Marvel's modern Star Wars comics gave readers further insight into the main characters of the Original Trilogy. Fans now have a comprehensive timeline of what Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and the rest of the cast did between films. The High Republic introduced an entirely new era of heroes and villains. Star Wars Legends comics did the same, only much earlier.

Years ago, Dark Horse published many Star Wars comics that purposely starred lesser-known, obscure, or even brand-new characters (at the time). Luke, Han and Leia's stories were so well-documented in the Legends novels that Dark Horse shifted focus to Rogue Squadron pilots, the Emperor's personal guards, Jedi from centuries past and even future descendants of the Skywalker family tree.

10 The Jedi/Sith War 4000 Years Ago

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic comic series may have the same name as the popular Xbox video game series, but it shares no direct connection, taking place nearly a decade before the first game's events. Revan, Malek and Bastila are not the main characters here. Instead, readers follow Zayne Carrick, a Padawan at the Jedi Academy on Taris, a planet familiar to gamers.

Zayne immediately falls into a situation no other Star Wars protagonist has experienced: discovering his fellow Padawans murdered at the hands of his Jedi Masters. The series involves the mystery of why the Jedi killed their own while Zayne trains in the Force and becomes a more confident friend and leader.

9 An Old Republic Jedi Becomes A Sith Lord

Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi

Those who love the infrastructure of the Star Wars universe will love the Tales of the Jedi ongoing series. Tales of the Jedi takes place around the same time as the Knights of the Old Republic comics and video games––with the growing Sith battling the Jedi for control of the galaxy.

The Tales of the Jedi series features many main characters––an ensemble cast that each offers a unique perspective on the war with the Sith and the battles over hyperspace lanes. Naga Sadow is one of the main Sith, Odan-Urr is a historian who studies the Jedi, and Ulic Qel-Droma is a Jedi who falls to the dark side.

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi

Dawn of the Jedi takes place over 36,000 years before the events of A New Hope. Star Wars fans couldn't find a more secluded, self-contained story if they tried. No Skywalkers. No Palpatine... no Jedi or Sith (as modern fans know them, at least). Dawn of the Jedi is truly the emergence of both the Jedi and Sith, with a much more primitive understanding of the Force.

The series features characters far removed from the rest of the Star Wars timeline, such as Shae Koda. Sek'nos Rath is a member of the Sith species (long before the Sith expanded to include dark side users of any species) who trains to become a Je'daii, the ancient version of the Jedi Order. Fans tired of the Skywalker Saga should definitely check out Dawn of the Jedi.

7 Dark Age Of The Republic

Star Wars: Knight Errant

Writer John Jackson Miller really structured a lot of the ancient Star Wars timeline, with his contributions to the Knights of the Old Republic comic series, his Lost Tribe of the Sith novel and his work on this Knight Errant ongoing comic. Knight Errant takes place 1000 years before the birth of Anakin Skywalker when the Sith ruled the galaxy, and the Jedi were the underdogs.

Kerra Holt is the main character, a young Jedi Knight thrust into a dangerous situation––planting herself among the Sith, sparking a civil war in their ranks. Knight Errant explores a fascinating time in Star Wars, shortly before the Sith disappeared, only emerging once more shortly before The Phantom Menace.

6 The Skywalker Family Legacy

Star Wars: Legacy

The Jedi want him to save the galaxy. The Sith want him out of the picture. Cade Skywalker just wants to be left alone. Cade is unlike most Star Wars protagonists. Luke Skywalker sought adventure. Anakin sought power. Rey sought belonging. Cade is selfish, arrogant and aggressive.

Star Wars: Legacy features the re-emergence of the Sith, battling a weakened Jedi Order as they retake the galaxy hundreds of years after the fall of Palpatine's Empire. Cade is an incredible protagonist, often balancing on the thin line between light and dark. His moral ambiguity is one of his greatest traits, leading to some creative stories and a Star Wars era unlike any before.

5 The Solo Family Legacy

Star Wars: Legacy II

The second Star Wars: Legacy series wasn't quite as popular as the first, only lasting 18 issues. Whereas Legacy focused on Cade Skywalker, a reluctant Force-user toeing the line between Jedi and Sith, Legacy II starred a descendant of the Solo family tree, Ania.

Ania is similar to Cade in that they both began their journeys far removed from the drama and conflicts brewing at the galaxy's center. Cade joined the conflict due to his lineage. Ania joins because of her discovery––finding a lightsaber that made her a target for Imperial Knights and criminals. While not as crucial to the Star Wars timeline, Legacy II is a great story for those who love exploring lineages and are interested in the future of the Solo and Skywalker bloodlines.

4 The Reign Of Darth Vader & The Empire

Star Wars: Dark Times

Obi-Wan and Yoda's lives after the fall of the Jedi are well-documented, but what about the rest who survived Order 66? In 2005, Revenge of the Sith showed the last battle of the Clone Wars and the first minutes of the galactic Jedi purge. Beloved Jedi Masters were hunted across the galaxy, and while Darth Vader destroyed all those in the Jedi Temple, many remained across the stars in hiding.

Star Wars: Dark Times picks up after Revenge of the Sith, highlighting Darth Vader's Jedi hunts. Dark Times stars Dass Jennir, a Jedi who escaped the new Galactic Empire with the help of supporting characters like Bomo Greenbark and fellow Jedi Kennan Taanzer and Master K'kruhk.

3 The New Jedi Order & The Yuuzhan Vong War

Star Wars: Invasion

Modern comic readers likely recognize Tom Taylor's name thanks to his work on series like Injustice and his critically acclaimed Nightwing series. In 2009, Taylor wrote for the Star Wars: Invasion miniseries, set decades after Return of the Jedi, during the height of the Yuuzhan Vong War.

Luke Skywalker established a new Jedi Order and the entire line of Star Wars stories at the time slowly moved away from Luke, Han and Leia, instead focusing on their children, Jaina and Jacen Solo. Invasion specifically presents the early days of the Yuuzhan Vong War, with Finn Galfridian as the main character, a young man who trains to become a Jedi under Skywalker.

2 Heroes Of The Rebellion

Star Wars: X-Wing - Rogue Squadron

The Rebellion was always more than just Luke, Han and Leia. Still, they were the stars of the show, with some other Rebels like Wedge Antilles appearing several times across the Original Trilogy. Star Wars: X-Wing - Rogue Squadron allowed Dark Horse to showcase important Rebels beyond the main cast.

Set after the events of Return of the Jedi, Rogue Squadron starred Wedge and other members of the X-wing Rogue Squadron on missions across the galaxy, destroying remnants of the Empire and finding hidden weapons or spies that could destroy the New Republic. The Star Wars: X-Wing - Rogue Squadron is best read alongside the series of X-Wing Legends novels, which similarly expanded the Rebellion.

1 Star Wars From The Emperor's Imperial Guard

Star Wars: Crimson Empire

Who were those guards all dressed in long, red cloaks, creeping in the background of the Emperor's throne room, noticeably absent during the conflict between Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Palpatine? Star Wars: Crimson Empire reveals all about these Imperial Guards, focusing on two characters: Kir Kanos and Carnor Jax.

Kanos was loyal to Palpatine to the end, while Jax dreamed of overthrowing the Emperor and taking his throne as a new Sith Lord. The Crimson Empire saga continued for two sequels, Council of Blood and Empire Lost, and remains one of the best Star Wars miniseries of all time, showcasing internal Imperial struggles that have little to do with the classic Star Wars heroes.