Star Wars: Legacy

Star Wars: Legacy is a monthly comic series written by John Ostrander, primarily pencilled by Jan Duursema, and inked by Dan Parsons. It is set in the Legacy era, predominately at 137 ABY. It is produced by Dark Horse Comics, and issue #0 was released June 7, 2006. Its tagline was: "All new Sith Order! All new Empire! All new Skywalker!"

The chief protagonist of Legacy is Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke Skywalker who has given up his Jedi heritage to pursue a life as a bounty hunter. The galaxy is in a state of civil war, with a Sith Lord seated on the Imperial Throne seeing his power being challenged by many different forces.

Legacy was considered a bold move by many, as it delved nearly 100 years further into the Star Wars timeline than any other Star Wars material had previously done. Despite the uproar its announcement caused in 2006, it has since gone on to become one of the most well-received and popular Expanded Universe works of all time, as well as one of Dark Horse's best-selling comic series.

Conception
In the 1990s, Dark Horse produced a number of stories set after Return of the Jedi, most notably Dark Empire, the X-Wing series, and Union. However, from 1998 to 2005, its flagship series were Republic and Empire, and stories set in either the New Republic Era or the New Jedi Order Era were rare, appearing only as short stories in the Tales series. The closest Star Wars comic to Legacy in the timeline is Equals and Opposites, set more than 100 years before the beginning of Legacy.

The idea for the series came from either John Ostrander or Randy Stradley, and artist and co-plotter Jan Duursema had to be sold on it. Afterwards, it was shown to Shelly Shapiro, so it could be coordinated with Legacy of the Force, a book series which was soon to be published.

The first official announcement of Legacy came at newsarama.com. Immediately following this announcement, fan reaction was very vocal, and very mixed. Some readers were excited at the prospect of a series set 100 years in the future in completely uncharted territory, while others were worried about seemingly stereotypical characters (such as the revival of the Sith) and plotlines, and that the series would destroy Del Rey's continuity while also inhibiting future novel storylines. John Ostrander and Jan Duursema were very active on popular Star Wars forums, answering fans' questions and attempting to assuage their concerns.

At the starwars.com forums, Sue Rostoni and Leland Chee assured skeptical fans that everyone at both Lucasfilm Ltd. and Del Rey were on board for the series, and that the backstory had even been run by the authors of Legacy of the Force. Similarly, John Ostrander stated that he and Jan Duursema were taking into account what was happening in Legacy of the Force and working with it. Rostoni expressed her doubts that it would impede the storyline of Legacy of the Force in any way, and Chee pointed out that there are large story gaps between the two series. He did mention, however:

During the making of The Force Unleashed, it was revealed that one of the initial ideas for the video game had been a game set 500 years in the future, where the player is "The last Skywalker". This concept is very similar to what eventually became Legacy, though it is doubtful that this is anything more than a coincidence.

"Legacy" in the title
The series was set to debut around the same time as the first installment in the Legacy of the Force series, which led to some speculation that the two series would be connected. Leland Chee revealed at the starwars.com forums that Ostrander and Duursema had actually come up with the idea of using the word first, and that when Legacy of the Force came up as a title during brainstorming sessions, the idea of creating the Legacy Era was born.

Crafting the galaxy

 * According to John Ostrander, launching the series required a major villain and a major occurrence, as he believes that that is what drives Star Wars overall. He, and all of the parties responsible for planning Legacy, agreed early on that a Skywalker was needed in order to appeal to as many fans as possible.


 * Ostrander has also stated that the concept of the Empire that he and Jan Duursema used grew from their concept of reading the Expanded Universe through to the Dark Nest trilogy --- an Empire that has changed and evolved from Palpatine's era.


 * Jan Duursema has stated, perhaps jokingly, that while naming Cade, she was looking for a name that she could hear Aunt Beru calling.

Characters
Set nearly 100 years after any previously-published Star Wars material at the time of its initial release, Legacy features a huge cast of almost entirely-new characters.

