Since geeks are allergic to change, many Star Wars fans were furious when, in preparation for the upcoming Star Wars sequels, the entire Expanded Universe was thrown into the trash in favor of a whole new canon. This is a new chronology of the Star Wars universe.

For 35 years, the Expanded Universe has provided new experiences for Star Wars fans hungry for more off-screen adventures. With Star Wars, George Lucas created a universe that fueled imaginations and inspired creativity. He opened this universe to other people to tell their own stories. This is how the Expanded Universe (WU) was born, consisting of comics, novels, video games, etc.

Heir-to-the-empire-legends While Lucasfilm has always striven to ensure that all RV stories are compatible with each other and with new film and television content, Lucas has always made it clear that he is not bound by RV. He ranked films created by him to the canon. This canon includes six episodes of Star Wars, as well as hours of content from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which he worked on as a writer and producer. These narratives are the immovable pillars of the Star Wars story, the characters and events from which all other stories should be based.

Now that the future of Star Wars is filled with exciting new film projects, all aspects of Star Wars storytelling will be intertwined. Under the leadership of Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, a story team has been created for the first time in the company's history to oversee and coordinate all projects in the Star Wars universe.

“We have an unprecedented list of new Star Wars projects on the horizon,” Kennedy said. “We're bringing Star Wars back to the big screen and will continue to adventure in games, books, comics and new formats that are still being born. Interlocking future narratives will allow fans to explore the galaxy at a deeper level than ever before. ”

Dark disciple

Announcement: It may take the combined efforts of the Jedi and the Sith to defeat the most powerful warrior of the dark side.

Based on unproduced scripts from the blockbuster TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

Lords Of The Sith

"When the Emperor and his sinister apprentice Darth Vader find themselves in the midst of rebellion on an inhospitable planet to survive, they can only rely on each other, on the Force and their wonderful fighting prowess ... Cover of Aaron McBride."

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ....
When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely on each other, the Force, and their own ruthlessness to prevail.

Tarkin

Bestselling Star Wars veteran James Luceno gives Grand Moff Tarkin the Star Wars: Darth Plagueis treatment, bringing a legendary character from A New Hope to full, fascinating life.

A new dawn

Fans have read the text on the dust jacket of the novel, which Del Rey showed the photo the day before. Miller writes about the lone Jedi again.

“The war is over. The Separatists have been defeated, and the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. We stand on the threshold of a new beginning. ”- Emperor Palpatine

Heir to the jedi

"A thrilling new adventure that takes place between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back and - for the first time ever - is written entirely in the first person on behalf of Luke Skywalker ... Cover by Larry Rostant."

Aftermath: Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens

The second Death Star is destroyed. The Emperor and his powerful enforcer, Darth Vader, are rumored to be dead. The Galactic Empire is in chaos.

More recently, Star Wars # 1 comic has appeared. It would seem that it is another number telling about the adventures of the heroes of the famous franchise. From a plot point of view, this release does not play a special role, but for a galaxy far, far away, it marked the beginning of a new era: now Star Wars is part of the Marvel Megaverse. The first numbered issue of the Guide will be dedicated to this event, in which you can learn about all the films, comics, books and other media in the new canon that have come out and come out.

Films

The six films, created by the genius George Lucas, have long since gained cult status. It is with them that you should start your acquaintance with the universe. It's up to you to discover a galaxy far, far away from the prequel trilogy (episodes I-III) or from the original trilogy (episodes IV-VI). If you want to focus on a great adventure, the release date is worth looking at. If you are more interested in watching the inner experiences of the heroes, then watching episodes 1 to 6 will give you an amazing tragedy.

After watching the saga, you should pay attention to two animated films:

• • Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a kind of prologue to the series of the same name and tells about Anakin Skywalker's acquaintance with his Padawan - Ahsoka Tano. The events of the film unfold after the second episode.

• Star Wars. Rebels: Spark of Rebellion- hour-long prequel to the TV series "Rebels", which tells the story of a company of daredevils who decided to fight the Empire. This animated film allows you to learn a lot of new and interesting things about what happened between the third and fourth episodes.

In future:

Already on December 18 this year, the premiere of the long-awaited motion picture will take place Star Wars. Episode 7: The Force Awakens, and over the next few years, five more numbered parts of the saga and four spin-offs will be released.

Serials

The best way to immerse yourself in the Star Wars universe is to watch two canon series. The extended story of familiar and not so heroes will make you await the release of each episode in awe and involuntarily shed a tear at the end of each season.

