"Dash Rendar" sounds like a bottled cooking spice drawn by Rob Liefeld.

The Expanded Universe was so much better than the drivel that Disney gave us. Now Disney will ruin "Heir to the Empire" in a reboot featuring their characters that no one asked for.

There was such a drought for new Star Wars content in the early 90’s. There was something really unique about reading new Star Wars Expanded Universe stories and playing with toys based on those adventures. The Star Wars Universe presented in those books seemed so limitless, and those figures filled a great void for those collectors who read the novels. To this day I display my figures with their intended and carefully cut, card stock backgrounds.

As an avid collector of all the Shadows of the Empire stuff: I got a signed poster framed, the trading cards, the figurines, the micro machines, the limited edition signed comic, the comic two packs, I even got the silly statue, I was laughing out loud at your comments on Shadows. That was spot on! You made my day Michael!

A terrific video Michael. I'm not overly familiar with the expanded universe so this was extremely educational. Thank you!

The Thrawn Trilogy should have been 7,8 and 9 movies. Outstanding series...Outstanding video Mate! 😁👍

POTF2 ‘95-‘99 was alot of fun. I graduated HS when they came out in ‘95 and I had my own money. Those buff figures haven’t stood the test of time like the originals. But the experience of collecting back then was unmatched. At least for me.

"But if I may piss you off for a moment" is the most Michael quote ever 🤣

I walked out of the star tours ride at Disney, into the gift shop, and discovered the thrawn trilogy in hardback. Changed my life! Unfortunately, I don’t have those either anymore. I have reacquired them in paperback, but it’s just not the same.

"Somehow, Palpatine has returned," Every time there is a mention of Palpatine clone, I think of that quote😂

I was so pissed in the 90's when Shadows was announced. They kept saying "Everything but the movie" - but I kept hoping for a surprise announcement. I remember hunting all over for the variant of Xixor only to discover it wasn't a real thing. Ah, good times.

Only the true RB fans will remember the intense and deep lore of the iconic duck blanket.

As a fan of the EU this gets an automatic like. Edit: Also wanted to say how disappointed I am with how they did my favorite Star Wars character Grand Admiral Thrawn in the Ashoka show this video helps me remember my teenage years reading these novels back in 2015-2016.

"I didn't learn about the Role Playing Game until 1991." The following year, Troy and Netter got married. DAMN I'm old!

Even at 10 years old I bought these and left them on card as well as played with them. I just plain loved them. I cut grass, chopped wood, shoveled snow, cleaned cars, and all the money bought these figures. I still buy as many as I can find. It’s my only addiction and I’m ok with it.

As always, a well curated narrative not pandering to nostalgia. You have done well to account for the dark era of STARWARS between 85-1997, as fans today can not imagine a world unsaturated.

This almost feels like a Star Wars victories episode. Amazing video.

Excellent look at these figures. POTF2 was my first experience with Star Wars toys and they still remain some of favorites from a toy standpoint. I remember the figures actually got me into more of the Expanded Universe stuff as I was trying to find out where these characters originated.

Interesting video. Thank you for an unique point of view, Michael. Brings back memories when the novels came out and meeting Timothy Zahn back in 97 and talking about Thrawn, as intended by the author. Keep up the great work.

I loved the steroid muscle rehashes of our favorite characters. that original red card wave 1 line will always hold a special place in my heart.

Love this. Your video brings back so many memories from this time back in the scant toy aisles and limited shelf space of comic and hobby shops where Star Wars stuff was confined to in the 90s. We had the Star Wars card game, the dark horse comics, and those Expanded Universe paperbacks with the beautiful raised gold logo. It was a special, pre-Internet era where you only had your friends and people far away, who you saw maybe once a year at some random con, with whom you could enjoy Star Wars.

Always enjoy learning more about this Expanded Universe. Thanks!

The RPG was amazing and i still play it today!!!

You nailed it about the “dark times” from 85-95. Great video!

Thank you so much for focusing on these figures. When they were first released, I was elated. Dark Empire was the first EU media I got my hands on, and its "very gritty" art and wild story has stuck with me ever since. That Dark Empire Luke, Leia, and Mara Jade STILL have a prominent place in my display. Dark Empire of course lead to the Thrawn books, and I went in on a few of the Dark Horse comic series.

Excellent video as always. I love your attention to detail in all of your videos. Keep up the great work.

Thanks for the video Michael, enjoyed EVERY second of this episode 🙏

It is so cool that you not only have pictures, but video of your fandom as a wee lad. AbsoLukely fantastic. I feel like I should read the Thrawn Trilogy now

This might be the only video of yours where I own 90% of the items being featured. Great work as always Michael!

