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The actual teachings of the Jedi and the Sith can be found in The Jedi Path and Book of the Sith. The two are considered Legends, but both are great in character books of what each organization thought of their respective teachings.

Googling the answer to this question can lead to a lot of opinions; I mainly find information about the Jedi Code and being 'emotionless' (wrong) and how the Sith are good guys, so I would try and avoid that stuff if you want to form your own opinion on both.

Watching the Clone Wars in the later seasons can give you a good idea on the Sith Code. [A training scene between Dooku and Savage Opress has a great example of that type of training.] (https://youtu.be/7bYqIksEOek)

An interesting thing about the Sith Code is that it was created for KOTOR and basically a reverse of the Jedi Code. The writer of Korriban and the Sith said this in an interview about the Code/Philosophy:

> Korriban was the only actual planet I wrote (though I contributed to sections of Kashyyk and Tatooine). Was tough, too, as it went through a couple of overhauls before we finally settled on how it needed to work. Doing the Sith wasn’t easy, either, as there wasn’t a lot of lore on them— not as a group. I remember asking what their philosophy was, or if they had a code like the Jedi, but ended up being told to write it myself.
So, yeah. That’s where the Code of the Sith came from (reverse the Jedi Code— done!). And the Sith philosophy (at least what I wrote of it for Korriban) was inspired by Mein Kampf at least in parts (which made the forumites who talked about how awesome it was, and how it made sense, one part hilarious and one part frightening).

I enjoy both sides from the story standpoints; I enjoy the Sith as a group of really evil, selfish dudes who want power and will do anything for the freedom of using that power. They are not held back because there is no one above them to hold them back, they've taken out everyone that could hold them back.

The Jedi believe their powers are not to be used for selfish reasons. They will have freedom when they pass away and become one with the Force. They have magical abilities that they use to help others and know that strong emotions can lead to them abusing those powers, so they learn control.

If you are looking for something comprehensive send her a link to Wookieepedia instead. It's far more complete than any printed encyclopedia, contains both canon and Legends information and it's constantly being updated when new things are released. It's a lore geek's best friend.

As far as the gift goes, you could still get her that Visual Encyclopedia because it's got lots of really nice pictures. Alternatively, Ultimate Star Wars, The Complete Visual Dictionary, The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, Rogue One Visual Dictionary and the Character Encyclopedia are all good books that have a lot of great info in them. You could also go with the Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, although it's no longer complete and much of the information is no longer canon.

Whatever you pick, make sure it's from the heart and I'm sure she'll like it.

Darth Plaguis is a very good book about Darths Tenebrous, Plagueis and Sidious. It's one of my favourite SW books. Not so much Jedi stuff in it, but very interesting and just plain fun.


There's also the Book of Sith and the Path of the Jedi. They read more or less like a handbook for the Jedi and (less so) the Sith. I just bought them, and they're pretty interesting. Legends, of course, but still nice. There's 'handwritten' notes in the margin by lots of movie characters.


http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-The-Jedi-Path/dp/1452102279

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Book-Daniel-Wallace/dp/1452118159

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Plagueis-Legends/dp/0345511298

The Jedi Path

The Book of Sith

Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide To The Force

None of these are novels, but they sound exactly like what you're looking for. The Jedi Path is an "authentic" training manual and journal written by Jedi Masters and annotated by the more popular Jedi. I assume the Book of Sith is the same thing. Jedi vs. Sith is like all the other Essential Guides out there, just a big reference manual. It's really neat.

The Darth Bane trilogy deals with Sith and their philosophy.

The New Jedi Order series (22 books) deals with an extragalactic species who cannot be sensed in the force, so a lot of the series deals with how the Jedi have to deal with that. It's really good, but it took me almost four years to finish that series.

You can actually buy them on DVD. I'm surprised it's not on Amazon any more, but I bought this from Amazon about 6 months ago for 30 bucks. It's a "two disc special edition" version of each movie, meaning one disc with the remaster and a "bonus disc" with the unaltered original. One of my favorite purchases.

He really didn't. His plans for Star Wars changed all the time. At one point he even thought of doing 12 episodes. At another point, Empire was Episode II as per the first draft of the script and Anakin's Force ghost was on Dagobah. He was wholly separate from Vader initially. Leia originally wasn't planned to be Luke's sister. At one point the various episodes would have no defined chronological order as Lucas once envisioned it as a potentially endless number of movies like the Bond franchise, where different directors and writers would come in, and Episode IV could very well be a prequel about Obi-Wan before jumping back to the present with Episode V.

