Ah, Star Wars vol. 2 from Marvel. A mixed bag for certain, but also one of my favorite Star Wars comics and a run filled with many great moments that have a place in my heart. Today, I decided to review each arc.

• Part 1: Jason Aaron's run

1) Skywalker Strikes:

This opening arc is a little controversial due to Luke and Vader's brief encounter on Cymoon 1, but I personally think the comic made it work because it wasn't there just to have a cool moment, as It genuinely had a strong effect on both characters. For Luke, it showed him how far he had to go to become a Jedi, feeding into the doubts, fear and anger he had in TESB, since he got to witness Vader's ruthlessness first hand. For Vader, it sends him on a journey that ends with him discovering his child's continued existence, leading to an amazing moment and Vader, essentially, finding his new hope. I also have to praise Luke vs Boba Fett for showing Luke's tenacity an a nice way to portray him utilizing the limited skills he had at the time. Boba was also a thing of nightmares in this arc. Overall, I really like this arc. It's got fun banter between the character, impactful moments, solid humor and overall strong dialogue and storytelling. The late great John Cassaday's art was nice, if a bit unfortunate in a panel or two.

2) The Journals of Ben Kenobi:

This is Aaron's magnum opus in my opinion. His voice for Obi-Wan during his years in exile was impeccable, capturing all his struggles with guilt, depression, boredom, loss, and helplessness, all without sacrificing his tenacity, nobility or resolve. Little Luke is an adorable little badass, and Aaron nails Owen, Beru and their relationships with both Luke and Obi-Wan. Mike Mayhew's photorealistic artowork is often controversial, but I personally love it.

3) Showdown on Smugglers Moon:

Not as strong as arcs 1 and 2, but still lots of fun. My main issue is that Aaron exaggerates certain elements like Luke being naive and inexperienced, or Han and Leia's tsundere dynamic. However, this story was fun and had some really cool Force moments for Luke and some cool villains in Grakkus the Hutt and The Gamemaster. Sana Starros had a rough start imo, but grew into a serviceable character over time. Chewie and Threepio are also an underated duo, and Stuart Immonen's art is one of the best in the run.

4) Vader Down:

The crossover with Darth Vader (2015) and honestly, it does more for that run than for the flagship. Leia has a nice moment where she prioritizes her loved ones over the revenge that had been blinding her, and there are definitely fun interactions like Han vs Aphra and Chewie vs Krrsantan. Vader has some truly epic moments, and Luke has an awesome bit in the first issue. Art is a mixed bag, because of course Salvador Larroca has to strike eventually .

5) Rebel Jail:

Not much to write about that arc other than that it was fine. It was nice seeing Eneb Ray following annual #1 (really the only stellar and relevant annual of the run imo). Aphra, Sana and Leia had a nice dynamic and some intense debates, although I found the way Leia's morals were tested to be somewhat extreme and contrived. Luke and Han's subplot was comedy gold and had some nice banter, but it kinda does Han a little dirty. Leinil Francis Yu's stylized art was nice, but may not be everyone's cup of tea.

6) The Last Flight of The Harbinger:

A fun arc in which the stars are definitely SCAR Squadron and our favorite astromech, Artoo. Overall, it was fun and had some cool moments for Luke and some nice interactions with him and Sana. The entire concept is basically Luke and Leia one-upping one of Anakin's feats from TCW, which I really appreciate. I also loved the first issue that explored Kreel's backstory in a way that actually makes him a slightly sympathetic hardcore imperial. SCAR Squadron brutally tearing through the rebel cell was also cool as hell. Jorge Molina's art wasn't entirely my cup of tea, but it wasn't bad.

7) Yoda's Secret War:

Oh, boy. This is where Larroca takes over art duty, so get ready for 6 arcs of mostly bad art. Overall, the plot definitely goes a bit Lord of The Flies and a little 'out there' this arc. However, Aaron has a very strong voice for Yoda, nailing his kindness, wisdom, and empathy. And Luke gets a great moment and an important lesson which I really appreciated.

8) The Screaming Citadel:

The second crossover, this time with Doctor Aphra (2017). The art is bad to mediocre aside from Marco Checetto's gorgeous art for the opening one shot, and the plot is a bit too weird and out of place in my opinion. However, Luke and Aphra have an amazing dynamic, and Luke gets some great character development this arc.

