For a few decades, there was a real effort to make sure all those ancillary stories agreed with one another, but couple of years ago, the Lucasfilm Story Group essentially wiped from continuity any non-film, non-TV media up to that point (it’s all largely still in print under the “Legends” banner). The intent was to provide a clean slate for the new series of films that were then starting production. For a little while, that meant it was less intimidating to jump into the wider Star Wars universe… but the number of works has grown once again.

Dooku: Jedi Lost, by Cavan Scott
Just about as far back as we can go with current canon media, this one dives into the backstory of Christopher Lee’s notorious Darth Tyranus, the Sith formerly known as Dooku, following him from childhood to roughly a decade before Phantom Menace (with a framing story set during the Clone Wars). Born a child of privilege, Dooku was, for a time, a promising member of the Jedi order–until family attachments drew him toward the dark side.

Thrawn: The Ascendancy Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
Though we know very little about this one at the moment, Zahn’s follow-up to his other Thrawn books will go back to trace the character’s origins and rise among the Chiss Ascendency in the Unknown Regions. It will take place in an unexplored region of the galaxy at some point during the years leading up to Episode I.

Master & Apprentice, by Claudia Gray
Claudia Gray (who also penned the New Republic-era Bloodline and Lost Stars) gives us our fullest picture yet of the relationship between Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jin and his hot-headed young apprentice Obi-Wan in this adventure set before the events of The Phantom Menace. Glimpsed through Obi-Wan’s eyes, Qui-Gon is a beguiling figure—a powerful Jedi who nevertheless seems to shun some of the order’s most sacred tenants in his obsessive investigations into ancient prophecy. When his master doesn’t tell him of an invitation to join the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan fears he has failed in his duties as an apprentice, and his inner turmoil only adds to the chaos when the duo travels to the royal court of Pijal to intervene in a local dispute and becomes tangled in a web of lies, even as Qui-Gon is haunted by visions of violence.

Star Wars: Age of Republic, by Jody Houser, Ethan Sacks, Cory Smith, and Luke Ross
Being an anthology of stories set throughout the period, this one’s a little tricky to place–so we’ll stick it here. The earliest story, about a crisis of faith plaguing Jedi Master Qui-Gonn Jinn, happens here, a few short years prior to Episode I. The Darth Maul story, likewise, has him gearing up for the events of that movie. The Obi-Wan Kenobi, Count Dooku, and Jango Fett stories take place in between the first two films, while the Anakin Skywalker, General Grievous, and Padmé Amidala stories occur during the Clone Wars.

Star Wars Vol. 5: Yoda’s Secret War, by Jason Aaron, Salvador Larroca, Kelly Thompson, and Emilio Laiso
Though presented as a flashback, this 2017 story is the first one to take us back to a time prior to Episode I, even if just. Yoda is called to a planet of child warriors in the middle of a tribal conflict. Yoda aligns himself with an exile named Garro, who has knowledge of power stones that even the Master can learn from. The story continues into the present-day of the Marvel series when Luke sets out to investigate Yoda’s story.

Darth Maul, by Cullen Bunn, Luke Ross, and Nolan Woodard
Likewise, the Darth Maul miniseries takes place shortly before The Phantom Menace. The willful Sith apprentice has been commanded to avoid the Jedi at all cost, but just can’t help himself when he learns that a Padawan named Eldra Kaitis, who’d been captured and held prisoner by a gangster, is going up for auction. For a character who was chopped in half in his first appearance, there’s been an impressive, and oddly poignant arc for Maul that runs through comics and the two SW cartoon series. This would be his first in-universe appearance.

Obi-Wan and Anakin, by Charles Soule and Marco Checchetto
Set just a couple of years after Phantom, this is one of the few stories set in-between Episodes I & II. At the conclusion of the that prequel, you’ll recall that the Jedi council reluctantly gave Master Kenobi permission to take on young Anakin Skywalker as a Padawan learner. This is the story of one of their earliest adventures together, a mission to the war-torn world of Carnelion IV that plants seeds of dissension between them destined to grow over the coming years.