And when the saga did start to take shape after Empire, he originally had the Emperor surviving in Jedi for the heroes to face again in the Sequel Trilogy. A story which IIRC would have also featured the "other" Yoda spoke of, who was NOT Leia. Hell, much of the incertainty of whether or not he'd be able to make more than one movie is why the Death Star is in A New Hope instead of being held off for then part 3. And the page of notes he had for the Prequels were largely something he wrote just so he knew where everyone came from. But again, Empire used to be Episode II. The plan to flesh those notes out into chapters and renumbering the films only came during making Empire.

In fact after Jedi, he cancelled all plans to make more movies, then later decided to do the Prequels while claiming he would make the Sequels, then after Sith he suddenly turned around and said it's a 6 part saga about Anakin and there's no more story to tell. And then of course once he sold Lucasfilm to Disney he suddenly pull story treatments out of thin air that did NOT resemble his original ideas for the Sequels.

To summarize, the only plan Lucas had was to make a bunch of movies that would be tributes to all his favorite things growing up. But that's it really. But he's spent years claiming that it was all planned because the legend sounds better, and fans would like to believe that he's some genius that knows what he's doing and the franchise is in safe hands. But in truth he was just really good at being his creations Han Solo and Indiana Jones: making it up as he goes along. Source: The Secret History of Star Wars.

OK, that's what I thought. That blu-ray set (the blue cover with Darth Vader's head on it) does NOT include the original, unaltered versions of the films. That's why it's so much cheaper.

It seems that the versions that include the unaltered films are all pretty expensive now -- Lucas probably won't re-release them :(

I strongly suggest seeing if you can RENT the unaltered versions, or borrow from someone who owns them, or download them. Or spring for the expensive set.

At the bottom of the main description on this Amazon page, you will see a list of all the released versions of the movies and which ones contained the original theatrical versions.

Good luck!

Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn. It's where I started, and in my opinion some of the best published. What it did better than anything else was capture the adventure and excitement of the star wars movies. It also introduces a good number of characters that you will end up reading about later if you continue to read the books. After that you can read Kevin J. Anderson's trilogy, and then start picking up the singles, like Truce at Bakura, Courtship of Princess Leia, the one with the jedi hutt and luke has a girlfriend ghost. If you decide to skip all those and only read the Thrawn books also read the Thrawn duology which ties up a lot of the stuff from the trilogy that is left open. It isn't left open in a bad way, there is just more stuff that could happen. You will eventually get to the New Jedi Order stuff and then everything else that happened after that, but that is beyond the scope of my recommendations. Also, the links are for the first books, I figure you can figure out the sequels if you end up buying the first books. Also, you can get them for like a dollar at your used book store so don't get them from amazon.

edit: Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask, I read all of the books published by bantam as a child and half the new jedi order series before I gave up and started reading "real" science fiction. Don't take that the wrong way, I enjoyed the star wars books, sometimes one just needs to diversify! I should re-read the thrawn trilogy. :-D

I definitely like Kylo more than Rey. I'm super HAPPY with the entire cast including Rey. But my heart has always been with the bad guys. I knew I was going to love Kylo the most the moment I saw him. In fact the moment I saw him I looked at my boyfriend and said "You're costuming that." like he didn't have an option, I'm making him a Kylo and he's going to be mine and that's that!

But I LOVE the point you brought up that this movie really makes you sympathize with the bad guys and I loved that. You feel for Finn who is freaked out by the power and cruelty of the first order and you actually feel for Kylo who is struggling between light and dark. Watching the promos and getting hyped, I never imagined I would feel for Kylo. I assumed I'd sit there and think he was amazing but I didn't think I'd connect with him, it was actually kind of nice! I'm circle jerking, I know, I can't help it.

Here's a list of shit you need to pick up:

The visual dictionary

The Art of Star Wars the Force Awakens

And you mentioned having a book with layouts of the death star and such so you may like Incredible Cross Sections.

And from what EVERYONE I know has been telling me, The Force Awakens novelization is a must read if you want juicy little details that weren't made crystal clear in the movie!

Also, if you are not reading the comics. STOP. RIGHT. NOW. AND. READ. THEM!!

In order of priority:

Darth Vader

Star Wars

Princess Leia

Shattered Empire

And read Kanan if you're a Rebels fan. I HAVE the comic I just haven't read that one yet!

But no seriously that Darth Vader comic. The stuff that happens. UGH. NERDGASM. After reading them and re-watching the movies in preparation for TFA I fell in love with the originals all over again. It was like that fresh awesome new love I had for them the first time! So good!

A very important character to the original Star Wars: The Old Republic storyline. You can read his origin story in the novel Deceived. He's pretty prominent in the original endgame of SWTOR (Levels 39-50, if memory serves).