Great to see these figures get some love. Another thorough breakdown thank you.

Oh boy, I've been waiting for this!

Utterly Fantastic Video Sir!!!

Excellent video Michael! You got lucky with the stuff you got! :)

Great video Mike

Man! This brought back the mid-late '90s zeitgeist, Michael. So much so, I pulled up my Oasis playlist for the drive home tonight. Needed the smile brought to my face at this point in the semester and this did the trick. Thanks!

Great video, expertly taking us through both the toy line and a unique period in Star Wars fandom.

New upload, nice 🔥

Awesome video!

To this day, those West End Game sourcebooks are some of my favorite parts of the Expanded Universe.

Great video!

Great, informative video.

Love this Vid!

Awesome video! I have most of these Expanded Universe figures in my collection and was very lucky to find them, they were notoriously scarce at retail stores back in the day. I also picked up three EU vehicles that they produced which were based on early concept drawings for the speeder bike, cloud car, and snowspeeder. All very cool stuff!👍

I actually grew up with the *Expanded Universe* before even seeing any _Star Wars_ movies. I've got the _Ultimate Visual Guide,_ a lovely book by Dorling-Kindersley that meticulously recorded all the canon content (movies, books, games, comics, etc.) in the SW universe up to 2005. A glorious road map for ten-year-old me that allowed me to fall in love with the great mythology of that universe.

Now that is a helluva video of great dark years figures!!

This video will make a fine addition to my star wars video collection.

IT'S BACK

I adore this entire line. I went crazy when they came out in the 90s and immediately started hunting for them. I've tried to get a double or two of figures when I can find them of the years. Good video

I was fortunate to find those figures at my local Walmart, when WM actually had a great selection of figures. I worked at a retail store back during that time and I was the only one that purchased the SOTE soundtrack. Great video Michael. 🙂

Great video. Love your black series mix of figures!!!

This was very educational, plugging a big gap in my SW knowledge, thank you

Very informative, thanks. Only picked up Thrawn at the time and immediately open the blister and displayed him with his pop out diorama.

Great video Micheal. I'm not familiar with the expanded universe so this was a great history lesson.

Some of the most prized figures in my collection... personally, I was more drawn to Dark Empire because of the comic art... I didn't like the idea of the Emperor coming back, but after seeing these figures it immediately felt nostalgic from reading those comics... and now I have a soft place for the storyline. Anyway, your video helped me understand your perspective a little better.

Great video sir, talk about memories. I thank I'll give those books a re-read. My set is still on card too except my double of Mara Jade.

Very cool I never actually saw that line in stores. Props for having such a nice looking set in package 😎

Just a fantastic review Michael 🎉 I collected those UK Dark Horse comics as well

Great video and I always enjoy learning something new. "Xizor. Who knew?"

Love this. I adore that line. I never saw them on shelves during their original release, only in magazines but over the 2000s I gradually began to collect them and put the set together.

I bought those when they came out. I bought 2 of all of the figures in those days - one to open and one to lay down. They were only 5 bucks a pop then, and I was out of school and earning money with no real expenses. It was a great time to collect! My other friends who collected or dabbled all steered clear of those, even the ones that were familiar with that media. Even though I was not in love with the "expanded universe" I had at least read the Zahn books and played Dark Forces. I just bought them to complete the range. To me they were neat "oddities" of the figure series. I think some of them were even peg warmers for awhile or ended up in clearance bins. I think I sold off all or most of my sealed duplicates years later, so I guess I don't have any gold treasures if they are worth big bucks now.

I was in my mid twenties when the POTF2 line was in full swing and I never saw those last figures until they ended up in collector shops, great video Irving Kir..er I mean Michael. you are the Master.

After nearing the end of my vintage run I focused on the POTF2 line. I found them affordable while still challenging as they are not loved by other collectors. Loose or MOC the transition from muscle bound MOTU like figs to more realistic shows the era they came from & I think they will become sought after in years to come..