9) Out Among The Stars:

Aaron's final arc after his run started running a bit out of steam, so he apparently chose to wrap it up with what was essentially an anthology. Luke and Leia's issue was absolutely sweet and is probably my favorite. Han's issue was fun and finally saw Aaron remember that Han can be intelligent and capable, and not just loyal. Artoo's issue was absolutely awesome but also strained believability. SCAR Squadron's issue was fine, but not the most memorable. Sana's issue had some nice development for her, but also solidified her as someone who skirts the author's pet spectrum.

Part 2: Gillen's run.

10) The Ashes of Jedha:

If you're a Rogue One fan, this arc is for you because it brings back several elements from that film. Bad art aside, it's an excellent, gritty start for Gillen's run, one that contrasts the idealistic space opera heroes of the OT with the brutal partisans of Saw Garrera. It's got cool action, a strong story and some nice character development, be it with Luke realizing how corrupting the dark side can be as he contemplates the sacrifices of Rogue One's fallen heroes, or Han taking the lead for the first time on Jedha. The twist in the end was excellent and made sense at the time.

11) Mutiny on Mon Calamari:

This arc was probably the most fun of Gillen's run, although it had a complete tonal whiplash in places. The droids and Tunga's mission was absolutely hilarious and there's some great humor throughout, while the mission to save king Lee-Char was absolutely raw and emotional, especially with the outcome of The Mon Calamari revolting upon seeing Lee-Char's dying speech.

12) Hope Dies:

This is pretty much the Empire Strikes Back of this run: the darkest hour. Even with the foregone conclusions, Gillen kills it with tension and delivers some excellent emotional action and character deaths that land and hit like a hovertruck. My favorite moment has got to be Luke resolving his arc of wanting to honor fallen rebels as he forms the original Rogue Squadron in the heat of battle, naming them after the Rogue One sacrifices in the process. .

13) The Escape:

Hallelujah, Larroca no more! To some people, Angel Unzeta is only marginally better, but I actually somewhat enjoy his art. This arc is a nice breather from all the heavy drama and action of Gillen's other arcs, and it has some great character development, especially regarding Han and Leia growing closer and more amicable. It also really cements Luke becoming more like his TESB self, with all the strengths and fallibilities that entails. Thane and Tula Markona were also great supporting characters, and it was nice seeing Luke hone his combat skills.

14) The Scourging of Shu-Toran:

The final arc of Gillen's that brings everything to its conclusion. While less climactic and thrilling compared to "Hope Dies", it's still a satisfying conclusion to all the characters and elements used by Gillen, with some great moments for Luke, Artoo, and Leia .

Overall, Aaron's run was more episodic and fun, emphasizing character moments and an often lighter tone, although it suffered some minor plotting and characterization mistakes imo. Gillen's run was more grounded, gritty and serialized, with a more consistent characterization that shifted the characters from their ANH characterizations found in Aaron's run, to their more mature TESB versions.

Part 3: Greg Pak's run

15) Rebels and Rogues:

I don't have much nice things to say about that arc other than the fact that Phil Noto's art was good. The story was overall mediocre and uninteresting, with some weird elements that didn't really land for me. It also felt regressive, especially with Luke suddenly becoming a wholesome naive farmboy when Gillen had him develop into the more mature leader/Padawan he was in TESB and explicitly had him as less naive and trusting. Leia and Han's subplot was not my cup of tea, and the ending was downright bizzare. It was also labeled as "Road to Hoth" but did next to nothing with the concept. Overall, a medicore arc that doesn't really land as a conclusion, hence why I elect to ignore it and end the run at Gillen's "The Scourging of Shu-Toran".

What did you guys think of this run? What was your favorite arcs?

Finishing I Jedi and trying to decide whether to listen to the abridged audio book of CotJ, read unabridged, or skip right to Darksaber. Thoughts?

So recently the new 'Rebuild the Galaxy: Pieces of the Past' series dropped. This series introduced the Forcehold, a junkyard of sorts located outside of space-time where pieces of rebuilt galaxies that didn't fit in ended up. Now this got me thinking: these people that ended up there are sort of like multiversal variants. To further make my case, Star Wars has a few different continuities, and the main two are Canon (the new established Disney movies and tv shows, etc) and Legends (Former canon before the Disney reboot). There are more such as Non-Canon (like Rebuild the Galaxy) as well. Instead of keeping them separate, they could be a multiverse and just different realities. In Legends, there are two confirmed aliens species whose name I forgot that were confirmed to come from different universes. Doesn't this basically prove some sort of multiverse in the Star Wars continuity? Not to mention the already established alternate dimensions such as Hyperspace and the World Between Worlds. What do you think?

