How Star Wars Books Help the Saga Live Forever

Like many people who read or write for a Star Wars website, I don’t remember life without the saga. I was only about a year and a half when the first film hit theaters; to my ever-lasting regret, my parents elected not to take their infant to see a movie about space wizards and laser swords in 1977. I’d have to wait for a network airing that preempted my usual Friday night viewing, which I vaguely remember was initially upsetting … until that legendary opening shot.

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The rest, you could say, is history. Since then, the franchise has always entertained me and inspired me. It has provided endless quotes (sometimes more appropriately timed than others). It has provided hope and provoked thought.

Of course, at the time, I thought we’d seen all we would see. So, I wore out the VHS tapes my family had rewatching the Original Trilogy and a behind-the-scenes documentary we taped off the TV. Nevertheless, while I never went through a phase where I stopped liking the franchise, things admittedly cooled down a bit.

Information didn’t spread as easily then, and I was too young for the fan club, fanzines, or anything like that. I was the oldest in my family, and my best friend was the oldest in his. My neighborhood growing up didn’t have any other kids, so I didn’t know anyone up to speed on the plans George Lucas had to tell more Star Wars stories.

The Sacred Texts

I had not initially realized there were already many more Star Wars stories. I’m not entirely sure where my attention was when Timothy Zahn’s Heir to Empire hit the shelves (I was probably focused on being less than mediocre at sports).

There were Star Wars books when I was young, of course, but they were almost all adaptations of the films. A story-book version of Return of the Jedi packed with stills from the movie is still on the bedside table in my childhood bedroom after my folks found it a few years ago. And somewhere along the line, I’d encountered some of the original Marvel comics run. For whatever reason, though, that didn’t “stick” the way G.I. Joe and Transformers comics had.

But one year, while heading home from college for the winter semester break, I had forgotten to pack something to read for the flight. I saw the distinctive wordmark in the airport bookstore and picked up a copy of The Truce at Bakura (and no, I have no idea how I had missed Star Wars novels in bookstores until then).

Random House Worlds

Coincidentally, it was just as the Special Editions were coming out after Lucas announced he was making the Prequel Trilogy. Star Wars excitement had heated up again, and being able to follow Luke, Leia, and Han through an all-new adventure made for an excellent break from college.

The Reading Awakens

Unfortunately, a full schedule every semester, working, and everything else kept me from exploring more of these new adventures. Life happens – again, much like everyone else. And after graduating, my first career proved rather all-consuming.

But now I knew about Star Wars books. I now knew where they were in bookstores. I soon realized how many of them there were, and more and more kept coming. I couldn’t even keep up with the releases, let alone read them. Eventually, I ran into a similar problem that other people have encountered: even when I would have the time to read, I didn’t know where to start.

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Fast forward several more years, and the Disney purchase and Sequel Trilogy had once again rekindled that old excitement for Star Wars. In another happy coincidence, I was finishing graduate school and coming up on a career change. The time finally seemed right to get into the books. And by this time, information was easier to find. Wookieepedia was out there, and passionate fans had curated different reading lists.

There was still a lot to work through, but at least I knew the answers were out there.

Podcasts were a thing by then, too, which is how I first learned of Youtini. Even if I wasn’t eager to take Corey up on his offer to contribute to his website (and I was), I was excited to have a resource to help me navigate the sheer volume of Star Wars books and comics, now in two different continuities.

Chewie, We’re Home

As of this writing, that was eight years and more than 80 books ago (plus countless comics – and words written for Youtini). “The saga lives forever” was a clever marketing line for The Rise of Skywalker, but it’s especially true for the books.

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Like anyone else, I’ve also devoted time, attention, and passion to other interests over the years. Yet not many have persisted for me quite like Star Wars. Part of that is because of the new films and TV series that have come out in recent years. But for me, a lot of it is also from finally jumping into the books.

New adventures, characters, and worlds combined with familiar names and settings provide an enjoyable pastime and occasionally needed escape. A constant stream of new writers brings fresh perspectives (both on the mythos and our own universe), while veteran authors begin to feel like old friends.  

Embarking on the journey with Youtini has made it even more satisfying, as it’s given me the chance to work with – and, more importantly, become friends with – a wonderful bunch of people from all over the world. No matter where you are on your Star Wars reading journey, I hope it’s as fulfilling for you as it’s been for me. And if you haven’t already, I hope you’ll consider joining us for the ride!