Another great video. I'm from Southampton really cool to hear of your trip here

Regarding Shadows of the Empire, I think it’s the best SW novel there is, to me anyhow. Not because it had any great revelations (other than little things, like, how Luke crafted his green lightsaber and how the Alliance got pitched the plans to the Death Star II). BUT, because it had the characters down to a T! Steve Perry (author) wrote every character the way they would think and behave in the movies: Luke is still a bit hot-headed, but noticeably makes his transition to the thoughtful (wanna-be) Jedi we know from ROTJ. Leia is the strong and resourceful senator we know she is, and she has a great, seductive plot line with Xizor. Writing soft erotic scenes for SW has to be one of the most difficult tasks, but Steve Perry pulled it off magnificently. Darth Vader is given a warriors sense of honour by Steve Perry. Bridges the heartless, ruthless Vader from ESB to the conflicted Vader we know from ROTJ. Perry, masterfully, gives Vader more dimensions without breaking the lore or the character. The triangle between the Emperor, Prince Xizor and Vader is so entertaining and thrilling to read. You witness how Prince Xizor and Vader strategise to gain the favours of the Emperor. It’s a great story that has an amazing finale in which you actually feel relieved that the empire shows up. I’m not spoiling the ending, but I highly recommend you read this novel. It’s so sad that this never got a movie.

I didn't know any of this...thanks for the scoop and research. Mind blowing stuff. I just didn't know it.

The dark trooper holds up the most out of all the figures since it was even repacked in 2007

"But if i may piss you off for a moment..." Ha! That's a great line. Inthralling as always, Michael!

This is the SW toy line that was never sold in the toystore that was existing back then in my hometown and got closed a few years later. God knows how I miss going to the toy aisle, my hands holding a toy and examining it before deciding to buy or not. Physically doing some toy hunting today isn't much fun as before.

I have to say I'm shocked no one made vintage styled figures of the Prequel era given they made some for The Mandelorian of all things

Video is really cool Michael. I think we all would rather have these stories these days rather than the sequels. I’m young so I had the legacy comics as a kid and while cool, I still really enjoyed the Zahn books and lore once I started reading them. Also, out of those DK legacy collection 2 packs they were selling at TRU and other stores, I think the coolest to me were the Imperial Knights.

I vividly remember reading the West End Star Wars sourcebooks at my local mall's Waldenbooks like a junkie looking for a fix of Star Wars. I must not have been the only one since the shrink wrap was always torn off before I got there.

"Luke in Robotech armor." Mark Hamill later voiced three characters on Robotech the Shadow Chronicles DVD in 2007.

This is ART!

Very, very interesting. I never got into the toy collecting - I think it came way later to us here in Germany, than it did in the English countries - and I was always a book kid above anything else. So I wasn't as aware of these other things, but I ended up coming to pretty much the same place you did: the prequels didn't end my love for Star Wars, but they did turn me into an outsider towards my own favourite franchise. The precise end of the EU for me was the publishing of Zahn's Vision of the Future. Tragically. Maybe you could still throw in the comic with Luke and Mara's wedding. That's it. Thank you for this fun trip down memory lane, Mike!

Awesome video. Such a dark time, the 90’s… Anyway, it’s funny- we name our shows after Star Wars things, and we’re doing “Heir to the SUPERWRESTLERS” in June!

Luke, Mara, Thrawn and Leia were the 4 I got my hands on and the only POF 90s figures that have permanently stayed out on display alongside my original Kenner line. Aside from the bizarre lightsaber colour choices (and I agree the colouring in Dark Empire itself was…bizarre…) these are great figures.

Sick video, bro!

I was glad to have GI Joe to fill the void after the original trilogy ended but i still searched for anything Star Wars until it came back in full force. The Thrawn trilogy, Super Nintendo games and role playing games kept us going and proves that Star Wars is forever. Disney can hurt it but it can't kill it

Thrawn has that Blofeld thang going on. "No, Mr. Skywalker, I expected a Jedi!"

Excellent video. Fantastic Detail and great production values. I have to agree with your assessment of these figures. They were the last run before the prequels. The importance of this set cannot be understated. I remember seeing these figures (in KB Toys I think) and was impressed but did not buy them. By 1998, my wife and I were married for 3 years and were embarking on our great journey together. (So...No money) I was out of college, had a good paying job but the money went to GI Joe, Transformers and building Cardboard toys. Again, great video!

Good point Mike

Great video i started to play the ROG back in 1988 as a French Canadian and my friends where English speaking I learned to speak English. Good old days while playing the game I got the idea to collect vintage Star awars toys. Then came Zahwn books and the dark empire comics 1995 figs came out and I was all in. Good old days

Ahhh...the duck blanket, the best accessory. For me it was empty cardboard boxs and tape...i made so many gijoe city fights out of those.

I remember those days still have my roleplaying source books all the novels the insider magazines the 90s were great for Star Wars toys games and merchandising then the dark times of the prequels came

Great video! These were great figures back in the day. However, finding them at retail was pain in the butt. I remember buying a few from the Star Wars Insider magazine, and the rest from a Johns Collectible Toys (a now shuttered hobby store in Massachusetts). I miss the POTF days - the toys weren't great, but you could pretty much find everything very easily.

