The Star Wars Stories Inspired By Goosebumps
They say that in space, no one can hear you scream. In the ’90s, Star Wars challenged that with a series of Goosebumps-inspired YA books called Star Wars: Galaxy of Fear. Over the course of a year and a half, Lucasfilm churned out twelve of the scary kid’s books, and the most surprising part is they weren’t half bad.
Galaxy Of Fear Wasn’t All That Frightening
Let’s be honest: Except for people suffering from Automatonophobia—fear of dummies—no one was really scared by Goosebumps. Kids in the ’90s who were really interested in having their bowels loosened knew to make a beeline for the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark section of their school library. Books like Goosebumps and Galaxy of Fear were for all of the Wednesday Adams’s in training who like the idea of spooky stuff, even if it wasn’t particularly fright-inducing.
Within that context, Galaxy of Fear was actually quite effective.
Eating Some Of RL Stine’s Lunch
Author John Whitman was asked by Lucasfilm to “tap into that same market,” of scary kid’s books that R.L. Stine pretty much had a stranglehold on. Starting in 1997, Whitman began writing what was originally supposed to be a series of six books for Lucasfilm. After the success of the first three books, Whitman was asked to expand the series to twelve books in total.
Between The Hope And The Empire
The Galaxy of Fear series took place during a time period where it could fit into Star Wars canon without disrupting any of the previously established lore. The books were set between 6 to 18 months after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, and followed siblings Tash and Zak Arranda as well as their uncle Mammon Hoole and a droid DV-9. Hoole and his Force-sensitive niece and nephew traveled around the galaxy trying to hide from the Empire and mad scientist Borborygmus Gog, encountering several horrors along the way.
Whitman Wanted Adults To Have Fun, Too
Whitman gave the Galaxy of Fear books appropriately creepy titles like City of the Dead, The Brain Spiders, and Planet Plague. Characters like Grand Admiral Thrawn, Lando Calrissian, and Darth Vader would often show up in fun cameos. Whitman once admitted in an interview that the cameos were more for adult Star Wars fans who might be reading the book to their children. The author described them as “moments of pleasure” for parents who might recognize a character that their child had no reference for.
Whitman Killed Off A Famous Bully
Whitman was given carte blanche to put whatever Star Wars cameos he wanted in the Galaxy of Fear books, with one exception. When the author wanted to kill off a minor Star Wars villain, Dr. Evizan, his request was kicked all the way up the Lucasfilm chain of command until it reached George Lucas himself. Apparently, Lucas had no love for the good doctor because his response to Whitman was “fine.”
Galaxy Of Fear’s Legacy
Along with cameos, the Galaxy of Fear books were filled with the typical horror trappings: zombies, flesh-eating plants, brain-swapping, and Star Wars staple clones. Writing twelve books—all around 200 pages or so—in one year took a toll on the author; Whitman would be plotting a new outline, writing his current book, and revising a previous book all at the same time. Upon finishing all twelve novels, Lucasfilm never asked the burnt-out Whitman to produce anymore, and Whitman never asked to.
Today, the Galaxy of Fear series stands as a testament to the Star Wars franchise’s ability to be adapted into genres other than sci-fi action. Young adult horror set in the world of space wizards and laser swords is an intriguing concept and one it wouldn’t hurt Disney to revisit in the future.