Note that most of those reviews on that Amazon page are... weird? It seems like the product, for some reason, shares the same reviews as the book Revan, which was controversially-received. Odd. Anyways, Deceived is a great read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves the Old Republic era.

Does he have a bluray player? The only set that contains all 6 movies is the recently released bluray set:
http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Complete-Episodes-Blu-ray/dp/B003ZSJ212/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1323731301&sr=8-3

They're all still available on DVD, but you'd have to buy them separately if you want them new and don't want to spend way too much. Don't know how much you're looking to spend, but the bluray set is packed with features and you can find a decent BR player these days for like 50 bucks. Good luck!

This is the only novel I can find for Revan. In the game I mentioned, you can [] (/s "become a Jedi or a Sith based on your actions in-game. It appears the Revan in the book may be based on the Jedi ending to the game. The summary makes him sound like a good guy.") The game can take awhile to finish, so checking Wookiepedia like daran suggested might be a good idea just to get a summary of the events in the game.

They are guides to becoming a Jedi or Sith. They are meant to look like real training manuals, with notes written on the pages. You can look at some of the pages on the amazon page. They are pretty cool books with fun information.

http://www.amazon.com/Jedi-Path-Star-Daniel-Wallace/dp/1452102279/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1345041590&sr=8-2&keywords=jedi+path#_

My personal favorites (although note, neither are canon anymore):

1.) Shatterpoint: follows Mace Windu, and is essentially Star Wars' take on Heart of Darkness.

2.) The Thrawn Trilogy: Widely hailed as the best of the Star Wars EU. In my opinion, it has some of the best and worst elements. The good: a brilliant, nuanced antagonist; the bad: evil clones (a terrible subplot).

I haven't read it yet, but Lost Stars has been very well received (despite being billed as a young adult novel). I'd recommend it if you'd like a new canonical novel.

Empire Building is a great read and goes behind the scenes of the original trilogy with second-hand accounts. I've also heard good things about The Secret History of Star Wars, but I haven't read it myself. The author has posted additional essays on the website though which are great reads, especially the one about Marcia Lucas.

I got this for Christmas and immediately starting tearing into it. These facts are just a small amount of the neat things you can find in it. I highly encourage you to buy it. Mine came from Amazon.

I read a review of the new movie where they said they didn't need the new movie to be good, but that they just wanted it to exist. The movie would introduce so many new devices, locations, creatures, and more. It being good would just be the cherry on top. This book is an example of all the extra goodies we are getting by this movie just existing.

If you're interested in the the story behind the prequel movies, Darth Plagueis is an excellent book that fills in some of the plot holes from those movies. If you're interested in post-RotJ, I'd recommend starting with the Thrawn trilogy.

That's the best thing I've seen all week AND it come in a holocron!

Thanks for sharing the info.

Found on Amazon - may have to get one myself.

The other versions are pretty awesome. I bought the Book of Sith vault edition a while back. So worth it.

Book of Sith

The Bounty Hunter Code

The Jedi Path

You can get them direct from marvel, but you can't get back issues:
https://subscriptions.marvel.com
They're only a few bucks a pop this way, but if you would only enjoy them in super-mint condition, the mail version isn't for you.

You can also wait until the trade paperback is out (typically, a collection of 4, 6, 12, etc comics). Here's the first six issues of Marvel Darth Vader: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Marvel/dp/0785192557/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1496943205&sr=8-1

The Timothy Zahn books are really good. You can get all 3 on Amazon for about 23 bucks: http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Empire-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553296124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259835520&sr=8-1

Tales from Jabba's Palace was entertaining. My Mom got me the Millennium Falcon novel last Christmas, it was pretty interesting.

The New Jedi Order was good, but I stopped about 5-6 books into it. I read the summary on Wiki/Wookiepedia, and it sounds like they kind of jumped the shark. I might try to finish it up eventually though.

Well they do have those Dad Vader books around where he's raising his kids and such.

They're ctually kinda amusing in syrupy sweet family friendly kinda way.

Best place to start is the Timothy Zahn series. It picks up shortly after Return of the Jedi and is some of the best writing you'll find. It has possibly the best villain in the Star Wars universe hands down, I found myself hoping the bad guys would win about halfway through.

https://www.amazon.com/Heir-Empire-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553296124

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Limited/dp/B000FQJAIW

2006, they have a problem though, lots of digital noise and artifacting in them. Harmy's Despecialized Editions are the best way to watch the original trilogy, with the laserdisc being the 2nd best.

You can get the Laserdisc editions on DVD from Amazon. The DVDs have the 2004 remastered version, plus a "bonus" disc advertised as the original theatrical release. They're really just the Laserdisc versions put onto DVD.