Star Wars: Queen’s Shadow, by E. K. Johnston
Padmé Amidala is at the top of our list of prequel characters who deserve further exploration, and we’re seeing more of her as the current canon begins to explore the prequel era in more detail. Johnston’s book follows the one-time queen in transition, as she gives up her royal duties in favor of a role in the Galactic Senate. By her side are her loyal handmaidens, who, we learn, have lives and dreams of their own.

Ten years after Episode I, we come to Attack of the Clones. The second prequel finds Jedi Master Count Dooku initiating a civil war and leading a separatist movement that threatens to destroy the Republic. Of course, it’s all part of a plot by then-Senator Sheev Palpatine to consolidate power via the manufacture of an external threat. Jedi of the Republic—Mace Windu takes place in the early days of the conflict, as Master Windu comes to accept that the Jedi are no longer just peacekeepers, but military leaders in the galaxy-wide conflict. The ensuing Clone Wars last for about three years, as detailed in an animated feature and six seasons of television. (Even for those of us who didn’t think we could handle one more moment of battledroids and sulky Jedi, the show’s pretty good.)

Dark Disciple, by Christie Golden
The Clone Wars ended a hair prematurely in the wake of Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm. There were a couple of planned storylines that never made it to the air, including this one and a graphic novel (now out of print) that follows Darth Maul after the series. Disciple brings some closure to the story of Jedi double-agent Quinlan Vos and his lover, conflicted Sith Asajj Ventress. Probably best if you’ve seen the show, but the book’s a bit more mature in tone and generally works on its own.

Darth Maul—Son of Dathomir, by Jeremy Barlow and Juan Frigeri
Son of Dathomir is set shortly after the conclusion of The Clone Wars TV series. The story was originally conceived for a planned-but-never-produced seventh season of the show and, as such, creates a direct link between that show and Rebels, where Maul’s quest reaches its climax. It’s also not, strictly speaking, new this year, but it has been out of print and much in demand for some time. In the book, Maul gathers allies in the form of the criminal Shadow Collective in order to exact revenge on his former master Darth Sidious (soon to be Emperor Palpatine). He captures Count Dooku and General Grievous in an attempt to lure Sidious to Dathomir and into the clutches of the powerful dark witches of that world.

Kanan, Vol. 2: First Blood, by Greg Weisman and Pepe Larraz
The two volumes of the Kanan series are a little tricky to place chronologically. Each story arc is told via flashback from the “present” of the Star Wars: Rebels TV series, which takes place in between the prequel series and A New Hope. Among that show’s cast is Kanan Jarrus, a former Jedi Padawan who spent years in hiding prior to helping form what would become the Alliance to Restore the Republic (phew!). Following his story chronologically brings us here, to just before Revenge of the Sith: Young Caleb Dume (Kanan’s real name) proves himself worthy to become a Padawan to troubled Master Depa Billaba, just in time for a confrontation with her archnemesis, the cyborg General Grievous.

Kanan: The Last Padawan Vol. 1, by Greg Weisman and Pepe Larraz
Again, tricky placement, but the main story goes here: following the second volume, and right in the midst of Revenge of the Sith. We’re now 13 years past The Phantom Menace, with 19 years to go before Luke, Han, and Leia meet on the Death Star. This is the story of Caleb Dume/Kanan Jarrus’ final days as a Padawan, as he narrowly manages to escape the slaughter of the Jedi order at the hands of Palpatine’s clone army. It’s also the beginning of his years in the wilderness, which are expanded upon later.

Star Wars: Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith Vol. 1: Imperial Machine, by Charles Soule, Giuseppi Camuncoli, Jim Cheung, and Cam Smith
This is actually Marvel’s second series focused on the Dark Lord (though the first chronologically), but with a different focus and a different team. This book is set immediately after the events of Revenge of the Sith–actually just seconds following Anakin Skywalker’s rebirth as James Earl Jones. That was only the first step in Vader’s initiation, however. The Emperor sends him on a mission: hunt down one of the very, very few remaining Jedi, kill them, and return with their corrupted lightsaber as your own. The Jedi Master he encounters is no pushover, to put it mildly. The complete series is made up of four paperback volumes, or two hardcover collections.

