logo Sign In

Shadows Of The Empire | Lucasfilm's mid-to-late 1990's EU multimedia project

Author
Time
 (Edited)

A thread similar to the ‘The Force Unleashed | Lucasfilm’s 2007-2010 EU multimedia project’ 2023 info / discussion.

and the ‘Clone Wars | Lucasfilm’s 2002-2007 EU multimedia project’ 2020 info post + Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003 Clone Wars.

 

As there seemingly isn’t already a thread for the overall Shadows Of The Empire ‘multimedia project’ on here…
 

An Index for this ‘Shadows Of The Empire’ (SOTE) thread…

About ‘Shadows Of The Empire’…
The Book(s)
The Comics
The Game
The Soundtrack
The Toys
The Trading Cards
The RPG
Reviews, Retrospectives & Fan Content
OT•com SOTE Discussion Threads
A few online articles on SOTE

 

 

About ‘Shadows Of The Empire’…

 
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 1997 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, and a series of action figures and vehicles.

The story introduces Rebel ally Dash Rendar, who aids the heroes in their attempt to liberate the frozen Han Solo from bounty hunter Boba Fett. Meanwhile, Darth Vader continues the search for his son, Luke Skywalker, whom crime lord Prince Xizor attempts to kill in his plot to replace Vader at the side of Emperor Palpatine.
 

It was sometimes referred to as ‘The Movie Without A Movie’.

 

The blurb / a would-be opening crawl…

“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.”

 

'Shadows Of The Empire Commercial’ (novel, comic & game):-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5sGUwWAxbc - a 75 second trailer at the Shadows of the Empire youtube channel
 

A HD remade trailer - Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Commercial - at the editing sith lord youtube channel
 

Shadows of the Empire wikipedia page - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_Shadows_of_the_Empire

Shadows of the Empire wookieepedia page - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Shadows_of_the_Empire

Shadows of the Empire: insightful overview - www.forcematerial.com/home/2016/11/11/20-secrets-of-shadows-of-the-empire

 

 

 

The Book(s)

 

 
‘Shadows of the Empire’ is a 1996 novel written by Steve Perry. It describes the events between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It was part of the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project.

‘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 and Darth Vader scours the Galaxy for Luke Skywalker, another sinister figure emerges. Cunning and ruthless, leader of a powerful crime syndicate, he will pit himself against Vader for the favor of their mutual master…the dreaded Emperor.’

 

From the Wikipedia page for the SOTE novel:-

'Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian hire the services of Battle of Hoth veteran Dash Rendar, who has located Boba Fett’s ship, which has the frozen Han Solo aboard. The heroes lead an attempt to liberate Han from the bounty hunter, but are outgunned by Imperial TIE fighters. Back on Tatooine, as Luke Skywalker constructs a new lightsaber, he is chased by swoop bike riders in the service of Jabba the Hutt and saved by Dash.

The two learn where they can intercept the plans for a new Death Star, which they obtain with the aid of Bothan fighters and bring to Kothlis to be decoded. Luke is briefly captured by the agents of Darth Vader and learns of the Falleen crime lord Prince Xizor, who plans to kill Luke in a plot to gain Emperor Palpatine’s favor. Meanwhile, Leia investigates the attempts on Luke’s life. She and Chewbacca meet Xizor’s human-replica droid Guri, who brings Leia to Coruscant, where Xizor tries to seduce the princess in an attempt to bait Luke.

Luke, Lando and Dash sneak into the crime lord’s palace to save Leia. As the Rebels engage Imperial fighters above Coruscant, Xizor is prevented from escaping by the vengeful Darth Vader, whose Star Destroyer shoots down his repulsor craft and Skyhook base. The debris from the explosion hits the Outrider, apparently killing Dash. Back on Tatooine once more, Luke records a holographic message for Jabba the Hutt.

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.

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.

Steve Perry has expressed his support of adapting the story as an animated film. 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.’

