X key Star Wars canon changes and additions only shown in the book

The Star Wars books have changed the canon, revealed the deepest secrets of the Jedi and Sith, and answered a host of sequel trilogy mysteries.

Star Wars is a transmedia franchise, with many of the most important developments in canon and lore taking place in the books. The concept of transmedia in Star Wars isn't new; the first official tie-in novel, Alan Dean Foster's Splinter of the Mind's Eye, was published in 1978— — well before The Empire Strikes Back. These pairings have traditionally been seen as auxiliary; George Lucas never considered himself responsible for the so-called "expanding universe", taking what he liked and giving up everything else.

This all changed in 2012, when Disney acquired Lucasfilm. The old EU was officially declared non-canonical (or "legendary"), but every tie-in since then will carry equal canon weight with the movies and TV shows. Disney's classic novel improves on the prequels, while the cross-media initiative surrounding the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story tells the full history of the Death Star. More recently, the official Star Wars books and comics have filled many of the plot holes (successfully or not) in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Here are all of the greatest contributions to canon described in the book.

The Chosen One Prophecy

George Lucas launches prequel trilogy In 1999's Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, he took audiences by surprise with a new idea; the concept of a messianic prophecy fulfilled through Anakin Skywalker. Conceived of in the Force itself, Anakin is destined to bring balance, a term Lucas carefully avoids defining. Lucas never actually explained the Chosen One prophecy, though, possibly in part because it didn't get the reaction he expected. The nature of the prophecy, and how exactly it works, is still a matter of much debate in fandom.

Claudia Gray's novel "Master and Pupil" finally answers some basic questions about the Chosen One. It even reveals the full text of the prophecy: "A chosen one shall come, born without a father, through whom the final balance of the Force shall be restored." This is apparently part of the collection of ancient Jedi prophecies, forged by prequel-era Jedi Ignored, but Qui-Gon Jinn is still working on it. One of the few Jedi Knights truly sensitive to the guidance of the Force, Qui-Gon studied these forgotten Jedi prophecies and realized that he was living in a time when they were being fulfilled. It's no coincidence that Qui-Gon was the one who found Anakin on Tatooine. He may be the only Jedi who can recognize the Chosen One.

Obi-Wan Knew About Anakin & Padmé All Along

Set during the Clone Wars, Mike Chan's Brotherhood confirmed suspicions that Obi-Wan Kenobi knew about Anakin's relationship with Padmé all along. Anakin, who had just been promoted to Jedi Knight, shared a spontaneous relationship with Padmé in the Jedi Temple. He thought he wasn't being noticed, but he was wrong; Obi-Wan sensed something was wrong and overtook this intimate moment.

The Brotherhood cleverly reframes the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin; it rewrites Anakin's former master as his secret keeper, as Obi-Wan guarded Obi-Wan throughout the Clone Wars. Nagin and Padmé's secret. Obi-Wan is more Anakin than he himself admits, as he cares more about the well-being of his former students than abiding by the Jedi code. He, like Anakin, was a victim of attachment and as the years went by he became a hypocrite and didn't even mention it to Yoda or Mace Windu after he became a member of the Jedi Council . This explains his growing annoyance with Anakin in Star Wars: The Clone Wars Secret 7, when he shocks Anakin after suggesting he knows the Clone Wars secret relation. No doubt a part of Obi-Wan has come to loathe this secrecy.

The History Of The Death Star Project

The publishing program surrounding Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is undoubtedly one of the best in franchise history, with James Luceno's Catalyst and Alexander Freed's novels both contributing to Star Wars. Canon made an important contribution. One of Star Wars' greatest coherent masters of all time, Luceno effortlessly brought together all the conflicting threads to write the definitive history of the Death Star. He reveals that construction of the Death Star began during the Clone Wars, shortly after the Jedi took back the plans from the Separatists in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Palpatine secretly convinced the higher echelons of the Republic that the Separatists were preparing their own Death Star, and that the Republic needed to build theirs first. It's a classic piece of Palpatine's political genius - but unfortunately for the Emperor, the building ran into problems.

Alexander Freed's novel Rogue One explains how the Death Star was destroyed by Galen Erso, who was A scientist who managed to figure out how to weaponize kyber crystals. Using the Empire's bureaucracy against the Empire, he "discovered" the problem of overheating reactors, In addition to his secretly preferred solution, he also proposed a series of impractical solutions - installing exhaust shafts, which created a weak point that the Rebel Alliance eventually used against the Death Star. Garen's sabotage was successful, and the Imperial Battle Station was destroyed with the help of Luke Skywalker.

The Identities Of Rey’s Parents

Adam Christopher's Shadow of the Sith is one of the most important books in the Star Wars canon to date, exploring some of the concepts and ideas revealed in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Shadow of the Sith introduced Rey's parents, naming them Dazen and Miramir. Dathan is a strandcast, a failed Palpatine clone created on the planet Exegol, which he manages to escape - quickly meeting and falling in love with Miramir. The couple became so smitten with Rey that they only kept her on Jakku when they realized they would have to face the Emperor's bounty hunters. They hoped to return to Rey after their victory, but were unfortunately killed by Beston's Orchi.

Exegol’s Importance To The Sith

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker introduces the Sith planet Exegol, and the exploration of this Sith fortress has landed in novels and comics. Exegol is revered by the Sith, The veil between life and death is unusually thin. This is revealed in George Mann's dark saga, a revelation that hints at why the Emperor's acolytes were only able to resurrect him in Exegol. They were able to summon his spirit, drawing it into a clone. This same convergence explains why clones can err so badly, since the dark side has a profound effect on clones.

Why Nobody Helped The Resistance In The Last Jedi

Star Wars: The Last Jedi proved to be a particularly controversial film, with many feeling that it did not embody core Star Wars themes and concepts. One of the most disturbing moments is when Leia's desperate calls for help go unanswered. The Resistance was isolated, and the flames of hope were extinguished. On a thematic level, The Last Jedi rejects themes of hope that have been so important to the franchise. Rebecca Roanhorse explains this in her novel Resistance Reborn, which was published before the conclusion of the sequel trilogy.

Roanhorse presents a clever explanation, a logical extension of the idea already hinted at. She reveals that the First Order has scoured the galaxy for potential allies members of the Resistance and kidnapped their relatives, taking them hostage. It wasn't until the Resistance allies were suppressed that Supreme Leader Snoke began his military campaign, first launching Starkiller Base to destroy the New Republic capital Hosnian Prime, and then launching a Blitzkrieg across the galaxy. That's the real reason no one comes to help the Resistance in the Star Wars sequels; because, unfortunately, they've already been neutralized.