• Star Wars: The Clone Wars- This is a fascinating chronicle of military operations with your favorite characters on the front lines. Battles between armies of clones and droids, merciless battles of huge fleets in the vastness of the galaxy, amazing adventures and cunning intrigues merge into a wonderful animated series. And don't be confused by the childish visual style: this series sometimes tells dark, truly adult stories full of cruelty. In total, 6 seasons were released, 20-22 episodes each. For the most ardent fans of the franchise, they also released 4 unfinished episodes to watch.

• Star Wars Rebels... The series, which only recently began broadcasting, already delights us with interesting details about life in the Empire five years before Luke and Ben met. While the episodes are too childish, the characters are too naive, and the plots are too simple. However, the Inquisitor, whose duties include finding and luring Force-sensitive children to the dark side, as well as destroying the surviving Jedi, has already managed to intrigue all fans of a galaxy far, far away. In total, 12 episodes and 4 mini-episodes have been released so far, as well as 10 very interesting promotional videos in the form of news that you can watch.

In future:

Already on March 2, a new episode of "Rebels" will appear, and soon the second season of the series will also be released.

Comics

A format that allows you to realize the most daring ideas of the authors, because not all the stories are ready to be put on the screens by Disney producers. This makes comics especially valuable to fans. If you love Star Wars, then these are must-read episodes:

• Star Wars: Darth Maul - Son of Dathomir... The favorite character of the author of this text was honored with his small, but detailed comic. Maul's tragedy, of course, will never compare in its epoch-making and significance with the fate of Anakin Skywalker, but it is still capable of making readers empathize and sympathize. Maul's story has always been mysteriously attractive and monstrously cruel in relation to the little Zabrak, who, by chance, fell into the hands of Darth Sidious. Growing up in fear and deprived of maternal love, the antihero did not become a real master of the Sith, he was only a killer, a tool in the hands of a manipulator. The lack of attention to the personality of the character in the film and the series did not allow the audience to understand the motives of the hero. And only four issues of this comic for the first time showed Darth Maul not as an insensitive villain, but as a real person.

• Star Wars: Rebels - Ring Race... Curious from a purely plot point of view, the comic was exclusively released in Star Wars Rebels Magazine# 1. Unfortunately, it was the plot that turned out to be the weakest element of the work: it is too simple and predictable, although it sheds light on one important detail. But the visual style of the comic was a pleasant surprise: it has a special charm. Still, buying a magazine for this little adventure is definitely not worth it.

• Star Wars(2015) - the newest series of comics published by the publishing house Marvel has already become a hit, and in fact only 2 issues have come out so far. The quality of performance is excellent, the plot is intriguing, and the main characters have already become part of an interesting story. No true fan of the franchise can miss out on such a good comic.

• Star Wars: Darth Vader- George Lucas dedicated the entire saga to the personal tragedy of Anakin Skywalker - a person with a very deep inner peace. His feelings, motives and actions are always justified, there is a certain reason behind each act, and his story can leave few people indifferent. Each new page from his media biography - be it a movie, TV series or comic strip - makes you enthusiastically watch every step of the hero. That is why every fan should read the first issue of Darth Vader, which is literally woven from the pain and hate of Skywalker.

In future:

The sequel will be released on February 25 Star Wars: Darth Vader; A brand new comic series will debut on March 4th Star Wars: Princess Leia; On March 11, the third issue will reach the shelves of digital stores Star Wars(2015); the first issue of the prequel to the TV series "Rebels" Star Wars: Kanan: The Last Padawan, which tells the story of the fate of the Jedi who survived the order # 66, will be available for purchase on April 1. For information on how and where you can purchase Marvel Comics, read.

Books

Saturated with small details, filled with the feelings and thoughts of the characters, with a carefully crafted story, the books allow you to carefully study the inner world of each hero. Instead of spectacle and spectacular scenes, there is a leisurely narration and monologues that perfectly reveal your favorite images. If you are ready to spend quiet and cozy evenings with a good book, then these literary works about the characters of Star Wars will not disappoint you:

• Star Wars: Tarkin- a novel, the protagonist of which is Wilhuff Tarkin, one of the most brutal officials of the Galactic Empire. The plot of the work unfolds 5 years after the Clone Wars and tells the story of the life of the governor of the Outer Rim, led only by his hatred of the enemies of the Empire. One of the most important achievements of the novel, oddly enough, turned out to be the fact that Palpatine finally received a name - Shiv.

