As fantastic as Star Wars movies may be, these ten epic stories are actually better than the movies. To be fair, the various Star Wars films haven’t all shown the same quality; even George Lucas’ movies vary quite significantly. Nobody can seriously claim The Phantom Menace is comparable to The Empire Strikes Back.

But Star Wars has long been a transmedia franchise. Part of Lucas’ genius lay in the recognition that merchandise and tie-ins could be profitable, and Fox made the mistake of allowing him to retain those rights back in the 1970s. Not all stories are equal here, either; Vonda N. McIntyre’s The Crystal Star has its defenders, but they are few in number.

But these ten Star Wars stories stand head and shoulders above the rest, demonstrating a quality that not even the movies manage consistently…

6

Yoda: Dark Rendezvous

The Clone Wars multimedia project, which ran in the early 2000s alongside the prequels, included some truly epic Star Wars stories. Sean Stewart’s Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, which has been republished in the Legends Essential Collection, stands out from all the rest as a joyful character portrait of Master Yoda.

The story explores an aspect of Yoda’s character that has seldom been discussed in canon; how did Dooku’s fall to the dark side affect his master? The Sith use Yoda’s compᴀssion for his student as a weapon against him, trying to lure him into a trap as he strives to redeem Dooku.

But this isn’t just a character study on Yoda; it also shines a light on Dooku himself, revealing the conflict in his heart and a beautiful vulnerability. Dooku’s story is so much more tragic in the light of Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, because you realize even he could have been redeemed – if he’d only made the right choices.

5

The Thrawn Trilogy

Written by legendary Star Wars author Timothy Zahn, the Thrawn trilogy is probably the most important story ever told in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. Published in 1991, this introduced readers to the post-Return of the Jedi galaxy, and it re-ignited the fire of the fandom; most believe its success led to George Lucas’ return to make the prequels.

The legacy of the Thrawn trilogy is clear just from the list of iconic characters and concepts Zahn creates; he’s even the one who introduces the ecumenopolis Coruscant. Grand Admiral Thrawn has made the jump from Legends to canon, and is set to be the main villain in an upcoming Star Wars movie.

4

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episodes 9-12

Disney originally canceled Star Wars: The Clone Wars, only to bring the show back for one final season in the Disney+ era. Season 7 ends in epic fashion, concurrent with Revenge of the Sith and featuring Ahsoka Tano’s duel with Darth Maul during the Siege of Mandalore. It’s an epic that feels designed for the big screen itself.

In fact, Lucasfilm originally intended to show the finale at theaters; these plans fell through because of the COVID pandemic, but attendees at Star Wars Celebration got a chance to enjoy them as they were always meant to be seen. “My brain chemistry was rewired,” ScreenRant‘s Molly Brizzell declared as she remembered seeing the Siege of Mandalore at Celebration.

3

Shatterpoint

A confession: I was quite slow to pick up Matt Stover’s Shatterpoint when it was published in 2004. I’d read Matt Stover’s previous Star Wars book, Traitor, a fantastic philosophical study of the Force that nevertheless isn’t the easiest reading; expecting something just as intense, I held off on Shatterpoint.

A year later, when I finally read this Clone Wars story starring Mace Windu, I pᴀssed an apology to Stover in a DM on theForce.net. Yes, this is an intense read; stylistically, Shatterpoint (also republished under the Legends Essential Collection) is basically Apocalypse Now in the Star Wars galaxy.

It’s also incredible, because Stover captures the character of Mace Windu with remarkable skill and style. He introduces so many new wrinkles to the Force (including a fantastic new Force power called Shatterpoint), and he defines the Jedi in a way that perfectly sets up Revenge of the Sith. This is undeniably one of the best Star Wars books of all time.

2

Andor

Andor is undeniably the best Star Wars TV show to date. Showrunner Tony Gilroy isn’t exactly a fan (he recently admitted he couldn’t make it through The Mandalorian), but that perhaps is what gave the show its luster. The quality of the writing and dialogue is absolutely unparalleled.

Stellar performances from the likes of Diego Luna, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, and Stellan Skarsgård elevate the writing in an incredible way. Andor‘s record-breaking budget will never be equaled by the franchise (probably good news for Disney bean-counters), but not a single dollar was wasted.

What is chilling, though, is that Andor feels both timeless and heartbreakingly relevant. It’s a meditation on the fight against fascism, inspired by countless tales of real-world rebellions and uprisings, and Gilroy has become more political as he’s relaxed in discussing it. This is one unmissable story.

1

Revenge of the Sith Novelization

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Matt Stover’s novelization of Revenge of the SIth is probably the best Star Wars story ever made. That’s not just my opinion, either; five years ago, ScreenRant‘s Alex Leadbeater made the same point. As he wrote:

“Hayden Christensen’s interchangeably whiny and wooden performance can be defended in all manner of ways – it’s the dialogue, it was intentionally evoking Mark Hamill from the original Star Wars – but what he and Lucas were really going for becomes achingly clear with Stover’s words. Anakin is a war hero bordering on celebrity, single-handledly warding off Separatist advances in the outer rim and becoming a legend after saving Palptine. And yet that hides a deep-seated fear, one that’s been with him ever since leaving his mother and personified by the image of a dragon at the heart of a ᴅᴇᴀᴅ star: as he keeps reminding himself in the words of a perhaps-too-distant Obi-Wan, “eventually, even stars burn out.” By the time Palpatine starts whispering in his ear, the Jedi in their plot to draw out Sidious push him aside and dreams of Padmé’s death haunt his nights, he embraces that deep-seated fear to become another being entirely.

Stover worked closely with Lucas while writing the book, meaning there are deleted scenes that flesh out surrounding characters, while some tangents are cut completely. The novelization is wonderfully, gloriously personal, diving deep into the psyches of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in particular.

A new Revenge of the Sith anniversary edition will be published on October 14, priced $60. It includes more than 150 annotations from Stover himself, making it the ultimate collectable for any fans of the Star Wars franchise.