Ahsoka, by E. K. Johnston and Jason P Wojtowicz
Ahsoka left the Jedi Order toward the end of The Clone Wars, and reappears as the mysterious agent Fulcrum on Rebels. Beginning shortly after Revenge of the Sith, this book tells Ahsoka’s story in more detail, as she tries to find her place in the galaxy apart from the Jedi. Following Order 66, she comes into contact with Bail Organa and becomes a founding member of the Alliance. Another one that’s best for fans of Clone Wars, but the young adult-oriented novel also works perfectly well as an introduction the best Star Wars character you might not have heard of.

Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel, by James Luceno
This prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Catalyst details the events that led to the construction of the first Death Star. It’s the story of Galen and Lyra Erso, who, along with their newborn daughter, Jyn, find themselves caught up in the manipulations of an old friend and now-agent of the Emperor who needs Galen’s genius to help design what will ultimately become the Big Freaking Gun that blows up Alderaan. A New Hope takes the Death Star for granted, but this one provides a sense of the years of difficulty that went into its building. The book covers several years, from the end of the Clone Wars onward, so placement is tricky. If it sounds like your thing, just plan to read it before or shortly after seeing Rogue One.

Lords of the Sith, by Paul S. Kemp/Tarkin, by James Luceno/Thrawn, by Timothy Zahn
Three books, four major villains of the Star Wars universe if your tastes run to the Dark Side. Lords of the Sith is a bit like a buddy road movie, except that the buddies are evil Emperor Palpatine and his equally nasty sidekick, Darth Vader. The two find themselves ambushed over the surface of Ryloth (a planet important to the Clone Wars as well as Rebels cartoons), where they wind up alone and facing an entire army of resistance fighters (one of them, Cham Syndulla, is the father of Hera from Rebels). Tarkin details the history and rise to power of Peter Cushing’s character from A New Hope, Wilhuff Tarkin (yes, Wilhuff). It also dovetails with the events of Catalyst, a book that also features the Grand Moff.  Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn (re)introduces the titular Grand Admiral, a main bad guy of many of the no-longer-canon Legends books. He’s back, this time as an adversary to the Rebels, and his background is set to be detailed in a new book by the character’s original creator.

The middle years of this period are chronicled in a couple of works that each span several years. Rebel Rising serves as a prequel to Rogue One, telling the story of young Jyn Erso in the care of Saw Gerrera in the years following the death of her mother and the capture of her father. Thrawn (or its graphic novel adaptation) is, similarly, a coming of age story, but of a very different kind. A key figure in the Legends canon, the blue-skinned Grand Admiral was revived for the Rebels animated series. His creator then went back to pen his origin story: exiled from his people, the brilliant and charming tactician rapidly rises through the Imperial ranks. Find more on the fabulousness of Thrawn here. The book spawned two sequels, as well as a forthcoming prequel trilogy.

Most Wanted, by Rae Carson
Now we’re into Solo: A Star Wars Story territory, beginning about 13 years before the events of A New Hope. Carson’s novel goes back to the streets of Corellia to reveal how Han and Han and Qi’ra go from being competitors for spots in Lady Proxima’s organization to something like friends–helping to further establish a relationship that’s incredibly important to the film. This all takes place shortly before the movie.

Han Solo—Imperial Cadet, by Robbie Thompson, Daniele Orlandini, Arif Prianto, and Leonard Kirk and Lando—Double or Nothing, by Rodney Barnes, Paolo Villanelli, and Andres Mossa
The Solo movie gives pretty short shrift to Han’s time in the Imperial Academy, with most of it taking place between scenes. And we don’t get NEARLY enough of Donald Glover’s Lando. As is so often the case, it’s up to spin-off media to fill in the blanks. Unsurprisingly, Han isn’t particularly well suited to life under Academy rules, but he does manage to squeeze in a few adventures and near-misses along the way. A side story in the Han Solo book gives a bit of background into the ill-fated thief Tobias Beckett, and we even learn why Han’s dice are so legendary. Meanwhile, in and around the early to a events of the movie, Lando and L3 smuggle weapons to a people enslaved by the Empire.

