Discussions What happens before episode 1?

Hello. I am new to the forums and I am hoping someone here can help me.

I've been a fan of Star Wars for quite a while. Recently I have been wondering what happens before episode 1? I'd like to start from the very beginning. Can someone point me in the right direction? Where should I start? What book/comic should I start with? If someone knows of a timeline of readings in chronological order that would be helpful, I'd really appreciate it. I know there are many comics/books available, but it is overwhelming. If there are things other than books I should know about, please recommend.

Doing my own research, I was able to find this list: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_books

Thank you!!

(I originally posted this in the general discussion forum, but I was directed to the EU Community.)

 

If you're more interested in "setup to Episode 1" than the distant past, Cloak of Deception is probably the best starting point.

 

The VERY beginning? Because pre-TPM EU history spans about 35000 years.

 

Iron_lord: Thank you very much.

Meyerm: I know it is a lot but yes, the very beginning. It might be because of what I studied in school, but I like to look at the distant past to draw comparisons and links between the past and the current.

 

Much of that period is either empty or covered by computer games (the The Old Republic Encyclopaedia provides a good overview of events leading up to the The Old Republic game).

Between the Dawn of the Jedi era and the fall of the first Sith Empire is a huge gap, as well. Book Of Sith, Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, and The Essential Guide to Warfare, while not novels, fill some of those spaces in.

So the collection of works for that era is not nearly as large as for the post-TPM era.

 

I think that the novel Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon is as far back as it is possible to go, as far as the EU/Legends goes. It is set about 25,000 years before TPM. There is a comic series also called Dawn of the Jedi, set at about the same time.

Cloak of Deception is essentially a prequel to TPM.

Regarding the canon/unified story, I do not think that there technically is anything set pre-TPM anymore. Nonetheless, there is no need to deny yourself the enjoyment of the wealth of material set before TPM.

 

What books/comics/etc. covers the Infinite Empire and before? I'm fuzzy myself on the events pre-Rakata. I want to say the pre-space age wars between the ancient humans and Taung (later the original Mandalorians) on pre-ecumenopolis Coruscant is the earliest thing.

 

Dawn of the Jedi comics have Rakata in them - with their empire in its prime.

Other sources tend to be much more general.

 

Well the human-Taung wars would predate any recorded events involving humans outside of Coruscant, so I'm sticking with that. To be honest though, I don't pay attention to anything pre-Rakata. And even then, I only vaguely know about things prior to the hundred year darkness and founding of the exile-led Sith Empire.

 

Wow. I actually did not realize just how much there is consider. I'm thinking now what I'll do first is to start right around the time of TPM. aeneas mentioned Cloak of Deception as being a prequel to TPM. This is good to know. Prior to reading Cloak of Deception, I would like to have an understanding of the rise of the Jedi and the rise of the Sith. I feel it is important to understand the causes of tension/conflict between these two. I need to pick a couple sources that would help explain this before reading Cloak of Deception. What are some of everyone's favorites?

What are everyone's thoughts on reading The Old Republic series?

 

The Darth Plagueis novel is probably about as important as Cloak of Deception, as a TPM lead-in - shows a lot more of the period (Cloak covers a period of only a month or two). While it references many of the comics - you don't strictly need those comics to benefit from the overview.

Probably the best book for showing both the Jedi and the Sith's origins - is Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force, even if it's not a novel but a 'sourcebook'.

 

This discussion has been very helpful so far. Thank you Iron_lord and @aeneas1138 for your suggestions.

Here's what I'm thinking in regards to my reading list; it will keep me busy for quite a while. For reference, I will have a copy of Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force.
The Old Republic series

Lost Tribe of the Sith series (select novels)

Darth Plagueis
Cloak of Deception

Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (possibly)
Maul: Lockdown (possibly)
The Phantom Menace

After I finish these, I will then begin to building my reading list of novels about the events leading to the the Clone Wars. Thoughts on this list?

 

Makes sense. Comics, more than novels, are a good place to look for the Clone Wars lead-in. The Emissaries & Assassins omnibus, the Rise of the Sith omnibus, the Quinlan Vos: Jedi Into Darkness and the Menace Revealed omnibus collect most of those.

 

You might consider reading the Darth Bane trilogy as well to get some background on the rule of two and how the Sith went into hiding.

Evil.

 

Thank you Iron_lord and Evil Incarnate. This conversation has been very helpful!

So, I think this is my final list:
The Old Republic: Revan, Deceived, Fatal Alliance, Annihilation
Lost Tribe of the Sith series (select novels)
Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Rule of Two, Dynasty of EvilDarth Plagueis
Cloak of Deception
Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter (possibly)
Maul: Lockdown (possibly)
Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Reference book: Jedi vs Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force

 

I can see your very much interested in the ancient rivalry between the Jedi and Sith. To do that I'd recommend starting with the first material published in the Old Republic era, which would be the Tales of the Jedi comic series by Dark Horse. These cover the Great Hyperspace War, which was the first conflict between the Jedi and Sith, as well as the Great Sith War of Ulic-Qel Droma, and Exar Kun. You can find the 2 collected volumes of this in digital form on Amazon for $15 a piece. If this micro-era continues to interest you, next I'd pick up Knights of the Old Republic I-II from Steam, and play through those. This will cover the Mandalorian and Sith Wars. I'd recommend avoiding the Old Republic book series unless you also want to get roped into The Old Republic MMO because almost all of those books leave story threads hanging in order to be completed in the game. The Lost Tribe Series is decent, but isn't necessary to understand the overarching story leading into TPM, as they are mostly prequels for the now defunct post-ROTJ series. Darth Bane Trilogy is a must for really anyone looking to get into Star Wars EU, and if this micro-era interest you I'd also recommend Jedi vs Sith the comic series, which you might actually have to do some digging to find, and the Knights Errant Book/Comics series (The Books and Comics tie-in to one another somewhat.) Finally if Palpatine interest you I'd look into Plagues, and a lot of the EU material published directly after TPM debuted, again Dark Horse's comics from then really cover a lot of side stories from this era, and I'd pick up The Rise of the Sith Omnibus which is a collection of Pre-TPM stories, and helps to flesh out the Galaxy at the start of the PT much better than the movies themselves do.

 

Read the KOTOR comics! It is such a fun series! You won't be disappointed.

 

I cannot recommend the Darth Bane trilogy and the Darth Plagueis novel enough. They are excellent books and give a really deep insight into the inner workings of the Sith the last 1000 years before the fall of the republic.

 

If you look around online, you can find the Bane of the Sith short story as well - shows the original version of Bane's trip to Dxun and Onderon.