“History is on the move, Captain. Those who cannot keep up will be left behind, to watch from a distance. And those who stand in our way will not watch at all.“
As Star Wars fans we’ve all been faced with a choice: cling to what we know or unlearn what we have learned. The Great Purge of the Expanded Universe brought more than its share of heartbreak. The tales of the knights of the Old Republic. The daring deeds of Rogue and Wraith Squadrons. The Skywalker legacy of Jacen, Jaina, and a very different Ben. But of all the voices lost, few silences were more resounding than that of one very artful Grand Admiral.
1991 saw the true birth of the Expanded Universe as we knew it. Timothy Zahn created what was, prior to 2015, THE Sequel Trilogy. And where before the villains were powerful in every sense of the word, dark sorcerers who bent the galaxy to their will by the Force and by brute force, this trilogy had a very mortal, very rational villain. The type that did not defeat the enemy by his might, but by turning everything about them to his advantage. Grand Admiral Thrawn set the stage early on that the books could build a much larger galaxy than we understood from the films. It’s not just a galaxy of space wizards. Going forward, the characters could be so much more.
Now we are once again starting over. There’s a whole galaxy out there to explore. And while it’s time to meet new friends and foes it seems we will have a very familiar face to guide us once again. Our history isn’t gone, but it is changing. And who better to lead us on this new story that the one who can find truth in the arts.
