Star Wars: Legacy

"It's ROOTED in SW tradition but. . .it's a whole new era."

- John Ostrander

Star Wars: Legacy is a comic book series written by John Ostrander, primarily pencilled and co-scripted by Jan Duursema, and inked by Dan Parsons. Published by Dark Horse Comics, Legacy first issues were released in June 2006 following Dark Horse's revamp of its Star Wars line earlier in the year. Its initial tagline was "All new Sith Order! All new Empire! All new Skywalker!" As of 2009, Legacy is one of the four ongoing Star Wars comic series produced by Dark Horse.

The series is set in the Legacy era, predominantly at 137 ABY. Its chief protagonist is Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke Skywalker who has given up his Jedi heritage to pursue a life as a bounty hunter. Cade's story is set against the backdrop of a galaxy 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 published 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.

The series ran for 50 issues, ending with the release of Star Wars: Legacy 50: Extremes, Part 3 on August 18, 2010, but is continued with the six-part series Legacy—War that started December 2010.

Conception
"To celebrate its own 15th anniversary of publishing Star Wars in comic form, Randy had convinced everyone at DH to cancel the existing books and start afresh with new ones – including Legacy. The franchise does pretty well for DH so, to my mind, that was a gutsy gamble. From the looks of the panel, I’d say the gamble has paid off."

- John Ostrander on the Dark Horse panel at Celebration IV

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:

"There were definitely things that we told both of them to stay clear of because of things the other team was doing. Even with the large gap, there are some things that the comic team needed direction on such as what would the Jedi academy look like? What has happened to Coruscant?"

- Leland Chee

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 novel series, which led to some speculation that the two series would be connected. Though the first outline of a then-nameless Legacy of the Force was delivered five months prior to the first outline of Legacy, Ostrander and Duursema actually came up with the idea of using the word "Legacy" first. 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
"SW is epic and epic things must occur."

- John Ostrander


 * 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.

Setting
"I have broken the spine of the galaxy."

- Darth Krayt

Legacy begins just over one hundred years after the end of the Yuuzhan Vong War. The Jedi Order has allowed the shaper caste of the displaced Vong to terraform a desolate portion of the planet Ossus, hoping to restore the barren world to life and redeem the invaders to the galaxy at large. Known as the Ossus Project, it was championed by Kol Skywalker, one of the leading members of the Jedi Council.

Since the defeat of the Yuuzhan Vong, the Imperial Remnant has built up its resources and forged itself into a more benevolent New Empire, with a more benign Emperor, the third of the Fel Dynasty, on the throne.

The success of the Ossus Project inspired other planets to vie for the opportunity to be terraformed, and the results were briefly a success, before the process began to devastate ecosystems, and cause painful bony growths to spout from the inhabitants’ skin. Still distrustful of the Yuuzhan Vong, the galaxy knew who to blame. The Jedi suspected sabotage, and convinced the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances to side with them. The Moffs of the Empire, however, invoked the Treaty of Anaxes, and declared war on the Galactic Alliance.

Those responsible for the sabotage were in fact a new Sith Order, which had been secretly building up its strength on the planet Korriban for over one hundred years. Two years into what would become known as the Sith-Imperial War, the Sith, and their leader, Darth Krayt, would reveal themselves to the galaxy and join the war on the Empire’s side. After three years of bloody fighting, the Galactic Alliance was forced to surrender. Though they were officially absorbed into the Empire, a remnant fleet broke away, under the leadership of Admiral Gar Stazi. The Jedi Order retreated to Ossus, only to be followed there by the Sith...

Major 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, stemming from when a Jedi killed his father, 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 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.

Antares Draco


Draco is the leader of the Imperial Knights, an organization of fully trained Force users who swear allegiance to the service of the Empire, as personified by its leader, Roan Fel. Draco's formidable skill with a lightsaber matches his ability behind the controls of a fighter, but is perhaps outmatched by the love he feels for Princess Marasiah. Possessed of unwavering loyalty to the cause of the Imperial Knights, Draco would give his life for the Emperor.

Ganner Krieg


Calm and serious, Ganner is a high-ranking member of the Imperial Knights, and the most trusted friend of Antares Draco. A more level-headed foil to the brash actions of Draco, Ganner is always ready to stand behind his friend, having accompanied him on missions to Vendaxa, The Wheel, and The Hidden Temple, among others, though he isn't as blindly loyal to Roan Fel as Draco. Like all Imperial Knights, Ganner carries a standard silver lightsaber, symbolizing the organization's unity as well as the fact that each individual is less than the Empire they serve.

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 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 sought Cade Skywalker's healing powers to rid him of his illness, until he was mortally wounded by Darth Wyyrlok III.

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.

Darth Wyyrlok


Darth Wyyrlok is the chief lieutenant and most trusted servant of Darth Krayt, and the third in his family's dynasty to bear that name and position. A master of Sith lore and of the ways of the dark side, Wyyrlok constantly searches for cures to his master's malady, having even journeyed to the galaxy's Deep Core to confront the spirit of Darth Andeddu.

