If the countdown to The Rise of Skywalker has you in a Star Wars state of mind, you’re not alone. Once you’ve marathoned all of the movies, there’s no shortage of content to get you through the rest of your days. Spanning across all forms of media, there’s a way for fans of every stripe to get their fix.
Television
For a story designed in a visual medium, the transition from film to television is a natural step. It allows for classic iconography to be easily incorporated and for visual allusions to thrive. But, critically, television allows for a deeper understanding of a narrative. Instead of a mere two hours in the theater, the Star Wars television shows have entire days worth of content, usually exploring a specific period of time within the Star Wars universe.
Take as an example George Lucas’ Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This series is set during a time that was largely excluded from the movies and allows viewers to gain a better understanding of Anakin Skywalker before his transition into Darth Vader. It’s also 50+ hours in total, with more slated to arrive in February 2020. If cartoons aren’t your thing (although this one totally should be), there’s a promising development with Disney+ introducing The Madalorian this Fall, suggesting more of an investment into live action television. This world is growing rapidly, developing exciting stories that audiences have been waiting for.
Novels
Any question you have about the Star Wars universe is almost certainly covered in one of the 400+ novels that line library shelves across the world. Do you want more Boba Fett? There’s a book for that. Do you want to know more about Order 66? There’s a book for that, too. Whether you want to experience new adventures, delve deeper into a beloved character, or just revisit the wonder that is The Empire Strikes Back in convenient prose, the novels are a great way to scratch your Star Wars itch.
The original novels were commissioned by George Lucas before he realized the commercial and iconic success of A New Hope. Since then, they have grown to be a sprawling part of the Star Wars universe. Although the bulk of these books fall under the Legends rebranding, many of them still stand strong in the face of the newest canon films and thrive within the hearts of Star Wars fans. Those that do stray from canon can still be enjoyed as alternate timelines. What better way to explore the far reaches of the galaxy than curled up on the couch, book in hand?
Comics
Star Wars comics: where the visual elements of television and film meet the analysis and convenience of the novels. A panel-by-panel deconstruction of your favorite characters, settings, squadrons, and ships. Like the novels, there is such a variety of stories that any reader can find something that they’re interested in.
The comics are so wildly popular that they are even cited as having saved Marvel from financial ruin in the 1978-1979 fiscal year. Again, a good deal of these materials exist under the Legends classification, but some of them still hold the title of some of the most interesting content made to date.
Video Games
Chances are, if you grew up playing video games, you’ve probably stumbled into more than your fair share of Star Wars. It’s an inevitability. From arcades, to consoles, to PCs, Star Wars has been deeply ingrained in the history of virtual gaming, and that’s not even taking into consideration all of the fan made, unlicensed games that have cropped up over the years.
Starting with the 1983 arcade game, Star Wars video games have evolved alongside the medium, ranging widely in genre. Adventure games, first-person shooters, movie retellings, strategy simulations—you name it, and it has probably been translated into that galaxy far far away. Even now, as we enter the age of VR, Star Wars has found a way to adapt with Vader Immortal, the first in a series of games for the Oculus Rift. Rest assured, no matter the format, there’s probably a way to immerse yourself into the Star Wars story.
Role playing Games
Many are the tabletop RPGs based around space operatic game play, allowing players to live out their wildest dreams of epic, intergalactic adventure. In 1987, the first official Star Wars RPG was published and players could join the Rebellion, ally themselves with the Separatists, or fight their own battles on the outer edges of the galaxy. Some Star Wars novelists have cited the source books for these games as their primary source of reference material, particularly during times of low production. These guides were among the first pieces of media to expand on the Star Wars universe and are at least partly responsible for the vast amount of media we have today.
Since the publication of the first game, many have followed suit and each vary in their game systems, playable characters, settings, and simplicity. Fantasy Flight Games has published the only official Star Wars RPG currently on the market, but Star Wars fans have taken matters into their own hands. Many games are fan made and many of them are free. All you need is cool dice, good company, and a few more hours than originally anticipated.
