What would the Expanded Universe have looked like had the bulk of it been written after all six Star Wars movies came out?

It's a question I can't shake. I love the Expanded Universe, the Star Wars world of spin-off literature, with all its quirks born of various audience and generational desires and publishing practicalities. Bring me your Crystal Stars, Holiday Specials, and Glove of Darth Vaders! The EU's imperfection makes it feel real.

But who doesn't wonder?

Debates rage among fans about whether or not the Expanded Universe should get an overhaul and start all over again, especially now that the prequel trilogy is complete. Personally, I like the optimism behind the idea of building a new, perfect Expanded Universe with only "good" stories told "in the spirit of George Lucas' vision for the completed saga." But experience tells me any such endeavor is doomed pretty quick. It reminds me of when I first bought my DVD player and determined not to let any Hard Targets infiltrate my new movie collection like they did on VHS. Pretty soon, though, I got the Return of the Incredible Hulk as a Christmas gift and Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes to collect on a debt, sinking my dream of the untainted collection. Of course, when the Ewok telemovies are an immanent part of your DVD set, there's no real point in trying, is there?

Here's my quick take on 10 things that would be different if the Expanded Universe had gotten going only after the release of all six Star Wars movies. Some are minor, some are big, but all I think are pretty interesting:


1) The Empire Would Not Have Struck Back

Not after Return of the Jedi, that is. Coruscant would have been taken within days if not hours of the Emperor's defeat, overthrown by its oppressed and freedom loving citizenry. Thrawn, Zsinj, Ysanne Isard and the countless Imperial Warlords would not exist. At least, not right away. The Empire would probably eventually be reintroduced in some reincarnated form, a la the Second Imperium of the Young Jedi Knights series. But this certainly would not happen before...

2) The Galactic Invaders Plotline Would Come First

And only once. The idea of "outsiders" coming to mess things up is a plot device as old as history. Once you clean up the town, and peace and daffodils reign supreme, those no good out-of-towners come to run amok. After the Empire is crushed in Return of the Jedi, you have to have a new enemy. Marvel Comics took this route first, with the one-two punch of the Nagai and their enemy the Tof. Bantam gave us the third version, the dinosaur-like Ssi-ruuk, before the mother of all invasions came from Del Rey in the form of the intractable Yuuzhan Vong.

3) Han And Leia Would Have Gotten Married Much Sooner

Four years after Return of the Jedi? Come on. For all its faults, in trying to marry Han and Leia soon after Episode VI, the Glove of Darth Vader series was truer to our anticipation than the long-overdue wedding of the Courtship of Princess Leia. More significantly...

4) Luke Would Never Have Gotten Married

With the prequel emphasis on non-attachment in Jedi training and the troubles breaking that rule led to for Anakin Skywalker, I don't think Luke would have ended up tying the knot. Though that doesn't mean he and Mara Jade wouldn't have been close. Still, I think it's far more likely that the ascetic, Obi-Wan-like Luke of the Black Fleet Crisis would have been this farmboy's eventual destiny. He may, however, have still had a son or daughter, for some Lone Wolf and Cub style adventures.

5) The Republic Would Only Be A Thousand Years Old

Forget that "over a thousand generations" nonsense Old Ben was talking about. The Jedi may have been around that long, but Palpatine's statement in Attack of the Clones that the Republic has stood for a thousand years would've been the model for the age of the Old Republic, not 25 times that.

6) Neither Boba Fett nor the Emperor Would Have Come Back

This one's iffy, actually. Cool villains have a way of defying death, especially when we don't see the body. Heck, even when the body is chopped in half! (Darth Maul, anyone?) But the bookend nature of the deaths of Boba (mirroring that of his father Jango) and Palpatine (as the fulfillment of the prophecy to bring balance to the Force) would probably give authors and editors pause when thinking of bringing these evildoers back.

7) Luke Would Still Fall To The Dark Side

Or Leia would, but my instincts say Luke. The specter of their heritage is a potential story point too tempting to pass up. Which brings me to...

8) Lumiya Would Still Exist

Or Hethrir. Or Flint, or Tremayne, or some Darth Vader-trained darksider that exemplified the continuing repercussions of Anakin Skywalker's fall to the Dark Side. They are, in effect, Vader's "bad" children, and perfect foils for Luke and Leia.

9) Han and Leia Would Still Have Children

How many is debatable. But Luke would still have trained them in the Force.

10) Chewie Would Not Have Died

But Lando might have. I won't delve into the reasons for this one, but again, that's my instinct. ~ Abel G. Peña

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The list is far from complete. Feel free to continue the list in the comments section, providing reasons for your thoughts.

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