Warning: This infobox has missing parameters: end date, start date and unrecognized parameters: era Star Wars Tales is a series of comics that began on September 29, 1999 and ended on July 13, 2005 published by Dark Horse Comics. Each issue is an anthology of stories from various eras of the Star Wars timeline. Although the stories themselves are unrelated, many issues were themed around a single character, group or era. Each story varies in length, with six or so stories in each issue, adding up to a total of 64 pages. Two covers were produced for each issue, one illustrated, another a photo-cover.
Issue #1 to Issue #20 were edited by Peet Janes (Issues 1 and 2) and Dave Land (Issues 3-20) and were labeled Infinities, placing them outside the canon (though this is not to say that the events depicted are permanently outside of the official continuity, just that they should not be considered canon unless or until they are endorsed by a canon source).[1]
However, in-universe, the premise is that the stories of the Tales series are holo rentals from Peeja Mobet's Holo Emporium. Peeja Mobet introduced the first two issues (before editor Peet Janes left the series and Dave Land took over), talking about the stories presented. Even he admits not everything that is found in his shop is "historically accurate." In his words (taken from Issue 1):
"Some folks take liberties with their characters, others ignore potentially significant events, and still others speculate about what might have happened if something didn't occur when and where it should have. Or vice-versa for that matter. And then of course there's them hoo-ha stories, which make none of the pretense about tying in so long as you're doubled over and crackin' up!"
From Issue 2: "Now, the stories that I carry in this shop have been told from as many points of view as there are thinking beings on this planet. That makes for some interesting perspectives, even on the same stories that we've heard over and over again. Everybody's got his or her own personal spin on events, and ideas of the outcomes too, that may rankle some folks: 'Hey, I was there! He didn't do that!' they shout over their half-drained lomin ales. Then somebody else pipes in with 'What do you know? You weren't even hatched when that happened!' and then the place devolves into a classic brawl.
I have a little more respect for the differing viewpoints. For one, every different viewpoint is another story I can rent! For another, despite the fact that our perceptions are based on the same incoming information, everybody has his or her own interpretations of things, no matter what lobe they're using or how glitterstimmed their ganglia may be. That's what makes this the most colorful galaxy in the universe, eh?
The most important thing is: is it a good story? Does it have all the parts, in a semblance of order, and make sense as a whole? Did you laugh at the end, or did your hearts jump and make you wonder about the final outcome, the fate of some endearing (or reviled!) character? I hope so; otherwise I'm not doing my job and you'd better tell me!"
Jeremy Barlow became the next editor, and edited Issue #21 to Issue #24. All the tales from these issues are considered to be canon, unless labeled otherwise.
Tales also produced a 16-page Free Comic Book Day Edition, released in May 2002.
Many Tales stories and events from the first twenty issues have been referenced in other Star Wars publications. This elevates the referenced aspects of the story into the canon, but does not necessarily mean that the entire story should be considered within the official continuity. For a list of all Tales stories that have had elements incorporated into continuity, see the corresponding section below.
The 24 issues of Tales have been collected in six volumes of trade paperbacks, collecting four full issues each.
Notable contributors
Issues
| Collected (TPB) issue | Released issue | Future issue |
| Issue | Title | Publication date | Trade paperback | TPB pub date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tales 1 | September 20, 1999 | Tales Volume 1 | February 20, 2002 |
| 2 | Tales 2 | January 5, 2000 | ||
| 3 | Tales 3 | March 29, 2000 | ||
| 4 | Tales 4 | June 29, 2000 | ||
| 5 | Tales 5 | September 27, 2000 | Tales Volume 2 | May 1, 2002 |
| 6 | Tales 6 | December 20, 2000 | ||
| 7 | Tales 7 | March 7, 2001 | ||
| 8 | Tales 8 | June 13, 2001 | ||
| 9 | Tales 9 | October 10, 2001 | Tales Volume 3 | February 26, 2003 |
| 10 | Tales 10 | December 12, 2001 | ||
| 11 | Tales 11 | March 20, 2002 | ||
| 12 | Tales 12 | June 5, 2002 | ||
| 13 | Tales 13 | September 25, 2002 | Tales Volume 4 | January 29, 2004 |
| 14 | Tales 14 | December 11, 2002 | ||
| 15 | Tales 15 | March 12, 2003 | ||
| 16 | Tales 16 | June 25, 2003 | ||
| 17 | Tales 17 | October 1, 2003 | Tales Volume 5 | February 23, 2005 |
| 18 | Tales 18 | December 24, 2003 | ||
| 19 | Tales 19 | May 14, 2004 | ||
| 20 | Tales 20 | June 30, 2004 | ||
| 21 | Tales 21 | October 20, 2004 | Tales Volume 6 | January 25, 2006 |
| 22 | Tales 22 | February 23, 2005 | ||
| 23 | Tales 23 | May 11, 2005 | ||
| 24 | Tales 24 | July 13, 2005 |
List of Star Wars Tales by Issue
Polish cover of Gwiezdne Wojny - Komiks
Star Wars Tales Volume 1
Star Wars Tales Volume 2
- Star Wars Tales 8
- Captain Threepio (Not canon)
- The One That Got Away
- The Secret Tales of Luke's Hand! (Not canon)
- Death Star Pirates
- Bad Business
Star Wars Tales Volume 3
- Star Wars Tales 9
- Resurrection
- Hate Leads to Lollipops (Not canon)
- The Rebel Four (Not canon)
- Star Wars Tales 10
- Trooper (Not canon)
- Skreej
- Nameless
- A Wookiee Scorned! (Not canon)
- Free Memory
Star Wars Tales Volume 4
- Star Wars Tales 16
- The Other
- Best Birthday Ever (Not canon)
- The Long, Bad Day
- Kessel Run (Not canon)
- Lunch Break (Not canon)
- Heart of Darkness
Star Wars Tales Volume 5
Star Wars Tales Volume 6
- Star Wars Tales 22
- Honor Bound
- Nomad, Chapter Two
- Marooned
- Star Wars Tales 23
- Shadows and Light
- Nomad, Chapter Three
- "Lucky" — Star Wars Tales 23
- Star Wars Tales 24
- Marked
- Fett Club (non-canon)
- Unseen, Unheard
- Nomad, Chapter Four
Tales stories with elements of continuity
This is a list of all stories in Star Wars Tales with elements that occur in continuity. By default, all Tales stories are Infinities, and are popularly described as being "non-canon with elements of continuity", referring to the fact that if an outside source C-canon or higher references an element in a Tales story, that element is canonized. It is important to note that this does not make the entire story canon, and in some cases the non-canon parts of the story contain details that are irreconcilable with the rest of Star Wars canon. These are noted below. All stories are sorted by trade paperback volume number, then alphabetically. The source in which the canon reference occurs is listed below the entry, with the appropriate section of the source following it.