I've never had the chance to see these in real life...

Michael having to make due with a porcelain plate collection in a china cabinet during the dark times is a pretty funny notion. The POTF2 line and the Shadows/Dark Empire books are pretty flawed, but I have a huge spot for my heart for them. Great video as always1

14:53 fellowship of the ring!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!

While it was definitely a filler story, I’ll always have a place for Shadows of the empire in my heart. “Everything but the movie” was awesome for a 9 year old Star Wars fan. I had the figures the comic the book and the n64 game. Dash was my main man.

I never saw the EU figures on the pegs during their original release. At the time I wasn’t going to pay secondary market prices for an action figure ($20 for a Star Wars figure? Outrageous!) and had basically written off hope of finding them. Then almost a year later I ended up finding cases of them at KB Toys, dumped into one of those wire clearance bins that they would roll out into the mall in front of the store for $3 a piece. I got the whole wave, save for Mara who was absent, and even multiples of the Sentinel and Space Trooper. And my first taste of the distro problems that would make collecting the line at retail increasingly frustrating to near impossible in the future.

I've recently started to collect the Power of the Force figures because they're almost 30 years old, not expensive, and not connected to Disney, but they are very unappealing visually, lol. More Broken Vader!! P.S. I'm only collecting the original trigoly figures

Many of those I have still not seen in person to this day. At the time of their release, I really wanted them.

I had only ever seen the expanded universe figures once on toy shelves as well. It was in a Thrifty's toy aisle and they only had the Dark Trooper, The Sentinel and Space Trooper. I couldn't afford them at the time either but that was the first time I had even heard of them and I thought I was on top of things as far as collecting the POTF2 line. I had even been working at a Toys R Us when the Shadows of the Empire wave was released and all the way up until just after the Phantom Menace release, which to me was one of the benefits of even working there (having that access to the line). That whole time I worked there, we had never even received the Expanded Universe wave, let alone never even knowing of their existence upon release. I was even actively collecting the POTF2 line and stumbling on them accidentally in a Thrifty's (where toys went to die) blew my mind (this was probably a year after they were originally released). In the end, I think I got the last figure I needed in 2002 or 2003 (It was either Palpatine or Leia), finding them only at antique and thrift shops where carded POTF2 figures were a dime a dozen and no more than $5 a piece. I stopped collecting Star Wars figures when they were branded as Hasbro and the line was renamed Power of the Jedi. I still have these sitting in a glass case one their own shelf with the Shadows of the Empire wave. Only that it was very cool at the time to see these alternate stories get some love on a toy shelf.

I'm in the same boat with you Michael I kept my expanded universe figures in the package until the last I sold them last year

That's the same Walkman I have! Love that yellow sony sports line!

I was there 🖤 reading every novel. I really want that Mara. 13:16 that was my pfp for a while. Most of my collection right now is Indiana Jones figures though. So far I only have ships from SW. I can’t bring myself to buy the figures idk why lol I almost did yesterday get some that were on clearance but was too embarrassed. SW is really hard to fangirl irl. Oh my gosh the fuzzy blanket. They just aren’t made the same anymore. 😆 Lol I taped the vhs onto tapes too and took them to camp to listen to while falling asleep. I have a signed fan mail postcard from Kevin J. Anderson bc I loved the Jedi Academy books so much I sent him a drawing. He just ripped a cover off a paperback and wrote me a thank you note, stuck a stamp on it and mailed it lol

I saw those figs ONCE at a Fred Meyer and foolishly assumed they’d be hanging on the pegs for months to come like all the other POTF2 figs at that time. Sigh. Jealous and appreciative of your recent acquisition. Great video!

Thanks Michael for making this. I'm with you, even as an adult I love opening my collector pieces and collecting non carded items if need be. Im.new to your channel as mentioned in a previous comment on another video of yours. Did you remain in the UK or move back to America? Oh, listened to more, you were back in 1993. I had many if thePower Of The Force 1/6 dolls but sadly sold them, like tge entiteCantina babd. I regret that. I did keep my Luke Skywalker Tarooine doll which changes to X-Wing pilot. Ironically it's never been ooened...Yet lol😂 He's up on my shelf behind me in my film review videos on my very new channel.

I miss the old Star Wars Expanded Universe. I wish they had made NJO (The New Jedi Order) figures for me those are my sequel with the Thrawn books. PS GREAT VIDEO

Great video, Michael. The "dark times" were some of the best times for SW, IMO. There was a still a sense of adventure and fun that's been lost as the franchise has become increasingly sterilized and corporatized over the past 25 years.