 

^ by Hugh Fleming

 

Wookieepedia page for the SOTE Novel - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shadows_of_the_Empire_(novel)

Amazon page (for info only) for the SOTE Novel - www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Shadows-Steve-Perry/dp/055350472X

Audible page for the SOTE Novel - www.audible.co.uk/pd/Star-Wars-Shadows-of-the-Empire-Audiobook/B004EXE4RO

 
 

The SOTE Junior Novel…

 

 
‘The junior novelization of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was written by Christopher Golden and published by Bantam Doubleday Dell in October 1996. It is based on the story and novel of the same name by Steve Perry. The target audience of the junior novelization is kids 8-12.’

^ Wookieepedia page for the Jnr Novel - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shadows_of_the_Empire_(junior_novelization)
 

RebelScum info page for the SOTE Junior Novel - http://www.rebelscum.com/soteBKjrnv.asp

Amazon page (for info only) Jnr Novel - www.amazon.co.uk/Shadows-Empire-Novelization-Christopher-Golden/dp/0606118357

 
 

The Secrets of The Shadows Of The Empire book…

 

 

The book blurb: ‘The minds behind the Star Wars galaxy have created a phenomenon of epic proportions, designed to unfold in nearly every medium at their disposal. This intensely researched volume guides you through this Star Wars event–as its creators reveal the secrets behind the multimedia release of the year. The tendrils of this dark drama will reach throughout the Star Wars galaxy’.
 

‘The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 reference book written by Mark Cotta Vaz. Structured like a “making of” book typically written for a film, the book covers the Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign. It explains the origins and development of the novel, comics, video game, and soundtrack.’

‘After George Lucas approved the concept, Wilson and Howard Roffman wrote a brief outline of the premise. Then in November 1994, licensing representatives and Lucasfilm executives met at Skywalker Ranch to begin serious work on the project. Author Steve Perry, who had been hired to write the novel, took detailed notes of the discussion, and used this to create an outline for his book. This outline would serve as the basis for all other aspects of the overall project.’

^ from the Wookieepedia page for ‘The Secrets of Shadows Of The Empire’ official book:-

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/The_Secrets_of_Star_Wars:_Shadows_of_the_Empire
 

Amazon page for the book (for info) - www.amazon.co.uk/Secrets-Star-Wars-Shadows-Empire/dp/0345402367

FantasticFiction page for the book - www.fantasticfiction.com/series/star-wars/secrets-of-star-wars-shadows-of-empire.htm

 

 

 

The Comics

 

 
'Shadows of the Empire was a six-issue miniseries that was part of the Shadows of the Empire multimedia campaign.

While the events of the comic coincide with the events of the novel, the comic does not follow much the exploits of Leia, Lando and the mysterious villainess Guri, who here plays only a minor supportive role; on the other hand it includes a generous amount of what Boba Fett was up to during that time, the rivalry with his fellow bounty hunters, and Jix’s mission on Tatooine.’
 

Shadows of the Empire (comics) Wookieepedia page - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shadows_of_the_Empire_(comics)

SOTE comics; Marvel website page - https://www.marvel.com/comics/series/20219/star_wars_shadows_of_the_empire_1996

RebelScum website info page (with cover art) for the SOTE comics - www.rebelscum.com/sotedhcomics.asp

 
 

Graphic Novel info - Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire : Graphic Novel - an amazon link; with images of the 2001 release.

 

 
 

Shadows Of The Empire: Evolution info…

 

 

‘The story is set in 4 ABY, which sets it one year after The Empire Strikes Back, and more or less shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi. Xizor, the leader of Black Sun, has been killed by Darth Vader, 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 Luke Skywalker). Secrets lay buried in her android mind that make her a valuable prey.’

^ from the Wookieepedia page for ‘SOTE: Evolution’ - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shadows_of_the_Empire:_Evolution
 

Marvel page for SOTE: Evolution: www.marvel.com/comics/issue/54549/star_wars_shadows_of_the_empire_-_evolution_1998_1

Dark Horse page for SOTE: Evolution: www.darkhorse.com/Books/49-378/Star-Wars-Shadows-of-the-Empire---Evolution-TPB

A short interview with author Steve Perry: https://starwarsinterviews.com/various/authors/steve-perry-author

A video info review on ‘SOTE: Evolution’ - a 35 minute video from the RaD Adventures Network youtube channel.