• Episode IV
  
• Episode V
  
• Episode VI
  
  It looks like not all of them are for sale directly from Amazon any more, but you should be able to find them elsewhere (including the Amazon Marketplace) if you're interested in them.

Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader

Edit: please tell me then that you have or are reading Darth Plageus and the Darth Bane books, all fantastic, they really make you like Bane even though he's a monster.

To expand on this a bit, the 2006 dvds are what you would want if you can find them. They look like this, though as you may notice they are now out of print. Its the closest that you'll find to the originals from an official release. I would definitely not recommend the blu rays, they have visual issues and the changes really affect anyone's ability to take it seriously. ("NOOOOoo!", etc.)

you linked the awesome box sets that I wish I could afford
heres the mildly priced alternatives

Book of Sith

Bounty Hunter Code

The Jedi Path ^^Samelink

I've seen this in book stores a few times, it seems pretty cool. A Jedi training manual. It's sold out on amazon, so it must be worth it.


http://www.amazon.com/Jedi-Path-Star-Daniel-Wallace/dp/1452102279/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325006264&sr=8-2

Nice TV, get the best use out of it and buy The Complete Saga boxset:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Complete-Episodes-Blu-ray/dp/B003ZSJ212/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1367693109&sr=1-2&keywords=star+wars

The 2006 2-disc individual releases have the 1993 laserdisc master dumped on the second disc. It's not great quality (and is awkward as fuck for 16:9 TVs), but it's the originals. They're also included on the 6-disc slim OT box set (don't ask me why Amazon's price is so outrageous on that one, I see it in stores for $30 all the time).

If you want better quality, download Harmy's Despecialized Editions. They're 720p HD restorations of the original versions from the Blu-Rays, the 2006 DVDs I mentioned above, and actual 35mm film scans (among other sources). PM me if you're interested and I'll tell you where you can get them.

I used to be obsessed with getting every version on VHS and DVD that I could. Very happy to have this set on DVD. The unaltered version was a bonus feature.

I haven't read this book myself but I've heard Revan is a great book and its set during the Old Republic.

There is an entire series of Old Republic books you can dive into. But do note that they aren't canon anymore so anything in these books, KOTOR or SWTOR can be changed in the new canon.

I ordered mine from Amazon a few years ago. Looks like it's currently out of stock but will be back again soon.

I've also seen them in book stores like Books-A-Million but that was years ago as well.

This started out as a blog series and became a book. It goes into incredible depth on how Star Wars came to be and many of the lesser-known factors that played into its numerous drafts and what it ultimately became.

The original website is gone, but the Internet Archive still has several snapshots of it, including an earlier version of the book from 2008 and this articles page from 2015. (After early 2015, the domain appears to have been taken over by squatters.)

I found it to be a great companion to the authorized Making of Star Wars by Rinzler.

The very TLDR? Marcia Lucas. Award-winning editor and George's wife at the time of A New Hope, who more or less saved the film in the editing process.

You can pretty much sum it up with this line in the Wikipedia article from George about Marcia's role on Jedi:

> When asked of her contributions to the film, George described the scenes in which she helped edit as the emotional "dying and crying" scenes.

Ok got that, I have another question about the comics: Are these like little parts of a larger story, where you have to buy more comics or are those comics you recommend thick books with a lot of pages and a story themselves?
And do you mean this here:
http://www.amazon.de/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Marvel/dp/0785192557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453229850&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+vader+comic

I have the theatrical versions of the original trilogy on DVD. They are still available for sale on Amazon and sometimes eBay. They will cost more than the average DVD, but are well worth it.

Episode IV on Amazon

Episode V on Amazon

Episode VI on Amazon

Of course it does. It was the second bonus disc that came out a few years ago with the special edition set of the original trilogy. It's not gorgeous quality but it is a DVD version of the original completely unedited and unfooled with movies.
I think this is it but I got a much older boxed set.

The Thrawn Triology by Timothy Zahn. They're set after the Return of the Jedi-period. Great stories and well written too. Start off with the Heir to the Empire, the first in the series.

Digital on Comixology

Physical Vol 1.

I also HIGHLY recommend reading Darth Vader and the Ghost Prison as it's one of my favorite (now non-canon/legends) Star Wars stories. It's written by Haden Blackman, who directed the video games The Force Unleashed 1 & 2. The art is absolutely beautiful and it's a must read for fans in my opinion.

Yes. A few years ago Lucas released a widescreen limited edition with updated graphics for all of the rereleases. Blarg. The hidden gem that wasnt all that advertised was a second disc in each dvd case that has the original theatrical release with no additions. They are brilliant. They are the only versions that I watch now. They are well worth whatever the cost if you can find them.

