Nathan P. Butler has been writing (what he’d call a “side gig when time permits”) professionally since 2004, though his primary occupation is teaching.
Non-fiction (Author)
A Saga on Home Video (2017, 2021)
(Left to right: A Saga on Home Video, 1st Ed., 2nd Ed. Vol. 1, 2, and 3)
Butler’s extensive, three-volume, unofficial guide to American Star Wars home video releases. It presents a narrative history of Star Wars home media in the U.S., complete with 1,500+ pictures (in full color) from his own collection. (The current edition is the 2nd Edition, which is three volumes, as shown. A 1st Edition, which was only around 300 pages with 300+ grayscale pictures, was released as a single volume in 2017 and is now out of print, replaced by this much more in-depth and full-color 2nd Edition.)
You can find more information about A Saga on Home Video here.
- Purchase a paperback, hardback, or Kindle copy of Vol. 1 on Amazon
- Purchase a paperback, hardback, or Kindle copy of Vol. 2 on Amazon
- Purchase a paperback, hardback, or Kindle copy of Vol. 3 on Amazon
Fiction (Author)
Star Wars Tales: Equals and Opposites (2004, 2006, 2009, 2015)
(Left to right, to to bottom: Star Wars Tales #21 art cover version, “photo” cover version, Star Wars Tales, Vol. 6 – all from Dark Horse Comics, Hasbro comic pack with Dark Horse Comics reissue of single story from Star Wars Tales #21, Marvel digital reissue of Star Wars Tales #21, Marvel digital reissue of Star Wars Tales, Vol. 6, Star Wars: The New Republic Epic Collection, Vol. 8)
In 2004, Butler had the privilege of being invited to write for Dark Horse Comics’ official Star Wars product line in the pages of Star Wars Tales #21. The story, “Equals and Opposites,” featured Kyle Katarn and Jan Ors on the planet Ord Sedra in battle with the Yuuzhan Vong. The issue included three stories, and that entire issue was later collected with three other issues into Star Wars Tales, Vol. 6 in 2006. Three years later, Hasbro produced a “Comic Pack” (a single comic book story with two action figures based on the story) for the story, which appeared in a comic by itself for the first time (and only) time.
After the license for Star Wars comics shifted to Marvel Comics, both Star Wars Tales #21 and Vol. 6 were re-released under Marvel (with the Legends continuity banner) digitally, without a physical counterpart, in 2015. The story was eventually collected as part of Star Wars: The New Republic Epic Collection, Vol. 8 in 2024, which was available physically and digitally.
Buy Star Wars Tales #21 (digital) on Amazon
Buy Star Wars Tales, Vol. 6 (digital) on Amazon
Buy Star Wars: The New Republic Epic Collection, Vol. 8 (physical) on Amazon
Buy Star Wars: The New Republic Epic Collection, Vol. 8 (digital) on Amazon
Greater Good and Echoes (2006, 2009, 2012, 2019)
(Left to right: Self-published Echoes, self-published Greater Good, Grail Quest Books release of Greater Good, combined Arcbeatle Press Greater Good and Echoes)
In 2006, Butler first tried his hand at self-published fiction with a D.C. murder mystery (with a twist sci-fi fans can appreciate) novella, Echoes. The positive reception to Echoes led to self-publishing a full-lengh science fiction (“Time Travel and Telepaths”) novel, Greater Good, in 2009. In 2012, a “revised and expanded” edition of Greater Good saw its first professional publication by Grail Quest Books. Finally, in 2019, Arcbeatle Press published the second professional edition of Greater Good, this time with the full, revised Echoes novella included as a bonus story.
Purchase the current edition (Greater Good and Echoes in one volume) on Amazon
WARS/WARSONG (2010 – 2022)
(Left to right, top to bottom: Healers and Hunters graphic novella, Healers and Hunters ebook, original Grail Quest Books print/digital version of Preludes, second Grail Quest Books print/digital version of Preludes, On Red Soil ebook, Grail Quest Books version of Stretti, current Arcbeatle Press WARSONG versions of Preludes and Stretti)
From 2004 – 2005, Decipher, Inc., the company previously known for its Star Wars Customizable Card Game reworked the mechanics of the SWCCG into a new game in its own universe (created by, among others, Michael Stackpole), WARS: The Mumon Rift. Mongoose Publishing also released a roleplaying game and a small number of supplements for the same universe, as the game gained a dedicated following. Five years after the games went on hiatus, Grail Quest Books relaunched the universe with a series of novellas, WARS: The Battle of Phobos, focusing on clash between human factions (Earthers, Gongen AKA Mars, and space pirates known as Mavericks) in the era prior to the original game. Butler was tapped to write the first novella in this prose fiction continuation, Healers and Hunters (Book 1 for the Earther faction), which saw publication as a physical illustrated novella and an ebook (non-illustrated). It was later collected with the first Gongen and Maverick novellas in the paperback Preludes (which eventually had two different covers). He then also wrote the second Earther novella (the fifth overall), On Red Soil, which saw individual ebook publication and collection with the second Gongen and Maverick novellas in the paperback Stretti.