• Star Wars: A New Dawn- A Jedi named Kanan Jarrus, who survived the destruction of the order, survived in a cruel world ruled by the Sith. Trying by any means to hide his past and avoid the fate of his comrades-in-arms, the hero soon realizes that sooner or later he will have to take a fateful step and start a fight with the Empire.

• Star Wars: Blade Squadron, Star Wars: One Thousand Levels Down and Star Wars: The End of History- several interesting stories published in different issues of the magazine Star Wars Insider. Blade squadron from Star Wars Insider# 149 and # 150 describe one of the scenes unused in Episode 6: an elite squadron of B-wing starships embark on a dangerous mission during the Battle of Endor. One Thousand Levels Down from issue 151 tells the story of the fate of two Alderaanians trying to escape during the imperial genocide. The end of history talks about Mira Nadrinakara - a girl who kept Jedi artifacts for many years after the destruction of the order. This story was released in issue 154.

In future:

Coming soon in Star Wars Insider# 156 a short story about pilots will appear Last Call at the Zero Angle, and in # 157 - a little story of Darth Sidious and Darth Vader called Orientation; these two Sith will also be dedicated to the novel Lords of the Sith Coming out April 28; you can read about the fate of another servant of the dark side of the Force Asaj Ventress on July 7 in the book Dark disciple.

Star Wars Place in Marvel

The Marvel Universe has a complex multi-level structure. The basis is the so-called "Earth- #", "chronology" and "sequence", each of which exists in a unique time and space. All classic versions of the characters live on Earth-616, which, in addition to the planet itself, includes all the surrounding galaxies. Alternative and parallel universes (for example, Earth-1610 "Ultimate" or Earth-199999, in which the films take place) contain the same characters, but give a new perspective on their stories and destinies. All realities associated with the classic make up the Marvel Multiverse. But if the sequence has nothing to do with the main chronology, then it is part of the Megaverse. So, Star Wars will be in Megaverse for now, so in the coming years you should not expect a full-fledged crossover "Avengers vs. Sith".

If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.

It will soon be three years since the Star Wars Expanded Universe was declared by Legends and replaced by a new unified canon. After these years, the author of "The World of Fiction" and a longtime fan of "Star Wars" bitterly states that, to put it mildly, he does not like the new canon.

He sent the expanded universe to a junkyard

The same book

Maybe I'm the wrong Star Wars fan, but I (and I'm not alone) fell in love with a galaxy far, far away, not because of films, but because of books. On a cold and gloomy April day in 2001, I bought a nice black volume from a bookstore with the promising title "Han Solo at Stars' End." I had no idea who Han Solo was and what Star Dead End was, but the name promised adventure and space adventure, and I bought it. I got one book, followed by three more, and more, and more ...

Then there were cassettes with films, which in the pre-Internet era had to be searched all over Moscow for about a year, the premiere of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith in cinemas, the game Star Wars Episode I on the PlayStation, the first purchased issue of the World of Fantasy with Darth Vader on the cover ... But it all started with books.

I have never separated the Expanded Universe and the films. For me, these were two parts of a single whole. Books, comics and games kept me in love with Star Wars for many years after Revenge of the Sith came out, when the Star Wars movie history seemed to be over. Therefore, when, first in the series "The Clone Wars", and then in the new canon, the creators of my beloved universe began to openly ignore that part of it, thanks to which I fell in love with "Star Wars", I felt hurt.

The Expanded Universe was once as canon for fans as movies. And now half of the people in this picture do not seem to exist.

Intellectually, I understand that the "legendization" of the Expanded Universe was inevitable. Hundreds of books and comics, thousands of developed plots significantly limited the creative potential of the creators of the new canon. In addition, formally, no one forbids returning the elements of the Expanded Universe to the canon, as was done, for example, with Grand Admiral Thrawn ... And yet I am unhappy.

Back in the day, the Expanded Universe saved Star Wars by reawakening people's interest in the saga. She deserved more respect. And fans who have been buying stories in the Expanded Universe for thirty years deserved to know how the adventures of their favorite heroes will end, what will happen next with Jaina Solo, Ben Skywalker and Allana Solo, what will be the last adventure of Han, Luke and Leia - and much, much more.

He clumsily uses the old canon

The old Expanded Universe is still not only a source of ideas and characters for the new canon, but also a cash cow for owners. Books and comics of the old canon continue to be republished under the "Legends" badge, some of their ideas are reflected in new books, comics and even films. Well, Grand Admiral Thrawn has become the largest fan service in the history of the saga.

