The History of Heroes

Jedi and Sith have battled for centuries. Here are their adventures, passed on through the generations in print.

• Golden Age of the Sith : Two Hyperspace Explorers accidentally reintroduce the Sith to the Republic, with war as the result.
• Tales of the Jedi: Knight of the Old Republic tells of rediscovery of sith teachings and war between Exar Kun and his sith minions and the jedi.
  Anakin Skywalker wasn't the first jedi to fall...nor was he the only one to return.

Ancient Republic and Wars with the Sith

The Mandalorian Wars ended in a major crisis when the two heroes who won it turned and became Sith. After this crisis ended, new Sith frequently popped up thanks to the rediscovered teachings. The time of Darth Bane has been opened up in graphic novels like Jedi VS Sith and expanded further in novels. Darth Bane begins as a simple but volatile miner with a terrible father, is recruited by the sith and ends up the last one standing. He institutes the rule of two...and in the long run, this rule leads to rise of the Empire under Palpatine.

The Republic

  

The Republic era after the Jedi VS Sith wars was a time of peace, with jedi in their tradional role of peace keeper. But one can find tales of intrigue as Palpatine climbs the ladder of politics and sends Darth Maul, his first apprentice on secret missions. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan Kenobi trains under Qui-Gon Jinn and his life is an example of traditional training, mediation, investigation and outright conflict with villains. These are mostly in novels, but for wider views their are comics and graphic novels involving the other jedi. They roll right on into the training of Young Anakin Skywalker by Obi-Wan and lead right up to Ansion, their last mission before they are assigned to protect senator Amidala.

Time of Transition: The Clone Wars

  

The Clone Wars era has expanded in complicated fashion. The historical timeline is confused...comics and graphic novels disagree with the latest novels featuring Ahsoka and crew from the Clone Wars. The most notable difference being the date of Anakin Skywalker's promotion to jedi knight. But one can find out more on jedi exploits including Asharad Hett, Ki-Adi-Mundi of the jedi council, the Dark Woman and of course are Anakin and Obi-Wan. There are also revelations revealing Dooku's plot to kill Yoda and Yoda's attempts to bring him back to the light. Mace Windu and Kit Fisto also get more time in the spotlight, so does Bariss Offee.

The Empire and Rebellion

  

The Imperial Age saw an end to the jedi and a rise in rule through force (not The Force). But an Alliance to Restore the Republic arose and their exploits became legendary, beginning with the meeting of Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, who managed to bring down the Empire's ultimate weapon. Their adventures are well chronicled (not without conflict). Individuals backstories have been well explored as well.

The New Republic and Galactic Alliance

  

The New Republic began officially with the death of the Emperor, although the fine details had to be worked out. War continued as the surviving Imperial government failed to capitulate. Stories of the New Republic officer's daring in everything from battle to diplomacy are well documented, especially the likes of the famous (or infamous) Rogue Squadron, founded by Luke Skywalker and then lead by Wedge Antilles. It was over twenty years later, well after Luke Skywalker had begun the jedi academy, that a peace treaty was reached with the Imperial Remnant. For a time, skirmishes with Imperial splinter groups continued. But true disaster came when the galaxy was invaded by the Yuuzhan Vong. A species that worshiped pain, they sought to enslave the galaxy. Conflicts between jedi and government, as well as different governments, nearly spelled disaster. But in the end they overcame and the New Republic was renamed the Galactic Alliance. Not long after, internal conflict led to the outbreak of civil war and once more changes had to be made.

Discrepancies

The challenges of print from A Long Time Ago....

When studying Galactic History, one has to note that history is subject to the victor, as well as the ravages of war. This seems especially true of the print media. Dates get mixed up or lost, and the Knighting of one Jedi would not seem important, except that he helped bring down the Jedi Order and create an Empire. One Mandalorian becomes confused with another as three generations in a row make themselves legendary and who, after all, can see beneath the helmet?

The Reasons for Conflicting History

• War Damage. For instance:
  The entire Jedi library was wiped out or stolen twice: once on Ossus in ancient days, once when the Emperor took over.
  
  Alderaan, a center of learning with vast libraries was completely destroyed.
  
  Grand Admiral Thrawn battling the New Republic damaged data when he raided Obrai Skai's famous library.
  
  The Yuuzhan Vong's indescriminate conquest included wiping out whole planets and terraforming, much to the detriment of records.
  
  
• Sabotage The Empire went out of their way to destroy records that honored the jedi. In turn, the jedi also destroyed records in order to hide better from the Imperial hunters.
  
  
• Misdirection Both in war and in politics, it is common for the enemy to hide or misdirect their tactics, whether it's framing someone else for an assault on civilians, a cover up or a bribe.
  
  
• Points of View Records will show the point of view of the individual. They may be a member of the Confederacy that believed the jedi to be puppets of the Senate. They may be a non aligned civilian or scoundrel. They may be a member of the Empire. Or they may be an alliance officer turned Jedi. It all affects how they see and record history.