 

^ Guri - from the Dark Horse Comic ‘Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - Evolution’

 

 

 

The Game

 

 
'Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a video game developed and published by LucasArts. Primarily a third-person shooter, the game also utilizes multiple types of vehicular combat sequences. It was released for the Nintendo 64 on December 3, 1996, and a version for Windows 95 was released nearly one year later on September 17, 1997. The game was re-released for Windows systems on May 3, 2016 through Good Old Games. The re-release allows the game to play properly on 64-bit Windows installations.

In the game, the player controls the mercenary Dash Rendar in his efforts to help Luke Skywalker and rescue Princess Leia from Prince Xizor’s hands. It is part of the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire multimedia project and takes place as a backstory between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Tracks from the multimedia project’s soundtrack are used as the game’s musical score. The game received mixed to positive reviews from critics. Shadows of the Empire was the third top-selling Nintendo 64 game for 1997, with more than 1 million copies sold.’

^ the blurb is taken from the youtube video below.
 

The official Lucasarts website for the SOTE game (via the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine):-

https://web.archive.org/web/20070205070721/http://www.lucasarts.com/products/shadows

 

 

 

 

Nintendo 64 Longplay: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aFMsFdYCRw - a 162 minute playthrough video from the N64 Archive youtube channel.

 
 

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire | PC | Playthrough’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGONy9FLcE0 - a 152 minute video from the Stranno youtube channel.

 
 

Star Wars: Shadow Of The Empire All Cutscenes Movie(PC; cut scenes differ from the N64 version):-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfSrTImTOyg - a 12 minute video at the NeedleMouse Productions youtube video.

 
 

As well as the official SOTE Soundtrack, the N64 & PC SOTE game also had an appreciated soundtrack of its own…

Shadows of the Empire Complete Soundtrack OST- Nintendo 64’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr0XVj7ZuxY - a 27 minute video at the Video Game Tracks youtube video.

 
 

‘Star Wars Shadows of the Empire Nintendo 64 Commercial 1996’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=llFRAFSgqFw

‘Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64\N64\Australian Commercial)’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByvPcWmsvs8

‘Shadows of the Empire (Nintendo 64\N64\UK Commercial)’ - www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikvqHhXTVoA

GameFaqs.com page for the SOTE N64 game - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/n64/198789-star-wars-shadows-of-the-empire

GameFaqs.com page for the SOTE PC game - https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/53840-star-wars-shadows-of-the-empire

 
 

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire: The Official Strategy Guide…

 

 
As was the norm back then for ‘big gaming titles’ (in a time before fast broadband and video playthroughs) there were official guide books published for many top video games. The ‘Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire: The Official Strategy Guide’ was a strategy guide published by Prima’s Secrets of the Games for both the PC and Nintendo 64 versions of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, by Bart Farkas.
 

The book blurb: ‘With Shadows of the Empire: The Official Strategy Guide, you’ll learn how to defeat Boba Fett and IG-88, blast Imperial baddies, and get the secrets you’ll need to ultimately destroy Prince Xizor and his Skyhook, inclooding:All the locations of the secret Rebel challenge points, Step-by-step walkthroughs for every mission, Jet-packed flight skills that will propel you to victory, Maps for selected levels About the Author.’
 

SOTE: PC Version: ‘The Official Strategy Guide (Secrets of the Games Series)’ - amazon link - (for info)

SOTE: N64 version: ‘Shadows of the Empire - Game Secrets’ - amazon link - (for info)

 

 

 

The Soundtrack

 

'The Shadows of the Empire soundtrack is a musical score by Emmy Award-winning composer Joel McNeely which was inspired by author Steve Perry’s 1996 novel of the same name. The score, much like classical program music of the past, is based on a piece of literature rather than a motion picture.

The 51-minute score, conducted by McNeely, was performed by the 90-piece Royal Scottish National Orchestra and a 150 voice chorus in Glasgow, Scotland in early 1996. The album was released by Varèse Sarabande Records on April 23, 1996. In addition to the score, the CD contained exclusive CD-ROM features with behind-the-scenes content.’

