The
Expanded Universe adult novels and short stories are simply remarkable. The 157
novels and lot of over forty five short stories, combined with the seven films
and two animated series, form a chronology that spans 37 years in real time, and
over twenty six thousand years fictionally. It's an intricate tapestry woven
with brilliant detail. Stories and characters intertwine throughout with
minimal inconsistencies or contradictions. Many readers have gone through the
novels in release order or at random, and some have even read them all in
chronological order. But what about sub-story reading? There are multiple
sub-stories which span multiple novels and are not necessarily told in
chronological order. Barring an eidetic memory and/or the reading speed of Dr.
Spencer Reid, it’s often easy for readers to never put these sub-stories
together. But for readers who have already read all the novels, it’s a fun way
to re-read some of them and gain a different perspective. Here’s a look at a
few of them.
The Lost Tribe
of the Sith
1.
Crosscurrent
*41 ABY
*Released 2010
2.
Lost Tribe of
the Sith Series
*5,000 BBY
*Released 2009-2012
2-1. Precipice
2-2. Skyborn
2-3. Paragon
2-4. Savior
2-5. Purgatory
2-6. Sentinel
2-7. Pantheon
2-8. Secrets
2-9. Pandemonium
3.
Fate of the Jedi
Series
*43 ABY
*Released 2009-2012
3-1. Imprint
3-2. Omen
3-3. Abyss
3-4. Backlash
3-5. Allies
3-6. Vortex
3-7. Conviction
3-8. Ascension
3-9. Apocalypse
4.
Crucible
*45 ABY
*Released 2013
The
beginning of Crosscurrent takes place in the past, and tells the story of the
mission Sith ships’ Harbinger and Omen were on in the Phaegon system to
mine the moon of Phaegon III for Lignan. Jedi Master Relin Druur sabotages Harbinger’s hyperdrive attempting to
keep at least one of the ships from re-joining the Sith Army with the Lignan. Harbinger collides with Omen affecting the hyperspace jumps of
both ships. Harbinger’s jump takes
them 5,000+ years into the future, which intertwines with the main plot of
Crosscurrent, while Omen’s fate is
unknown. The Lost Tribe of the Sith: Precipice begins during Omen’s jump from the Phaegon system and
crashing landing on the planet Kesh. Stranded on Kesh, the Lost Tribe of the
Sith story begins in earnest. Although the Lost Tribe of the Sith stories only
span 5,000 years BBY to 2,975 years BBY, the tribe remains living on Kesh for
thousands of years. In 41 ABY “Ship” (the Sith Meditation Sphere found by Ben
Skywalker on the planet Ziost during The Legacy of the Force series), arrives
on Kesh and takes Vestara Khai and other members of the Lost Tribe off planet.
This takes place in the Fate of the Jedi: Omen novel. Then after the events in
the Fate of the Jedi series, Vestara Khai appears in the novel, Crucible.
Note
of Interest:
*In
this reading order the first book in the Fate of the Jedi series, Outcast, is
skipped over as it does not contain anything relating to the Lost Tribe of the
Sith.
Outbound Flight
1.
Outbound Flight
*27 BBY
*Released 2006
2.
Heir to the Empire
*9 ABY
*Released 1991
3.
Survivor’s Quest
*22 ABY
Released 2004
For
readers who read these three novels in release order (1991, 2004, 2006), the
overall picture might look a little different. Outbound Flight is the first
appearance of the Chiss and Mitth'raw'nuruodo, aka Thrawn. Thrawn’s
introduction to Sidious, and Jorus C’Baoth’s power-craving decent give way to
events in Heir to the Empire. In Heir to the Empire Luke and Mara are enemies,
but they’re a happily married couple by the time they are led to the remains of
Outbound Flight in Survivor’s Quest.
Notes
of Interest:
*Outbound
Flight begins the story of Jorj Car’das, who was first introduced in Vision of
the Future. And Jorj Car’das’s storyline leads to Talon Karrde’s storyline, and
Talon Karrde was first introduced in Heir to the Empire.
*Khedryn
Fall, a second generation survivor of Outbound Flight, is one of the main
characters in Crosscurrent and Riptide.
I-5YQ
1.
Darth Maul:
Shadow Hunter
*32 BBY
*Released 2001
2.
