You know the saga. You've watched every movie of the Original and Prequel Trilogies countless times (at least, you have if you're me!). So where do you go from here? What do you do next if you want to continue exploring the fandom, find some new stories, maybe see the old ones explored in a new light? I've got you. Below is a list of some of my very favourite Star Wars books and movies, that you can try out for May the Fourth or any other time. Enjoy.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie
We open with a fandom classic. Star Wars: The Clone Wars follows Anakin as he reluctantly takes on a new Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and the two of them must rescue Jabba the Hutt's little son from Separatist kidnappers. You know the film is solid because I don't question that they made Anakin a Jedi Master with his own Padawan, when it was such a big deal in Revenge of the Sith that he never was a Jedi Master. (Okay, I just did question it, but you know what I mean.) Ahsoka is just such a great character, enthusiastic and sassy and fun, and her dynamic with Anakin is funny and engaging. They've got a reluctant allies to best friends thing going, and it's great fun to watch. Obi-Wan is here as witty as ever, and Padmé comes in in the second half for a brave, essential role. So between her, Ahsoka, and a new villain called Asajj Ventress, we've got some pretty good female content going here as well. I don't mind Star Wars being almost exclusively male, because the females we do get are still well-written and important to the story, and for this sort of thing I feel quality is far more important than quantity. But that said, I still love that we get three major, interesting females in this story! I haven't seen too much of the corresponding Clone Wars TV show yet, but I do like everything I've seen so far, and I know it's popular among the fandom so for what it's worth I'll go ahead and recommend that. I have particularly enjoyed an episode in which Yoda and three clone companions must battle droids on Toydaria, in order to convince the Toydarian king to join them and not Count Dooku; and a three-episode-long story revolving around Anakin going after a huge destroyer ship of General Grievous's called the Malevolence (again with important roles for Ahsoka and Padmé).
Lego Star Wars in 100 Scenes (book)
I got this particular gem secondhand, so I can't say how easy it is to find, but if you can get your hands on it, definitely do. This book tells the story of the Prequel and Original Trilogies in, well, 100 scenes, through big and brightly-coloured photos of Lego Star Wars sets and minifigures set up to represent the various parts of the story. Each page also has a little paragraph for telling the story, and there are squares with facts about the Star Wars Lego sets, a running commentary from Lego C-3PO, and word bubbles on the pictures for some very humourous dialogue. The book is very funny and can be flipped through and read over and over again in any order you like. My only quibble is that, out of all the 100 scenes Daniel Lipkowitz narrowed down Star Wars to (he's the author; I assume it was he who decided which scenes to include, although I could be wrong), almost none of them were romance scenes, leaning instead very much in favour of action scenes. Sometimes he spends two or three pages on the same battle, when that could have been condensed to make room for some of the important character moments – like Han and Leia's first kiss! But because of the lighthearted tone of the book, it doesn't end up feeling like too much fighting and not enough reason why we should care. Honestly, I just love the way the story is portrayed here, and probably would no matter which scenes were included. I count this among my favourite books.
Lego Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles: The Phantom Clone and Menace of the Sith
The first two episodes of this hilarious Lego Star Wars animated series are an absolute must-see. The story follows a group of Jedi younglings whose lightsabers are stolen and who, with Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and Mace Windu, trace the theft to a plot by the Separatists to build a super-powered clone soldier. But that's not the important part – you're here for the Lego-brick animation, the cameos from all the Original Trilogy locations being foreshadowed (including the Millennium Falcon when the Calrissians owned it, when apparently it was a flying disco club!), the hilariously obvious attempts of Chancellor Palpatine to hide his double identity, and lots of fun, silly humour, much of it poking fun at the saga in a loving homage. I didn't realize until I looked it up for this post that there are five more episodes, and I am thrilled to know there is even more Lego Star Wars fun left to enjoy! You know I'm going to be watching the rest of this.
Darth Vader and Son and Vader's Little Princess (books)
What would it be like if Luke Skywalker never had to go through the pain of finding out who his father was? What if Darth Vader was present as his loving Dad the entire time? These books are written by Jeffrey Brown, who credits Ryan Germick and Micheal Lopez for the original idea of Luke and Darth Vader celebrating Father's Day and then ran with it. These two books feature a series of charming comics, often just one panel long, reimagining various iconic Star Wars moments into the everyday struggles of being a dad. The idea on its own would have had my attention, and the books themselves are cute, charming, and funny. The first book, Darth Vader and Son, focuses entirely on Luke as a little boy with brief appearances from twin sister Leia; Vader's Little Princess starts out with Leia as a little girl but then shifts to the main event of Leia the Teenager, with brief appearances from Luke. These are easy to flip through casually and you can reread your favourites again and again. It brings a lighter tone to many of our favourite Star Wars scenes and I consider it a must-have for any Star Wars collection.
William Shakespeare's Star Wars (books)
Have you ever wondered what the Star Wars movies would be like if they were Shakespeare plays? No, I hadn't either, but this is the crossover I never knew I needed. Written by Ian Dorchester in a brilliant imitation of Shakespearean text, these books are as clever as they are funny. You get to see things you never thought you needed, from three AT-ATs having a conversation before heading into battle to Han doing a song-and-dance number when the Empire is defeated and he finds out Luke is Leia's brother. Every detail of the films is translated into dialogue here – so be aware, there isn't much chance to guess what the characters are thinking about various situations anymore; they usually tell you in an aside! All three Original Trilogy movies are available (retitled as Verily, A New Hope; The Empire Striketh Back; and The Jedi Doth Return, respectively). I think a Phantom Menace retelling exists too – well, I won't say no to more of these!
I want to give a special shoutout too to all the books written about the adventures of Luke, Leia, Han and the rest after the destruction of the Empire. I haven't read any of these (yet!) but already I'm shipping Luke and Mara Jade and have a soft spot for Jacen and Jaina Solo. These are the very first explorations of the Star Wars Saga's “happily ever after”, if you will, so I want to get the word out about these books and celebrate them!
Have you read or watched any of these recommendations? What did you think of them if you did? If not, which one of these sounds the most appealing? Hopefully you got some inspiration on how to continue your journey through the fandom, or maybe just found pleasure in someone else shouting out one of your own favourite things. In any case, happy Star Wars Day!
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