As an edit aside, the only downside is that the original versions are all 4:3 Aspect Ratio. Still better than anything else that has been released.

Here is a link to the boxed set, but apparently you can find the individual discs for cheaper occasionally.

Comic or novel? This is the first volume right?

http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Empire-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553296124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394743625&sr=8-1&keywords=Thrawn

I'm sorry to say the full trilogy is a little too pricy for me but i think this would be a good way to get him started

Amazon has the TPBs now: https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Marvel/dp/0785192557/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1484096798&sr=1-1&keywords=vader+comic

I'm read up on all the collections so far - REALLY good stuff.

I was gifted this great book before my daughter was born:
http://www.amazon.com/Vaders-Little-Princess-Jeffrey-Brown/dp/1452118698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420721758&sr=8-1&keywords=darth+vader+princess

There is also a "son" version which I just got as well because now we're expecting our first son.

Oh, and the nursery has Star Wars prints on the walls. Have fun! My daughter loves "artee-dootee" (R2D2).

It's "ep7: the book" which includes a bit more backstory and more details about the movie

Like the name of the new Star Destroyer, some more details about Rey on Jakku and life there, it's pretty interesting

If you want more back story about Poe, Finn and Rey you should read "Before the Awakening" http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens/dp/148472822X

Yep XD

This is the book you're looking for. It will answer all those questions, pretty well written too. Starts just after RotS IIRC.

You can still buy them. They were only released within the last few years or so, I think. It comes with two DVDs for each movie - the revised versions, and the theatrical versions (unaltered.)

This is it. I'm sure you can find it cheaper, somewhere. I got mine at Barnes & Noble for around $40-50

They publish collections of the comics, and I buy those at a regular bookstore. I like being able to put these on a shelf, more like a book (and I don't need to track down individual issues, I can just buy the collections when they are published).

Darth Vader vol 1

Remember that one time when Lucas released THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL VERSIONS ON DVD? Apparently fucking not, because everyone here is in love with their goddamn VHS versions.

My wife got me these. I have a little girl they are great

http://www.amazon.com/Darth-Vader-Son-Jeffrey-Brown/dp/145210655X

http://www.amazon.com/Vaders-Little-Princess-Jeffrey-Brown/dp/1452118698

They made a dvd set which had the original trilogy unedited on the 2nd DVD. I have them, and would guess you can find them somewhere. Of course, a blu-ray version would be nice.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trilogy-Widescreen-Theatrical-Edition/dp/B001EN71DG

I didn't watch any Star Wars movies until like 6 or 7 years ago (I'm 24). Since, I've watched the movies through like a zillion times. I became obsessed with the psychological transformation Anakin went through to become Darth Vader. I'm reading my first novel: Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader. It's fantastic....I can't wait to broaden my SW knowledge :)

I got my daughter the follow up Vader's Little Princess for her birthday. She loved it.

Amazon is really good. Instead of buying each issue individually, I buy the volumes. They bundle six issues into one book.

Here's a link to Darth Vader vol. 1 (contains issues #1-6)

Check out this book: The Secret History of Star Wars

It is an amazing read. The author also has a website:

(http://secrethistoryofstarwars.com/index.html)

Its the visual dictionary, I just bought it a few hours ago at Barnes and Noble

heres an amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

What's wrong with buying all six in one set?

The 2011 Blu rays are the definitive version.

http://starwars.com/shop/video-and-music/

The Complete Saga:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Complete-Episodes-Blu-ray/dp/B003ZSJ212/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1395059039&sr=8-5&keywords=Star+Wars

Original Trilogy:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PMLFRA/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000PMLFRA&linkCode=as2&tag=swcshop-20

Prequel Trilogy:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PMG16U/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000PMG16U&linkCode=as2&tag=swcshop-20

Enjoy!

I got the Kindle version of the movie novelization, but the hardcover might not be in stores yet:
http://www.amazon.com/Force-Awakens-Star-Wars-ebook/dp/B00WCXL1JW/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1450459785&sr=8-4

Other than that it looks like it's actually just this children's book that's out: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakening-Digital-Picture-ebook/dp/B00XJKK8FK/ref=pd_sim_351_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51kO8vVisEL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=1WWQPPFAE2EG16PKEJWF

Plus there are several short stories that came out a few weeks ago.

yeah there is. the 2006 DVD Version has the theatrical cut on the bonus disc.

