Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Author | George Lucas (characters) Steve Perry (novel) John Wagner (comic) |
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| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Era | Classic Era |
| Galactic Year | 3.5 ABY |
| Canon | C |
| Subject(s) | Star Wars |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction |
| Publisher | LucasArts (video game) Bantam Books (novel) Dark Horse Comics (comic) |
| Released | December 20, 1996 |
| Media Type | Paperback, Computer and video games: Nintendo 64, Windows |
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a multimedia project created by Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1996. The original idea was to create an interquel, a story set between the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi (a time no Star Wars novel had explored before), and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release, without actually making the film. The venture paved the way for the theatrical release of the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition in the following year, and the later releases of the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy.
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[edit] Project overview
Several products were released, including a novel, a junior novelization, comic series, videogames, trading cards, a soundtrack, role-playing games, toy figurines, vinyl dolls, a series of Micro Machines toys, statuettes, model kits, a line of new action figures and vehicles, and so on. The entire Shadows of the Empire project, though not technically a film, can be collectively considered the closest project to a film in the Star Wars official continuity, without actually being a film. This story is significant in the fact that Lucas reportedly said he would have made a story like this into a movie if he had had the time and effort to do so back in the early 1980s.[citation needed]
[edit] Story
The main story is told by the novel written by Steve Perry, the comic series by Dark Horse, and the Nintendo 64/PC game. Each is designed to tell one part of the overall story; the story is complete only when all three venues are explored. The novel tells the overall story, focusing on the main characters. The comic book series focuses on bounty hunter Boba Fett's battle to keep possession of the frozen Han Solo. The video game allows players to control new character Dash Rendar, whose adventures in the game weave in and out of the overall storyline. All the while, a battle for the life of Luke Skywalker takes place between Darth Vader and Prince Xizor, as each tries to please Emperor Palpatine.
[edit] Novel
The main plotline is told in Steve Perry's novel, Shadows of the Empire, published by Bantam Books. It introduces Prince Xizor, the alien underlord of the largest criminal organization in the galaxy. His goal is to take Darth Vader's place at Emperor Palpatine's side. The novel also resumes the storylines of the usual characters. Han Solo is still frozen in carbonite, being taken to the vile gangster Jabba the Hutt by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. It shows Princess Leia's secret search for Boba Fett, the construction of Luke Skywalker's new lightsaber and Darth Vader's search for his son. It introduces a new character to the saga, Dash Rendar, a Han Solo-type smuggler, who acts primarily as a replacement for Han Solo and as a part of the action sequences.
[edit] Battle of Gall
The novel treats the Battle of Gall, a conflict initiated by members of the Rebel Alliance during the search for Boba Fett and his carbon-frozen prisoner, Han Solo. It occurs before the Battle of Dubrillion and after the Battle of Hoth.
Lando Calrissian informs Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa that Fett has been spotted on Gall. They depart for Gall, where they join Skywalker's Rogue Squadron. Fett, they learned, stopped at Gall to repair his ship; they plan to ambush Fett and free Solo. However, this mission is confounded by the presence of an Imperial Enclave. Luke concocts a risky plan, utilizing the Rogues to hold the Enclaves' fighter complement while Lando and Leia engage Fett's ship.
The rescue begins and the Rogues strafe one of the Empire's destroyers. The Rogues meet light resistance and keep the fighters away from the Grand Trench—where the Outrider is leading the Millennium Falcon towards the spaceport city—only losing one pilot when Will Scotian is forced to return to base after sustaining damage to his craft. However, another wave of TIE fighters approaches, destroying Rogue Six; worse, the second Star Destroyer joins the battle, launching its own fighters into the fray.
Still, the Falcon reaches spaceport after a harrowing run through the Grand Trench, though they are beset by Fett and a dozen TIE fighters.
Near the imperial base, the Rogues prepare for a mock hyperspace jump to fool their pursuers into believing they had left the system. Plotting a course towards their base on the moon of Kile, the Rogues see Wes Janson's X-wing firing on Luke. The frantic Wes realizes his astromech droid has taken control of his ship and Luke is forced to disable his fellow pilot's fighter before towing it back to base. There Luke finds that the astro-droid has been programmed to kill him.
Meanwhile, the rescue mission has failed. Forced to evade incoming TIE fighters, the Rebels had been unable to prevent Fett's escape, and without the Rogues on hand, the Slave I fled into hyperspace. Dejected, the crew returned to base, where the matter of Luke's attempted assassination led to an even bigger conflict.
