Amazingly enough, books and comics based on Star Wars and its characters predate the release of the first feature film in 1977. The novelization of the Star Wars story, credited to George Lucas but actually written by Alan Dean Foster, was released in 1976.
Alan penned a book under his own name in 1978, titled Splinter of the Minds Eye. This book was the first title released as a part of the "Expanded Universe" -- the official title for any licensed product that is not one of the six feature films. The main theme of this novel was to fill in the timeline of events between the movies while also expanding on events that happened before and after the stories outlined in the films.
The majority of books written as part of the Expanded Universe series were released around the time of the original trilogy (Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi). In the late 80's, several years after the latest movie release, the literature offerings dwindled until the resurgence in the early 90's. 1992 saw the release of Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy and 1996 saw the release of the Steve Perry novel Shadow of the Empire. Shadow of the Empire chronicles the time between Episodes V and VI (The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi).
Another new series that has made the Star Wars universe popular again is the New Jedi series. The events in this series take place 20 years after the Return of the Jedi. There are some old characters as well as some newly introduced characters to keep the story moving forward.
Three other Star Wars series have been released that are targeted to younger readers to get them interested in the Star Wars genre. These series are The Jedi Apprentice, about Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi in the time immediately before the events of the movie The Phantom Menace; The Jedi Quest series follows the adventures of Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice Anakin Skywalker after Episode I and before Episode II. The third series still has books being published. It is called The Last of the Jedi and follows the activities of Obi-Wan Kenobi after Episode III.
The Star Wars entertainment franchise has been a powerhouse during four decades, and thanks to their fervent fan base and new offerings, will probably be popular for at least one more decade!
Shaun is a long-time Star Wars fan, beginning with the vinyl recordings he listened to as a child. He is a collector of vintage Star Wars toys, and counts the Star Wars At-At Walker and the Star Wars Slave 1 among his favorites.
He maintains a Star Wars blog filled with character and movie history, as well as great Star Wars finds for fans of all ages, including household items like Star Wars sheets, curtains, and party supplies.
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