A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller
Not to be confused with A New Hope, this 2014 novel was actually the first official release for which the new Lucasfilm Story Group provided input, making it the first bit of new canon. Six years before Rebels, Kanan Jarrus (formerly Jedi Padawan Caleb Dume) is wandering the galaxy, avoiding the burgeoning Empire and anything to do with the Force. An encounter with Twi’lek pilot and resistance fighter Hera Syndulla inspires him to put aside his life on the run and intercede in a conflict between the Empire and revolutionaries on the planet Gorse. By the time of the Rebels show, Hera is already leading Kanan and company as part of a well-oiled resistance cell, but this is how it starts.

Leia, Princess of Alderaan, by Claudia Gray
Surprisingly, Leia’s rise to prominence was little chronicled in the old Legends canon, so we get to experience it for the first time. The Princess’s 16th birthday signals the beginning of a traditional series of rites and challenges in which she must prove herself worthy to claim the throne of Alderaan one day. In the meantime, her parents are becoming more and more involved in the coming Rebellion. Good luck to them in trying to keep Leia safe and uninvolved. The book introduces Leia’s flighty but principled friend Amilyn Holdo, played by Laura Dern in The Last Jedi, as well as the red-mineral planet Crait. There’s also a visit to what would be the Wobani Imperial Labor Camp by the time of Rogue One. Our full review here.

From a Certain Point of View, by Renée Ahdieh, Meg Cabot, John Jackson Miller, Nnedi Okorafor, Sabaa Tahir
This 40th anniversary book has a very specific place in the timeline, even if it’s unclear how much anyone reading it should be worried about canon. The first story astutely fills in the very small gap between Rogue One and A New Hope, but most of the funny, weird, charming, and idiosyncratic stories are better enjoyed without worrying too much about squeezing them into the larger picture. Still, all of the stories take place during the events of the original Star Wars movie, setting it firmly during Star Wars’ Year Zero. More on the awesome weirdness of the book here.

Age of Rebellion, by Greg Pak, Simon Spurrier, Marc Guggenheim, Jon Adams, Marc Laming
As with the other Age of… graphic novel anthologies, this one includes stories that take place in and around a particular place in SW history, so it’s hard to pick a perfect spot for it. The Darth Vader story takes place earlier, but the Grand Off Tarkin story happens in and around the time of the first movie. Most of the rest of the collection rests in the three years between A New Hope and Empire.

Battlefront II: Inferno Squad, by Christie Golden
A surprisingly good tie-in to the game, this novel introduces TIE fighter pilot Iden Verso during the Battle of Yavin, who is quickly assigned to the Empire’s new Inferno Squad, a team dedicated to wiping out data leaks in the wake of the destruction of the Death Star. It’s as much of a sequel to Rogue One as we’re likely to get, given that the squad’s mission brings them into the orbit of what’s left of Saw Gerrera’s partisans. Our full review here.

Heir to the Jedi, by Kevin Hearne
It’s tough to think about the classic series without Luke Skywalker. In Heir to the Jedi, Luke is tasked by the Alliance with the rescue of a cryptographer whose code-breaking skills are essential to the rebel cause. This is Luke on his own in the days following A New Hope, when he’s still untested and unskilled, and a bit cocky about being the hero of the Rebellion. It’s a new adventure, but it’s also told entirely from Luke’s point of view, providing the young Jedi’s perspective on all of the events that have lead to key moments in galactic history.

Marvel Star Wars
Marvel has a near-monopoly on the action set during the three years in between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. The ongoing series has the whole gang in a series of adventures against the Empire, shortly after the destruction of the Death Star. The Princess Leia miniseries follows the future General as she breaks away from her commitments to the Rebellion in order to gather and unify the survivors of the destruction of Alderaan (having been off-world at the time). Chewbacca finds Chewie protecting a young girl on an Imperial-occupied planet. Another miniseries, Lando finds the charming rogue on a salvage mission gone terribly awry (the ship he’s salvaging happens to belong to the Emperor).

Battlefront: Twilight Company, by Alexander Freed
A video game tie-in, this novel takes a surprisingly dark look at the Star Wars universe right around the time of The Empire Strikes Back. It’s about the 61st Mobile Infantry of the Rebel Alliance, a dogged team with a knack for survival. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be one of the front-line soldiers in the war against the Empire, for whom epic struggles between Sith and Jedi are impossibly distant, this book provides that grunt’s-eye view.

