Brushing up on the "Star Wars" Legends Quiz

Answer: Splinter of the Mind's Eye

In 1978, audiences had only recently seen and become enamored by "Star Wars". Eager to make a profit while interest was still high, the very first Expanded Universe novel was released. The first "Star Wars" novel was the novelization of the movie, also written by Alan Dean Foster, released in 1976.

Not even Foster knew at the time about Darth Vader being Luke's father, or that Luke and Leia were siblings. Reading it with this knowledge can make certain scenes rather awkward.

Nearly forty years after the first "Star Wars" novels, Alan Dean Foster was hired by Disney to write the novelization of the film, "The Force Awakens".

Answer: The Thrawn Trilogy

The "Thrawn Trilogy" was set five years after "Return of the Jedi". The Empire was a shadow of its former self and shrinking, and the Rebel Alliance had become the New Republic. This is where the planet Coruscant was introduced as the world-spanning city at the center of galactic government. It was one of the few bits of the Expanded Universe that made it into the movies that came later.

Characters introduced here included Jacen and Jaina (the children of Han Solo and Princess Leia), Mara Jade (who would later become Luke Skywalker's wife), the smuggler Talon Karrde, and Gilad Pellaeon (who would become the leader of the Imperial Remnant).

And, of course, Thrawn was introduced, who was one of the most interesting and terrifying villains in all "Star Wars" media. He was so beloved that Disney brought him back into their new canon after resetting the Expanded Universe. Timothy Zahn, Thrawn's creator, was even hired to write the new novel "Thrawn" for the new continuity.

Answer: The Jedi Academy Trilogy

With Luke Skywalker as the last of the Jedi, it was up to him to rebuild the order. This process was started before "The Phantom Menace" had been released in 1999, and so a lot of the old rules and traditions were missing. The first wave of Luke's new apprentices were substantially older than the young Jedi seen in the Prequel Trilogy, often of any Force-sensitives Luke could find. Also not present were the restrictions on love and attachment, which would play such a crucial role in Anakin Skywalker's downfall in the Prequel Trilogy.

The Jedi Academy also marked the beginning of power creep in the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe. Kyp Durron was a new character created for the series. He was a young teenager who grew up as a slave, and was extremely strong in the Force, ambitious, and arrogant. You would be forgiven for thinking him a clone of Anakin Skywalker, except that he predated Anakin in released media by more than five years.

Also introduced in this series was the Sun Crusher, a ship that could destroy entire stars (and their solar systems), and had a hull strong enough to survive being inside one. The Death Stars paled in comparison. A humorous reference to this impossibly strong ship was made in Randall Monroe's 2014 book "What If" when discussing neutron bullets.

Answer: The Corellian Trilogy

Two of the most famouse "Star Wars" characters, Han Solo and Wedge Antilles, hailed from the planet Corellia. In the movies, the dashed line on Han Solo's pants was called a Corellian Bloodstripe, earned for doing something truly brave (or stupid) with full knowledge of the risks and consequences.

The "Corellian Trilogy" fleshed out the Corellian system, including the five planets and the mega structure/weapon Centerpoint. The series also introduced Han Solo's cousin, Thrackan Sal Solo, whom Han did not get along with. Thrackan was an ambitious and reckless political figure, who often put the health of Han and his family at risk.

The groundwork laid out in this trilogy would be revisited extensively in the "Legacy of the Force" series, which depicted the Corellian Insurrection.

Answer: The Young Jedi Knights Series

The "Young Jedi Knights" series was written by husband-wife team Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. It was a fourteen book series, split into three arcs. The books followed Jacen and Jaina and their friends during their teenage years at the Jedi Academy, set nineteen years after "Return of the Jedi".

A second series for even younger readers, "Junior Jedi Knights", was also partially written by Moesta. It followed the youngest Solo child, Anakin, and his friends at the Jedi Academy.

These two series were the last installments before "Star Wars" entered a darker publishing age, starting with "The New Jedi Order". The characters developed in these relatively light series would eventually take prominent roles in the more brutal later Expanded Universe.

Answer: The X-wing Series

In 1993, Totally Games released the PC game "Star Wars: X-wing", and followed it up a year later with "Star Wars: TIE Fighter". These two games were space combat flight simulators, and were both well-received at the time.