- Shadows of the Empire, 1st printing paperback, 1996. Steve Perry, ISBN 0-553-57413-2
[edit] Battle of Xizor's Skyhook
The series also displays several different accounts of a plot development over Xizor's Skyhook, which has been deemed by fans to be the Battle of Xizor's Skyhook.
Once Prince Xizor and the Black Sun began competing with Darth Vader for the Emperor's favor, Vader vowed that he would eliminate his rival. Xizor, in turn, wished to disgrace Vader in the Emperor's eyes. Knowing Vader's interest, Xizor began searching for Luke Skywalker in hopes of killing him and making Vader, placed in charge of searching for him by the Emperor's decree, seem like an incompetent fool. When Vader learned of Xizor's actions, he issued an ultimatum to Xizor: stop searching for Skywalker or die.
Later, after Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Dash Rendar destroyed Xizor's palace on Coruscant, Xizor fled to his skyhook in orbit and instructed his fleet to intercept and destroy the fleeing Rebels. While doing so, he made the mistake of saying on an open channel: "I've got you now, Skywalker!" When Vader's spies heard of this, they informed the Dark Lord, and Vader, sensing opportunity, instructed the Imperial fleet to destroy Xizor's forces and skyhook. In the ensuing confusion, assisted by Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron, the Rebels escaped, though with considerable losses. It also appeared that Dash Rendar was killed during the fight, but through a carefully timed hyperspace jump, he escaped.
[edit] Comics
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The comic book emphasizes the destiny of Boba Fett and his fellow bounty hunters, first seen in a brief scene on The Empire Strikes Back. It also tells the story of Jix, Darth Vader's assistant, who infiltrated Jabba the Hutt's gang of bikers to prevent that band's attempt to murder Luke Skywalker. The series was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Kilian Plunkett.
The comics were written and drawn at the same time of the novel, so the first issue could be released immediately after the book. However, the story told by the comics has many differences. The first, and most important one, is that the comics tells what happened to Boba Fett and his "friends," the bounty hunters hired by Darth Vader to find the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back. Steve Perry, author of the project's novel, was a consultant of the comics. While the stories in the book and comics seldom intersected, it was necessary that characters, scenes, and dialogue match when they did come together.
[edit] Game
LucasArts's Shadows of the Empire game was one of the first games made available for Nintendo's 5th generation console, the Nintendo 64. The most commercial product in the Shadows of the Empire line, the game was first released as an exclusive N64 title 4 months after the console's launch in December 1996.[1] The PC version came nearly a year later in September 1997.[2]
In the game, players control mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's hands. It is divided into four parts (or chapters):
- Chapter 1: Dash is drawn into the Battle of Hoth.
- Chapter 2: Dash Rendar confronts bounty hunters from the original films — IG-88 and Boba Fett — in an attempt to reacquire Han Solo.
- Chapter 3: Boba Fett has escaped and the player's mission changes: you must now save Luke Skywalker's life by fighting a deadly gang of swoop bikers in Mos Eisley, then recover secret Imperial plans for the second Death Star with Luke's help.
- Chapter 4: Dash Rendar, with Luke and Lando Calrissian, travels to Coruscant to rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's stronghold.
Certain parts of the game contradict elements from the book and comic book, but the overall story remains the same.
[edit] Soundtrack
- See also: Star Wars music
| Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | ||
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| Soundtrack to the novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire by Joel McNeely | ||
| Released | April 23, 1996 | |
| Recorded | City Hall; Glasgow, 1996 | |
| Genre | Classical | |
| Length | 51:27 | |
| Label | Varèse Sarabande | |
| Producer(s) | Robert Townson | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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An unusual soundtrack was scored by composer Joel McNeely, after a suggestion by John Williams, and performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus. It was published by Varèse Sarabande. Familiar themes from the movies can only be heard in tracks one (Main Theme from Star Wars) and eight ("The Imperial March"). The disc also includes an interactive track for personal computers, containing concept art and additional information about the project.
