If you are brand new to , do not try to read it all. Start with the two pillars that saved the franchise in the 90s:

It begins with The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn, widely considered the bedrock of the EU. It introduces Grand Admiral Thrawn, a villain who outshines even Vader in tactical brilliance. From there, the timeline explodes. We get the Dark Empire comics (where Palpatine returns via cloning, a concept since borrowed by the sequels), and the X-Wing series, which fleshes out the military grit of the galaxy.

Focuses on the origins of the Jedi on Tython and the fall of the Rakata Infinite Empire .

Modern "Canon" is great (Andor, Rebels, Mando). But Legends is where the galaxy feels biggest . It has risk, romance, and real tragedy.