This week we at the trilogy that launched the Star Wars Expanded Universe (now legends). The Thrawn Trilogy (1991-3) by Timothy Zahn, introduces Grand Admiral Thrawn, a cryptic military tactician left behind after the collapse of the Empire. While Thrawn tries to consolidate the Empire's forces and stand against the New Republic, rife with its own internal conflicts. Without these books, its conceivable that not only would Star Wars fandom not be as huge as it is today but also that we might not have episodes VII, VIII, etc.

Zahn's books are more military science fiction than space opera, but Thrawn's quest for imperial power touches all of our original trilogy favorites and introduces some new characters along the way. While not a masterpiece of modern science fiction (yes, we had some griping to do in this episode as well), these books have an important place in the Star Wars canon, even those these stories themselves are no longer officially canonical.

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