^ from the Wookieepedia page for the SOTE Soundtrack
 

The SOTE soundtrack info at Discogs - www.discogs.com/Joel-McNeely-Star-Wars-Shadows-Of-The-Empire/master/260806

 

 
Shadows of the Empire Complete Soundtrack OST’:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSaXhrimzs0&list=PL52216F97F15A201A - SOTE playlist at the Mast3rFr3aky youtube channel

 

Shadows of the Empire Is Back With a Very Special Release - a 2020 article at CBR

Soundtrack Review – “Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire” (Vinyl Reissue) - a 2020 review at Laughing Place

Review: Joel McNeely, ‘Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire’ - a 2020 review at The Second Disc

 

 

 

The Toys

 

 
Wookieepedia page for SOTE toy line - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:Shadows_of_the_Empire(toy_line)

Wookieepedia page for SOTE Micro Machines - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Shadows_of_the_Empire_Micro_Machines

 

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Toy Commercial)’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj-GjJfi94c - a 32 second video at the Shadows of the Empire youtube channel
 
 

• a few articles / sources of info on the SOTE toyline…

Shadows of the Empire Action Figures - article at Gentlemen Of Leisure
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Collectibles - at Battle Grip
SOTE Collections - at Jedi Temple Archives
SOTE Checklist & Info - at RebelScum.com
SOTE Figures 1996-97 - at JediBusiness.com
SOTE Toys Photo Archive - at RebelScum.com
SOTE Micro Machines Info Page - at RebelScum.com

 

 

 

 

The Trading Cards

 

 
The Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire trading card set is a collectable series of trading cards produced by Topps in 1996, as part of the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire multimedia project. The set, comprising 100 cards, features original color illustrations by artists Greg Hildebrandt and Tim Hildebrandt.

Each card features a color illustration on the front and detailed narrative text on the back, relating the entire Shadows of the Empire novelized story, written by Steve Perry. Linda Siegal and Greg Hildrebrandt’s daughter Mary were among the models who posed for the card illustrations.

^ Wookieepedia page for SOTE (trading cards):-

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:Shadows_of_the_Empire(trading_cards)
 

RebelScum info page (with images) for the SOTE Topps trading cards: http://www.rebelscum.com/soteTCcards.asp

JediTempleArchive page for SOTE cards: www.jeditemplearchives.com/topps-trading-cards/1996-shadows-of-the-empire

 

 

 
Wookieepedia page for the SOTE ‘Embossed Metal Collector Cards’:-

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Shadows_of_the_Empire_Embossed_Metal_Collector_Cards
 

RebelScum info page (with images) for the SOTE embossed metal cards: http://www.rebelscum.com/soteMIcards.asp

Facebook MarketPlace page (with lots of images & info): https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/158186845516103

 

 

 

The RPG (Role Playing Game)

 

 
'The Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook was a roleplaying guide published by West End Games for the second edition of the Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. It was written by Peter M. Schweighofer and was first published in June of 1996.

The book summarizes and details the events of the novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.’

^ from Wookieepedia page for ‘SOTE Sourcebook’ (RPG) - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Shadows_of_the_Empire_Sourcebook
 

Wookieepedia page for ‘Star Wars Roleplaying Game’ - https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Roleplaying_Game

Wikipedia page for the ‘Star Wars Roleplaying Game’ - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars:_The_Roleplaying_Game

 
 

Retro RPG: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLYnKFpyEpQ - a 15 minute video at the RPGGamer youtube channel.

The blurb: The book summarizes and details the events of the novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.

The Official Companion to the Novel ‘Shadows of the Empire’.

