‘Star Wars’ Canon: What Happens Between ‘Return Of The Jedi’ And ‘The Force Awakens’?

The new Star Wars canon is coming along with The Force Awakens. So what exactly happens in the 30-years after the end of Return of the Jedi?

Star Wars: Aftermath and Star Wars: Shattered Empire are the first stories to come out which will begin to outline the new Star Wars canon. The novels by Chuck Wendig and, Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto respectively will tell us what happened after the destruction of the second death star and the demise of Darth Vader.

In that light, these stories will be hugely important and will give fans anxiously awaiting the plotline of Star Wars: The Force Awakens some hints as to what happens in the continuation of the saga. This is welcome news since a lot of the happenings in J.J. Abrams’ production are still shrouded in secrecy. The director even hid the last names of main characters Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) to avoid giving away their ancestry.

Even though the novels are vastly different from one another, there is one thing they make perfectly clear. The Battle of Endor was far from the end of the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire and if fans thought that the original characters walked into the sunset and lived happily ever after in peace, they are sorely mistaken.

Without giving much away, Aftermath and Shattered Empire make one thing clear in the new Star Wars canon. The Dark Side will never give up. After the exciting events of Return of the Jedi, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) comes across some intelligence which indicates all is not well.

Forces loyal to the evil Emperor Palpatine attack demonstrators who are celebrating what they think is the end of the war on the galaxy far, far away on Coruscant. Families are torn like in a civil war, when members join opposing sides, much as Anakin Skywalker did in the original Star Wars canon.

The Force Awakens events take place in the midst of turmoil that has been going on for the last three-decades. War and death are what the new Star Wars canon will be set in. It will be interesting to see all the new characters and where their loyalties lie.

Disney is trying to keep up with the times by inserting diverse characters into the Star Wars canon and this has angered some die hard original fans. A black stormtrooper and gay character are only a few of the complaints fanboys of the original trilogy have and they are currently embroiled in a hate campaign online.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams diplomatically stated it’s impossible to please everyone, but they have fans’ sensibilities very much in mind as they franchise moves into the 21st century.

Are you excited to find out about the new Star Wars canon?

[Image via Lucasfilm]