There’s a lot more to Star Wars than the nine movies in the Skywalker saga. In the decades since George Lucas created the sci-fi franchise, a myriad of comics, TV shows, books and video games have worked to fill in the gaps left by the series’ main feature films. But much of the media that made up the Star Wars extended universe was made non-canon once Disney acquired Lucasfilm (and the Star Wars franchise) in 2012, meaning that scores of beloved stories were thrown out the window. Recent projects have attempted to revive ideas birthed in the old Star Wars canon (collectively known as Star Wars Legends) bringing previously overlooked characters to center stage.
But there are a number of other characters and tales from the expanded universe that deserve the attention of Star Wars fans today. Their non-canon status hasn’t stopped them from being thought of as compelling or inventive additions to Star Wars lore and, with the franchise setting its sights on overlooked or understudied characters, who knows, maybe a few of them have a shot of returning to the franchise’s expanding continuity.
Updated on September 28, 2023, by Ryan Heffernan:
After the Skywalker saga has dominated Star Wars for decades, it is exciting to finally see more of the story world being explored with characters on the periphery being better explored in series like Disney+’s Ahsoka. However, in the catacombs of the franchise’s lore, there are many other outstanding characters Star Wars die-hards are hoping to one day see on the screen as official, canon figures in the universe.
10 Prince Xizor
After first being mentioned in the 1995 novel Darksaber, Prince Xizor has become prolific in Star Wars media such as books and video games. A charismatic villain with loose morals, he was from Falleen where he was a prince of House Sizhran, but he also thrived as the Underlord of the criminal organization Black Sun.
Star Wars: The Most Iconic Quote from Each Skywalker Saga Movie
The force will be with you, always.With his criminal cunning and excellent judgment of character, Prince Xizor rose to be a powerful figure to the point where he was considered to be equal to Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader as the most influential beings in the galaxy. The career criminal had a business relationship with the Galactic Empire which bolstered his power, but his aura of superiority and his inability to understand the force served as damning vulnerabilities for him in his endeavors.
9 The Yuuzhan Vong
While not a specific character, the Yuuzhan Vong were an imposing villainous entity in Star Wars and served as the broad inspiration for the Grysk which first appeared in the canon novel Thrawn: Alliances. The Yuuzhan Vong though had plenty of elements that made them such a great inclusion to the Star Wars universe.
As religious zealots who originated beyond the known universe, they launched a deadly invasion of the galaxy which saw trillions of lives lost as they viewed any technological innovation to be blasphemous. Most interestingly though, they were unable to be sensed by the force, which made them a unique threat to the Jedi.
8 HK-47
Another character from The Old Republic series, the assassin droid known as HK-47 is a favorite among fans. Suffering from memory loss himself, HK-47 was once an assassin for the amnesiac Darth Revan. He would later reunite with Revan as one of the newly-redeemed Jedi’s most trusted companions.
Beloved for his irrepressible personality, HK-47 would probably rank the highest on Star Wars’ list of endearing droid companions if not for his non-canon status. It would be a shame if this quirky (if not murderous) bucket of bolts never saw the light of day again.
7 Kyle Katarn
The protagonist of Star Wars: Dark Forces, a first-person shooter game made in 1995, Kyle Katarn is one of the expanded universe’s most compelling fan-favorite characters. Once an Imperial Stormtrooper who defected to the Rebel Alliance, Katarn later learned of his force sensitivity, eventually becoming a Jedi Knight.
Every 'Star Wars Rebels' Hero, Ranked by Likability
"There's always a bit of truth in legends."Parts of Katarn’s story might sound familiar, as they seem to have formed the basis for the character of John Boyega's Finn. Both characters were former Stormtroopers who allied themselves with the Rebellion, and the Rise of Skywalker even hints at the possibility of Finn’s force sensitivity, yet Katarn remains non-canon. But if Disney ever wants to explore another character’s experience of Imperial defection, Kyle Katarn remains a pre-established and already-treasured option.