Target Vader, by Robbie Thompson and Marc Laming and TIE Fighter, by Jody Houser and Roge Antonio
Future Marvel comics are set to reveal more about what the rebels were doing during the short gap between Empire and Jedi, but for now we’ll happily settle for these stories of the villains. In Target Vader, the Sith Lord is on the hunt for a mysterious criminal syndicate at the same time that he’s being pursued by some of the galaxy’s deadliest bounty hunters. And in TIE Fighter, we’re introduced to the untested pilots of Shadow Wing, charged with protecting Imperial interests and bringing the hammer down on traitors. This book serves as a companion to the Alphabet Squadron trilogy, which we’ll get to in a bit.

Journey to The Force Awakens: Lost Stars, by Claudia Gray and Phil Noto
Claudia Gray’s young-adult novel covers a large swath of time, from just before the original movie, through the entire classic series, to the aftermath of Return of the Jedi. It’s the Star Wars saga seen through the eyes of two friends, Ciena Ree and Thane Kyrell, who wind up on different sides of the Galactic Civil War. It’s a love story that spans the major events of SW history, but also covers ground that was only hinted at in The Force Awakens: it’s our first glimpse of the planet Jakku, and the major battle there that (just about) finished off the Empire and left a crashed Star Destroyer ripe for the picking by desert scavengers. Lost Stars has also been adapted as a beautifully illustrated three-volume manga, if you’re so inclined.

Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire, by Greg Rucka and Marco Chechetto
This Marvel graphic novel spans the first four years immediately following Return of the Jedi and tells several stories involving the main heroes of the classic movies mopping up the remnants of the Empire, with mixed results. Though our heroes are largely separated, the connective thread is in the story of Lieutenant Shara Bey and her husband, Sergeant Kes Dameron, long-time members of the rebellion who are preparing to raise a family once things settle down, if they ever do. You might be able to guess what they ultimately name their son.

Alphabet Squadron Trilogy, by Alexander Freed
Five diverse pilots flying five different ships–they make up the Alphabet Squadron, an appropriately ragtag group of former rebels making the transition to a new state of affairs in the galaxy. It’s an all-new team with important connections to SW lore: they’re lead by General Hera Syndulla, formerly of the Rebels TV show; and they’re tasked with hunting down the members of the Shadow Wing we met in the Marvel TIE Fighter miniseries.

Aftermath Trilogy, by Chuck Wendig
This trilogy introduces a new team of heroes and scoundrels, led by pilot Norra Wexley, who reluctantly come together to pursue what’s left of the Imperial leadership during a perilous time (we’re about five years out from Jedi). What’s left of the Empire is holding onto control of several star systems, and growing more desperate with each defeat. The series also introduces a new adversary: Admiral Rae Sloane, a rare Imperial who is brilliant and committed without being a complete sociopath. She’s popped up or been mentioned in other works, and seems to be shaping up to be the main villain of this period. Though the trilogy is about new characters, they have plenty of interaction with the old gang, particularly in book two, Life Debt, when Leia asks Wexley and company to help hunt down the missing Han Solo. Book three, Empire’s End, sees a big win for the New Republic, but also makes clear that Sloane’s “first order” (GET IT?) will ultimately fill a whole new sack of troubles for the heroes. More on that book’s revelations here.

Last Shot, Daniel José Older
This tie-in to Solo: A Star Wars Story might seem out of place–wasn’t that movie set a couple of decades earlier? That’s part of the fun of Older’s novel–there are several interrelated storylines that take place at different times. The main thread takes place here, about 7 years ABY and involves Han, barely adjusting to fatherhood and undertaking an adventure with Lando. That reunion aside, it’s a chance to spend some time with baby Ben before things went south. The main thread in the past takes place before Solo, and sees Lando and L3 involved coming up against the Empire in the Millennium Falcon.

Bloodline, by Claudia Gray
A big time jump brings us to Bloodline, just about five years prior to The Force Awakens. It focuses on Princess/Senator Leia Organa, who is navigating a political crisis threatening to bring the New Republic down. The book serves as an almost direct prequel to TFA, with the growth of the Resistance in the face of the New Republic Senate’s gridlock in the face of the growing threat of the First Order, as well as the beginnings of the break in the Solo/Organa marriage.

