Disney+'s Kenobi has wrapped up, only adding to the lore of Star Wars. The franchise is continually growing more popular, loved by longtime fans as newer projects bring them further past the controversial Star Wars sequel trilogy and newcomers alike.
Many fans who spent their time reading countless hours of comics or books from the Legends timeline may find the sequels as either irritating or fun for the vast amount of similarities and influences that the sequels took from Legends. It has happened in both small and major ways.
Rey Skywalker's Character Traits
While Rey Skywalker herself does not exist within Legends, there are several characters and ideas from Legends that likely inspired the creation of her character.
While one obvious influence is the lineage of Palpatine, the largest similarity she has is Jaina Solo, the daughter of Leia and Han. Jaina essentially becomes the hero of Legends during the time as she steps up against her brother, Jacen Solo, who had turned to the dark side much like their grandfather. While neither character is able to kill their archrival (Jacen and Ben) they do succeed in defeating them.
Kylo Ren/Jacen Solo
Perhaps the most obvious similarity to Legends is the sequel trilogy's Ben Solo or better known as, Kylo Ren. The son of Han and Leia who turns to the dark side, sound familiar? Luke Skywalker also had a son in Legends named Ben Skywalker, both characters being named after Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi.
Jacen Solo, who appears in a plethora of great Star Wars Legends books, became a Sith apprentice to Lumiya adopting the name of Darth Caedus. His reasoning for doing this can be compared to Anakin who wanted to avoid the death of Padmé. However, Caedus did it to avoid the death of Luke and that managed to work. What's interesting is that Kylo Ren ultimately turns to the Dark Side because he believes Luke wanted to kill him whereas Caedus turns to the Dark Side because he was afraid he would kill Luke otherwise.
Anakin's Lightsaber
A lightsaber that most fans would have counted as lost forever after The Empire Strikes Back. However, the lightsaber makes a return in both Canon and in Legends.
While the lightsaber's most notable wielders are Luke and Anakin, the saber does fall into the hands of a few other characters. In Legends, the lightsaber gets returned to Luke and he gives it as a gift to Mara Jade who wields it until her death. The saber from thereon out is then wielded by Ben Skywalker. In canon, the saber is primarily wielded by Rey but also briefly by Ben Solo in The Rise of Skywalker.
Starkiller
Yes, there is a Starkiller in Legends and in Canon, but they are both very different.
Starkiller in Canon is no more than a base, which is the primary location in The Force Awakens. In Legends, this is the name adopted by Vader's secret apprentice, Galen Marek in the video game, The Force Unleashed. His clone in Force Unleashed II also takes the name Starkiller for himself. What's interesting is that both of these Starkillers get their name from the same place, which is the original surname for Anakin and Luke Skywalker.
Luke's Academy
Much like fans saw in the Sequel trilogy, Luke also tried to revive the Jedi order in Legends. While Luke ultimately fails in the Sequels due to Kylo Ren, the Jedi Academy flourishes in Legends.
However, destruction constantly came to the academy's doorstep and they were forced to rebuild in numerous locations. While not in Luke's time, the Jedi order was once again wiped out about one hundred years later by a group of Sith called the One Sith in Star Wars: Legacy, a group whom many fans would love to see become Canon. This threat is eventually stopped by Luke's descendant, Cade Skywalker.
Jedi Leia
When fans found out in Return of the Jedi that Leia was Luke's sister, it's of little surprise to know that she too ends up becoming a trained Jedi in both Legends and in Canon.
Though Leia has no notable apprentices in Legends, she is trained by Luke in the Force and in lightsaber combat, just as she is in Canon. Leia serves far more as a political figure and a war leader in both versions of her character, rather than as a Jedi. She often closed herself off to the possibilities of the Force but showed incredible power and potential when she allowed herself.
Palpatine's Return
Palpatine is one of those iconic movie characters who should've stayed dead according to many fans. Though his return in The Rise of Skywalker may be surprising to many, it's actually tremendously similar to an event in the comic series called the Dark Empire. Interestingly enough, both returns of Palpatine involve a clone.
Unlike in Canon, in Legends, Palpatine doesn't serve as a final villain past the Dark Empire and fades into the background after Luke and Leia kill him for good. However, both clones had the same objective with the intention of recreating their previous empire. Much like The Rise of Skywalker where Sidious was revealed to have an army of Sith, in the Dark Empire Palpatine has many Dark Side users under his command.
Palpatine's Lineage
One of the sequel's biggest plot twists is the reveal that Rey was actually the granddaughter of Palpatine. While in Legends Palpatine does possess a great deal of lore surrounding his family, he doesn't have any descendants quite as important as Rey.
Those related to Palpatine were seen far more as pawns and possible successors to the throne of the Galactic Empire for those wanting only Palpatine's blood to succeed. Palpatine did have a son and a grandson, much like he does in Canon (though a granddaughter instead of a grandson). However, his grandson never amounts to anything pivotal in the story.
Force Healing
Force healing is an ability that had appeared in numerous Legends material for years. So it may be surprising to know the first canon appearance of it was actually in The Rise of Skywalker when Rey heals Kylo Ren.
The Rise of Skywalker, more than The Force Awakens or The Last Jedi, didn't try to shy away from borrowing from Legends. Little is actually known about this mending ability in Canon as it's still somewhat new, but fans have gotten to see more of it as Grogu used it in The Mandalorian. There's no note who created this technique, but there are several variations in Legends such as in one of the best Star Wars Legends storylines where Cade Skywalker could bring people back to life shortly after death. It may have influenced the final scene shared between Ben and Rey.
Ancient Sith
Love or hate The Rise of Skywalker, many fans couldn't hold in their excitement when they heard the name drops of many ancient Sith originally known in Legends.
Characters such as Darth Revan and Darth Andeddu have had recurring mentions in Legends, so to officially get them confirmed as Canon is amazing. While The Clone Wars was originally going to have an episode involving Revan, he was cut for unknown reasons. However, bringing such characters into Canon makes many fans wonder if this in turn will make the remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Canon.