Cade Skywalker


Raised as a Jedi until the age of fourteen, Cade saw his father killed by the Sith, and the Jedi Academy on Ossus sacked. Dropping his surname, Cade joined Rav's band of pirates and became a member of the galaxy's underworld. It was while working with Rav that he met Jariah Syn. Seven years later, working as a bounty hunter with Syn and Deliah Blue, who comprised the crew of his ship, the Mynock, Cade pursued a bounty on Marasiah Fel and became reacquainted with both the Jedi and the Sith. Exceptionally gifted in the Force, Cade now reluctantly finds himself at the center of galactic events, forced to embrace his Skywalker heritage. Whether that heritage will lead to redemption or doom is as yet unknown.

Jariah Syn


The cynical and pragmatic copilot of the Mynock, Syn figures a dead fugitive is easier than a live one, provided that the bounty pays the same for either state. An expert in weaponry, Syn has a penchant for outlawed arms, such as Yuuzhan Vong thud-bugs. He holds a longstanding hatred of the Jedi, which has caused tension between he and his captain on more than one occasion. Despite this tension, Syn has remained a loyal member of the Mynock's crew.

Deliah Blue


The chief mechanic of the Mynock, Deliah Blue keeps the ship running despite a lack of funding and available parts. Once a party girl typical of her Zeltron species, she now stays as close to her captain as she possibly can. As Cade's romantic interest, she sees something in him that's broken, and to Blue, you can't fix what you can't reach. Like Jariah Syn, she remains a trusting member of the crew of the Mynock.

Roan Fel


The third Emperor of the Fel Dynasty to sit upon the Imperial throne, Roan Fel was ousted from power by Darth Krayt in 130 ABY, following the conclusion of the Sith-Imperial War. The coming of the Sith upset his plans of keeping the Empire on the course his grandfather set for it. Over the past seven years, Fel has, thanks largely to his political acumen and strategic thinking, maintained a persistent campaign against the Sith, even reclaiming the planet of Bastion. Fel is a fully trained Imperial Knight.

Marasiah Fel


The only child of Emperor Roan Fel and the heir to the Imperial Throne, Marasiah (known to those closest to her as Sia) has proven her qualifications for the position as Fel's successor under fire to skeptical Moffs. Sia was pursued by Darth Krayt's Sith Hands in 137 ABY before being rescued by the combined forces of the Jedi, the Imperial Knights, and the crew of the Mynock. Following that incident, she completed her training as an Imperial Knight, and joined their crimson-armored ranks.

Imperial Knights


The Imperial Knights are fully trained Force users, with all of the skills and abilities of a Jedi. Their allegiance is not to the Force, however, but to the service of the Empire, personified by its leader, Roan Fel. Every Knight uses a lightsaber of the same design, to symbolize their unity and their belief that each individual is less than the Empire they serve. Though they do not draw on the Dark side of the Force, they do not strictly follow the Light side either, and are as such viewed as "gray" by the Jedi. The Knights were kept out of the Sith-Imperial War by Emperor Fel.

Wolf Sazen


A former apprentice to Kol Skywalker, and later, master to Cade, Wolf Sazen was present at the Fall of Ossus, where he lost his right hand, and was brought to the edge of death before being revived by Cade's healing abilities. Sazen is contemplative and serious, and believes that the return of a Skywalker to the head of the Jedi Order could unite them against the Sith. As such, he hopes to convince Cade to assume his Skywalker legacy. Sazen is a follower of the Living Force.

Shado Vao


A boyhood friend of Cade Skywalker and a former apprentice to Kol, Shado Vao escaped from the Fall of Ossus, and subsequently had saw his Jedi training completed by Wolf Sazen. Reunited with Sazen in 137 ABY, Vao joined in his former master's quest to locate Cade. As a child, Vao was taken into the Imperial Mission with his twin sister, Astraal, before being recruited by the Jedi. Vao wields a double-bladed blue lightsaber, and has yet to find his equal with the weapon.

Darth Krayt


Once a Jedi named A'Sharad Hett who fought in the Clone Wars, Hett became embittered about the fate of the galaxy, and uncovered the Sith holocron of the ancient XoXaan on the planet Korriban. After being captured and tortured by the Yuuzhan Vong, Hett emerged as Darth Krayt, and spent nearly a century secretly building a new Sith Order. Krayt secretly engineered the Sith-Imperial War, and after helping the Imperials to win, took the throne for himself and began his rule of the galaxy. Infected by a Yuuzhan Vong malady that is slowly taking over his body, Krayt seeks Cade Skywalker's healing powers to rid him of his illness.

