Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

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Star Wars:
Shadows of the Empire
LucasArts (video game)
Bantam Books (novel)
Dark Horse Comics (comic)
Publication date
1996
Media typePaperback,
Computer and video games: Nintendo 64, Windows
Followed byThe Mandalorian Armor 

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm. The idea was to create a story set between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release without actually making a film. The venture was intended to reinvigorate interest in the franchise ahead of the theatrical Special Editions of the Star Wars trilogy released the following year.

Several products were released, including a novel, a junior novelization, a comic book series, a video game, a soundtrack, trading cards, role-playing games, posters, model kits, Micro Machines toys, statuettes, vinyl dolls, and a series of action figures and vehicles.[1] The story introduces

Prince Xizor attempts to kill in his plot to replace Vader at the side of Emperor Palpatine
.

Background

In 1994,

Dark Forces game designer Jon Knoles suggested that it take place between the latter film and Return of the Jedi[2]
(an era explored by no other Star Wars novel).

Shadows of the Empire
AuthorSteve Perry
Cover artistDrew Struzan
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectStar Wars
GenreScience fiction
PublisherBantam Spectra
Publication date
Hardcover:
1 April 1996
Paperback:
3 March 1997
PagesHardcover: 340
ISBN
0-553-10089-0

Novel

Outrider, apparently killing Dash.[b] Back on Tatooine once more, Luke records a holographic message for Jabba the Hutt.[6]

Author Steve Perry was commissioned to write the novel—the backbone of the multimedia project—after writing the novelizations of The Mask for Bantam, and Aliens based upon graphic novels by Dark Horse Comics, which had been licensed by Lucasfilm to create Star Wars comics. In addition to studying the original Star Wars trilogy, Perry read the first spin-off novel in the franchise, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, to get an idea of how to write for Vader.[7] The publishers wanted a 'substitute' for the incapacitated Han Solo, and Perry came up with the character of Dash, noted by fans as being mainly a vehicle for Solo-esque dialogue. The publishers also instructed Perry to make Xizor's attempt to seduce Leia successful, but the author refused as he feared fan backlash.[6]

Steve Perry has expressed his support of adapting the story as an animated film.[7][8] A prequel novel was planned, to be written by author Charles Grant, but was cancelled due to a Lucasfilm Licensing move from Bantam to Del Rey Books.[9]

Comics

The six-issue comic book series was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Kilian Plunkett; Steve Perry was a story consultant. It focuses on Boba Fett and his fellow bounty hunters (first seen briefly in The Empire Strikes Back) as well as Jix, a hireling of Darth Vader who infiltrates Jabba the Hutt's gang of bikers (led by Gizman) to prevent their attempt to kill Luke Skywalker.

Cover of Shadows of the Empire: Evolution

Excerpts from the comic were published in Nintendo Power magazine.[10] Two separate mini-comics were released with Micro Machines toys (with three alternative covers) and Ertl model kits.[11][c] A pop-up comic was also made, entitled Battle of the Bounty Hunters.[13] A one-shot comic titled The Jabba Tape also features Gizman around the time of Return of the Jedi and was illustrated by Plunkett.

Sequel

A sequel comic was written, centered around Guri and titled Shadows of the Empire: Evolution. The five-issue series was later collected in a trade paperback. It was written by Steve Perry, and was his first foray into comics.[7] The art was created by Ron Randall (pencils), P. Craig Russell (ink), and Dave Nestelle (color).

Soon after the events of Return of the Jedi, Guri is left wondering what her future will hold now that she no longer has a master. During the ongoing struggle for supremacy in the underworld, she endeavors to discover her human side—if it exists. But in her quest to alter her programming and gain humanity, Guri is pursued by both bounty hunters and Rebels led by Luke Skywalker. Secrets lying in her android mind make her a valuable asset.

Video game

Main article: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (video game)

LucasArts's Shadows of the Empire was one of the first games available for the Nintendo 64, and later for Windows. The most commercial product in the Shadows of the Empire line, the game was first released in December 1996 as an exclusive N64 title five months after the console's launch.[14] The PC version came nearly a year later, in September 1997.[15]
In the game, players control mercenary Dash Rendar in four missions:

The PC version has full-motion cinematic cutscenes with sound effects and voices, while the N64 version utilizes artwork with text at the bottom of the screen.