It's not impossible, but it's not too cheap either (speaking of DVDs, not VHS or Laser Disc). These editions have both the remastered and the original theatrical versions:

Episode IV

Episode V

Episode VI

Anything by Timothy Zahn is solid gold, but I'd start with Heir to the Empire. It was one of the earliest Expanded Universe works, so you don't have to know a bunch of obscure backstory to read it. It's also notable for creating a lot of the canon that appeared in later EU stuff and even some stuff from the prequels.

For those interested, this is a page from Vader's Little Princess.

There's a version for Luke too, called Darth Vader and Son.

You should read Plagueis by James Luceno. It goes deep into Palpatine's past and Sith apprenticeship. Also it is probably the best Star Wars EU novel I have read.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Plagueis-Legends/dp/0345511298

If you like it, you should look into The Jedi Path and The Bounty Hunter Code by the same author.

yep! IIRC it's only available in digital format right now, and the printed one will be available in january. I'm reading it to get ready for my second view of the movie

Rise of Darth Vader

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0345477332?pc_redir=1412264393&robot_redir=1

It came out in 2006 so it has some conflicts to canon, but is an interesting read to the events after episode 3.

ok, so the Visial Dictonary (amazon-link: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451500664&sr=1-17&keywords=star+wars+vii+in+books) is officially canon too, because it was released after A New Dawn? There is more background info on the movies characters.
What about the older Visiual Dictonaries?

The 2006 DVD releases have the Theatrical versions and the Special Editions. Each movie is a two-disc set. They tend to be around $50-$75 per movie.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000FQJAIW?pc_redir=1398469452&robot_redir=1

If those are out of your price range, look for the digitally remastered trilogy VHS box set.
http://coolwatersprods.com/images/kershVHS.jpg

Didn't they already? Yeah it's super expensive now but still. http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Two-Disc-Widescreen-Theatrical/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1374454600&sr=8-12&keywords=star+wars+original+trilogy+limited+edition

Are you looking for novels or just books?

For novels I would say Aftermath

I also recommend The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary

I would recommend buying the Blu-ray boxset. If you wait a month or so, I'm sure you'll be able to find it for much cheaper around Black Friday.

I would watch it in the order the movies came out personally.

Yes, there is a book about him, but you can find everything you could want to know on Wookieepedia.

Edit: links

> novel

this one?

http://www.amazon.com/The-Force-Awakens-Star-Wars/dp/1101965495

This dvd version of episode IV (and the matching V and VI) contain the only released dvd versions of the original theatrical release of the trilogy (full screen releases too). Naturally, copies of these versions go quite a lot of money because of this.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-IV-Hope-Limited/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=sr_1_1_twi_dvd_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449944674&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+2006

"Disc 2:
**Widescreen Feature (For Both Versions Full Screen and Widescreen) - original theatrical movie version in dolby 2.0 surround"

Novel adaptation of the movie

This DVD set from 2008 has the theatrical versions on the bonus discs...but I'm guessing those are just the '93 laserdisc versions put onto the DVDs? The quality is not so great, but I believe they are the non-special edition versions.

I linked to Aftermath, and you can grab it. The TFA novel is also out in kindle (Jan hardcover... which is bull that buying that doesn't let you DL the digital as well -__-;), which could also have extra backstory.

I pulled these images from the preview of the book on Amazon.

Hope this isn't a repost or anything. It has some interesting stuff, I'll probably order it soon.


EDIT I just found and made an album for the other book, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections.

Also on Amazon.

> I feel Im the only one who didnt like this book

You're most definitely not the only one. Not by a long shot. Check out the Amazon reviews of the book, especially the "most helpful" one. It lays out the reasons why many KOTOR fans were unhappy (to put it mildly) with the book.

While I'm at it: Shameless plug for /r/kotor!

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Vol-Skywalker-Strikes/dp/0785192131

I'm like you, I'm not much into comic books, I only read them because it's Star Wars. You'll get the hang of how things work. Anyway, both comics follow the same general storyline, I highly recommend reading them in order. It goes SW 1, SW 2, SW 3, DV 1, SW 4, DV 2, DV 3, DV 4, SW 5, DV 5, SW 6, DV 6. The numbers correspond to the issue number, you can find it at the beginning of the comic.

It was made in color. I couldn't imagine Star Wars being what it is if it was made in B&W. They do sell versions of the old and new versions. Just found this on amazon Star Wars. So shouldn't be too hard to find a torrent version I'm guessing.

We aren't fully sure about the differences yet but Amazon has about as much as we know.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Complete-Episodes-Blu-ray/dp/B003ZSJ212/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311298789&sr=8-1

Amazon has the 2006 Special Edition DVD which includes the (almost) unaltered original cut. It's expensive because it's been out of production.

