Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was 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 where no Star Wars book had gone 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.
| Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | |
|---|---|
| File:Shadows-Of-The-Empire-Pc.jpg An Lucasfilm illustration of the characters of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire. | |
| Directed by | Jon Knoles |
| Written by | George Lucas(characters) Steve Perry(book) John Wagner(comic) |
| Produced by | Lucasfilm Ltd. |
| Starring | Bob Bergen John Cygan Lisa Fuson Tom Kane Nick Tate |
| Music by | Joel McNeely John Williams |
| Distributed by | Lucasfilm Ltd. |
Running time | Unknown |
| Budget | Unknown |
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 MicroMachines 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 1980's.
Opening Crawl
- Episode V.V
- SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE
- It is a time of crisis.
- Han Solo, frozen in carbonite,
- is being taken to the vile
- gangster Jabba the Hutt.
- As Princess Leia mounts a rescue
- mission including Luke Skywalker,
- Lando Calrissian, and a brilliant
- young pilot, Darth Vader pits himself
- against a cunning and ruthless rival.
- Xizor is the leader of a powerful
- crime syndicate who seeks to supplant
- Vader for the favor of their mutual
- master, the dreaded Emperor.
- Their target: Luke Skywalker.
- Suddenly Luke finds himself the
- potential prize of the two most
- evil entities in the galaxy-one who
- wants him alive... and one who wants him dead....
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 story.
If you just read the book, for instance, the reader may have have the feeling something is missing. In order to understand everything, you must collect all three products. Certain elements from each part of the story are unknown until you have read or played another part of the project. By reading the book, you get the ending to the story, but don't find out the complete events leading up to it, which served well as a marketing strategy.
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.
Cast
- Bob Bergen .... Luke Skywalker (voice)
- John Cygan .... Dash Rendar (voice)
- Lisa Fuson .... Leia Organa/Guri (voice)
- Tom Kane .... Leebo (voice)
- Nick Tate .... Prince Xizor/IG-88 (voice)
The Book
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 sticks with 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.
The Comics
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. It also tells the story of Jix, Darth Vader's assistant, who infiltrated Jabba the Hutt's swoop gang to prevent that band of criminals from killing Luke Skywalker. Steve Perry, author of the Shadows' 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.
The Game
LucasArts's Shadows of the Empire game was one of the first made available for Nintendo's 64-bit system, Nintendo 64. The most commercial product in the Shadows of the Empire line, the Nintendo 64 game was released at the same time of the video game console as a marketing strategy. The computer version came more than a year later. In the game, you control the mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor's hands.
The game is divided in four parts (or chapters). The first one takes place during the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. In the second part, Dash Rendar confronts some of the bounty hunters found in the movies, like IG-88 and Boba Fett. In the third chapter, Boba Fett has escaped and the player's mission changes: you must now save Luke Skywalker's life by fighting a deadly gang of bikers in Mos Eisley, and then recover Imperial secret plans of the Death Star, with Skywalker's help. Finally, in the last chapter, 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.
The Soundtrack
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 (Imperial March). The disc also includes an interactive track for personal computers, containing concept art and additional information about the project.
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)
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."
The Toys
Kenner was one of the companies that made the toy line for the Shadows of the Empire project. Kenner's Shadows of the Empire line contains 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 Machine" 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
- 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
Kenner Vehicles
- Outrider
- Slave I
- Swoop
The Trading Cards
The Trading Card company, Topps 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 the most recognizable Star Wars art of all time - the world-famous poster that is still an icon of the trilogy. 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. Besides that, there are six cards dedicated to vehicles, other six to the comics and another six keyed to the video game. Each pack came with nine cards.
The 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 shown as well 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 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 under-
- world...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 he-
- roes and villains alike lived in the Shadows of the Empire.
- from The Secrets of Shadows of the Empire by Mark Cotta Voz
Despite the trailer's low availability, some fans recorded the video when it made its debut on QVC. The trailer, the best quality known to be available, can be found here.
The Fan Film
A group of fans of Shadows of the Empire created a fan film based on the project, using the action figures relased during the 1996 release. The name of their film was "Shadows of the Empire in Action Figures." The fans used stop motion techniques to make the characters move and interact. Other than the action figures, the film also utilized the official soundtrack and concept art created in the original project. The complete film will eventually be available for download here [1]. Until then, the site gives teaser trailers available for download.
The Sequel
A sequel was written to the original story by the author of the "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" book, Steve Perry. The project is known as "Star Wars: 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.
Story
The story is set in 4 ABY (4 years after the Battle of Yavin), which sets it one year after the events of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (the original story), one year after The Empire Strikes Back, and around the events of 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: Evolutions was the first foray into comics by the best-selling Shadows novelist Steve Perry.
Story The story is set in 5 ABY (5 years after the Battle of Yavin), which sets it one year after the events of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (the original story), one year after The Empire Strikes Back, and around the events of 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: Evolutions was the first foray into comics by the best-selling Shadows novelist Steve Perry.
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
The 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 Licsensing move from Bantam to Del Ray.
Tie-In 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 priginal "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 "Iceworld", reprinted by Dark Horse comics in Classic Star Wars.
Trivia
- With the video game, the N64 and PC version differ greatly. The PC version has sharper and smoother gameplay graphics (using a 3D card) than the N64 version. The PC version and N64 version have slightly different cutscenes, that being the PC version has full-motion cinematic cutscenes with sound effects and voices, while the N64 version just has drawn sketches 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.
- On the PC version of the game, 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.
- Despite taking place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, this installment in the Star Wars canon does not have its own feature film, even though it has all of the other marketing tools (a soundtrack, a video game, a comic book series, etc.)
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.
- 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. Has info on Prince Xizor.
- Site with the official Lucasfilm promotional trailer available for download.
- A fan's guide to the game.