5 Star Wars Areas I’d Like to Learn More About

I’ve been a Star Wars fan for most of my life, about four decades so far. But I’ve had to play catch up this past year, as I’d only been a fan of the movies for most of them. Since starting to blog about Star Wars, I’d realized the galaxy far, far away was even bigger than I had ever imagined, with all kinds of other content I’d missed out on over the years. I’ve since watched the Clone Wars and Rebels animated series, read quite a few (mostly canon) books, and have steadfastly kept up on The Mandalorian.

Reading other people’s Star Wars blogs, watching their YouTube channels, and participating in fan groups has alerted to me to so many other areas of Star Wars I haven’t even gotten to yet. But I hope to correct that in the near-future and learn about these sub-areas of Star Wars:

• The Old Republic. There is a section of the fandom that is extremely passionate about the Old Republic era, and I believe it is mostly from gaming and a few Old Republic Legends novels. I’m NOT a gamer, but I am a reader, and so I am planning on reading the novels. Revan and Darth Bane are two names I constantly hear about when it comes to this era, as well as many other Sith Lords. My problem is, I’m not a huge fan of reading books about villains. I’m a Jedi girl, and though I’m pretty sure there are probably Jedi in these books, they seem to be focused on Sith Lords, so I worry I won’t be able to get into them. Also, they kind of freak me out! So Old Republic fans, please change mind here and give me a reason to love them!

• Legends alternative universe. I’m talking about the Legends books that tell the story of Han and Leia’s three children: twins Jacen and Jaina Solo, and Anakin Solo, as well as Luke and Mara Jade’s son, Ben Skywalker. There’s also the big crisis of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, and many, many other storylines. It’s a rich history of Star Wars, and I don’t want to ignore it. But it’s vast, with well over 100 books in its inventory. I’ve read a few Legends books (and reviewed them over on my sister blog The Star Wars Reader), ones that don’t directly contradict canon. I’m especially interested in the prequel and clone wars era right now. But I will get to these Legends some day.

• Mandalorian History. Especially now with The Mandalorian craze, a lot of people, myself included, are getting more interested in Mandalorian history. The Mandalorian arcs were some of my favorites from the Clone Wars series, and there were a few episodes with Sabine Wren and her family in Rebels. I know there was a Mandalorian Civil War, and the Empire’s Purge; as well as some ancient war between the Jedi and the Mandalorians. Death Watch. The Dark Saber. And of course whatever we’re getting through The Mandalorian series. But I’m wondering if there are any cohesive histories out there, or information on the clans and how they operate. I’ll have to do some research, and if you know of any information, please let me know!

• Thrawn and the Chiss. I find the character of Thrawn fascinating, and despite what I said above about not being interested in stories about villains, I would like to read all of the Thrawn books. The difference is, Thrawn is a different kind of villain–he’s not malevolent in the traditional bad guy kind of way. He’s not cruel for cruelty’s sake, he doesn’t desire the destruction of innocents for any selfish reasons. He simply has his loyalties to the Empire and has a job to do, and he does it brilliantly. He’s a bit cold and calculating, kind of like Tarkin, but I like Thrawn better than Tarkin. He has an appreciation for art and culture, and is a genius problem-solver. He’s like a Chiss Sherlock Holmes. And speaking of the Chiss, I’d like to learn more about his people, where they come from, what makes them tick. All this is in the Thrawn books now coming out by Timothy Zahn, who first brought Thrawn to life in the Legends books way back when (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command). I did read the first book in that series a hundred years ago, but it didn’t thrill me, and I don’t remember much. I’ve recently tried reading the first canon book simply called Thrawn, and I got halfway through it. As I’ve said, I love the character of Thrawn, but the book was so damn slow I got sidetracked by other books. But I am determined to read them. Someday.

• Comics. I’ve never been a comic reader, but I’m coming to the realization that the comics contain a ton of Star Wars content that I’d love to know. There’s a billion Legends comics, but I’d be more interested in the recent canon comics at this point. I’d never seen myself ever buying comics and reading them (a 49 year old woman reading comics? It’s just so odd) but then again, I never thought I’d watch Star Wars “cartoons.” And I’m so glad I did, because I’d be missing out on so much. There’s a series on how Ben Solo came to be Kylo Ren that interests me, as well as a Vader comic that explores him trying to find out how Padme died, coming into contact with Sabe, as well as being harshly punished by the Emperor for doing so. This all sounds like great stuff! I’d be a bit picky with the comics, but I wouldn’t mind having some on my shelf.

Exploring all this Star Wars content will happily fill the rest of my life. It’s a work in progress, a “scholarly” pursuit, if you will, a never-ending passion. And with new content always coming out, it will very probably never end until I pass into the Force myself, lol. This gives me great joy.

What about you? Are there areas of Star Wars you haven’t explored yet but want to? Let me know in the comments, and we’ll talk about it!

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Like to read Star Wars? Check out my sister blog The Star Wars Reader. I regularly review Star Wars books, both Canon and Legends.