6 Mandalore the Indomitable
The name of Mandalore the Indomitable might sound familiar to modern Star Wars fans. This Legends character shares his name with the people from whom Pedro Pascal's Din Djarin, the title character of The Mandalorian, hails. Indeed, Mandalore is a title belonging to the warlord and leader of the Mandalorian clans. In the old expanded universe, Mandalore the Indomitable was one of the great scourges of the old Republic.
Famed for his combat skills that make him as savage as any of the Star Wars universe’s most ferocious beasts, it would be foolish for the franchise not to reintroduce Mandalore the Indomitable in some form. In the same way that The Mandalorian opened the door for series and films tackling non-Jedi stories, Mandalore’s revitalization would be an excellent way to ease fans into some of the franchise’s older, more brutal, conflicts.
5 Nomi Sunrider
Nomi Da-Boda was once an ordinary woman in love. She married the Jedi Andur Sunrider, and together they had a daughter. But Andur was later murdered by criminals, leaving Nomi alone and grief-stricken, but forced to defend her child from the thugs. Both her loss and her survival catalyzed her journey to become a Jedi. She rose through the Order’s ranks and later became Grand Master of the Jedi Order.
Recent films, both in and out of the franchise, have shown a promising future for strong female characters. Nomi Sunrider’s multifaceted character – at once a mother, wife, and highly capable Jedi Knight – would make her a complex hero, to be sure, but a welcome one. Nurturing, wise, and powerful, Sunrider would serve as a fresh and interesting protagonist the likes of which no main Star Wars project has seen before.
4 Darth Revan
Darth Revan is the pillar on which Star Wars: The Old Republic video game series stands. While generally impactful and commercially successful, Star Wars video games and their characters tend to be largely underappreciated. The great tragedy is that many of the games' characters offer interesting new looks at the force and Star Wars lore, and there are few characters in the saga as fascinating or as cool as Darth Revan.
10 Most Memorable Jedi and Sith From The 'Star Wars' Expanded Universe
Justice for Kyle Katarn, one of the galaxy's most compelling heroes ever.Once a Jedi who turned to the dark side, Revan is best known for the creation of a Sith Empire. Later betrayed by his ambitious apprentice, Revan’s mind was wiped, commencing an arduous redemption that would eventually lead him back to the light.
3 Galen Marek
According to Legends canon, Darth Vader trained a secret apprentice. Debuting in the action-adventure game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Galen Marek was the son of a Jedi Knight that Vader hunted after the Jedi purge. Taking the boy under his wing, Vader turned Galen into his secret weapon, sending him out on clandestine missions to track down and assassinate Jedi.
Galen Marek is more commonly known by his codename, Starkiller. His role as Vader’s Jedi hunter has also been taken by the powerful Sith Inquisitors, like Moses Ingram’s Reva. But there’s still room to explore the possibility of Galen’s appearance, especially in the ongoing Darth Vader comic series.
2 Mara Jade-Skywalker
In Star Wars Legends, Mara Jade is Luke Skywalker's love interest and, later, wife. Once an operative for Emperor Palpatine himself, Mara left the Empire and eventually found herself allying with Luke Skywalker and his New Jedi Order. She and Luke would later have a child.
The new movies opt to explore very little of Luke's personal life outside his relationship with Ben Solo (Adam Driver). However, with series like The Book of Boba Fett opening up and expanding the saga's canon, it is not completely out of the question for more of Luke's life to be a focus in the future.
1 Darth Nihilus
Imagine watching one of the new Star Wars series only to be introduced to a villain made of pure Force energy, a spirit occupying the armor, mask, and robes of a Sith lord. This is exactly what it would be like if Disney were to reintroduce Darth Nihilus to the new continuity.
Nihilus, a vampire-like force user, was a Sith lord active during the old republic. Created as one of the main antagonists of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, Nihilus’ story and origins were expanded upon in various comics and other supplementary material. Should Disney decide to finally leave the time period around Palpatine’s Galactic Empire, Nihilus would make the perfect villain for the heroes of the Old Republic.
NEXT: Times Anakin Skywalker's Downfall Was Foreshadowed in 'Star Wars'