Darth Talon


A Sith Hand of Darth Krayt, Darth Talon exists only to serve his will. Her first assignment was to find and execute Roan Fel, which led her to his daughter, Marasiah, and consequently Cade Skywalker. She has dueled Cade several times since, and briefly instructed him in the ways of the Sith. Cold and dispassionate, her tattoos were earned in ritualistic combat and were inscribed by Darth Krayt himself.

Darth Nihl


The other hand of Darth Krayt, Darth Nihl was a Nagai warlord on his home planet before joining the ranks of the Sith. He is the top enforcer of Krayt's will, but shows some resentment towards his master on account of his inferior treatment, owing to his not having been born a Sith. Nihl wields a lightsaber staff, and killed Kol Skywalker with Force lightning during the Massacre of Ossus.

Gar Stazi


Following the fall of the Galactic Alliance at the Battle of Caamas, the wiley and determined Admiral Gar Stazi has led the remnants of the Alliance Fleet in a campaign of harassment against the Sith Empire, becoming more of a threat with each passing year. His most recent campaign was the capture of the Imperial Star Destroyer the Imperious, which led to Darth Krayt's attempted genocide of the Mon Calamari. As a result, Stazi opened up talks with Emperor Roan Fel, despite being distrustful of the man.

Morlish Veed


Tactical and ambitious, Moff Morlish Veed sought the Imperial Throne while he served as Grand Admiral over Roan Fel's Imperial fleets. Veed aided the Sith in their victory over the Galactic Alliance in the Sith-Imperial War, and believed that he would assume the throne. Betrayed by Darth Krayt, Veed now finds himself a High Moff who is subservient to the Sith. However, his ambitions have certainly not ceased.

Nyna Calixte


Director of Imperial Intelligence and the lover of Morlish Veed, Calixte is every bit as cunning and ambitious as her partner. The Sith originally approached the Empire through her. Calixte leads a double life as Imperial Intelligence agent Morrigan Corde, who is often hired by Veed, who himself has no idea that the two women are one and the same. As Corde, Calixte was the lover of Kol Skywalker, and became the mother of Cade.

Rav


A former pirate and mentor to Cade Skywalker, Rav now runs a bounty-clearing house on Socorro. Providing services and materials to bounty hunters, Rav keeps many in his debt --- he firmly believes that one's only true loyalty is to themselves, and has sold his loyalty to Cade to the Sith, swearing to provide Darth Maladi any information on his former apprentice.

Kol Skywalker


A descendant of Luke Skywalker, Kol was an honor-driven leader of the Jedi Council, who hoped to bring the Yuuzhan Vong back into the galaxy's trust. His efforts, however, were sabotaged by the Sith, an act which led to the outbreak of the Sith-Imperial War. Kol was killed during the Massacre at Ossus while allowing a large number of Jedi to escape, including his son Cade. Kol did not appear as a Force ghost until seven years after his death, revealing to his son that Cade's own anger had kept him away.

Continuity
Set in 137 ABY, Legacy is the latest entry in the Star Wars timeline, and has featured numerous references to earlier Expanded Universe works.

References to Dark Horse's Republic comics
Both Ostrander and Duursema were heavily involved with Republic, and several characters and other elements from that series have reappeared in Legacy.


 * A'Sharad Hett: Hett was a Jedi who was active in the Clone Wars, and was featured in many issues of Republic. He was a confirmed survivor of Order 66, and in Legacy, was revealed to be the man behind the mask of Darth Krayt. The story of how Hett fell to the dark side and assumed the mantle of the Sith Lord was told in the Legacy arc Claws of the Dragon.


 * K'Kruhk: An Old Republic era Jedi who, like Hett, was featured in many issues of Republic, K'Kruhk was also a confirmed survivor of Order 66. He met Cade Skywalker on Ossus, revealing to the reader that he had reemerged from hiding some time prior to the Sith-Imperial War to join the New Jedi Order.


