10 Best Star Wars Legends Comics (That Should Still Be Canon)

Throughout the franchise’s history, there have been a plethora of Star Wars stories that have been told through a number of different formats, from films and TV series, to comics and novels. However, for a long time, only a handful of those stories were considered official Star Wars canon. Originally, only the original and prequel films (plus Star Wars: The Clone Wars) were canon, while all the tie-in comics and novels were firmly set in the Expanded Universe (or Legends) continuity.

After Disney bought Star Wars, all that changed. The new canon has seen great additions to the official Star Wars canon through films, TV shows, books, comics, and even video games, meaning Star Wars canon is seemingly growing by the day. But there are still a ton of truly great Star Wars stories stuck in ‘Legends limbo,’ and the worst part is that most of them could fit into the main Star Wars canon seamlessly. Therefore, it’s time that these Star Wars Legends comics were brought into the main series continuity. Here are the 10 best Star Wars Legends comics that should still be canon.

10 Star Wars: Infinities

Chris Warner, Drew Johnson, Dave Land, Davidé Fabbri, Adam Gallardo, and Ryan Benjamin

Star Wars: Infinities was a Legends series that retold the events of the original trilogy in a ‘What If’ format that Marvel recently brought to the small screen in the MCU. What if Luke didn’t blow up the Death Star in Episode IV? What if Luke died on Hoth in Episode V? What if Han Solo couldn’t be saved in time in Episode VI? These were the ‘prompts’ the writers and artists of Star Wars: Infinities ran with, and it made for some pretty outstanding storytelling.

Star Wars: Infinities‘ inclusion on this list isn’t to say that Star Wars should rewrite the events of the OT, only that making this series canon would allow Star Wars to follow in the MCU’s footsteps, and establish a ‘What If’ series that explores alternate outcomes in every chapter of the iconic saga.

9 Star Wars: Jango Fett: Open Seasons

Haden Blackman and Ramon Bachs

Star Wars: Jango Fett – Open Seasons tells the entire origin story of Jango Fett. As a child, Jango was saved by the Mandalorians and became a foundling, before getting his own armor and fighting alongside them against Death Watch. Jango wasn’t just a bounty hunter wearing Mandalorian armor, he was a Mandalorian, which is something that greatly gets swept under the rug in Star Wars canon. This story also showed Jango’s Jedi-killing skills, revealing exactly why he was chosen as the Clone template.

Jango Fett’s Original Origin Story Needs to be a Part of His Official Lore

While much of Jango’s origin story has already been made canon in The Mandalorian, when Boba Fett explains to Din Djarin why Jango’s armor does, indeed, belong to him, there are certain specifics from Open Seasons that need to be a part of Jango Fett’s official origin. Plus, this story is just too badass not to have an official live-action/animated adaptation.

8 Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Tom Veitch and Chris Gossett

Tales of the Jedi is less of a single storyline, and more of an ‘age’, akin to the High Republic era of Star Wars canon. Set during the Old Republic, Tales of the Jedi spans a number of titles that tell the earliest stories of the Jedi as an established Order in Star Wars history. Not only is it thrilling to see the origins of the Jedi Order as fans know it today, but the stories set in this era (including the rise of a particularly brutal Sith Lord, Exar Kun) are especially awesome.

Star Wars Fans NEED to See the Earliest Exploits of the Jedi in Action

The Jedi Order in its infancy, hidden Sith all around them, a newfound Galactic Republic, a power-hungry Mandalorian empire – these are what fans have in store for them when they read Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. And now, Star Wars needs to make it canon, and allow fans to explore this era even further.

Related

Darth Vader vs Palpatine’s Biggest Battle in Franchise History To Officially End Marvel’s Current Era of Star Wars Comics

The current era of Star Wars comics is coming to an epic end as Darth Vader’s final issue sees the Dark Lord unleashing his power on Emperor Palpatine

7 Star Wars: Dawn Of The Jedi

John Ostrander and Jan Duursema

While Tales of the Jedi shows the Jedi Order in its infancy, Dawn of the Jedi takes things a bit further by revealing the ancient, shared history of the Jedi, Sith, and Force-wielding as a whole. Dawn of the Jedi takes fans back to the earliest point on the Star Wars timeline, before hyperspace travel, the Galactic Republic, or practically anything modern Star Wars fans would find familiar.

Star Wars Tells the Origin of the Jedi and the Sith in a High Fantasy Epic

Dawn of the Jedi is less Sci-Fi, and more epic High Fantasy, which delves into the cosmic balance of the Force and the nature of those who wield it like no other Star Wars story has done before. It is the definitive origin story of the entire Star Wars universe, and therefore needs to be more than just a ‘legend’.

6 Marvel’s Star Wars Vol. 1

Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin

The first six issues of Marvel Comics’ original Star Wars comic run were just a retelling of A New Hope, but with issue #7, the series took a drastic turn for the absurd. It was during this era of Star Wars history that the Millennium Falcon crew were going toe-to-toe with excentric pirates, running into fake Jedi Knights, and aligning themselves with aliens of all sorts (including an anthropomorphic bunny named Jaxxon).