Age of Resistance—Heroes and Age of Resistance—Villains, Tom Taylor, Leonard Kirk, and Ramon Rosanas
The stories in this anthology take place almost entirely in the couple of years leading up to The Force Awakens. Among the stories: Snoke trains Kylo Ren, Poe is inspired by a woman whom he never meets, Phasma faces an ambitious recruit, and Rey spends time with General Organa in the wake of Han’s sacrifice.

Phasma, by Delilah S. Dawson
Right around the same time, this is the first of two major releases starring the Captain in 2017, hopefully presaging a beefed-up role for her in the new movie. This origin story traces her life back to an apocalyptic hellhole where she began life as a tribal chief. When an Imperial cruiser crashes on her planet, the opportunistic warrior sees an opportunity to move up. She’s a fearsome fighter, but also ruthlessly cunning. Our full review here.

Poe Dameron, by Charles Soule and Phil Noto
Following close on Bloodline‘s heels in time, Marvel’s Poe Dameron series follows the budding Black Squadron leader on a series of adventures as Poe and company try to find Lor San Tekka, the Max Von Sydow character who was found hiding the hidden map to Luke Skywalker at the beginning of Episode VII, with the concluding chapters taking place shortly after the conclusion of The Last Jedi. If you’d just as soon read as watch a movie, you can always follow this up with the adaption of The Force Awakens.

Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire, by Delilah S. Dawson
Look: if you’re going to do a tie-in to your theme-park attraction, you might as well do it right. Delilah S. Dawson brings back dashing spy Vi Moradi (introduced in Phasma), tasked by General Organa with gathering allies during and just after the events of TFA. She finds everything she needs on backwater atuu (previously visited by Senator Amidala in Thrawn: Alliances), home of the bustling Black Spire Outpost. Meanwhile, Zoraida Córdova’s YA novel A Crash of Fate finds two old friends from Batuu, one a farmer and one a smuggler, reunited and on the run after a job goes wrong–it’s set just prior to The Rise of Skywalker. And, for bonus Batuu: Marvel’s Galaxy’s Edge, also set between episodes VIII and IX, finds the First Order causing trouble at Black Spire, with a flashback story involving Han and Chewie.

Force Collector, by Kevin Shinick and Tony Foti
Though set just prior to The Force Awakens, Force Collector is fully part of the Journey to The Rise of Skywalker line of books. A teenage boy named Karr finds himself with strong force sensitivities in a galaxy without any Jedi to guide him. Jedi artifacts offer him visions of the past and, when his caretaker dies, he sets off across the galaxy (to some familiar places) in order to learn the truth about himself and about the Force itself.

Captain Phasma, by Kelly Thompson, Marco Checchetto, and Andres Mossa
Beginning during the conclusion of TFA, Phasma has been trapped in a garbage chute by Finn and company. She doesn’t stay there for long, we learn in this Marvel miniseries. Before she can escape Starkiller Base, though, she stops to cover her tracks by erasing any record of the fact that she was the one to bring down the shields. No problem except, oops…someone already accessed the logs. Really, really bad news for that dude as Phasma begins a quest to hunt him down before returning to her First Order duties.

Canto Bight, by Saladin Ahmed, Rae Carson, Mira Grant, and John Jackson Miller
Canto Bight is a collection of four (delightful) novellas set on the titular casino world in The Last Jedi during one fateful evening. It’s probably not the most consequential book in the canon, but it’s a fully-formed exploration of one of the more offbeat corners of the galaxy. It also offers up backstories for a few of the aliens from the film in the best tradition of SW books.

Resistance Reborn, by Rebecca Roanhorse
In the run-up to The Rise of Skywalker, Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, Chewbacca, and General Organa work to rebuild the Resistance following the First Order’s crushing assault in TLJ. A familiar face from the Rebellion, Wedge Antilles, is among those that come together in order to rebuild. In a similar vein, and during the same timeframe, Marvel’s Allegiance series finds the General and Rey traveling to Mon Cala in order to bring some of the Rebellion’s oldest allies back into the fight.