Expanded storyworlds

Some of the best examples of expanded storyworlds are science fiction series such as Star Trek and Star Wars, as well as fantasies such as Dungeons And Dragons. These series have been expanding from their original storylines for many years. For the purpose of this post, let's focus on one of the best examples of an expanded universe: Star Wars.
Star Wars at my last check has 6 feature films, 4 television season, and over 200 novels. That doesn't even touch video games, book series for kids, guides, etc. This is an impressive record. It tells fans "Star Wars is a classic. Star Wars is here to stay."

The success of The Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network is now bringing in the next generation of young fans to Star Wars. Not only is an expanded universe smart from a business perspective, it is also a whole lot of fun!

As an author, I consider the potential in my stories for expanded universes. My series The Sword Of The Dragon has a lot of expansions in-the-works, and my newest project Star Train has similar potential.
Expandable storyworlds are important to readers and pivotal to establishing a loyal and growing fan base. In my next post I will discuss the expanded universe of my series The Sword Of The Dragon.
What expanded storyworlds do you follow?