 * Chak: A member of the long-lived Wookiee species, Chak made a brief appearance in the final story arc of Republic, The Hidden Enemy. He was revealed to be a bounty hunter and the partner of Kee in Issue 0. It is possible that his ship, the Grinning Liar, is named after his former partner, Vilmarh Grahrk, who also appeared in the pages of Republic.


 * Darth Andeddu: A holocron of the ancient Sith Lord first appeared in Star Wars Republic 63: Striking From the Shadows, and later appeared to Darth Krayt in Issue #4 of Broken.


 * The Wheel: Originally a creation of Archie Goodwin in the pages of Marvel Star Wars, The Wheel was reused by Ostrander and Duursema in Issue #49 of Republic. It was most recently seen in the Trust Issues arc of Legacy.


 * T'ra Saa: The Neti Jedi Master who routinely appeared in the pages of Republic, like K'Kruhk, survived well into the Legacy Era, and sat on the Jedi High Council in the Hidden Temple.

References to Bantam and Del Rey
Although Legacy was designed to be enjoyed independently of any Star Wars novels, the state of the galaxy in 137 ABY still draws on many elements from the post-Return of the Jedi novels published by Bantam Spectra and Del Rey, which shaped the state of the galaxy following the death of Emperor Palpatine.


 * The Yuuzhan Vong War: Chronicled in the pages of The New Jedi Order (1999 - 2003), the Yuuzhan Vong War wrought devastation on the galaxy from 25 – 29 ABY. In Legacy, the defeated invaders have been used as pawns by Darth Krayt's Sith Order in order to start the Sith-Imperial War, a war that was in part fueled by wide-scale galactic mistrust of the Vong.


 * The Fel Dynasty: Roan Fel, Emperor of the New Galactic Empire, is a confirmed descendant of Baron Soontir Fel. He and his daughter Marasiah both have white forelocks, suggesting that they are possible descendants of Jagged Fel.


 * The Galactic Alliance: Prior to their displacement by Darth Krayt's Sith Empire, the reigning galactic power was the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, which was established in 2002's Destiny's Way.


 * Bastion: The seat of power of Roan Fel's Empire, Bastion was established as the capital of the Imperial Remnant in 19 ABY, in 1997's Specter of the Past.


 * Pellaeon-class Star Destroyer: The massive Imperial ship is named in honor of the former leader of the Imperial Remnant, Gilad Pellaeon.


 * The Jedi Temple: The New Jedi Order is headquartered on Ossus; their temple first appeared in 35 ABY, in 2005's The Joiner King.


 * Mara Jade Skywalker: The wife of Luke Skywalker, Mara appeared as a death stick-induced hallucination to Cade Skywalker on Ossus.


 * Darth Caedus: Darth Krayt referenced Darth Caedus's conquest of the galaxy while revealing his origins to Cade Skywalker. Writer John Ostrander was referencing Legacy of the Force, which was being published simultaneously with Claws of the Dragon in 2007.


 * Vergere: A major character of The New Jedi Order, Vergere appeared in a flashback while Darth Krayt revealed his origins to Cade Skywalker. It was revealed that she tutored Krayt while keeping him in the Embrace of Pain, just as she did to Jacen Solo in 2002's Traitor.


 * Kol Skywalker's red hair: Kol Skywalker is a redhead, a probable nod to his ginger ancestors Mara Jade and Ben Skywalker.


 * The Codru-Ji: First introduced in 1994's The Crystal Star, the Codru-Ji, and their home planet of Munto Codru, play a large role in Legacy's Ready to Die.

References to other media

 * Darth Bane and Darth Nihilus: [[Image:Bane cron.JPG|right|thumb|200px|[[Darth Bane's holocron]].]] The two ancient Sith Lords, both well-established in the Expanded Universe, saw their holocrons accessed by Darth Krayt.


 * Nagai and Zeltrons: Two prominent species from Marvel Star Wars, which were largely unseen in the Expanded Universe for over two decades, are represented by Darth Nihl and Deliah Blue.

Continuity Errors
Issue 0 of Legacy made reference to the Rings of Coruscant, which was possibly intended as a reference to the rings Coruscant received in Traitor, but which disappeared in The Unifying Force.

