- yesterday
Watch more on WhatCulture #StarWars for more news, lists and features!
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00One of the things that makes Star Wars so quintessentially Star Wars-y are the background
00:11characters. You know, the ones that have names like Rex Longlegs, or Bo Movine, or Droopy
00:17McCool, who show up for maybe one scene, but then you find out they have reams of material
00:21dedicated to them in the wider canon. Yeah, I love that stuff. The expanded universe has
00:26changed a lot over the years, but for the sake of convenience, in this list I'm going
00:31to be talking about TV shows, books, comics, and video games that have all enriched the
00:35saga over the last couple of decades. So, let's buckle up and punch it, I'm Ewan,
00:41this is WhatCultureStarWars, and here are 8 characters saved by the expanded universe.
00:478. Klo Koon The Jedi High Council were introduced as something
00:51of a committee in The Phantom Menace as they sat in their chamber discussing all things
00:56the Force and judging prospective Padawan learners, but it did seem as though it was Master Yoda
01:01and Mace Windu taking the lead on things. With this in mind, Jedi Master Plo Koon never
01:06actually says a word in any of the prequel movies, and the only action we see from him
01:11is some background gestures, a few glimpses at the Battle of Geonosis, and his death at
01:16the hands of his squadron of clone troopers in Revenge of the Sith.
01:20So how can what is effectively a background character be saved exactly?
01:25Well, Plo Koon's appearances throughout the Clone Wars series shed some light on what
01:29an exceptional Jedi he truly is, as one piece of dialogue paints a picture of the most compassionate
01:35Jedi of them all.
01:36In only the second episode of the series, which kind of lays down the whole ethos surrounding
01:41its approach to the clone troopers, Plo Koon and his clone squadron are stranded above
01:46Abrogado, and his clone troopers state they do not believe they will be rescued as they
01:50consider themselves quote unquote expendable. Master Plo responds simply with, not to me.
01:56That compassion would be Plo's defining characteristic throughout the Clone Wars, elevating just another
02:02cool looking alien into a truly beloved aspect of the franchise.
02:07Number 7. Qui-Gon Jinn.
02:09We've heard an awful lot about the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise, but no one ever seems
02:13to talk about the tragedy of Liam Neeson's Qui-Gon Jinn appearing in just one prequel movie,
02:19The Phantom Menace.
02:20Although Neeson's voice did appear in subsequent films, his demise in Episode I proved to be
02:25the catalyst that ultimately paved the way for Anakin Skywalker's fall and the subsequent
02:29collapse of the whole Jedi Order.
02:31But at least Qui-Gon fans have been left vindicated by the expanded material dedicated to the Maverick
02:37Jedi, which builds upon his appearance in The Phantom Menace and makes him even better.
02:41The Clone Wars series is a particular highlight, with the last episode seeing Master Yelda hear
02:46a familiar voice and embark on a quest to learn how to manifest his spirit as a force ghost
02:52from the ethereal Jinn.
02:54Without his teaching, Obi-Wan would never have been able to guide Luke to Dagobar after his
02:58death at the hands of Vader, which ultimately would have left Luke's training wholly incomplete,
03:02and the fate of the galaxy would have been very, very different to say the least.
03:07Qui-Gon has also benefited from a new wave of Star Wars EU literature, taking a leading role in
03:12Claudia Gray's Master and Apprentice novel, which seriously, please read, it's so good.
03:18Number 6. General Grievous
03:20One of the biggest criticisms of the prequel trilogy has to be the sudden jump from the beginning of the Clone Wars on Geonosis,
03:27at the conclusion of Episode 2, to the latter stages of the epic conflict at the beginning of Episode 3.
03:33Without both animated Clone Wars series, fans were just expected to accept that suddenly a primary threat to the Republic
03:40was an asthmatic cyborg who went through lightsabers like lonely men go through Funko Pops.
03:45No offense intended, of course, but those black soulless eyes really do...
03:50Oh my god, get off the screen, off the screen!
03:52Not only was Grievous thrown into the mix without any introduction at all,
03:56but he was gone just as quickly as he arrived at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi midway through Episode 3.
04:02So, where was the threat that the Separatist General posed exactly?
04:05Thank the Force for the Clone Wars series giving General Grievous the development he so desperately needed,
04:11as viewers were treated to a completely different kind of Star Wars villain.
04:15Instead of the lightning-blasting mastermind and his menacing apprentice,
04:19we were shown a conniving and almost cowardly leader of the droid armies,
04:23who more often than not escaped by the skin of his rebreather unit.
04:26I will say that the original Clone Wars series from 2003 did a much better job with the character though.
04:32He was legitimately terrifying there, even if his characterization was a little at odds with his on-screen depiction.
04:39Number 5. The Mandalorians
04:41This is something of a cheat entry,
04:43but the Mandalorians lost so much when Disney consigned the Knights of the Old Republic franchise to the Realms of Legends.
04:49Sort of.
04:50The KOTOR series detailed the Mandalorians as fearsome, brutal warriors
04:54who were capable of slaughtering even the Jedi Knights of the time.