When Dave Filoni announced Thrawn's appearance in the third season of the animated series Rebels at the Star Wars Celebration in London, the audience burst into applause. When fans grieved over the lost Expanded Universe, the blue-skinned admiral's name most often surfaced in conversation. By bringing him back to canon, Filoni gained new credibility from fans in one fell swoop and got rid of the main source of their discontent.

Except ... Thrawn is not the same!

Thrawn from the animated series is similar to Thrawn from the books only in that it is blue

Technically, in Rebels we see exactly the same character that Timothy Zahn described. Blue skin, red eyes, white uniform, title, love of art, is considered an unsurpassed tactical genius ... But in fact, for half of the third season, Thrawn never showed his genius. For a dozen episodes, he has been trying to cope with the elusive command of the "Ghost", but there is no result. The writers of "Rebels" simply cannot show Thrawn in all its glory - otherwise the series would have to end in the first episode of the third season due to the death of the main characters. However, the loss would be small.

He's just boring!

With the cancellation of the Expanded Universe, a distant, distant galaxy at once lost thousands of years of history, hundreds of planets, races, heroes and events. Instead ... nothing came. The old canon was also not built in one day, but it expanded the world, there were dozens of stories in it that were not in any way connected with films or related only indirectly. These stories complemented the galaxy, made it alive and diverse, and most importantly, they were interesting!

Books and comics of the new canon, as a rule, do not expand the universe, but only serve as additions to the main product - films and TV series. In the Expanded Universe there were adventure novels from the X-Wing series about brave fighter pilots, a detective thriller "Shadow Games", a noir trilogy "Nights of Coruscant", its own version of "Heart of Darkness" and "Apocalypse Now" - "Weak Point", zombies horror "Death Troopers" ...

The Expanded Universe began with these books.

The new canon cannot boast of anything like that. Here all the books are either prequels to something, or novelizations, or adaptations, and independent plots are mostly found only in comics. And then most of the comics are devoted to the interval between the fourth and fifth episodes - the era to which in the Expanded Universe were addressed once ... five hundred.

Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy laid the foundation for the entire post-Endor period of the Expanded Universe, talked about the state of affairs in the galaxy, introduced iconic characters and introduced readers to one of the greatest villains of Star Wars. Chuck Wendig's "Aftermath", which was supposed to introduce fans to the post-Endor period in the new canon, is inferior to Zahn's books on all counts. There is no galactic scope, no interesting and elaborate characters, no logical explanation of why the Alliance won. Aftermath is boring and uninteresting, while Heir to the Empire is still considered one of the best Star Wars books.

He divided the fans

This icon now means "What you read may be cool, but doesn't matter to the universe."

Some fans reacted calmly to the "legendization" of the Expanded Universe, but the rest ... Some took the change in its status as a reason to declare jihad to the new canon. They boycott new products, write online petitions, and flood the Lucasfilm and Disney offices with demands to bring PB back into canon. The latter, on the contrary, are extremely meticulous in studying every book and comic strip in the store: what if this is not a new canon, but "Legends" and they accidentally buy "printed fanfiction"? For both of these categories, the canonicity of history suddenly became more important than its quality, and they cannot agree among themselves.

He contradicts himself

The decision to "legendize" the Expanded Universe of Lucasfilm was explained by the desire to avoid contradictions between different works in the future. To track the contradictions, a special unit was created - the Story Group. But nothing came of it.

Already in the first works of the new canon, Luke twice "for the first time" uses telekinesis - in the novel by Kevin Hearn "Heir to the Jedi" and the comic strip by Jason Aaron "Star Wars". In the same comic book series, Luke finds Obi-Wan Kenobi's diaries, where he describes in detail the appearance of Yoda - how did Luke not recognize the future teacher in the fifth episode? In Claudia Gray's novel Lost Stars, Alderaan becomes the first target of the Death Star. But by that time, Rogue One was already in development, and the story team should have known that the battle station would have other targets - Jeda and Scarif. In the novelization of Revenge of the Sith, it is mentioned that Depa Billaba went over to the dark side during the events of the novel Weak Point, and in the comic Star Wars: Kanan, Depa remained on the side of the world until the end of the war and died after Order 66.

He perverted the main characters of the saga

Han and Leia deserve the Worst Parents of the Galaxy award. And the prize should be in the shape of Kylo Ren

In the Expanded Universe, the characters in the original trilogy are also not perfect. Leia and Han lost two of their three children, with the eldest son turning to the dark side and taking over part of the galaxy. And Luke repeatedly failed as a teacher - almost half of his students went to the dark side. But in RV, the heroes continued to fight for their ideals and stuck to each other. Yes, Khan had a period when he took the death of Chewbacca hard and left the family for six months. But in the end he returned to Leia, and then this couple never parted.

