It's the term for the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which encompasses everything OFFICIALLY approved by Lucasfilm, but outside of the movies (or at least, everything George Lucas hasn't had a hand in). It gets very confusing, as there are different levels of the EU (T, C, S, and N). I won't go into it, but if you're interested, here's a page that details how confusing it REALLY is: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Canon - don't say I didn't warn you.
What I wanted to talk about in this post however, is the fact that Star Wars EU is actually really good - for the most part. There are some stories that came out in the 80's, as well as between movies that didn't fit into the continuity of the storyline. Marvel comics run of Star Wars ALWAYS kept Luke in his Tatooine clothes, and Leia with her hair buns in-between the first two movies no matter what mission they went on.
There was even a story where Luke's father comes to him as a spirit and warns Luke about Darth - which obviously took place before the idea of Darth Vader being Luke's father was even brought to screen. Two ewok movies also came out in the mid 80's, and the ewoks could speak English. WHAT?
And don't speak of the horrors known as the Star Wars Holiday Special, which has become infamously known as the cheesiest moment of Star Wars history.
Things changed. There was a dry spell for a while, and Star Wars took a break. An RPG by West End Games came out, and they began releasing great story material that began expanding the Star Wars universe. THIS time, however, the movies were all made, so they could finally have free reign to play around. Again, this was approved by Lucasfilm, and 99% of these writers were fans. Call it "approved" fan fiction, but the writers agreed to form a cohesive world where events would tie together. There would be a timeline, and events in one story would GREATLY affect the next. This is what eventually brought Star Wars back to life.
There are many people who still have not delved into the EU, but are fans of the movies. Well friends, you're missing out. I know it's strange to fathom, but there are characters within the EU that are just as cool and iconic (if not MORE so) than the characters in the film. I just want to scratch the surface and point a few of them out.
Mara Jade
Known as "The Emporer's Hand", Mara was an apprentice of sorts who worked strictly for Emperor Palpatine. While she basically held the same rank as Darth Vader in the Emporer's eyes, her job was more of being an assassin, and less tied to Imperial ranks. Her story kicked into gear when Palpatine sent her to track down and assassinate Luke Skywalker following the events in The Empire Strikes Back. She tracked Luke to Jabba's Palace in Return of the Jedi, where she was disguised as a dancing girl. Her plan was foiled, and when the Emperor died, so ended a telepathic link with Palpatine. She was left with the his last thought continually haunting her. "YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER." Mara made it her life mission to track Luke down, and kill the man that destroyed both her Master and her life.
Quinlan Vos
He's a bad-ass Jedi who constantly rides a fine line between the Dark Side and the Light Side. His story begins when he wakes up with amnesia only to find that he's being hunted by bounty hunters. Quinlan has forgotten his training and who he was, as well as his Jedi teachings. Once he regains some of his memories, the Jedi Council sends him deep into the enemy camp as a double agent. They believe that while he does have a darkness within him, he has done well to fight it, and can work for the enemy without ever being swayed. Things go sour, and he soon has to do things he doesn't want to do in order to maintain his cover - such as become an assassin, and even fight the people he once protected. These things challenge his teachings, and may challenge the mission itself. The question always is, has Quinlan Vos fallen to the Dark Side?
Grand Admiral Thrawn
My FAVORITE Star Wars character of all time. The first screenname/email address I ever had back in the mid 90's was Grand_Admiral_ThrawnMan. Thrawn is the highest ranking alien to ever take seat within the Empire, as the Emporer made an exception due to his cunning and brilliant tactical approach to warfare. Thrawn is perhaps the most skilled naval adversary to ever go up against the classic characters, and he does it with style. He compares war to art, analysing every possible solution, sometimes taking his time to reach a solution in order to make the decisive choice to win. He first appears in Heir to the Empire, and is the main villain of that trilogy. Grand Admiral Thrawn proved to readers that while Darth Vader and the Emporer may be dead, there was still Imperial life left around the galaxy, with many ships left scattered and vying for control of a New Empire.
A'Sharad Hett
A'Sharad was the son of a defected Jedi who hid amongst the Sand People on Tatooine. He was not full Tusken blood, but grew up following both the Tusken and Jedi customs, as was passed down to him. Jedi Knight Ki Adi Mundi found A'Sharad and took him as a Padawan during events that occured prior to The Phantom Menace. Throughout the Clone Wars, A'Sharad fought for the Republic in countless battles. One interesting story arc followed him and Anakin Skywalker as they worked alone to survive. Anakin's hate for the Tuskens who murdered his mother gets in the way of any meaningful relationship with A'Sharad, and at one point Anakin almost turns on him. It is then that A'Sharad becomes the sole Jedi to know about Anakin having slaughtered a tribe of Sand People, and tells Anakin that it will remain a secret. From then on, A'Sharad removes his mask and declares himself a Jedi and no longer Tusken. A'Sharad survives the slaughter of the Jedi, and lives over a hundred years into the future. It is then that he becomes a Sith Lord names Darth Krayt, and that's where things get even MORE interesting.
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Well, there you have it. Those are just a few characters, but mainly the first few that jumped to my mind when thinking of great non-film related Star Wars characters. There are MANY more though.
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