Cool Stuff: Hasbro Unveils 'Star Wars Expanded Universe' Black Series Action Figures

When Lucasfilm was bought by Disney, they reset Star Wars canon outside of the major movies and TV shows and turned the various stories of the Star Wars Expanded Universe into Legends. But fans still hold many of the comics and books from the Expanded Universe in high esteem, and Hasbro will start paying tribute to them this year with a new line of Black Series action figures in honor of Lucasfilm's 50th anniversary. Check out the first wave of Star Wars Expanded Universe Black Series action figures below.

At StarWars.com, Lucasfilm and Hasbro unveiled the first four figures inspired by some fan favorite books and comics from the Expanded Universe. Jennifer Heddle, executive editor of Lucasfilm Publishing, said in a statement:

"Seeing these figures takes me right back to memories of sitting on my bedroom floor, paging through the latest Star Wars comic, hardly able to believe I was reading original adventures about my favorite characters. Publishing's ability to create those kinds of memories is a driving force behind what I do, and to have Lucasfilm acknowledge that legacy in this way is absolutely thrilling. Fans are going to be so excited to see these comic book characters in a new way, especially when done with the incredible skill and detail the Black Series is famous for."

Let's check out the Star Wars Expanded Universe Black Series action figures.

Pulled from one of the most beloved stores from the Expanded Universe, we have Luke Skywalker from Timothy Zahn's Star Wars: Heir to the Empire. Set five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, the book published in 1991 kicks off a whole new adventure for the saga's heroes.

Not only does Luke Skywalker come with his green lightsaber, but there's an additional accessory that will make fans of Grand Admiral Thrawn happy. The figure comes with a little ysalamiri, a favorite pet of the blue-skinned Imperial villain due to its ability to block the Force. The ysalamiri was actually sculpted to fit on the neck of the Grand Admiral Thrawn figure that was recently released in Hasbro's Black Series Archive line.

Reaching all the way back into Marvel's Star Wars comics from the 1970s, we have the green rabbit alien known as Jaxxon. The character was actually recently reinstated into Star Wars canon thanks to an appearance in a Star Wars Adventures story by Cavan Scott, so this is a character from both the Expanded Universe and modern continuity.  But the design itself calls back to his original debut decades ago.

Eric Franer, the associate product designer of action brands at Hasbro, said:

"We really wanted to capture his unique silhouette so we tooled up a new head, shoulder pads, and belt to make him look truly unique from any other Black Series figure we have done up until this point. Making a realistic interpretation of the character's portrait was also a fun challenge, especially since he has been seen in so many different styles throughout the years."

For those who loved the background stories given to Darth Maul just as the prequel era was beginning, Hasbro is bringing us a new Darth Maul inspired by the Sith apprentice's own comic series from 2000. In addition to his signature double-bladed lightsaber, he appears shirtless with full body tattoos. Jennifer Heddle added:

"It feels like an absolute gift any time we can feature Darth Maul in publishing, and having an action figure of Maul in a costume he has worn only in the comic books is really fun. At this point in the timeline, he's full of rage and drive, and poetic in his athleticism. I love the dynamism of this figure."

First introduced in the Star Wars: Crimson Empire comic series in 1997, Carnor Jax is a student of the dark side and a rising Sith Lord with a look inspired by the Emperor's royal guards from Return of the Jedi. In fact, the figure itself is merely an updated version of the royal guard action figures that Hasbro already released. Franer explained:

"In the films we never see the Imperial guards without their cloak, so we based the figure's undersuit on Carnor Jax's outfit. Now, it's worked out great to make this update and create this Carnor Jax Black Series figure. He comes with brand new soft goods which feature a striking purple on the interior of the cloak and his iconic double ended vibroblade. We also wanted to pay homage to the cover art for this collection, so we tried to recreate that look as closely as possible for this figure."

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All of the Star Wars Expanded Universe Black Series action figures will be available for pre-order starting on Friday, March 19 at 1:00 P.M. ET / 10:00 A.M. PT at various retailers. They're likely to go fast, so good luck! Hopefully this will be the beginning of a whole line-up of Expanded Universe figures, because it would be great to get a Mara Jade or Kyle Katarn action figure.