Soundtrack

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Classical
Length51:27
LabelVarèse Sarabande[1]
ProducerRobert Townson
Soundtrack
Review scores
SourceRating
SoundtrackNet
 link
FilmTracks link
Soundtrack-Express link
iTunes link

Lucasfilm commissioned

Varèse Sarabande Records to publish a score. Producer Robert Townson selected Joel McNeely to compose it; both had produced music for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. The soundtrack was performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus.[2] Themes from the movies can be heard in tracks one (the main theme from Star Wars and "Carbon Freeze") and eight ("The Imperial March" and "The Force Theme"). The tenth track also contains credited appearances of "The Imperial March". Portions of the soundtrack are featured in the video game.[2]

The liner notes give plot summaries for each track's corresponding section of the novel. McNeely wrote, "Unlike with film music, I have been allowed to let my imagination run free with the images, characters and events from this story. I have also had the luxury to loiter as long as I like with a character or scene. Every passage represents some person, place or event in this story." Ben Burtt wrote a poem for the liner notes, about an ancient battle on Coruscant, which McNeely used in some compositions.[16] In the lyrics, Burtt made references to the Droids series he was involved in writing.

The disc also includes an interactive track for personal computers, containing concept art and additional information about the project. The multimedia track includes an overview of the Shadows of the Empire project; a creative team gallery; information about McNeely, the orchestra, and the efforts to put together a soundtrack for the novel; and information about the book, the game, the comic series, and the toys based on the characters.

Track listing

  1. "Main Theme from Star Wars and Leia's Nightmare" – 3:41
  2. "The Battle of Gall" – 7:59
  3. "Imperial City" – 8:02
  4. "Beggar's Canyon Chase" – 2:56
  5. "The Southern Underground" – 1:48
  6. "Xizor's Theme" – 4:35
  7. "The Seduction of Princess Leia" – 3:38
  8. "Night Skies" – 4:17
  9. "Into the Sewers" – 2:55
  10. "The Destruction of Xizor's Palace" – 10:44

Toys

Kenner was one of the companies that made the toy line for the Shadows of the Empire project.[1] Their line contained action figures (including new characters such as Xizor and Dash Rendar), vehicles (from the Outrider to swoop bikes) and two-pack pairings of new and classic characters (such as IG-88 and Boba Fett). The classic characters figures were given a new spin with Chewbacca disguised as Snoova, a Wookiee bounty hunter, and Luke Skywalker costumed in an Imperial uniform (all the better to infiltrate Imperial City).

Lewis Galoob Toys, famous for their line of Micro Machines miniature toys and playsets, also developed a full Shadows of the Empire toy line. It included three sets of miniatures and a boxed Action Fleet set with two swoop bikes and riders and four miniature articulated figures. Also included in the sets are the classic Star Wars characters (Luke, Vader, the Emperor) as well as the new Shadows characters (Xizor, Dash Rendar, Guri and Leebo).

Kenner action figures

  • IG-88
  • Chewbacca in Bounty Hunter Disguise (with Vibro-Axe and Heavy Blaster Rifle)
  • Dash Rendar (with Heavy Weapons Pack)
  • Boushh
    Disguise (with Blaster Rifle and Bounty Hunter Helmet)
  • Luke Skywalker in Imperial Guard Disguise (with Taser Staff Weapon)
  • Prince Xizor
    (with Energy Blade Shields)
  • Prince Xizor vs. Darth Vader

Kenner vehicles

  • Outrider
     - Dash Rendar's spaceship
  • Slave I
     - Boba Fett's spaceship
  • Swoop bike with Swoop Trooper

The model making company Ertl released several plastic model kits of Shadows of the Empire, including the Virago (Xizor's spaceship), Prince Xizor, and the Emperor.

Collectible and gift company Applause released two vinyl figures, of Dash Rendar and Prince Xizor as well as a cold-cast resin statuette of the villains: Xizor, the Emperor and Darth Vader.

Trading cards

The

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
, the twin artists who painted one of the more popular original Star Wars release posters. The 100 card set featured double UV-coating and an extra-thick 20 pt. card stock, all with full-bleed painted images on a 21/2" x 31/2" card. The Shadows of the Empire card series is highlighted by 72 cards that virtually storyboard the events in Steve Perry's novel. The series also contains six cards dedicated to vehicles, another six to the comics, and six more keyed to the video game. Each pack came with nine cards.