04:57But without these stories in canon, the only Mandalorians we ever saw were Jango and Boba Fett,
05:03and neither were initially figures to write home about if one was to be brutally honest.
05:07Thankfully though, the likes of the Clone Wars and the Mandalorian have made the Mandalorians one of the most essential and fascinating aspects of Star Wars.
05:15Even Boba has gotten in on the action, benefiting from not just his appearances in the Clone Wars,
05:20but from a fan-favorite return in the Mandalorian Season 2.
05:23In short, the Mandalorians are back where they belong. Long may their reign continue.
05:28Number 4. Anakin Skywalker
05:31Yeah, yeah, I know. How can literally the most important character in all of Star Wars be saved by the expanded universe?
05:38Well, I'm getting to that, you big dafty.
05:40What I'm referring to here is the kind of Anakin we were meant to see in the prequels.
05:46As much as I can defend aspects of Hayden Christensen's performance or even Anakin's depiction more generally,
05:52we never get to see the character as the war hero we know him to be in any of those three films,
05:58making his eventual turn in Episode 3 less affecting overall.
06:02Once again, the Clone Wars series came to the rescue and painted a very different picture of Anakin Skywalker.
06:08He was confident, tactically brilliant, and a fearsome combatant in the field, but he also possessed an air of calm cunning,
06:16compassion, and the underlying darkness the character always needed to display.
06:21The highlight of Anakin's character rescue has to be the superb, albeit short, Mortis arc of the Clone Wars,
06:28which showed a glimpse of what Vader could have been had it not been for his defeat on Mustafar,
06:33something fans had been desperate to see for at least a decade.
06:36Number 3 – The Clones Another thing we have to thank The Clone Wars for,
06:41a series that transformed the clones from expendable stormtroopers into beloved individuals with a heavy burden to bear.
06:48By the time Episode 3 released, fans had already developed a degree of affection for certain clone troops,
06:53Clone Commander Cody and Fordo being just two.
06:56But it wasn't until the 2008 series that these characters were truly fleshed out,
07:01with Dave Filoni and co delving deep into each clone's personality, as well as finally answering just how much control the clones had over their actions during Order 66.
07:12Cody, Rex, Fives, Gregor, Wolf, Domino Squad, they're all the stars of that series,
07:18and it remains a highlight of Star Wars currently that they're getting so much attention, with the Bad Batch series also on the way.
07:25Number 2 – Wedge Antilles Dennis Lawson is one of the most dedicated actors in the entire Star Wars franchise,
07:32but his role as Rogue Squadron pilot Wedge Antilles is actually minor.
07:36A few lines in the original trilogy and a cameo in The Rise of Skywalker didn't really flesh out Wedge's character all that much,
07:43but the expanded universe ensured his legacy would live on.
07:47Many of Wedge's adventures may now be considered non-canon, but does that really matter?
07:52Those Rogue Squadron games and the X-Wing books that are set to inspire Patty Jenkins' upcoming Star Wars film are beloved for a reason,
08:00and all helped cement Wedge as one of the most legendary pilots in the entire Rebellion.
08:04Furthermore, Wedge has appeared in a smattering of Rebels episodes, albeit voiced by Nathan Kress,
08:10and there's even a snippet of Lawson's voice over an intercom in Rogue One.
08:14Throw in some appearances in post-Disney Star Wars novels, the Star Wars Squadron's video game,
08:19and the chance for him to appear once again in the new movie,
08:22and it's clear that Wedge is one of the characters who's truly benefited the most from the expanded canon.
08:28And number 1 – Maul
08:30Okay, so everyone who knows me knows I'm a big fan of The Phantom Menace.
08:34Yeah, it has dumb bits, but overall I like it,
08:37and for more reasons than just Maaz Guo's death noise during the Boonta Eve classic.
08:42Either way, while the big highlights of the return to a galaxy far, far away in 1999 was the fearsome Darth Maul.
08:52With his striking appearance, his epic double-bladed lightsaber combat, and his limited speaking part, Maul utters only 31 words in the entire film, giving him a mystique like no other villain in the franchise.
09:04Sadly, he was literally cut down just as things were getting interesting, and many thought that was that for the Zabrak Sith so many were initially captivated by.
09:13But they couldn't have been more wrong.
09:15Yet another Dave Filoni masterstroke saw Maul brought back in awesome fashion in the Clone Wars series, and later in Solo, Rebels, and even his own novelizations and comic books.
09:26Sam Witwer, the voice of Maul in the Clone Wars and Rebels, even returned a voice to the character in Solo, A Star Wars Story.
09:33Maul's reintroduction to the Star Wars franchise changed him from a loyal apprentice to a manipulative, powerful villain with a fantastic vendetta against his former master and Obi-Wan.
09:43No wonder he's so many fans' favorite character in the franchise.
09:47And those were eight Star Wars characters who were saved by the expanded universe.
09:52Remember you can find more content like this at whatculture.com, and more of me if you want to, at youandruinsthings on Twitter.
09:59That's all for now though, take care, and may the force be with you.
10:02Bye!
10:03Bye!
Recommended
12:50
|
Up next
9:12
3:06
2:10
13:06
1:29
13:23
11:34
10:46