Stories entirely within canon
The following are Tales stories that have either been reprinted without the Infinities logo, rendering them entirely canon, or stories printed after Tales 20, which no longer carry the Infinities logo unless an individual story calls for it. No source is listed for the stories of Volume VI, as they are already in canon.
Volume I
- Star Wars Collectible Bonus Magazine
- Also referenced in:
Volume II
- Star Wars Kids 16-20
- Also referenced in Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds
Volume III
- Confirmed as canon on Leland Chee's blog
- Also referenced in The Dark Forces Saga, Part 5
Volume VI
- Equals & Opposites
- Honor Bound
- "Lucky" — Star Wars Tales 23
- Marked
- Marooned
- Nomad
- Shadows and Light
- Unseen, Unheard
- Walking the Path That's Given
Stories with elements of continuity
The following are Tales stories that have had a reference to them published in a canon source. The scope of the reference varies; some, such as Extinction, have almost their entire story referenced, while others may have no more than a planet or person's name reprinted.
Volume I
- The New Essential Guide to Characters: Jar Jar Binks
- Databank: Captain Tarpals
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: p. 35
- The New Essential Guide to Characters: Lobot
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds Databank: Bespin
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: p. 68 (picture)
- Lando Calrissian: Idiot's Array
Life, Death, and the Living Force
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 138 (HEA4, Healing and Healers)
Mara Jade: A Night on the Town
- Star Wars Insider 81 Online Supplement: Droids, Technology and the Force: A Clash of Phenomena
Volume II
A Hot Time in the Cold Town Tonite!
Fortune, Fate, and the Natural History of the Sarlacc[3]
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 51 (HOT12, Hoth - Wampa Ice Cave)
Lando's Commandos: On Eagles' Wings
"Unusual Suspects" — Star Wars Gamer 6- The New Essential Guide to Characters
- Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds: Darth Vader's Search for the Rebels (Cloud City Attack)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- "Unusual Suspects" — Star Wars Gamer 6
- The History of the Mandalorians
- The New Essential Chronology
- Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines
- Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
- Star Wars: Starfighter
- The New Essential Guide to Characters
- The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: p. 95
- The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia: "Gamma Squad (2)" entry
Yaddle's Tale: The One Below [4]
The Secret Tales of Luke's Hand!
Volume III
- The Dark Forces Saga, Part 4
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: p. 32 (picture)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Volume IV
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: p. 67 (picture)
- Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide: p. 18 (picture)
- One of a Kind
- The New Essential Chronology: Profiles in History (The Skywalkers)
- Jedi: Aayla Secura
- The New Essential Chronology: The Fall of the Republic (The Battle of Kamino)
- Hasbro.com [1]
Volume V
- The Official Star Wars Fact File 117
- The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology: Datapad
- Boba Fett: A Practical Man
The Value of Proper Intelligence to Any Successful Military Campaign is Not to Be Underestimated
Notes and references
- ↑ Leland Chee's statement
- ↑ This story has only been referenced as an in-universe rumor.
- ↑ The framing story can not be entirely within canon due to a timeline conflict: Boba Fett is present when Grubbat Fhilch is fed to the parent Sarlacc at the story's beginning. However, the Sarlacc which spawns from its parent during the story, the one which later inhabits the Great Pit of Carkoon, is confirmed in A Barve Like That: The Tale of Boba Fett as being hundreds of years old.
- ↑ The framing story can not be entirely within canon due to a timeline conflict: Oppo Rancisis is present on the Jedi Council for the confirmation of Yaddle in the story; however, Oppo was trained by Yaddle, and at this time was only a Padawan.
- ↑ Any references to Mace Windu's parents cannot be canon due to a conflict with his backstory provided in Shatterpoint.
- ↑ Han Solo's role is questionable, due to a conflict with The New Jedi Order: The Unifying Force, where it is implied that he and Boba Fett have not met in a long time.