What do we see in The Force Awakens? As soon as the smell of fried smelt, Luke and Han, like the last cowards, dumped to hell, leaving Leia alone to sort out the consequences. Real gentlemen.

It has Kylo Ren in it.

The Force Awakens writers essentially dazzled Kylo Ren out of the three characters in the Expanded Universe. Fallen Jedi Jacen Solo was given the name Ben Skywalker and the Darth Revan costume.

I understand why the creators needed the image of Kylo Ren. If Dooku, Vader and Grievous were already formed villains, then Ren is still relatively young, he is confused in life, he wants to dissociate himself from the past, to prove to everyone, and first of all to himself, that he is a worthy grandson of his grandfather.

That's just such behavior is justified when the character is seventeen. Kylo Renu, for a second, thirty. At this age, men, as a rule, have already decided on their life goals and are working to achieve them. And this one whines and whines like an emo teenager. Are we offered to sympathize with the snotty, eared slobber, whom we see for the first time in our life and who just before our eyes stabbed the best character in the history of "Star Wars"?

In part, this story is borrowed from the Expanded Universe, where we were shown the fall into darkness of Jacen Solo. But we knew Jacen from birth. We followed his adventures literally from the cradle, saw how he grew up, matured, lost friends, gained experience and became a real hero. Therefore, his fall into darkness was an extremely painful blow. The fans really got attached to this character. And Kylo Ren ... Kylo Ren, in principle, is not capable of evoking positive emotions.

We must pay tribute to Adam Driver: he treats his character with irony

* * *

If the “legendization” of the Expanded Universe had been arranged differently, if not all the elements of the old canon had been written off “in stock”, but only those that contradicted the new films, the new canon could have been forgiven. If its creators offered more interesting, original and just good stories, there would be much less complaints about it. However, as it is now, it spoils my beloved universe.

The best of the new canon

Admittedly, even in the current canon of Star Wars, there are some really worthwhile things that have preserved the spirit of a distant galaxy.

Rogue One

This is how genuine Star Wars should be. Gareth Edwards perfectly captures the atmosphere of the original trilogy and masterfully weaves his own story into the narrative. The heroes of Rogue One were really a pity to lose. This is the first time we've seen a distant galaxy so dark, war so brutal, and rebels so ambiguous. And this is good.

Surprisingly, the novel, written for a teenage audience, turned out to be the most serious and adult in the entire new canon. There is a really interesting story of two heroes, whose principles have repeatedly prevented them from living and loving. There are real emotions here: love, resentment, hatred and the desire to serve the fatherland. There is a real conflict here, here the heroes have something to lose, and they are forced to make ambiguous decisions. And Gray very accurately conveys the atmosphere of a distant galaxy and very successfully fits his novel into the plot of the original trilogy.

Kiron Gillen, Salvador Larocca "Star Wars: Darth Vader"

The gap between episodes four and five has been covered in great detail in the Expanded Universe. However, the publishing house Marvel decided that since the old RV is no longer canon, you can plunge into this period with renewed vigor. Of all the Marvel lines, it was "Darth Vader" that turned out to be the most interesting and intriguing addition to the canon. We are used to seeing Vader as powerful, but in this comic, he is forced to regain his position, shaken after the destruction of the Death Star. And in this he is helped by several extremely colorful characters - the black archaeologist Dr. Afra and a pair of battle droids, a kind of dark version of C-3PO and R2-D2.

The backstory of Rogue One is written in the best traditions of James Luceno: it is a tight-knit political thriller that tells the story of the youth of Galen Erso and Orson Krennik. There are many interesting details and details here, and most importantly, Luceno casually returns whole layers of the Expanded Universe to the new canon.

From Claudia Gray's novel Star Wars: Bloodline, we finally learned what happened to the Star Wars heroes between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and how the Distant Galaxy came to life.

In 2014, Disney announced that the Expanded Universe was no longer considered a Star Wars canon. To provide the creators of new films with maximum creative freedom, the events of books, comics, games and other works based on the saga were deleted from the history of a distant galaxy. Until the release of The Force Awakens, we didn't know what happened to the galaxy and the heroes after the Battle of Endor. The books and comics that came out before the premiere contained only grains of information. For example, from Claudia Gray's novel Lost Stars, it was revealed that the Empire was decisively defeated by the New Republic at the Battle of Jakku.