MedStar I:
Battle Surgeons
*20 BBY
*Released 2004
3.
MedStar II: Jedi
Healer
*20 BBY
*Released 2004
4.
Coruscant Nights
Trilogy
*19-18.3 BBY
*Released 2008-2009
4-1. Jedi Twilight
4-2. Street of Shadows
4-3. Patterns of Force
5.
Coruscant
Nights: The Last Jedi
*18-17 BBY
*Released 2013
One
never needs an excuse to re-read the fantastic four-book Coruscant Nights
series, but this is a fun way to do it. Follow I-5YQ (aka I-Five), and his
adventures with; Lorn Pavan pre-Episode I, with Barriss Offee and Den Dhur
during the Clone Wars, and with Jax Pavan and Den Dhur post-Order 66.
Notes
of Interest:
*Dr.
Kornell “Uli” Divini worked as a surgeon for the Republic with Barriss Offee,
I-Five, and Den Dhur during the Clone Wars, and was later drafted by the Empire
to serve a surgeon aboard the first Death Star.
*Fun
side-story in Street of Shadows: readers learn that Captain Gregar Typho (of
Naboo) had been secretly in love with Padme. Following Padme’s funeral on
Naboo, and once we was granted leave of service, Typho travels to Coruscant to
avenge Padme’s death. Typho uncovers that it was Vader who killed Padme and
sets a trap for Vader, which doesn’t quite work out well for Typho.
Vergere, Zonama
Sekot, and the Yuuzhan Vong
1.
Cloak of
Deception
*33 BBY
*Released 2001
2.
Maul: Lockdown
*32 BBY
*Released 2014
3.
Rogue Planet
*29 BBY
*Released 2000
4.
The New Jedi
Order Series (19 Novels)
*25-29 ABY
*Released 1999-2003
5.
Dark Nest I: The
Joiner King
*35 ABY
*Released 2005
This
one isn’t as clean-cut as the examples above and does require a complete run
through of the entire The New Jedi Order series, which some readers find
exhausting. Yet it does have its intrigue. Had Expanded Universe novels not met
an unfortunate end with the start of the Disney Star Wars era, one would hope a
novel or two would have been written to tie-into what we already know of
Vergere and Zonama Sekot, and what we learned from information Lumiya gave
Jacen during The Legacy of the Force series, as well as answer a plethora of
burning questions. Cloak of Deception gives a glimpse of Vergere as a “regular”
Jedi, before the rumored interactions with Palpatine/Sidious, and before her
departure for Zonama Sekot. Maul: Lockdown, Rogue Planet, and mentions in
Outbound Flight set the stage for everything that then transpires fifty seven
years later at the start of the Yuuzhan Vong invasion.
Han Solo (prior
to A New Hope)
1.
Han Solo
Trilogy: The Paradise Snare
* Released 1997
2.
Han Solo
Trilogy: The Hutt Gambit
* Released 1997
3.
Han Solo
Adventures: Han Solo at Star’s End
* Released 1979
4.
Han Solo
Adventures: Han Solo’s Revenge
* Released 1979
5.
Han Solo
Adventures: Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
* Released 1980
6.
Han Solo
Trilogy: Rebel Dawn
* Released 1998
7.
Death Troopers
*Released 2009
8.
Death Star
*Released 2007
9.
Shadow Games
*Released 2011
Learn
the backstory of Han Solo’s first eighteen years, then follow his life from age
nineteen up through the moment right before he meets Obi-Wan and Luke. Learning
to pilot, the Imperial Academy, saving Chewie from slavery/death, becoming a
smuggler, meeting Lando, winning the Falcon, the long list of women before
Leia, getting the scar on his face, and working for Jabba, it’s all in there
and more. Reading this nine book sub-series in chronological order provides an
immense amount of depth to the Han Solo character. It’s a great, fun read!
Fun
Fact:
The
Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, Rebel Dawn, and Death Star collectively tell
the following stories:
-
Young Han Solo
-
Han saving Chewie / Chewie’s Life-Debt
-
Early Han and Chewie
-
Meeting Lando / winning the Falcon
-
Stolen Death Star plans
-
Death Star construction and early operation
In Disney/Lucasfilm
canon, those six stories were collectively re-told, in drastically different
fashion, as Rogue One and Solo. 
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