Darth Maladi


Darth Maladi is the head of Sith Intelligence and Assassination, and an expert in the methods of assassination and torture. She has tortured Cade Skywalker and the Jedi Hosk Trey'lis, and was chiefly responsible for sabotaging the Ossus Project. Having been trained by Darth Krayt himself, she is also adept with a lightsaber, and is an expert in Sith Alchemy. She now leads a dissident faction that opposes Darth Wyyrlok's regency over both the Order and the Empire.

Vul Isen


Vul Isen is a member of the One Sith but he was trained as a scientist, not as a warrior. Darth Krayt sent him to Dac to assist fellow Sith Darth Azard in the extermination of the Mon Calamari. Using his knowledge and his training in genocide, Isen first created the Sea Leviathan and later poisoned the oceans of Dac, killing 83% of Dac's population. This earned him the title Butcher of Dac. He was later killed by Cade Skywalker.

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.

Bantha Rawk


Born Nat Skywalker, Rawk is a descendent of Luke Skywalker and the older brother of Kol Skywalker. He left the Jedi Order before the purge but continues to offer advice and assistance to his nephew Cade and his crew.

Gunn Yage


The daughter of Moffs Nyna Calixte and Rulf Yage and Cade Skywalker's half-sister, Gunn is an accomplished pilot in the Imperial Navy and a part of the famed Skull Squadron. She took part in the battle that resulted in her brother escaping the sith temple, and later was recruited by her mother to work for Imperial Intelligence on Tattoine with a mission to capture Cade aided by her mother's alter-ego Morrigan Corde. Cade escaped and Gunn learned the truth about Cade and Corde (they are her brother and mother) but refused to believe it. She later returned to Skull Squadron.

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. He was vanquished by Darth Wyyrlok in Legacy 27: Into the Core.


 * Quinlan Vos: He was mentioned by Darth Krayt.


 * 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. This was confirmed in Issue 33, which confirmed that Jagged Fel was Roan Fel's grandfather.


 * The Galactic Alliance: Prior to their displacement by Darth Krayt's Galactic 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 Ready to Die.

Fans have often expressed their desire to see Jedi from Luke Skywalker's order appear in Legacy, such as Lowbacca, a member of the long-lived Wookiee species. John Ostrander has replied to these claims, stating that using a character from that era would compromise what the authors of Del Rey's novels could do with them. However, he also stated that if the creative teams doing the novels had no more interest in a particular character, he would be up for using them.

References to other media

 * Darth Bane and Darth Nihilus: Battle of Devil's Crevasse.jpg, attacking Mon Calamari.]]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.


 * Aquatic assault stormtroopers and AT-AT Swimmers: These types of soldiers and vehicles from Marvel Star Wars and RPG materials respectively, which were a rare appearance in the Expanded Universe for over two decades, see action under the service of Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire. Seatroopers from Alpha Squadron were encountered by Imperial Knight Treis Sinde during the Mon Calamari Genocide. Sith scientist Vul Isen and Darth Azard used an AT-AT Swimmer in coordination with the sithspawn Sea Leviathan during the Battle of Devil's Crevasse.
 * Leviathans: These serpentine Sithspawn made their first debut in Jedi Academy: Leviathan which is set during the New Republic era. Later Expanded Universe sources including The New Essential Chronology placed the roots of their origins as the creations of Dark Jedi dissidents during the Hundred-Year Darkness. Sith scientist Vul Isen created a specially-adapted marine version of the Leviathan which preyed specifically on Mon Calamari and also absorbed their sentience.

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 after The Unifying Force.

Darth Bane's holocron was shown to have an Orbalisk Armored Gatekeeper. This, however, contradicts with Darth Bane: Rule of Two account of Bane having his armor removed prior to succeeding in crafting a holocron. It is later explained in Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil that Bane chose to represent himself in his Orbalisk armor, in an effort to inspire fear and to conceal a majority of his true face.

Legacy of the Force
Darth Krayt’s Sith Empire appears in the nine-book series Legacy of the Force, which began its publishing run just one month before Legacy. In Tempest, released in November 2006, Lumiya hints to Alema Rar that there may be other Sith in the galaxy. Later, in Inferno, released in August 2007, Alema discovers these Sith on Korriban, who identify themselves to her as the One Sith, a name that would not be used in Legacy until Issue 27, released one year later. The Sith tell Alema that they have had contact with both Lumiya and Vergere, and give her a holocron made by Darth Vectivus to give to Jacen Solo.

In Fury, released in November 2007, the One Sith make their final appearance within Legacy of the Force, sending the Sith Dician to destroy Lumiya’s Asteroid Base. Though Dician’s ship, the Poison Moon, has contact with the Millennium Falcon, Dician’s identity is not discovered, and the One Sith remain a background threat. Alema Rar meets her fate in Fury, preventing the possibility of knowledge of the One Sith’s existence from spreading.

John Ostrander has stated that it was the choice of the Legacy of the Force planning team to include the One Sith.

