With Star Wars discussions surrounding The Acolyte taking over the internet, it’s time to talk about what the Star Wars Expanded Universe – now called “Legends” – actually was and is. Over the past few weeks, lots of criticism of The Acolyte has come from Star Wars audiences concerned about changes or perceived disrespect for the Expanded Universe. Some of this seems to come from the fact that The Acolyte takes place at a point in the Star Wars timeline that was previously only relegated to books and comics.

Much like Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, enthusiasts are very concerned with Star Wars books, treating them like Luke treats the sacred Jedi texts in the movie. But how have these books, the Expanded Universe, changed over the years? How has the Legends timeline changed as a whole, and how does that affect Star Wars to this very day? Do these audiences really know what they’re talking about – and what about Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age?

What Was The Star Wars Expanded Universe?

An Interconnected Timeline Of Star Wars Stories

The Expanded Universe is how the Star Wars universe beyond films was referred to in the years before the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm. Beginning after the release of the original Star Wars movie in 1977, the Expanded Universe eventually grew to contain countless books, comics, and games, fleshing out the Star Wars galaxy with every release. The EU was beloved by fans, and introduced so many now-iconic characters, like Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade.

As the EU continued into the 2000s, the print side of the galaxy became more ambitious, with the colossal, 19-book-long New Jedi Order series, and the 9-book follow-ups, Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi. More and more of the universe became detailed and fleshed out. EU books & comics took readers all the way up to 45 in-universe years after A New Hope, and all the way back to over 25,000 years prior, with the Dawn of the Jedi era projects. Despite the EU seeming so streamlined today, it was not always so simple.

The Star Wars Expanded Universe Was Always Shifting & Changing

Sourcebooks Published Later Did The Heavy Lifting

One big reason that fans are upset about The Acolyte is because they believe it is somehow defiling previously established Star Wars lore. One specific example of this is, as previously mentioned, the age of Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi. In reality, the defining feature of the Expanded Universe is that it is based on other pieces of media – the Star Wars movies and TV shows, which are always presenting new information. Thus, the Expanded Universe was always shifting and changing.

Ki-Adi-Mundi’s Age Was Never Canon

This is the nature of any transmedia franchise; it’s always in flux. In the old Expanded Universe, there were even established tiers of canonicity, with higher tiers such as movies and TV shows able to redefine previously held facts only presented in lower tiered sources, like magazine articles or RPG supplements. Even so, Ki-Adi-Mundi’s age was established in a now non-canon CD-ROM computer encyclopedia program, something which The Acolyte would never have been beholden to in the first place.

Many Legends Books Really Are Page-Turners, Whether They’re Canon Or Not

Don’t Dismiss Stories Because They’re Not Canon

Contradictory to what Yoda says in The Last Jedi, though that may have just been because the books weren’t actually burning, Star Wars Legends books are absolutely page-turners. Legends books contain a separate but very high quality alternate Star Wars timeline, and should not be overlooked simply because they don’t exist in the same world as current Star Wars shows and movies. The old Expanded Universe is an absolute treasure-trove of Star Wars stories.

Unfortunately, though, many audiences weaponize this aspect of these wonderful and underrated books & comics, leading to divisive and intense arguments between enthusiasts of Legends and canon. This is always sad to see, as the new and old timelines share so much between them. Legends is always available, and reprints are still being published to this day – making it a viable option for spending time as a Star Wars enthusiast. There’s no need for arguing about trivialities online when Star Wars Legends is alive and well, if one chooses to read it.