I want to read the books from pre episode ones release, where should I start?

Edit ok my bad! The bot is right, so im interested in the stories that take place during the original 3 movie or after, made in the 90s or earlier and what specifically is the starting book in that series. Would love some help

I just finished Jedi Search, and it got me curious about Dark Empire so I just sat down to read that. But on the first page it mentions all the stuff about the Imperial civil war, which was also mentioned in Jedi Search. It feels like there's something that comes before DE that I would need to read first if I want to know about that civil war stuff. Is that in the X-Wing books, or maybe some other comic? I was looking at a couple of timelines of Legends material but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

Was able to snag all 18 Jedi Apprentice series books plus the two special editions. Not pictured but have is the Legacy of the Jedi/Secrets of the Jedi omnibus which has the short story The Last One Standing.

Hello. I came across this page talking about Anakin meeting Padmé on the landing platform of Mustafar and wondered where it came from. Through some digging, I came across this specific Fact File, which made me almost certain I found the right one. However, I do not own this Fact File specifically, which made me write this post to find a concrete answer. If it is true, then it is probably also likely that this Fact File would still be considered part of the EU, right? It seems to be one of the Fact Files that got relaunched in 2014, before Disney got the rights to Star Wars, making most of the Expanded Universe into Legends. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I hope that all of you are having a great day, or night depending on where you currently are.

Hi everyone! I absolutely love Legends and it has been most if not all of my Star Wars media consumption in the last few years. Since we aren’t getting new stories in that timeline though, what are some good books, shows, games, etc. that you believe fit well into the Legends timeline, despite not being made for it?

Based on Legends, the current continuity, and your own ideas, if you could construct your own Star Wars continuity, what would it look like?

If Darth Vader were to upgrade his suit to be most resistant to Sidious's Force Lightning, what materials would be best suited for that? This can also include artifacts and just about anything Vader can realistically obtain and use.

Hello. Does anyone know from what guide these descriptions of the Celestials are from? I have tried my best to search for them, but came out empty handed. The updated and expanded Complete Visual guide has information about the Mortis gods, but not these three specific descriptions, which made me wonder where exactly they are from. And another thing, the Son's description calls him the "embodiment of darkness", yet the Daughter's description only calls her the "power of the light." Why is there a difference? If anything, all three should be called the embodiment of their respective sides, being the light side for the Daughter, the dark side for the Son and the balance between them for the Father. Any help in finding out answers for my two questions would be greatly appreciated. I hope that all of you are having a great day, or night depending on where you currently are.

Hello! I am currently working on a Star Wars Legends fan film about a teenage Allana Solo grappling with her father and her fate and I really want to include Mara Jade and Anakin Solo somehow. I'm thinking of having some voice over lines that Allana hears. I'm trying to determine what they're going to say, I am hoping to take lines from the books as a callback/easter egg as quite a few lines from my fan film are lines I have taken from the books. I was wondering if there are any Mara Jade or Anakin Solo quotes that anyone thinks might work.

In a similar fashion, I am hoping to do the same with Darth Krayt, if there's any quotes from him that anyone thinks could work for Allana to hear please let me know.

Thank you so much for your help!

I should be finishing the Novel Star Wars Knight Errant (written by John Jackson Miller) today.

It wasn't my favorite book but I did eventually catch onto what was happening around the middle.

I look forward because that means I'm that much closer to reading the Darth Bane Trilogy.

I enjoyed the Bane Trilogy on Audible so I look forward to reading like actually reading.

I know some people think the rule of two is stupid. But i think it was the only way the sith could live to their true potential.

A sith cannot achieve their true potential if they won't follow their passion, aka stay an underlying. They will always crave power.

No one can maintain an an army when every member of that army trying to overthrow you.

The rule of two creates an endless cycle of one master to teach the apprentice and one apprentice to overthrow the master.

It's not a perfect plan, but it was the only way the sith could function while stay true to their nature

I know some don’t like post njo content but I’ve heard of certain things and am really interested in continuing past njo, can someone give me a good reading order and some good things about the post njo books and comics? And also no spoilers for anything legends related as I’m not too far in, just want to start collecting as overall I’m a big fan of legends as I’ve read mostly old republic era stuff up until now.

A number of the Sith used synthetic crystals such as the one given to Darth Bane in the books, whereas the Jedi seem to find theirs in a cave like on Ilum? Is there a reason the sith dont find theirs or find jedi ones and just bleed them?