The Rebellion Against the Empire

3 to 4 years after ANH

Last Updated
31 March 1999

*NOTES*
TPM = Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace
ANH = Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope
ESB = Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
ROJ = Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi
NA = information not available
(p) = pencils; (i) = inks
(release dates are approximate and are subject to change)

Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters

CHRONO-SETTING:

Sometime before ESB up to 15 years after ROJ; focus is primarily around the chrono-setting of ESB

MEDIUM:

5-novella anthology (Bantam, November 1996)

TALE	AUTHOR	CHRONO-SETTING
"Therefore I Am: The Tale of IG-88"	Kevin J. Anderson
"Payback: The Tale of Dengar"	Dave Wolverton
"The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk"	Kathy Tyers
"Of Possible Futures: The Tale of Zuckass and 4-LOM	M. Shayne Bell
"The Last One Standing: The Tale of Boba Fett"	Daniel Keys Moran

EDITOR:

Edited by Kevin J. Anderson

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Prequels:

The short fiction prequels "Tinian on Trial" and "To Fight Another Day" (both featuring Tinain I'att, a character featured in "The Prize Pelt: The Tale of Bossk"), written by Kathy Tyers, can be found in Star Wars Adventure Journal #4 and #6 (West End Games, November 1994 & May 1995), respectively

Collections:

Collected with Star Wars: Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and Star Wars: Tales from Jabba's Palace in the special collector's hardcover Star Wars: Tales (Guild America Books, 1997)

SUMMARY:

Stories of the six bounty hunters seen in SW5 that are searching for Han Solo.
"In a wild and battle-scarred galaxy, assassins, pirates, smugglers, and cutthroats of every description roam at will, fearing only the professional bounty hunters—amoral adventurers who track down the scum of the universe ... for a fee. When Darth Vader seeks to strike at the heart of the Rebellion by targeting Han Solo and the Millennium Falcon, he calls upon six of the most successful—and feared—hunters, including the merciless Boba Fett. They have two things in common: lust for profit and contempt for life ..." (From the back cover of Star Wars: Tales of the Bounty Hunters)

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

3 years after ANH

Star Wars
Episode V
The Empire Strikes Back

CHRONO-SETTING:

3 years after ANH

MEDIUM:

Second Star Wars motion picture (Twentieth Century Fox, 1980)
Sequel to Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Original:

Released 21 May 1980

Special Edition:

Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back re-released (Twentieth Century Fox, 21 February 1997) as part of the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition with enhanced special effects and 1½ minutes of new footage added

AUTHORS/DIRECTOR/PRODUCERS:

Story by George Lucas
Screenplay written by Leigh Brackett & Lawrence Kasdan
Directed by Irvin Kershner
Produced by Gary Kurtz
Executive produced by George Lucas
Special Edition produced by Rick McCallum

ADAPTATIONS:

SUMMARY:

The Rebels evacuate Hoth, Luke battles Darth Vader, and Han Solo is captured by Jabba the Hutt.
"THE BATTLE CONTINUES. ... In this spellbinding Star Wars sequel, the battle to save the galaxy from the evil Empire rages on. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Chewbacca face attack by the Imperial forces and its AT-AT walkers on the ice planet Hoth. While Han and Leia escape in the Millennium Falcon, Luke travels to Dagobah in search of Yoda. Only with the Jedi Master's help will Luke survive when the dark side of the Force beckons him into an ultimate duel with Darth Vader. An amazing array of special effects, blazing action and imagination, The Empire Strikes Back has been hailed as one of the greatest motion pictures ever made." (From the back of the THX Widescreen Edition of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back)

THE LOST JEDI SAGA

Part 2 of 2
[click here for Part 1]

3 years after ANH

Star Wars: The Lost Jedi
Adventure Game Book 2
The Bounty Hunter

CHRONO-SETTING:

Concurrent with ESB
NOTE: considered apocryphal

MEDIUM:

Second "Which-Way"-style Lost Jedi Adventure Game Book (Boxtree Limited, 1993)
Sequel to Star Wars: The Lost Jedi—Adventure Game Book 1: Jedi Dawn

AUTHOR:

Written by Paul Cockburn

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Collected with Star Wars: The Lost Jedi—Adventure Game Book 1: Jedi Dawn in Star Wars: The Lost Jedi Adventure Game Book (Boxtree Limited, 1995); NOTE: published only in the United Kingdom

SUMMARY:

Havet Storm becomes involved in Boba Fett's search for Han Solo.
"Enter one of the darkest corners of the war-torn Galaxy—where a young man wakes to the terrifying nes that he is a member of a hunted breed of warriors—The Jedi. YOU are that young man, Havet Storm, outcast and fugitive, blindly skipping from planet to planet in a desperate bid to keep your terrible heritage a secret. With nothing to protect you but your blaster, your K9 series droid, your lightsabre and your wits ... In the Bounty Hunter, Havet, in an attempt to leave Toprawa, is plunged into the world of Boba Fett, who is on a mission to seek and capture Han Solo for underworld leader Jabba the Hutt and the evil Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith. Will you be able to find Solo before Fett does? Or will you yourself fall into the clutches of the bounty hunter? Do you have what it take to succeed? May the Force Be With You." (From the back cover of Star Wars: The Lost Jedi Adventure Game Book)

The Stele Chronicles

CHRONO-SETTING:

Shortly after ESB

MEDIUM:

Novella (Prima Publishing, 1994)

AUTHOR:

Written by Rusel DeMaria

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

This novella was found only in original Star Wars: TIE Fighter game boxes
The partial continuation of The Stele Chronicles was originally published in Star Wars: TIE Fighter—The Official Strategy Guide (Prima Publishing, 1994) and Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Defender of the Empire: Official Secrets & Solutions (Prima Publishing, 1995); however, the entire continuation of The Stele Chronicles is found in Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Collector's CD-Rom: The Official Srategy Guide (Prima Publishing, 1995)

ADAPTATIONS:

Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Collector's CD-Rom (computer game, LucasArts Entertainment Company, November 1995)

Originally released as Star Wars: TIE Fighter (computer game, LucasArts Entertainment Company, 1994) and Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Defender of the Empire (computer game, LucasArts Entertainment Company, 1994)
Includes the CD-ROM-exclusive campaign Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Enemies of the Empire (computer game, LucasArts Entertainment Company, 1995)

Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Collector's CD-Rom: The Official Strategy Guide (Prima Publishing, 1995)

Written by Rusel DeMaria, David Maxwell, & David Wessman
Originally published as (and contains the full text of) Star Wars: TIE Fighter—The Official Strategy Guide (Prima Publishing, 1994) and Star Wars: TIE Fighter—Enemies of the Empire: Secrets and Solutions (Prima Publishing, 1994)

SUMMARY:

Imperial pilot Maarek Stele takes part in routing the Rebels from Hoth.
"Fight for the other side against those X-wing pilots! Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca the Wookiee, and the other characters you know from Star Wars are now the enemy. The Force has been helping those Rebel Alliance X-wing fighters for too long! As a young Imperial Navy Academy cadet, you must first train and then go into action against the Rebels and other enemies of the Empire to help ensure Imperial rule over the galaxy." (From the back cover of Star Wars: TIE Fighter—The Official Strategy Guide)

THE REBEL ASSAULT SAGA

Part 2 of 2
[click here for Part 1]

After ESB

Star Wars: Rebel Assault II
The Hidden Empire

CHRONO-SETTING:

Immediately after the Battle of Hoth sequence in ESB and continues up to the end of ROJ

MEDIUM:

Live-action computer game (LucasArts Entertainment Company, November 1995)
Sequel to Rebel Assault
Alternately titled Star Wars: Rebel Assault—Episode II: The Hidden Empire in the game's crawl text

AUTHOR/DIRECTOR:

Storyline by Vincent Lee
Directed by Hal Barwood

SUMMARY:

Rookie One and his mentor, Commander Ru Merleen, investigate the numerous disappearances of Rebel spacecraft near Dreighton—the galactic equivalent to the Bermuda Triangle.

STAR WARS:
SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE

Part 1 of 2
[click here for Part 1]

c. 3 to 3 1/2 years after ANH

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

OVERALL CHRONO-SETTING:

The entire multi-media event takes place during a period concurrent with SW5, between SW5 and SW6, and just after SW6

MEDIA:

Multi-media project published in 8 different mediums, each medium exploring different aspects of what is collectively known as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire:

(1) novel (Bantam, April 1996)
(2) soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande, April 1996)
(3) 6-issue comic series (Dark Horse Comics, monthly: May - October 1996)
(4) pop-up comic book (Dark Horse Comics, June 1996)
(5) series of 3 identical mini-comics with different covers (Dark Horse Comics, 1996) found in especially marked Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Micro-Machines from Galoob
(6) mini-comic (Dark Horse Comics, 1996) found in especially marked X-wing Fighter, TIE Fighter, and Millennium Falcon, and Jabba's Palace model kits from Ertl
(7) video game (Nintendo, November 1996)
(8) artwork compendium (Topps Publishing, November 1997)