[edit] Track listing
- "Main Theme from Star Wars and Leia's Nightmare" – 3:41
- "The Battle of Gall" – 7:59
- "Imperial City" – 8:02
- "Beggar's Canyon Chase" – 2:56
- "The Southern Underground" – 1:48
- "Xizor's Theme" – 4:35
- "The Seduction of Princess Leia" – 3:38
- "Night Skies" – 4:17
- "Into the Sewers" – 2:55
- "The Destruction of Xizor's Palace" – 10:44
[edit] Features
- Music Total time: 51:27
- Introduction - an overview of the Shadows of the Empire project.
- Creative Team - the people behind the project.
- Art Gallery - outstanding art created by people like the concept artist of Star Wars, Ralph McQuarrie.
- Music - information about Joel McNeely, the orchestra and the efforts to put together a soundtrack for a novel.
- Shadows of the Empire Universe - information about the book, the game, the comic series and the toys based on the characters.
- The liner notes of the booklet give brief plot summaries for each track of the corresponding sections from 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."
[edit] Toys
Kenner was one of the companies that made the toy line for the Shadows of the Empire project. 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).
[edit] Kenner action figures
- Boba Fett vs. IG-88
- Chewbacca in Bounty Hunter Disguise (with Vibro-Axe and Heavy Blaster Rifle)
- Dash Rendar (with Heavy Weapons Pack)
- Leia in 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
[edit] 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.
[edit] Trading cards
The Topps company developed the Shadows of the Empire trading card line. The 100-piece Shadows of the Empire card set from Topps represents all three platforms that tells the story - the book, the comic series and the game, making it a unique storytelling medium and a highly anticipated collectible. The cards are the work of 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 for everlasting collectibility, 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.
[edit] Trailer
In 1996, to promote the release of the project, Lucasfilm released a trailer showing clips from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. A voiceover was provided that explained the events of the new story and how they connected with the two films. The trailer was meant to give the project the feel of an actual film and film release. The trailer, which was originally broadcast on QVC, was also shown several times at fan conventions, including the 1996 Wondercon convention, each time by the head of Lucasfilm fan relations, Steve Sansweet. However, Lucasfilm quickly pulled the trailer, fearing that people might think the project was actually a film. Since the pull of the trailer, many fans searching for it to view have found the trailer extremely difficult to locate, even on the internet. From the book The Secrets of Shadows of the Empire, this is the complete text from the trailer, as originally read by an unknown narrator:
- When Luke Skywalker was most vulnerable...
- When a renegade hero became a friend in desperate need, and a dark villain faced his greatest challenge...
- When the Empire turned more and more to the forces of the underworld...
- The underworld moved in to crush the Empire and the Rebellion in a single stroke...
- After The Empire Strikes Back and before Return of the Jedi, there was a time when heroes and villains alike lived in the Shadows of the Empire.
- from The Secrets of Shadows of the Empire by Mark Cotta Vaz
To correspond with the 10th anniversary, the official site posted the trailer in their videos section. It can be found here.
[edit] Fan film
A group of Brazilian fans have created Shadows of the Empire in Action Figures, a fan film based on the project utilizing stop motion techniques to make the characters move and interact, using the action figures from the 1996 release. The film also uses the official soundtrack and concept art created for the original project. The complete film is available for download here.
[edit] Sequel
A sequel was written to the original story by Steve Perry, the author of the Shadows of the Empire novel. The project is known as Shadows of the Empire: Evolution, and was created in the form of a series of five comic books. These books were later combined to create a compilation book.
[edit] Story
The story is set around the time of Star Wars—Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Xizor, the leader of the Black Sun criminal organization, has been destroyed, and Guri, a beautiful human-replica droid and Xizor's personal assassin, is left wondering what her future will hold now that she no longer has anyone to answer to. Throughout the ongoing struggle for underworld supremacy, Guri endeavors to uncover hints of her human side-if it even exists. But in her quest to alter her programming and gain humanity, Guri becomes the quarry of both bounty hunters and Rebels (led by a Jedi-to-be named Luke). Secrets lay buried in her android mind that make her such valuable prey. Shadows of the Empire: Evolution was Perry's first foray into comics.
[edit] Comics
There were five comic book installments that made up the overall story:
- Chapter 1: After the Fall
- Chapter 2: The Journey of a Thousand Light-Years
- Chapter 3: Dark Fires of a Black Sun
- Chapter 4: Metamorphosis
- Chapter 5: Reincarnation
[edit] Prequel
A prequel novel was planned to the original Shadows of the Empire story. The book was to be written by author Charles Grant. The novel was cancelled, apparently due to a Lucasfilm Licensing move from Bantam to Del Ray.