Michael A. Stackpole was hired to write new stories about the famous Rogue Squadron, and the lucky pilot Wedge Antilles. While the stories and characters were original, the mechanics of flying were lifted directly from the games. Managing shields and laser power, waiting for missile locks, and lamenting a Y-wing's lack of speed were all things readers familiar with the games could instantly recognize. The first chapter of the first book even had the characters playing a simulated version of one of the more infamous missions in "Star Wars: X-wing".

Lucas Publishing wanted Stackpole to continue writing books after his four-book arc had ended, but Stackpole had other commitments. He recommended his friend, Aaron Allston, to pick up the reins of the series. Allston would go on to be one of the most prolific "Star Wars" authors.

Answer: Shadows of the Empire

In 1996, the "Shadows of the Empire" multimedia project was released. It included the novel, a graphic novel, a video game for the N64 (and later PC), and an original soundtrack. The soundtrack was never well-known, though parts were used for the game. The game was a moderate success when released, but did not hold up over time. The project did introduce Dash Rendar, Prince Xixor, and Guri, who all became well-known by the readers.

In "Return of the Jedi", Mon Mothma uttered the line, "Many Bothans died to bring us this information," when discussing the Death Star II plans. "Shadows of the Empire" depicted the retrieval of the plans, and the sacrifice the Bothans made. This event would show up in later works, including the video games "X-wing Alliance" and "Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader".

Lucas would try a similar large multimedia project in 2008 with "The Force Unleashed".

Answer: The New Jedi Order

Before "The New Jedi Order", authors would use characters from the movies and create their own. Rarely did one author use characters created by another. This practice changed with "The New Jedi Order", in which anyone's characters were fair game. At this point, new additions to the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe ceased to be inserted sporadically after "Return of the Jedi", and were released (mostly) in chronological order.

"The New Jedi Order" was a colossal undertaking, with fourteen authors - most of whom were "Star Wars" veteran authors - writing nineteen novels, three short stories, and three e-book novellas.

Noted "Forgotten Realms" author, R. A. Salvatore, wrote the first book, "Vector Prime", at the end of which Chewbacca died. This was the first time a major movie character had been killed in an Expanded Universe novel, and showed readers that heroes no longer had plot armor. Many characters, including fan favorites from previous works, met their demise in "The New Jedi Order", and the galaxy was changed forever by the invasive Yuuzhan Vong. The second most shocking and influential death in the series was that of Anakin Solo, the youngest child of Han Solo and Princess Leia.

Answer: Legacy of the Force

By the time Jacen Solo was thirty years old, he was one of the most powerful and introspective Jedi in the galaxy. Unlike Anakin Skywalker, who fell to the Dark Side over three movies, Jacen did so over the course of nine books, with readers able to follow the detailed, logical progression.

At the beginning, Jacen was teaching Ben Skywalker, Luke Skywalker's son. Through a desire to secure the safety of those he loved, he tore apart his own family, and nearly the entire galactic government. Famously (and controversially), at the midpoint in the series, Jacen killed Mara Jade, wife of Luke Skywalker and mother of Ben.

One of the authors, Karen Traviss, used this series and the "Republic Commando" series set during the Clone Wars to vastly expand on the Mandalorian culture. She had a thoroughly fleshed out vision of Mandalorian society and values (as well as the characterization of the famous Boba Fett). In 2010, a vastly different Mandalore was shown in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" television show. Traviss felt that this new version of Manadalore was irreconcilable with what she had built, and she cancelled her much-anticipated "Imperial Commando" sequel and all future work in the "Star Wars" universe.

Answer: Fate of the Jedi

"Fate of the Jedi" was the last large project before Disney acquired "Star Wars" in 2012. This series was large and epic, but also convoluted and strange. The main villain had ties to the "Mortis" episodes of the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" television series.

Disney acquired the rights to "Star Wars" in October 2012. A few "Star Wars" novels already far enough along in development were released, with the last in the "Star Wars" timeline being "Crucible" in July, 2013 (A few standalone novels set earlier in the timeline were released after "Crucible"). In April, 2014, Disney announced that most previous "Star Wars" material outside of the movies (including books, comic books, and games) was considered under the new non-canon "Legends" banner, with a new Disney-era canon being established. While the old works would be preserved and printed, they were no longer considered canon, and no new material would be added to the Legends canon.

"Fate of the Jedi" left openings for future works, and many fans were eagerly anticipating a trilogy about the last Solo child, Jaina, called "Sword of the Jedi". The Disney reset cancelled the project indefinitely, leaving fans of the old Expanded Universe without proper closure.