But the seventh episode itself turned out to be stingy with details about the three decades separating it from Return of the Jedi. We met old heroes, but learned little about how their fates developed after the victory over the Empire. We saw the clash between the First Order and the Resistance, but remained in the dark where they came from. They learned that the new Jedi order had died before being reborn, but they could only guess why. The creators of the new canon decided to postpone the answers to these and many other questions for later.

And this "later" came. In May, the novel Bloodline was released by the same Claudia Gray, which takes place about six years before The Force Awakens. The book sheds light on many questions about the era of the New Republic and the lives of heroes. We have collected the most interesting and important information for you.

The heroes have parted ways

The main character of the novel is Senator Leia Organa Solo. For a quarter of a century, she has remained one of the largest political figures in the New Republic and is universally respected. Leia herself, however, is tired of politics and is thinking of saying goodbye to the senatorial chair and traveling with her husband across the galaxy. Leia was never able to learn the Power, and the princess's personal life can hardly be called exemplary.

A quarter of a century after the Battle of Endor, Han and Leia are still married, but have long been apart. They still love each other, but they could not get along together. And Khan's passion for adventure took its toll - he became a space racer, and then a racing manager. He parted ways with Chuuya - he returned to his home planet Kashyyyk and healed as an ordinary Wookiee. Leia regularly communicates with Khan on HoloNet, but they practically do not keep in touch with her son.

In the course of the novel, Han appears several times in the form of a hologram and in one small episode in the flesh.

Luke never really revived the Jedi

Ben is twenty-five years old at the time of the novel, and he is still learning the Jedi wisdom under the wing of his uncle Luke Skywalker. But both Leia and Han have not talked to Ben and Luke for a long time and do not know where they are now and what they are doing.

After defeating the Empire, Luke Skywalker set about rebuilding the Jedi Order. He chose to train a new generation of knights far from the major planets of the galaxy. It seems that for twenty-five years, Luke has not prepared the established knights and even more so the masters who would lay the foundation for a new order. At least, the Jedi do not play any role in galactic politics, and Luke himself, even in the eyes of the mighty of this world, has turned into a semi-legendary figure.

There is a political struggle in the galaxy

On the surface, there isn't much work for the Jedi in the New Republic. After the death of Palpatine, the Empire did not last long. The lost battle for Jakku was the last straw after which the regime fell. Since then, relative peace and stability have reigned in the galaxy, and the war and the era of the Empire are perceived only as pages of history. The surviving ships of the Imperial Navy have simply disappeared - no one in the New Republic knows where, and no one seems to care.

Armed conflicts have been replaced by political ones. For the time being, they were avoided thanks to the charisma and authority of Mon Mothma (Senator of the Old Republic and leader of the Rebels during the Civil War era), but now she retired, and a fierce struggle broke out between the two parties in the Senate of the New Republic. Populists, including Leia, advocate self-sufficiency for systems.

The centrists, on the other hand, advocate a strong central government, much like that of the Empire. They recall with nostalgia, if not all, then many of the orders of the Empire and strive to revive them. Many party leaders collect items from the imperial era.

Vader ruined Leia's career

The centrists manage to push through the introduction of a new government post - the First Senator, endowed with much greater powers than the Chancellor. Leia becomes the Populist candidate, but on the eve of the elections, her political opponents manage to get incredible dirt.

The fact is that Leia and Luke did not tell anyone but Khan the truth about the identity of Darth Vader. Even Ben Solo does not know about the relationship with him. Leia was biding her time to tell her son whose grandson he is. Yes, just did not wait. An old letter from Bail Organa to his adopted daughter falls into the hands of one of the centrist senators, in which the ruler of Alderaan reveals to Leia who her own father was. By releasing this information, the centrists put an end to Leia's reputation and political career. Ben, apparently, learns about Vader's grandfather from the galactic news.

And he becomes thoughtful ...

First Order and the Resistance

The distant galaxy is not yet aware of the existence of the First Order. Only a few centrist leaders who support the secret organization are aware of him. She still keeps in the shadows, acting by someone else's hands. With the help of criminal cartels and independent militias, the First Order is mining the resources it needs and destabilizing the galaxy as it prepares its way out.

While investigating the activities of the cartels, Leia begins to realize that some powerful force is behind them. In the novel's finale, after leaving the Senate, the princess, along with old comrades like Admiral Akbar, recreates the Resistance in order to prepare to repel a new, as yet unknown threat. This brings us to the events of The Force Awakens.

The New Republic is unaware of the existence of the First Order.