INDIVIDUAL MEDIA:

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (novel, Bantam, April 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

6 months after ESB, concurrent with the comic series

AUTHOR:

Written by Steve Perry

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

The prologue to Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was originally published on Bantam Del Doubleday's Star Wars Forum web page (March 1996)

ADAPTATIONS:

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (junior novelization, Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, October 1996)

Written by Christopher Golden

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (audio book, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, 1996)

Performed by Anthony Heald

SUMMARY:

Xizor, leader of Coruscant's Black Sun criminal organization—and confidant of Emperor Palpatine—moves in to crush the Empire and the Rebellion in a single stroke; a pious Darth Vader lobbies against the galactic gangster to win the sole favor of the Emperor.
"Featuring such stellar authors as Timothy Zahn, Vonda N. McIntyre, Kevin J. Anderson, and Barbara Hambly, the bestselling Star Wars novels have extended the vision of George Lucas's original blockbuster film trilogy, chronicling the further adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo. Now for the first time ever, comes a novel that reveals an untold story that took place between the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi: a novel in which Darth Vader still lives—and battles a new villain every bit as evil and powerful as the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. His name is Xizor, Underlord of a galaxywide criminal organization called Black Sun. He seeks to displace Darth Vader as Emperor Palpatine's right hand. To do so, he will hatch a brilliantly evil plan to discredit Vader in the Emperor's eyes. But in the meantime he will join the Dark Lord in an unholy alliance whose common target is the young Rebel here, Luke Skywalker. While Vader and Xizor bait their trap for Luke, Han Solo is being held captive, flash-frozen in a carbonite slab. Mouring the loss of the man she loves, Princess Leia mounts a rescue mission to free Han. She enlists the aid of Luke, who is sharpening his skill in the Force at Ben Kenobi's home on the edge of the Western Dune Sea. Skywalker organizes a crack fighting force, including Wedge Antilles and his famous X-wing squadron; Lando Calrissian; and the mercenary Dash Rendar. Yet the fierce battle that ensues to rescue Han will not go according to plan. For the Empire's spies are everywhere. What's worse, though he is cold and reptilian, Xizor has a certain predatory charisma that not even Leia can totally resist. Against the jedgment of Chewbacca, who has promised to Han to keep her from harm, Leia walks willingly into Xizor's lair in a dangerous play of passion and willpower to get the information she needs to defeat him. At the same time, Luke stands in the crossroads of a conspiracy of assassins and bounty hunters recruited by Xizor's lieutenant, the beautiful but lethal human replicant Guri. As the struggle between Xizor and Vader intensifies, 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. In a final, explosive showdown, the Rebels must infiltrate Xizor's inpregnable stronghold and fight the combined forces of Black Sun and the Empire in deep space. With death and betrayal looming on every side, Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewie must use every weapon and resource at their disposal, including the Rebel fleet and some intriguing new allies, if they are to prove victorious. In Shadows of the Empire, Steve Perry adds an exciting new chapter to the Star Wars saga and introduces new characters and situations no Star Wars fans will want to miss." (From the dust jacket of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire)

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (soundtrack, Varèse Sarabande, April 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

6 months after ESB, concurrent with the novel

COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR/MUSICIANS:

Music by Joel McNeeley and John Williams
Conducted by Joel McNeeley
Performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus

SUMMARY:

Liner notes include the epic Coruscani poem "Dha Werda Verda" and "Historic Notes on 'Dha Werda Verda' "

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (6-issue comic series, Dark Horse Comics, 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

6 months after ESB, concurrent with the novel

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Previews:

Pages 3-9 of issue #1 were originally published as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Preview in Previews, Vol. VI, No. 3, March 1996
Three of the aforementioned 7 pages of issue #1 were alo published as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Preview in Star Wars: X-wing Rogue Squadron—The Phantom Affair #2 (March 1996)
Preliminary sketches and pencils from various issues were also published in The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Mark Cotta Vaz, Del Rey, May 1996)

Series:

Issues #1-6: monthly, May - October 1996

Collections:

Issues #1-2 packaged with Star Wars: River of Chaos #4 in a Toys "R" Us 3-pack (1997)
Issues #1-6 collected in the trade paperback Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (April 1997); NOTE: also released in hardcover and signed by John Wagner and Kilian Plunkett

ISSUE	TITLE	SCRIPTER	ILLUSTRATORS
1	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)
2	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)
3	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)
4	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)
5	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)
6	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) John Nadeau & P. Craig Russell (i)

ADAPTATIONS:

