There’s been some buzz in “Star Wars” fan circles about a new definitive canonicity that the newly formed Lucasfilm Story Group will release in advance of “Rebels” and the sequel trilogy. The Temple Archives podcast/website and many fans have taken this to mean that some works will make the cut as being an “official” part of the timeline and some will not, but I am holding out hope that the list will embrace everything and use “Rebels” as a platform to enhance borderline-canonical stories rather than discard them.
Such an approach would continue a proud tradition among “Star Wars” storytellers of building upon previously written works – something that’s also fun for readers. For example, “Dark Forces: Jedi Knight” (1998) – the third volume of William C. Dietz’s illustrated novel trilogy for Dark Horse Comics, this one illustrated by Dave Dorman – has some problems, but the good ideas were expanded upon by other writers. As with the first two books, Dietz uses a few too many Earth-sounding names and he refers to Dark Jedi as just-plain “Jedi” too often. However, his portrayal of the Battle of Ruusan in flashbacks was expanded (and improved) upon in the “Jedi vs. Sith” comics and Drew Karpyshyn’s “Darth Bane” trilogy. In fact, the events culminate in Bane’s Rule of Two, which sets the stage for 1,000 years of only two Sith (a master and an apprentice), a central component in “Star Wars” canon introduced by George Lucas in 1999’s “Episode I.”
I think “Rebels,” rather than redefining the canonical “Star Wars” saga by “throwing out” borderline stories like “Jedi Knight,” could improve on it just as Karpyshyn did by using it as a springboard for the Sith backstory even though Dietz doesn’t use the word “Sith” even once. The villain in “Jedi Knight” (which takes place after the death of Palpatine and Vader), the Dark Jedi Jerec, plans to build and oversee an Empire more vast and powerful than the previous one. Being that this is a breezy read sprung from a video game (hence the array of Dark Jedi “end bosses” that our titular hero, Kyle Katarn, mows down), there are no specifics behind Jerec’s plan, nor do we know his backstory.
We already know that “Rebels” will feature an Inquisitor, building upon some already-invented EU Dark Side Force-users of borderline canonicity (in light of the Rule of Two). I think “Rebels” would also be an ideal platform for Jerec’s backstory, perhaps showing the Emperor training him as part of a secret cadre – perhaps seeing these lesser-but-still-powerful Dark Siders as a backup plan if Vader steps out of line. “Rebels” could also explore Mara Jade’s training by the Emperor, or even Vader’s training of Shira Brie from the Marvel comics. Maybe the Emperor and Vader could each have a secret batch of underlings. (Even at the point where “Rebels” takes place – just before “Episode IV” – Vader had already trained Starkiller in the “Force Unleashed” saga. And we know that Vader is resentful of Mara’s status as an Emperor’s Hand.)
Tying “Rebels” into the existing EU would also be a great marketing move as it would drive new fans to purchase the further adventures of characters who make their first chronological appearance on the TV show. Even as it stands now, “Jedi Knight” is one book that – when considered in a vacuum – is little more than a light read with colorful art, but it gains so much more because it ties in to the grander Light Side vs. Dark Side saga.