Crosscurrent
The One Sith makes a brief appearance in Crosscurrent, released in January 2010, when the Anzat assassin Kell Douro travels to Korriban and is instructed by Darth Wyyrlok I to go and keep tabs on Phaegon III's largest moon. When Douro requests to speak with Darth Krayt directly, Wyyrlok informs him that Krayt is in stasis.

Vector
Legacy is a part of Vector, the twelve-part crossover story arc which involves all four of Dark Horse’s current Star Wars comics. As the latest comic series in the chronology, Legacy was allotted the final four of the twelve issues. Within these issues, Celeste Morne, the protagonist of Vector, is discovered by Cade Skywalker, and joins him on his quest to assassinate Darth Krayt.

Reception
"There is everything you would expect in a good space opera."

- "Geekdad" on wired.com

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:

"Criticizing what Jan and I DO is valid. Speculating on what we're GOING to do and then criticizing us on that basis, in my opinion, is not. Legacy may not be how you see the SW Universe or what you want to see from it and that's perfectly fair. But Jan and I love SW, too. And we have a lot of experience at what we do. We've put a HUGE amount of time and labor into developing Legacy. To suggest otherwise, IMO, is NOT fair."

- John Ostrander

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: "Scripter John Ostrander and pencil artist Jan Duursema, (who both share story writing duty), not only didn't disappoint, they left me clamoring for more. Their's [sic] is a funky, down and dirty Star Wars that actually reminds me of the original Star Wars film trilogy, where much of the infrastructure and technology is old and rundown. Ostrander's writing has a mood similar to some of the Star Wars comics that Marvel Comics published between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Densely written and focusing on political history and intrigue, Legacy also feels like a novel.  Duursema's art is a close cousin to Al Williamson's Star Wars comics.  Combined with Dan Parsons' inks and Brad Anderson's colors, Duursema has the look of dark, adult-oriented sci-fi animation (Heavy Metal or HBO's "Spawn" series).  Together Ostrander and Duursema have created a dark vision of Star Wars' future history, but one with hope and the anticipation of lots of good storytelling."

- Reviewer Leroy Douresseaux

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.

The second volume of Legacy, Shards, was similarly well-received by both casual and hardcore fans. Things From Another World staff member Josh wrote: "I don't usually give 5 stars, but this book deserves it. Shards is the second volume in what I think is the best Star Wars Comic ever." He also praised the book for its non-stop action and several distinct story lines, positing that the inclusion of Noob was a treat. Some reviewers on amazon.com, however, felt that Shards was more of a setup for the next arc, finding the variation of the stories slightly disjointed.

Blake Matthews of Blog Critics Magazine wrote that the third volume, Claws of the Dragon "had some big payoffs and advanced the plot of the series further." Reviews on amazon.com have been similarly positive.

While reviewing Issue 23 at geeksofdoom.com, reviewer Graceland Geek posited that Legacy gave an entirely new look to the expanded universe, and that it had an ability to control its characters better than other Star Wars comics. He believed that Legacy was "one of the most successful efforts to bring George Lucas’ creation to the world of comics", and that Star Wars fans who weren't giving it a chance were cheating themselves out of a "young but captivating series". However, he criticized the series for including what he called drawn-out and boring issues that didn't seem to accomplish anything, and stated that he would stop reading the series if it continued to fluctuate in tone and depth.

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. It should be noted, however, that Dark Horse's newest series in 2009, Star Wars: Invasion, which spans the Yuuzhan Vong War, may draw some competition to this.

Miniatures
The Legacy of the Force set of Star Wars Miniatures, released in early 2008, features miniatures of Darth Krayt, Darth Nihl, Darth Talon, Antares Draco, Roan Fel, Ganner Krieg, Sigel Dare, Marasiah Fel, Morlish Veed, Nyna Calixte, Shado Vao, Wolf Sazen, Cade Skywalker, Deliah Blue, and Jariah Syn.

The miniatures set was advertised through a one-page comic ad produced by Wizards of the Coast and drawn by Jan Duursema, which appeared on the back covers of Star Wars Insider issues 100, 102 and 103 , and also in a number of Dark Horse comics ; parts of the ad were also used to feature in ad banners on StarWars.com. The ad was based on the style of the old super-hero fruit pie adverts, and features characters from Legacy interacting with classic Star Wars characters such as Han Solo and Boba Fett, much to the confusion of Cade Skywalker.

Action Figures
Also in 2008, Hasbro, as part of its Legacy Collection comic packs, released three comic packs featuring characters from Legacy in 3 3/4 inch action figures. Cade Skywalker and Darth Talon appeared in a two-pack along with Issue 2 of Broken, while Imperial Knights Ganner Krieg and Antares Draco appeared in a two-pack along with Issue 5 of Broken, and Darth Krayt and Imperial Knight Sigel Dare appeared in a two-pack along with The Wrath of the Dragon.

An Entertainment Earth exclusive Joker Squad set was made available in April 2009, including the Sith Darth Maleval.

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