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Special (2-issue series, Dark Horse Comics, 1996)

ISSUE	TITLE	SCRIPTERS	ILLUSTRATORS
#530104.00	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)]
#527008.00	[untitled]	John Wagner	Kilian Plunkett (p) P. Craig Russell (i)

#530104.00 found in Kenner's Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Action Figure two-packs (Darth Vader/Xizor); NOTE: this issue is an edited reprint of material found in the original Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire comic series (pages 4-5, 7, 9, and 12-15 of issue #1, and pages 1-4 of issue #2)
#527008.00 found in Kenner's Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Action Figure two-packs (Boba Fett/IG-88); NOTE: this issue is an edited reprint of material found in the original Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire comic series (pages 18-19, 21-23, and 25-26 of issue #1, and pages 5-9 of issue #2)

SUMMARY:

"Ultimate victory lies within the grasp of the dreaded Galactic Emperor Palpatine as the tattered remnants of the Rebel fleet desperately seek sanctuary and time to must new allies. A grim Luke Skywalker, reeling from Darth Vader's revelations on the cloud city of Bespin, ponders his own destiny and that of the Rebel Alliance. Meanwhile, the search ensues for Han Solo, captive of the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett. To deal a final blow to the Rebellion, Palpatine has hatched a new plan of which even Lord Vader is unaware. To aid him, the Emperor has enlisted the services of the vast criminal underworld that lurks within the Shadows of the Empire. ... " (From the crawl text of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire issue #1)

Star Wars: Battle of the Bounty Hunters—The Pop-Up Comic Book! (pop-up comic book, Boba Fett/IG-88 battle sequence, Dark Horse Comics, June 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

6 months after ESB, concurrent with the novel and comic series

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATORS:

Written by Ryder Windham
Illustrated by Christopher Moeller
Paper-engineered by Vicki Teague-Cooper

SUMMARY:

"The notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett has left the cloud city of Bespin and is now travelling through hyperspace to Tatooine where he plans to deliver Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, to Jabba the Hutt. For Boba, getting there is more than half the battle. Somehow, he's not the only one who wants to deliver Solo ... " (From the back cover of Star Wars: Battle of the Bounty Hunters: The Pop-Up Comic Book! )

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (3-issue "series" of mini-comics, Dark Horse Comics, 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

6 months after ESB, concurrent with the novel and comic series

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:

Written by Ryder Windham
Illustrated by Bill Hughes

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Found in Galoob's Shadows of the Empire Micro-Machines Sets I - III; NOTE: all three issues have same content, but different covers

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (mini-comic, Dark Horse Comics, 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

6 months after ESB, concurrent with the novel and comic series

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR:

Written by John Wagner
Illustrated by Ron Randall

PUBLISHING HISTORY:

Found in Ertl's X-wing, TIE Fighter, Millennium Falcon, and Jabba's Palace model kits

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (video game, Nintendo, November 1996)

CHRONO-SETTING:

Concurrent with ESB and concurrent with the novel and comic series

ADAPTATIONS:

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (strategy guide magazine, Eletronic Gaming Monthly, 1996)

Written by Cripsin Boyer

SUMMARY:

Follow Dash Rendar through his many adventures in the Shadows of the Empire.

Star Wars: The Art of the Brothers Hildebrandt (artwork compendium, Del Rey, November 1997)

CHRONO-SETTING:

Concurrent with ESB and concurrent with the novel, comic series, and video game

AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATORS:

Written by Bob Woods
Illustrated by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt

SUMMARY:

Features 100 paintings by the Hildebrandt brothers which visualize the entire Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire storyline as told in the novel, comic series, and video game.

Click here

to proceed to the previous era of The Star Wars Literature Timeline
The Scourge of the Empire: Ewok Adventures

Click here

to proceed to the next era of The Star Wars Literature Timeline
The New Republic: Spear of Diplomacy

Click here

to return to The Star Wars Literature Compendium Homepage

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(http://www.lightgate.net/StarWars/SWLC/compendium.htm)
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The Rebellion Against the Empire

3 to 4 years after ANH

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

3 years after ANH

THE LOST JEDI SAGA

Part 2 of 2 [click here for Part 1]

3 years after ANH

THE REBEL ASSAULT SAGA

Part 2 of 2 [click here for Part 1]

After ESB

STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE

Part 1 of 2 [click here for Part 1]

c. 3 to 3 1/2 years after ANH

Part 2 of 2
[click here for Part 1]

Part 2 of 2
[click here for Part 1]

STAR WARS:
SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE

Part 1 of 2
[click here for Part 1]