Darth Bane's holocron was shown to have an Orbalisk Armored Gatekeeper. This, however, contradicts with Darth Bane: Rule of Two's account of Bane having his armor removed prior to succeeding in crafting a holocron. As of yet, this error has no explanation, although it is likely that Bane simply wished to have himself armored in his holocron.

Issues

 * Star Wars Legacy 0
 * Star Wars Legacy 0½
 * Star Wars Legacy 1: Broken, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 2: Broken, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 3: Broken, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 4: Noob
 * Star Wars Legacy 5: Broken, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 6: Broken, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 7: Broken, Part 6
 * Star Wars Legacy 8: Allies
 * Star Wars Legacy 9: Trust Issues, Part 1 [[Image:SW30V12Legacy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Broken was released as a [[Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collection|30th Anniversary Collection]] hardcover.]]
 * Star Wars Legacy 10: Trust Issues, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 11: Ghosts, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 12: Ghosts, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 13: Ready to Die
 * Star Wars Legacy 14: Claws of the Dragon, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 15: Claws of the Dragon, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 16: Claws of the Dragon, Part 3
 * Star Wars Legacy 17: Claws of the Dragon, Part 4
 * Star Wars Legacy 18: Claws of the Dragon, Part 5
 * Star Wars Legacy 19: Claws of the Dragon, Part 6
 * Star Wars Legacy 20: Indomitable, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 21: Indomitable, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 22: The Wrath of the Dragon
 * Star Wars Legacy 23: Loyalties, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 24: Loyalties, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 25: The Hidden Temple, Part 1
 * Star Wars Legacy 26: The Hidden Temple, Part 2
 * Star Wars Legacy 27: Into the Core
 * Star Wars Legacy 28: Vector, Part 9
 * Star Wars Legacy 29: Vector, Part 10
 * Star Wars Legacy 30: Vector, Part 11
 * Star Wars Legacy 31: Vector, Part 12

Story arcs

 * Broken
 * Trust Issues
 * Ghosts
 * Claws of the Dragon
 * Indomitable
 * Vector

Collections

 * Broken
 * Broken hardcover
 * Star Wars: 30th Anniversary Collection Volume 12: Legacy
 * Shards
 * Claws of the Dragon
 * Alliance
 * Vector, Volume 2

Reception
The releases of Issue 0 and Issue 1 were anticipated by many fans, and received largely positive reviews. Some fans were disappointed in the first issues, and were still largely hesitant about the series. Ostrander and Duursema continued to address fans' concerns; Ostrander stated: "I certainly don't expect everyone to love Legacy." He was also quoted as saying:

ComicCritique rated Issue 1 3/5 stars. Adam White, the reviewer, called Ostrander "a heck of a writer", but also said "the overall plot seems to be more of the same old, same old: Empire rises again, Sith rise again, good guys become rebels again." However, he did acknowledge that the first issue had a lot to cover, and said: "I trust this writing team and have faith that they will set the right course for Legacy, but always in motion, the future is." He also praised Duursema's work, saying "Duursema's characters have great physical looks and mastery of movement, yet she keeps them grounded in the gritty realism so essential to the Star Wars Universe."

When the first story arc, Broken, was all said and done, Legacy had quickly become a favourite of many Expanded Universe fans. Broken consistently received positive reviews outside of the Star Wars community as well --- Comicbook Bin gave it a B+, saying:

Stephen Wrighton at No Krakana ranked it a 3/4, while Rob Allwright at Soteria Mag gave it an 8/10. In a contest at the Jedi Council Forums at theforce.net in December 2007, Broken was voted the 7th best Expanded Universe work of all time.

Issues of Legacy routinely sell over 30, 000 copies, making it Dark Horse's second-highest grossing comic, falling only behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Discussion on a new issue of Legacy at the Jedi Council forums will routinely spawn hundreds of posts, while discussion on Dark Horse's Rebellion and Dark Times comics are often considerably smaller. Legacy is considered by many fans to be the current flagship of Star Wars.

Notes and references
Legacy es:Star Wars: Legacy Legacy ru:Звёздные войны: Наследие