<P> Before 1999, the bulk of Expanded Universe storytelling explored the time periods either after Return of the Jedi or long before A New Hope (i.e. the Tales of the Jedi series). Lucasfilm specifically prohibited development of the time period shortly before A New Hope--including the rise of the Galactic Empire and the personal histories of Anakin Skywalker and Emperor Palpatine--to avoid conflict with Lucas's own plans for a potential prequel trilogy . Lucas eventually released The Phantom Menace (1999), Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005), punctuated by the 2003 animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars, which explored the titular conflict in more detail . Subsequent novels, comics, and games were set before, concurrent with, and after the events of these works . </P> <P> In 2004, USA Today reported that over 1,100 Star Wars titles had been published, including novels, comics, non-fiction, and magazines . Then - president of Lucas Licensing, Howard Roffman, estimated that there were more than 65 million Star Wars books in print . He said, "The books are a way of extending the fantasy of Star Wars . The movies have had a really profound effect on a couple of generations . Star Wars has become a cultural touchpoint, and our fans are avidly interested in exploring more stories ." </P> <P> The animated television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars ran from 2008 to 2014 and was set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith . This new series overwrote certain aspects of earlier Clone Wars EU works, such as Anakin now having a Padawan, Ahsoka Tano, and being knighted much earlier in the war . Lucas discussed ideas for a sequel trilogy several times after the conclusion of the original trilogy, but denied any intent to make it . </P> <P> Historically, Lucasfilm tracked the storylines and content of these media in large black binders, known as bibles . In 2000, Leland Chee was hired as Continuity Database Administrator for Lucas Licensing, and implemented a database to replace the bibles . The database was named the Holocron, a term used within the fictional Star Wars universe for "ancient repositories of knowledge and wisdom" used by the Jedi and Sith . Lucasfilm's Holocron consists of over 55,000 entries for franchise characters, locations, species, and vehicles . Chee said of the database in 2012, "What sets Star Wars apart from other franchises is that we develop a singular continuity across all forms of media, whether it be the films, TV series, video games, novels and comics, and the Holocron is a key component to Lucasfilm being able to do this ." </P>

What is canon in star wars after disney