-Disney Star Wars but also lore from related franchises such as Willow).
The Publishers
Marvel, on both sides of the Atlantic, handled the comics side of Star Wars until voluntarily ending that run in the late 80s (despite the license not being expired). Del Rey, the then-new science fiction brand of Ballantine Books (since transferred to Penguin Random House), published all Star Wars novels of this era with 90s-vintage reprints bearing the banner Classic Star Wars to differentiate from the new novels being written at the time. Though at different points, eventually things would come full circle and today both are once again the publishers of their respective Star Wars media.
Though the Games Group at Lucasfilm was established in 1982, they could not touch the film franchises of its parent company for years because those had already been licensed out. What games were made (generally computer ports of Star Wars arcade shooters and the Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom game by Atari) were handled by a smorgasbord of software houses depending on which system a game was being ported to. It was a time of chaos until its best properties were able to come back home to the tender loving care of Lucasfilm Games, and the rest is history.
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