Today, the WARS franchise is under Arcbeatle Press, who is reissuing previous WARS content under the banner WARSONG. As of late 2022, both Preludes (including Healers and Hunters) and Stretti (including On Red Soil) have been reissued in both ebook and physical form. These are the current editions of both, including some new, extra content by other authors.
Purchase the current edition of Preludes (featuring Healers and Hunters) on Amazon
Purchase the current edition of Stretti (featuring On Red Soil) on Amazon
Fiction (Contributor)
10,000 Dawns: Poor Man’s Iliad (2018)
Jim Wylder’s 10,000 Dawns universe has been growing rapidly since its initial novel in 2016. In 2018, a massive anthology in the series (funded partially via Kickstarter) was published, Poor Man’s Iliad, Vol. 1: Liberation. Butler has two short stories in this anthology, Unpleasant Realities and The Road to Hell is Paved with Legislation.
Star Wars: The Essential Atlas (2009)
For Dan Wallace and Jason Fry’s amazing Star Wars: The Essential Atlas, Butler provided research and development of in-universe calendar dates for several dated battle maps, along with having the privilege of setting the exact in-universe calendar date for Return of the Jedi (for the Legends continuity at least).
Non-fiction (Contributor)
Sequart Star Wars and Blade Runner Essay Anthologies (2015 – 2018)
(Left to right: A Long Time Ago, A Galaxy Far, Far Away, A More Civilized Age, and The Cyberpunk Nexus)
Butler has provided essays for four of Sequart’s sci-fi essay anthologies (all three Star Wars anthologies and their standalone anthology for Blade Runner).
Purchase A Long Time Ago: Exploring the Star Wars Cinematic Universe on Amazon
Purchase A Galaxy Far, Far Away: Exploring Star Wars Comics on Amazon
Purchase A More Civilized Age: Exploring the Star Wars Expanded Universe on Amazon
Purchase The Cyberpunk Nexus: Exploring the Blade Runner Universe on Amazon
Star Wars Super Collector’s Wish Book, 4th Ed. (2007)
For the fouth edition (not all editions or subsequent editions) Geoffrey Todd Carlton’s Star Wars Super Collector’s Wish Book, Butler provided an article that provided a chronological listing of the major Star Wars stories of the time (now dubbed the Legends continuity).
Movie Magic (2015)
In the lead-up to the theatrical release of The Force Awakens, Butler was brought in to write an article for the Movie Magic (Life Story) “Countdown to The Force Awakens” issue. The article, entitled “The Force Awakens: Thoughts on Episode VII” gave fans a taste of what they might see in the first Sequel Trilogy film.
Using the Force: Creativity, Community, and Star Wars Fans (2002)
Rather than being a traditional contributing writer for Will Brooker’s sociological work on Star Wars fans, Butler was an interview subject.
Butler’s Works Have Been Referenced in…
(Left to right, top to bottom: Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters, Star Wars : The Essential Reader’s Companion, The Transmedia Franchise of Star Wars TV, The Empire Strikes Back: Unauthorized Timeline original softcover, collector’s edition softcover, and hardcover, Return of the Jedi: Unauthorized Timeline original softcover and hardcover)
Butler’s work on The Star Wars Timeline Gold was referenced in two official Star Wars publications: Dan Wallace’s Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters (the first time Butler ever saw his work referenced in an official Star Wars publication, two years before having the chance to write for the saga himself) and Pablo Hidalgo’s Star Wars: The Essential Reader’s Companion.
Material from his timeline and former podcast (Star Wars Beyond the Films) were referenced in Dominic J. Nardi and Derek R. Sweet’s The Transmedia Franchise of Star Wars TV non-fiction work.
He was also thanked for sharing his home video knowledge in each edition (original paperback, Collector’s Edition paperback, and hardback) of Justin Berger’s The Empire Strikes Back: Unauthorized Timeline (1975 – 2020) and Return of the Jedi: Unauthorized Timeline (1976 – 2023).
Purchase Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters on Amazon
Purchase Star Wars: The Essential Reader’s Companion on Amazon
Purchase The Transmedia Franchise of Star Wars TV on Amazon
Purchase the hardcover of The Empire Strikes Back: Unauthorized Timeline (1975 – 2020) on Amazon*
*Neither paperback version is currently in print.
Purchase Return of the Jedi: Unauthorized Timeline (1976 – 2023) on Amazon
Butler and his son have “sort of” appeared (via likeness or Tuckerization) in…
(Left to right: Star Wars Empire #13: What Sin Loyalty?, in which the character of Krono Relt was named for Nathan’s first podcast, ChronoRadio, and the last four letters of his last name backwards; Hexer Dusk, in which Nathan and his son appear as background characters)