[edit] Tie-ins
[edit] Film
In the 1997 Special Edition re-release of A New Hope, Shadows swoop bikes and ASP labor droids make an appearance, as does Dash Rendar's ship, the Outrider. Though originally developed for the Special Edition of A New Hope, the Sentinel-class landing craft (also known as the "Imperial landing craft") also made its first appearance in Shadows of the Empire. This is the craft seen lifting off in A New Hope when the stormtroopers are roaming Tatooine on the Dewbacks.
Prince Xizor makes a cameo appearance at the podrace in The Phantom Menace. A Micro Machines model was used to portray him.
[edit] Radio
In the 1996 Return of the Jedi radio drama, Brian Daley makes several references to events from Shadows.
[edit] Comic
A tie-in comic book series was released from writer Ryder Windham in January 2000. The comic book series was known as Star Wars: Shadow Stalker, and was a prelude to the original Shadows of the Empire story. The new comic expanded on the adventures of the character, Jix, from the original story. The series also incorporated characters from the Archie Goodwin Star Wars newspaper strip story "Iceworld", reprinted by Dark Horse comics in Classic Star Wars.
[edit] Video game
Several missions in the X-Wing Alliance computer game refer to the Shadows timeline, including the missions to acquire the design schematics of the Death Star II. The game depicts assisting Dash Rendar in the capture of the Imperial freighter Suprosa, which was carrying the secret plans to the second Death Star. Also, Dash Rendar's YT-2400 Outrider can be seen in the game. The Outrider can also be seen very very briefly in the GameCube and PS2 game Star Wars: Bounty Hunter, in the sequence after the opening crawl and after The Dooku/Palpatine conversation. Once the space arena comes into view, the Outrider flies from the bottom middle of the screen towards the lower right side. It may be a bit hard to spot, but it is there.
[edit] Miscellanea
- The scene in the novel in which Xizor has Guri kill one of his Vigos is possibly an homage to the 1987 film The Untouchables.
- The N64 and PC versions of the video game differ somewhat. The PC version has sharper and smoother gameplay graphics when using a 3D card. Both versions have slightly different cutscenes - 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. Plus, during gameplay, where in the N64 version you had to read what the characters were saying to you, the PC version has voices.
- If a player's file is renamed "_CREDITS", the game credits will play as usual, but with the addition of strange subtitles that parody the "Swedish" subtitles from the opening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
- Representatives from Lucasfilm first approached John Williams to provide an original score. Williams declined, but instead personally recommended Joel McNeely for the job.
- George Lucas once said that, not only does he approve of this story, but that he enjoyed it so much that, had he had the story in the 80's, he would have made a film version of it.
- At one point, the Shadows of the Empire video game was actually going to be centered around Boba Fett, but this decision was changed when Lucasarts thought to instead make a Boba Fett game (later made a Jango Fett Game), freeing Dark Horse to claim exclusive rights to center their version around Boba Fett.
- The novel slips in a THX 1138 reference in Chapter 37. After some of Xizor's guards are dispatched in the sewers, a voice is heard coming over the comlink saying, "Thix? What is going on down there? Thix, come in, sector one-one-three-eight, come in -"
- In the Nintendo 64 version of Shadows, the supercomputer housing the Death Star II's plans, when viewed from a sufficient distance in Dash's perspective, greatly resembles an actual Nintendo 64 game console with a Shadows cartridge plugged into its slot.
- In the novel, it is revealed that Dash Rendar was one of the snowspeeder pilots in the Battle of Hoth.
[edit] References
- ^ Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, MobyGames, accessed December 22, 2006.
- ^ IGN: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, IGN PC, accessed December 22, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Fansite dedicated to the project
- Official Game Site
- Fan site with fan film based on the project available for download
- Site with complete list of products produced for the project
- Another site listing products produced for the project
- Site to download trailers to the game
- Link to a fan's script to a film version of the story
- Another fan's script to the story
- A site reviewing the project from its initial release
- Site that has created a "graphic adventure" based on the original story
- Another fan's site with info on Prince Xizor
- Site with the official Lucasfilm promotional trailer available for download
- A fan's guide to the game
- gallifreytwo.co.uk fan review of the novel
- A review of the soundtrack
- A game modification for Jedi Academy based on Shadows of the Empire
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire at MobyGames
