Star Wars: 10 Best Pieces Of The Expanded Universe

3. The Death of Chewbacca

It may seem strange to have the death of a beloved character not happening as a negative point. In fact it feels strange to even consider it. However, if it was one thing that the original trilogy mostly stayed away from, it was the deaths of those whom we cared for. Yes, Yoda died, but he was old. Anakin Skywalker died at the end of Return Of The Jedi, but was he really loved? When R.A. Salvatore penned Vector Prime in 1999, the death of Chewbacca created a firestorm of controversy. It was the first and only time a major character from the films had been killed off and it came with George Lucas€™s blessing. Learning that Chewbacca had died, having fulfilled his life-debt to Han and by extension, Han€™s family, had a certain charm to it. Now, granted, this could still happen in the sequels, but, somehow, that would weaken the experience. Many people shed a tear when the €œwalking carpet€ died and yet it somehow seemed fitting. Now though, while it is certainly appealing to have him back, it makes his death in Vector Prime seem cheap and by extension, the emotions readers went through at the time.