There are semi-legal releases floating around the internet, including the de-specialized version. Reference the almighty Google machine.

The cut that was shown in theaters has never been released in a completely unaltered form.

I'd highly recommend this book. It's one of my favorite Star Wars books ever. This combined with Labyrinth Of Evil make you appreciate RoTS so much more. You definitely won't watch episode III the same way again - much how Rogue One changed episode IV for many people. I don't care what they say this series is still canon to me until proven otherwise
https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Lord-Rise-Darth-Vader/dp/0345477332/ref=pd_sim_14_17?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=69JVPASRCBPMEM7MDYKX

Read my comment again: the published copy does not come out for a few days (Jan. 5th Amazon confirms)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Force-Awakens-Star-Wars/dp/1101965495

The digital version has been out since the movies release.

You can get the kindle and audible/audiobook off amazon now. Print edition comes out in january.

http://www.amazon.com/Force-Awakens-Star-Wars/dp/1101965495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451370741&sr=8-1&keywords=the+force+awakens

Most book sellers have it, I got mine at Walmart. Here's the link for Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens/dp/148472822X

Here are the Amazon links to the books Book of Sith, The Jedi Path

Sure... they cost a bit more than a regular bluray but they're not hard to find...

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Two-Disc-Widescreen-Theatrical/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=cm_lmf_tit_7

how about the machete order?

edit: Also someone gave me Darth Vader & Son as a baby gift. Worst book ever, the entire thing is a giant spoiler. I need to make sure my kid doesn't see this until they're old enough to do algebra.

If I remember right, there was some in Dark Lord (no longer canon). Has some scenes about him dealing with his new conditions.

https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Lord-Rise-Darth-Vader/dp/0345477332

Plageuis

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Plagueis-Legends/dp/0345511298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458203582&sr=8-1&keywords=Plagueis

is this the one? http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Plagueis-James-Luceno/dp/0345511298

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Plagueis-Legends/dp/0345511298/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496761971&sr=1-1&keywords=darth+plagueis

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Plagueis-Legends/dp/0345511298/

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Republic-Revan-Legends/dp/0345511352

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Republic-Revan-Legends/dp/0345511352

Amazon

The Thrawn Trilogy:

1. Heir to the Empire
   
2. Dark Force Rising
   
3. The Last Command
   
   The Hand of Thrawn duology:
   
   
4. Specter of the Past
   
5. Vision of the Future

https://www.amazon.com/Heir-Empire-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553296124/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482353642&sr=8-1&keywords=heir+to+the+empire

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Books/267/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=heir+to+the+empire

I was introduced to her by the Trawn trilogy.

https://www.amazon.com/Heir-Empire-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553296124

Both your links go to the same page, but this is the one I was recommending

I highly suggest reading the following two at the same time:

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Marvel/dp/0785192557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481959668&sr=8-1&keywords=vader

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Vol-Skywalker-Strikes/dp/0785192131/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481959657&sr=8-1&keywords=skywalker+strikes

The 6 issues im referencing are in the vader series that I linked first, however this is the suggested reading order: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline_of_canon_comics

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0785192557/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1452592534&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX118_SY170_QL70&keywords=star+wars+volume+1&dpPl=1&dpID=51st5r7UFXL

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0785192131/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1452592534&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=star+wars+volume+1&dpPl=1&dpID=51XDc0oyJaL

There are more after these two, but op's pages specifically are here

Darth Vader Vol 1 (Collecting issues: Darth Vader 1-6)

Darth Vader Vol 2 (Collecting issues: Darth Vader 7-12)

These? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Marvel/dp/0785192557/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492601703&sr=1-1

(If so, thanks. :) )

Marvel's Darth Vader comic series.

It's been awhile, but I think that this scene is from the end of Volume 1 (which I linked above).

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Darth-Vader-Marvel/dp/0785192557

That's the first collected volume. Here's more info on the comic including release dates and reading order (with Vader Down)...

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Darth_Vader_(Marvel)

Marcia Lucas, for one.

This book goes into a lot more detail about it though.

https://www.amazon.com/Secret-History-Star-Wars/dp/0978465237

Amazon?

There is a novelization of the movie, and it contains a lot more details than the movie, though it also spoils things. (http://www.amazon.com/The-Force-Awakens-Star-Wars/dp/1101965495)

The official novelization: http://www.amazon.com/Force-Awakens-Star-Wars/dp/1101965495/

This one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1101965495/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmr0_1?qid=1450752989&sr=8-1-fkmr0&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=star+wars+episode+7+novelization

Assuming you mean the book http://www.amazon.com/Force-Awakens-Star-Wars/dp/1101965495/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1450587365&sr=8-3&keywords=The+force+awakens

I've had it for a while, but only just started reading it. I would imagine this book goes into that quite a bit.

