Just as the PT rekindled my decades-long romace with Star Wars, my love affair with the EU is experiencing a much-needed resurgence.

I originally gave the EU a try because I was experiencing severe post-ROTS withdrawal; I never had any desire to pick up a Star Wars book until it really hit me that I would never again be able to anticipate another SW film on the horizon, no matter how distant. Plus, I was, kind of, like, an Anakin junkie, and needed a quick fix, so Labyrinth of Evil did the trick nicely, followed by Cloak of Deception . . . and, well, you know how it goes - 49 books later and still counting

Somewhere in all that, I got trilogied to death getting through some of the post-ROTJ stuff, and went through a lifetime supply of Kleenex as I trudged through the NJO. And although I begrudgingly came to enjoy the new characters the EU has to offer, with the exception of a few NJO books (such as Dark Journey), I mostly felt like I was passing the time until The Maker gave us something meatier to sink our teeth into (a 3-D TPM, tv stuff, heck, anything in living color!).

Don't get me wrong; although some of the multi-novel storlines could have, IMO, been smooshed into one book, most of them have been absolutely stellar. I've just never been able to shake the feeling that I got into this EU thing because it was the closest I could come to getting my film jones on. (Sort of like dating a guy 'cause he reminds you of your ex, you know? )

But all that's over now. I'm back on the edge of my seat, waiting for my next fix again, and loving it! The Legacy of the Force series has got my nose wide open, and here's the biggest reason:

It challenges me.

Over the past five books - the three I devoured in the month leading up to C4, the one I tore up en route to LA, and ending with the copy of Sacrifice I was thrilled to score at the convention - LOTF has challenged me to rethink many seemingly fixed SW principles: my understanding of the term 'the Force', the way I view the Skywalker-Solo clan, what being a Jedi Master is supposed to mean, whether or not the no attachments/no marraige/no kids rule wasn't such a bad idea after all.

And that's only the strictly SW themes. LOTF has really made me wax philosophical on many of the issues facing our own galaxy that are near and dear to my heart, such as: How much power should one being (or orginization) have? How does government balance it's obligations to both public safety and civil liberties? What are the long-term consequences of cloning humans? Exactly how far should gifted kids be challenged before they'r forced to grow up too quickly? And, of course, my all-time personal favorite: When does concern for the greater good truly justify overlooking the good of the individual, and vice versa?

I used to read the EU to find out what happened to the characters I had come to love in the films. But with the novels of the LOTF, I feel like I've finally come to love the EU on it's own merits.

Next stop on the EU love train: Civil war is anything but civilized!