Dash Rendar is ‘Star Wars’ Canon Again, But Does Anyone Care? (VIDEO)
Hey kids, look! Dash Rendar is back, and now he’s canon!
OK, we know what many of you are thinking: who?
Even the most dedicated Star Wars fans may struggle to remember who Dash is. Allow us to remind you: he’s an Expanded Universe character, although he isn’t quite as popular a character as Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Dash was the sort-of hero in Shadows of the Empire, which was a 1996 multi-platform Star Wars adventure that included a novel, video game, comics, and a toy line.
Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, it included the characters Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Chewbacca, but with Han Solo still frozen in carbonite, they needed a roguish-smuggler type – and Dash Rendar filled the role.
Kenner created a line of figures for Shadows of the Empire, and Dash Rendar was immortalized in plastic.
With the release of the 1997 Special Editions of the Original Trilogy, Shadows quickly faded in interest, although the video game remains the most popular part of the Shadows campaign.
Here’s a gameplay video from the classic Nintendo 64 game, including the epic Hoth stage that began the game.
Like most Expanded Universe Star Wars stories and characters, Shadows of the Empire was relegated to the “Legends” designation after Disney bought Lucasfilm, and no longer considered “canon” with the films. Dash faded into Star Wars obscurity, mocked by some fans as a cheap Han Solo-type ripoff.
That all changed this summer, when author Jason Fry included Dash (at least in reference) in his book “Solo: A Star Wars Story – Tales from Vandor.”
Fry even joked about the inclusion in a tweet.
Ha. Yes, I am to blame. But hey, Dash as diet Coke to Han's real thing is the joke in Tales of Vandor too…. https://t.co/vyUC37fS6M
— Jason Fry (@jasoncfry) September 19, 2018
Here’s a handy-dandy video from Star Wars Explained that covers Dash Rendar a bit more.
Personally, we like the idea of bringing the best of the Expanded Universe over. We’re not so sure Dash Rendar falls into that category, but if it makes getting Thrawn in “Rebels” possible, bring the Expanded Universe on!
By the way, can we get Jaxxon the Rabbit to be canon again, Lucasfilm?
If you want to check out the book for yourself, you can order it from Amazon by clicking below.
Post your thoughts in the comments section below!