US link - also comes in Sith and Bounty Hunter flavours, not got them though.

Walk around with this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-The-Jedi-Path/dp/1452102279

Amazon is your friend.

Here's some sample pages.

Darth Vader and Son

Vaders Little Princess

Ordered!

[Actually he owns this one](
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/145210655X/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?qid=1454114960&sr=1-3&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Jeffrey+Brown&dpPl=1&dpID=513H576FsgL&ref=plSrch)

Get her this book

There is!

There's a good shot of it in the amazon preview of the Star Wars visual dictionary. They're totally different.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51FABhmaBoL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR134%2C160_&refRID=1NYMGJ7KGWY0FM9Y286C

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

Right here.

It's the visual dictionary.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165/

Here you go. :)

TFA Visual Dictionary

$12 USD on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

I just ordered one!

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-The-Force-Awakens/dp/148472822X

I've been reading it. It's got three stories. One about Finn, one about Rey, and one about Poe Dameron.
Before the Awakening

There's some more background on Finn's stormtrooper training available in this short story.

It's in Before the Awakening

You can find the Jedi Path here, the Bounty Hunter's Code here and the Book of Sith here.

For those wanting one too.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-IV-Limited-Edition/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=pd_bxgy_74_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T2CMHPYM03D5JBZGZE0

Are these the DVD versions you're referring to?

Theses ones

https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-Limited/dp/B000FQJAIW/

You can also get these on DVD, which would eliminate the need for a VHS player :P

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Two-Disc-Widescreen-Theatrical/dp/B000FQJAIW/ref=sr_1_1_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415810813&sr=8-1&keywords=star+wars+theatrical+version

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Trilogy-Widescreen-Theatrical-Edition/dp/B001EN71DG/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1346868564&sr=8-17&keywords=star+wars+6+disc

Look for that box. It has six discs, three are for the Special Editions, and three have the Original Theatrical releases. As far as I know, it's the only DVD set to have all three movies.

George, in his typical money-grubbing fashion, decided to stop producing anything with the theatrical releases right before he released the BluRay versions. The sad thing is, that even the BluRays do not have the theatrical releases, even with all of the special features that they loaded on them.

Prick.

Here's what I'm considering

This one. It's been out for over a week on digital and audiobook.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Force-Awakens-Star-Wars-ebook/dp/B00WCXL1JW

The Force Awakens

This is from Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary being sold on amazon if anyone is interested https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465438165/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_CNvEwbH4B27ZG

I will warn you, [it might be a little expensive. ] ( http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Two-Disc-Widescreen-Theatrical/dp/B000FQJAIW )

Not impossible expensive, but a little higher priced.

Two books come to mind - the Episode 3 Novelization (which is, in my opinion, a better envisioning of the Episode 3 story, as you get to see Anakin's inner turmoils far better) and then Dark Lord of the Sith: The Rise of Darth Vader -

http://www.amazon.com/Revenge-Sith-Star-Wars-Episode/dp/0439139295


http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Lord-Rise-Darth-Vader/dp/0345477332

Granted, he isn't like he is in these pictures, but still a good look at Vader before he was force chokin' bitches and choppin' off family members' hands.

In the book Darth Plagueis it is explained that Maul is never meant to be an apprentice. Palpatine takes him merely as an attack dog while he searches for a true apprentice.

The discs you're looking for are these: A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. That's the box design for the release that includes the "Original Theatrical Version" of the films. The original cut has never been released on Blu-Ray.

Unfortunately, they're lower quality than the 2004 Special Edition versions they're packaged with, and especially lower quality than the Blu-Ray releases of the 2004 Special Editions.

You got a canon answer already, so here we go with legends:

"Throughout the galaxy, it was believed that Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker–the Chosen One–had died on Coruscant during the siege of the Jedi Temple. And, to some extent, that was true. Anakin was dead."

Source: Description of Rise of Darth Vader

> Second, in God's name, why didn't Ren dispatch Finn with the Force during their lightsaber "duel?"

Keep in mind there are many "light saber fighting styles", so it's not really known how Ren was trained. The most powerful duelist was Mace Windu, who never used force powers while in combat. It's not really portrayed well in the movies, if you've never read the book Revan the anti-hero Scourge fights in a similar fashion. They draw power from their enemy's emotions, and using the force requires that. The more usage of the force, the more powerful you make them.

I would say DK books, like this or this. They are informative and have cool facts, but aren't super in-depth like the Complete Encyclopedia.