The expanded universe gold that deserves to be canon

Much like its superhero siblings under the big Disney family tree, the Star Wars universe has been rebooted with the release of Rogue One and The Force Awakens, with The Last Jedi getting closer every day.

As with any reboot though, a lot of previously established Star Wars stories were rendered obsolete or were retconned to suit more with the new direction.

The sheer amount of material created for the original expanded universe was massive. Through video games, comics, books, novels, TV shows, and holiday specials, the seemingly unending timeline of the galaxy was filled out bit by bit, from entertaining stories such as Knights of the OId Republic to some less stellar examples (anyone remember Force Unleashed 2?)

Yet with the reboot loads of fan favourites were cut just as fast as a group of younglings, and there has been a high demand to see specific heroes and villains return.

Thanks to shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels, there has been some fantastic reintroductions, such as a returning (and now robot-legged) Darth Maul, and new books have confirmed the fates of other iconic characters (Jar Jar Binks is now a children’s entertainer… Seriously, look it up).

So, what should be brought back into the official canon of the new Star Wars universe? There is certainly a magnitude of content, and the writers must be smart on how to insert it now that the new status quo is here. Be warned, spoilers for some Star Wars material will be mentioned!

The Old Republic

Star Wars’ history is vast. It has over a thousand years’ worth of life prior to the events of the main films. One of the more explored times of the Star Wars lore is known as the “Old Republic”, when Jedi and Sith were aplenty, and when the sound of lightsabers clashing together was more common.

It has been covered in detail through numerous genres. One of the earliest examples of this was the Knights of the Old Republic comic book, published by Dark Horse Comics back in 2006. This laid the groundwork for many aspects of the video game of the same title, while also introducing key new aspects to the Star Wars lore.

These included minor things from showing off a new lightsaber colour (yellow, for you curious lot) to major additions like new species and races. Indeed it even went as far as setting up a really quite significant flashpoint in the whole mythos; the Mandolorian Wars.

The Mandalorian Wars were the centre point of the comic, and introduced a lot of now reused aspects including Hammerhead warships (as seen in Rogue One), double-bladed lightsabers, and cameos from Boba and Jango Fett’s ancestors. Notably, we saw the Jedi – as a formidable force – marching off to war.

As of yet, the films haven’t made a lot of references to the olden days of the Republic. Hints have been made to it in Star Wars: Rebels but not directly in the mainstream. I’m not expecting a feature length movie to be made of the wars, but a nod or wink to this hugely significant period would certainly be appreciated.

Revan and the Sith Lords

With his origins initially established in the comics, the character of Revan became one of the most popular figures in the Star Wars mythology. From valiant Jedi Knight to brutal Sith Lord, he was referenced further in the Knights of the Old Republic video game series (a series which this writer strongly recommends you play).

Revan has been since confirmed as canon in the new Star Wars lore, but there are many other characters which should be brought in to enrich it further. Particularly those on the dark side of the force.

While I could name a few fan favourites in the new canon, there aren’t too many dark-siders antagonising our heroes, even though there have certainly been plenty that could be referenced.

There is Darth Malak, apprentice to Darth Revan and overall bad, bad human being who destroyed a planet before it was cool. There’s also Darth Sion, a ravaged, hulking beast of a man whose body has been broken into a thousand pieces, along with Darth Nihilus who, behind a cool mask, wants literally to pull all the life out of everything until the whole galaxy is an empty husk.

A fun bunch to be sure, but probably the most missed is Darth Traya. Philosophical, manipulative and cunning, she supplied much needed darkness into the Star Wars mythos, and more so broke down what is meant to be Jedi and Sith (again, I cannot stress how much I recommend these games).

So much dedication went into creating these tragic and disturbing Sith Lords and it would be a shame to see these characters go to waste. Gamers will always appreciate them but it would be great to see them officially put into the history of Star Wars.

Kylo Ren (Ben Solo)/Darth Caedus (Jacen Solo)

It was heart-warming, then, to see that the makers of the new Star Wars canon appreciate all the years of the expanded universe before them in the similarities between Kylo Ren and Darth Caedus (both versions of the fallen son of Han Solo).

The Force Awakens had a few big nods to what was accepted canon at the time, principally in how Luke had set up an academy of his own (on Yavin 4 – the rebel home planet, no less) known as The Jedi Praxeum. The academy housed students including Jacen Solo, the inspiration for Kylo Ren.

The son of Han Solo and Princess Leia, he was force sensitive and originally a Jedi training under Luke. That was until he turned to the dark side and became a ruthless killer – and the black sheep of the Solo/Skywalker family. A similar backstory to one Mr. Kylo Ren.

What is great about Kylo Ren and his First Order pals is that they would be great for linking these returning characters into the new canon, and gives us hope (rebellions are built on that, after all) that writers will take further inspiration from the backlog of excellent material.

By being almost directly from the expanded universe himself, Kylo Ren is the key link between this new universe (curated under Disney’s watchful eye) and the one with previous stories. Film producers have barely touched what is available to them, and Kylo Ren might be the man to bridge the gap.

Kyle Katarn and The Jedi Praxeum

Murderous prodigies and Jedi Masters that would benefit from a PGCE aren’t the only comparisons between The Force Awakens and the expanded universe. Finn is not the only Stormtrooper that became disillusioned with a tyrannical regime. Kyle Katarn – a Stormtrooper turned Jedi – one of the most prominent characters of the old canon.

Katarn has appeared throughout Star Wars media, including countless comics and games like Star Wars: Dark Forces, Dark Forces 2 and Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast. Wise-cracking, defiant, and a somewhat unorthodox Jedi, Katarn would make a very suitable addition to the current Star Wars roster.

Here’s hoping

Additional Star Wars material has been around for thirty plus years with hundreds of characters to draw inspiration from. For me, I’m always going to have a love for the video games and hold a longing to see these great characters come onto the silver screen.

There are great treasures out there, and as these new Star Wars stories come out, it will be interesting to see what Easter eggs pop up and what characters will be finally entering the mainstream.