Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was released on December 20, (or December 19th around 7 pm, depending on how hardcore a fan you are) which means many have had a chance to see the film multiple times, analyze it, praise it, hate on it, and pick up all the minor details set in place by the powers that be under the direction of J.J. Abrams.

For those fans who suffered through the long drought that was the release of Return of the Jedi in 1983 to the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, there is a long history of reading novels in the Star Wars expanded universe. That’s right! Luke, Leia, and Han had a long and detailed life and history (including family) before The Force Awakens ever hit theaters. Does any of it remain after being shunted to the “Legends” category after Disney purchased Lucas Film? Let’s see!

Confirmed: Leia Trained as a Jedi

On the page, Leia began training as a Jedi almost as soon as the Empire fell and the Death Star exploded. While many of the details of her training remain only in the Expanded Universe, the fact that she trained as a Jedi and started relatively soon post Return of the Jedi were confirmed in a flashback scene in The Rise of Skywalker. Luke shows Rey where he has been hiding Leia’s lightsaber, and thus shows the audience how Leia trained with it before giving it up in hopes of keeping the vision she had of her son’s fall from coming to fruition.

Debunked: Han and Leia Have More Kids

The Expanded Universe did not see Han and Leia as parents to Ben Solo, but rather as parents to twins, Jacen and Jaina, and son Anakin. While that trio was never going to appear in The Rise of Skywalker, the possibility that somehow Rey was related to the Solo parents was still somewhat of a possibility, but it was not to be. Han and Leia were, are, and will always be (in official Disney/Lucasfilm canon) parents to one child and one child only, Kylo Ren/Ben Solo.

Confirmed: Force Healing

While books and games have discussed the ability of Force Healing for decades, the power was not confirmed until this year. Originally, it was confirmed in The Mandalorian when Baby Yoda touches Greef Karga to heal his wounds, but the power is used even more extensively in The Rise of Skywalker by both Rey and Ben Solo. While healing trances and medical care have always been canon since the prequel trilogy, this particular style of power was only seen the Expanded Universe until now.

Debunked: Luke’s Clone

A major question after the release of The Force Awakens was, if Maz Kanata had Luke/Anakin’s old lightsaber, what had become of the hand that was gripping it when it fell? In Timothy Zahn’s, The Last Command novel, a clone of Luke appears (an evil clone, at that) that was created from Luke’s lost hand. In the sequel trilogy, no clone of Luke is ever seen, and neither is his hand. Maz doesn’t reveal where she came across his lightsaber either.

Confirmed: Palpatine Lives

The continued existence of Emperor Palpatine after his fall at the end of Return of the Jedi may seem either like a stretch or very clever, but the truth is the idea is not as original as some movie viewers might think. Palpatine actually did return in the Expanded Univers in a comic book series titled: Dark Empire. The first issue in the series came out all the way back in 1991. Palpatine returns to reap havoc on the galaxy within a newly cloned body of his. So, that line from Dominic Monaghan about the Emperor possibly being a clone? Yes, very very possible.

Debunked: Mara Jade

This was the last movie canon chance fans had to hear about any possible love interest for Luke Skywalker, and it never happened. Apparently, he spent some time running around another desert planet with Lando Calrissian, but he never did find his true love. Mara Jade was a much-loved character in the Expanded Universe, first working for the Emperor (see where fans might have hoped she’d appear in this last sequel?) before switching sides and falling in love with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker. Fun fact, in the Expanded Universe it is Mara and Luke who have a son named Ben.

Confirmed: Sith Holocrons/Wayfinders

Remember those fun sort of pyramid-shaped Sith Wayfinders both Kylo Ren and Rey use to locate the Sith planet of Exogol? Well, they are not wholely original to the J.J. Abrams Star Wars universe. A Sith Holocron, or a device used as repositories of knowledge, usually very special or very dangerous. In canon, we saw a Sith Holocron fall into the hands of Ezra Bridger on Star Wars: Rebels. However, holocrons of both Sith and Jedi have floated around the Expanded Universe for years. It was cool to see them used as GPS devices rather than as projectors or speakers this time around.

Debunked: Palpatine as Anakin’s Father

In the recent run of Star Wars: Darth Vader comics (in particular, issue number 25) it was implied that Palpatine could possibly have been the father of Anakin Skywalker (not just some immaculate conception through the force). With the reveal of Rey’s parentage and the Palpatine family line, there is no possibility remaining that Palpatine himself was the father of Ben Solo’s grandfather, Anakin Skywalker. For all Reylo shippers, that must come as quite a relief.

Confirmed: Yellow Lightsabers

 

If you’ve only ever seen the Star Wars films, then you may have thought you’d seen all the possible lightsabers: green, blue, red, and purple. Well, if you’ve been reading the Expanded Universe or even playing The Knights of the Old Republic video game, you know that’s not the case. Yellow lightsabers, like Rey’s at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, are rare, (just as Mace Windu’s purple blade was) but they were not unknown. They were used especially by Jedi Temple Guards who also often had double-bladed sabers.

Debunked: Jedi Order

Despite his best efforts after the fall of The Empire, Luke’s one attempt at building a Jedi academy failed and burned with the loss of the love of his nephew, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. Everyone should have understood from the title of the previous Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, that neither a Jedi Academy nor a Jedi Order would be born in this final installment of the Skywalker Saga.

That was confirmed when Rey buried both Luke and Leia’s lightsabers in the sand of Tatooine. If you want to see the rise of a Jedi Academy and a Jedi Order, it’s time to look back into the Expanded Universe and begin reading the Star Wars: Legends books ASAP.