Star Wars’ Original Marvel Comics Run is the Most Fun the Series Has Ever Been

These Star Wars comics were weird, ridiculous, and a lot of fun. But what they weren’t (most importantly of all) was overly impactful. Just like how the current era of canon Star Wars comics takes place between the original films, this Star Wars run showed the famous heroes going on side adventures and meeting new friends and enemies without overstepping the boundaries set by the OT, which means there’s no reason these outrageously fun comics can’t be canon.

5 Star Wars: Jedi Academy – Leviathan

Kevin J. Anderson and Dario Carrasco Jr.

Jedi Academy is a staple title in Star Wars Legends that primarily exists in the novels, but those stories crossed over into the comics with Star Wars: Jedi Academy – Leviathan. In it, fans get to see Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi Order in its prime, with his students facing a kaiju-sized beast akin to what the Jedi of old would have to battle in order to protect those citizens of the Republic.

Star Wars Fans Need to See Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy in Its Prime

The story itself is fantastic, but more importantly, it would fit in perfectly with the established Star Wars canon. Almost nothing is known about Luke Skywalker’s Jedi Academy aside from the fact that Ben Solo fell to the dark side while studying there. Therefore, fans are owed this story, or any other set during the Jedi Academy era of Star Wars Legends.

4 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

Haden Blackman, Brian Ching, Bong Dazo, and Wayne Nichols

While originally a video game, The Force Unleashed joined the ranks of Star Wars Legends comics upon its official adaptation, which did a far stretch more than simply bring the story of the game to the comics. This Star Wars one-shot tells the cohesive story of Starkiller from the perspective of his droid ‘sidekick’, Proxy, all while eliminating the ‘multiple outcomes’ aspect of the original game in lieu of a definitive narrative.

Fans Have Already Called for Starkiller to be Made Canon, & Star Wars Needs to Just Do It

Essentially, The Force Unleashed comic took an isolated character and made him a part of the wider Legends continuity – and now, it’s time to make Starkiller canon. Fans have already accepted the idea of Starkiller being a part of the official continuity, proven true by the fan-speculations surrounding him during the Ahsoka series, as well as how receptive fans have been with the introduction of Darth Vader’s Inquisitors. In other words, Star Wars just needs to do it already.

3 Star Wars: Jedi vs Sith

Darko Macan and Ramon F. Bachs

While it’s true that Darth Bane, the Rule of Two, and the Jedi vs Sith War are technically canon in Star Wars‘ main continuity, fans still have never seen the event for themselves. It’s as though Star Wars merely acknowledged the ‘legend’ of the Jedi vs Sith War as historical, without fully accepting it as a part of the main series narrative, given that key events, characters, and plot points remain firmly in Legends continuity.

The Jedi vs Sith War Needs to be Brought to Star Wars Canon with More Authority

Imagine, a TV series or movie franchise dedicated to armies of Sith raging across the galaxy, with nothing but the dwindling numbers of the Jedi to stop them, only for Darth Bane and his apprentice to be the sole survivors of the Sith religion. It would be the greatest piece of Star Wars media to date, and – best of all – it would finally make this Legends story officially canon.

2 Star Wars: Purge

John Ostrander and Doug Wheatley

Darth Vader is the original Star Wars villain, the first pillar of darkness fans were introduced to all the way back in A New Hope, and who stood as such throughout Star Wars canon – even to this very day. However, even with that established, fans still haven’t seen the canon version of Darth Vader in his prime, unlike fans of Star Wars Legends continuity who read Star Wars: Purge.

Star Wars Fans Still Haven’t Seen Canon Darth Vader in His Prime

Purge is a multi-title storyline that details the total obliteration of the Jedi Order post-Order 66. The first issue shows Darth Vader slaughtering a room full of Jedi, with subsequent titles revealing how Darth Vader got the entire galaxy to essentially forget about the Jedi as a whole. It’s a brutal story that’s set during an era in Vader’s life that canon Star Wars hasn’t even touched, making Purge a perfect addition to the official continuity.

1 Star Wars Legacy

John Ostrander and Jan Duursema

Star Wars Legacy is set roughly a century after the events of the original trilogy, and is the furthest future point on the Star Wars timeline. The series follows Cade Skywalker, a tatted-up, grungy punk and smuggler who finds himself as the galaxy’s last hope against the One Sith, which is led by a truly despicable villain with ties to the Clone Wars and OT eras of Star Wars, Darth Krayt.

Star Wars Legends Already Settled What the Franchise’s Endgame NEEDS To Be

Simply put, Star Wars Legacy is the coolest era of the franchise, bar none. Cade is a fantastic protagonist, Darth Krayt is an outstanding villain, the army of Sith within the One Sith is refreshing to see, and the world itself has a gritty edge to it that’s sorely lacking in other Star Wars stories. Plus, Star Wars Legacy exists so far in the future from the current canon that it could be adapted as-is at any point without impacting any other story whatsoever. That’s why this is one of the 10 Star Wars comics from Legends that needs to be brought to canon.

Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.