Legacy

See also: Star Wars in other media

The 1996

Imperial landing craft made its first appearance in Shadows of the Empire.[18]

The novel

Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader[19] and an ASP droid makes an appearance in the novelization of Attack of the Clones (2002). Rendar is the subject of a short story printed in a 2011 issue of Star Wars Insider,[20][21]
and the Falleen appear in a variety of works.

Following the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by

Galaxy's Edge cookbook (2019) features a recipe for "Xizor Salad".[28]

In the Shadows of the Empire storyline, Leia obtains the armor of Black Sun-associated bounty hunter

comic crossover event War of the Bounty Hunters is set in the same era as Shadows of the Empire; it features Crimson Dawn (successor to the Shadow Collective) stealing the frozen Han from Boba Fett,[31] and both Black Sun and Xizor are mentioned.[32]

In 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated that characters like Dash Rendar were discussed "all the time" for potential use in future projects, although there was nothing specific announced.[33]

References

Footnotes

  1. ^ Later titled Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
  2. ^ Dash's fate is briefly explored in the sequel comic, Shadows of the Empire: Evolution.
  3. ^ The Galoob and Ertl comics were reprinted in Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space – Volume 1.[12]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d Wes Nihei, ed. (September 1996). "Shopping for Shadows". GamePro. No. 96. IDG. p. 30.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gonzales, Dave (December 22, 2016). "The Greatest 'Star Wars' Spinoff Movie Was Everything but a Movie". Thrillist. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  3. ^ Sansweet 1998, p. 34.
  4. ISBN 9780345511195. Archived
    from the original on August 28, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  5. ^ Sansweet 1998, pp. 123, 252.
  6. ^ a b Harber, Stephen (March 4, 2019). "Star Wars: How Shadows of the Empire Became a Gritty '90s Epic". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Perry, Steve (March 2010). "Steve Perry (Author)". Star Wars Interviews. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  8. ISBN 978-1569711835
    .
  9. ^ Liptak, Andrew (December 17, 2015). "Building a Galaxy Far, Far Away: New Publisher, New Directions (1998-2005)". The B&N Sci-Fi and Fantasy Blog. Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire". Nintendo Power. No. 92. p. 38.
  11. ^ "Cover gallery: Shadows of the Empire". The Star Wars Expanded Universe Timeline. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  12. ^ "Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 1 TPB". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  13. ^ "Star Wars: Battle of the Bounty Hunters Pop-Up Book :: Profile". Dark Horse Comics. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  14. ^ Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Archived February 23, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, MobyGames, accessed December 22, 2006.
  15. ^ IGN: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, IGN PC, accessed December 22, 2006.
  16. Titan Magazines
    .
  17. ^ Williams, Rohan (November 11, 2016). "20 secrets of Shadows of the Empire". Force Material. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  18. ^ "Databank | Imperial landing craft". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2005. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  19. ^ Saavedra, John (November 9, 2019). "Star Wars: Rogue Squadron 2 - A Space Combat Masterpiece". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Schaefer, Sandy (April 20, 2021). "Dash Rendar Returns in Star Wars Insider: Fiction Collection". CBR. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  21. ISBN 978-1-78773-765-5. Archived
    from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  22. ^ McMilian, Graeme (April 25, 2014). "Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for Star Wars Expanded Universe". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  23. ^ "The Legendary Star Wars Expanded Universe Turns a New Page". StarWars.com. April 25, 2014. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  24. ^ "Black Sun". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  25. ^ "Shadow Collective". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  26. ^ Britt, Ryan (November 8, 2016). "Looks Like 'Star Wars: Rebels' is Rebooting Dash Rendar and the Outrider". Inverse. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  27. ^ Tyler, Adrienne (September 20, 2019). "Star Wars Officially Made Dash Rendar Canon In 2018". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  28. ^ Anderson, Kyle (April 24, 2020). "Did You Catch This STAR WARS Villain Cameo in CLONE WARS?". Nerdist. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  29. ^ a b Tyler, Adrienne (November 21, 2020). "Star Wars: Maz Kanata Is Responsible For Leia's Bounty Hunter Disguise". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  30. ISBN 978-0-553-57413-5. Archived
    from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2021.
  31. ^ Fielder, Brennan (July 13, 2021). "Star Wars: How Shadows of the Empire Predicted War of the Bounty Hunters". CBR. Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  32. ^ Scott, Ryan (December 11, 2021). "Star Wars Just Revived A Classic Villain From The '90s". /Film. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
  33. ComicBook.com. Archived
    from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2023.

Sources

External links
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