After his defeat on Cloud City, Luke Skywalker finds himself a pawn in a deadly game between Darth Vader and the mysterious and dangerous leader of the criminal organization Black Sun. Confronted by bounty hunters and his own worst fears, Luke must must [sic] lead a daring rescue mission to Emperor Palpatine’s throne world of Coruscant, where he will confront the foes who lurk in the Shadows of the Empire…’

 

 

 

Reviews, Retrospectives & Fan Content…

 

Could Shadows of the Empire Fit Into Star Wars Canon?’:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGKcSvi9P_o - a 4 minute video from the Star Wars Explained youtube channel

 

 

Shadows of the Empire Lore Play’:-

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1E873sPZ0PNd5vth_ZcVRmBSIowf5AOo - a 10 video playlist from the Star Wars Explained youtube channel

 

 

Shadows Of The Empire - A Star Wars Retrospective’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vO5_Br-Oonc - a 35 minute video from the Mr Sunday Movies youtube channel.
 
The blurb: 'Shadows of the Empire was a 1996 Star Wars multimedia Lucasfilm project which offered all the fanfare of a movie release without the movie. Consisting of a N64 video game, a book, comic series, toy line, role playing game, soundtrack and more it paved the way for modern Star Wars projects and marketing. ’

 

 

The Making of Shadows of the Empire’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gsmE_hoNsI - an 85 minute video from the Saintmillion youtube channel.

The blurb: ‘A deep dive into the creation of a Star Wars multimedia project that takes place between Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. We look into the story, comics, toys, soundtrack, and even ideas for a Boba Fett video game.’

 

 

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire - The Motion Picture 2018’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgQ_JJh-WVQ - a 95 minute video from the Kazuya Hartless youtube channel

The blurb: ‘For more info, see FAQ at the end of this motion picture’… (audio book reading set to SOTE / OT era artwork)

 

 

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry Book Review’:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V7a8a4S_jw - a 10 minute review video at the Mike’s Book Reviews youtube channel.

The blurb: ‘Mike shifts gears in talking about the original Star Wars EU to give another recommendation for a starting point for beginners; Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.’

 

 

The Making of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire’:-

www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2l-2z2ZuBQ - a 16 minute video from the quality HelloGreedo youtube channel.

The blurb: '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. The story introduces Rebel ally Dash Rendar, who aids the heroes in their attempt to liberate the frozen Han Solo from bounty hunter Boba Fett. Meanwhile, Darth Vader continues the search for his son, Luke Skywalker, whom crime lord Prince Xizor attempts to kill in his plot to replace Vader at the side of Emperor Palpatine.’

 

 

 

OriginalTrilogy•com threads on Shadows Of The Empire…

 
Shadows of the Empire - a TV show idea? - a 2005 thread
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire soundtrack - a 2017 thread
‘Shadows Of The Empire’ soundtrack - help wanted accessing the cd-rom part - a 2006 thread
Help: looking for… Shadows of the Empire OST Enhanced CD features? - a 2019 thread
Help Wanted: ‘Shadows of the Empire’ N64 Game Trailer - a 2005 thread
Help Wanted: a hi-res image for Shadows of the Empire (N64 game) - a 2009 thread
Shadows Of The Empire - Source Book for the RPG? - a 2005 thread
Feedback Wanted: Shadows of The Empire - Movie Project (youtube video) - a 2011 thread
Idea & Help Wanted: Star Wars Dark Empire: The Movie - a 2008 thread

 

A few online articles on Shadows Of The Empire…

 
Star Wars: The forgotten history of Shadows of the Empire - a 2019 article at The Irish Times
20 secrets of Shadows of the Empire - a 2020 article at Force Material
How Shadows of the Empire Became a Gritty ’90s Epic - a 2019 article at Den Of Geek
The Story of ‘Shadows of the Empire,’ the Star Wars Spinoff Movie That Was Everything but a Movie - a 2016 article at Thrillist
Star Wars: Why Shadows of the Empire Isn’t Part of Disney Canon - a 2020 article at ScreenRant
Star Wars: Why Was Shadows of the Empire Such a Big Deal? - a 2019 article at CBR
SOTE: A Movie Project Without A Movie - a 2018 article at Tatooine Times
SOTE: Remembering Star Wars’ Most Audacious Video Game Adaptation - a 2018 article at Game Informer
Classic Postmortem: Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire - a 2009 article at GamaSutra
The Classics: ‘Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire’ - a 2012 article at The Verge
Shadows of the Empire - Tropes Of… - info page at TV Tropes

 
 

As ever, if you see any mistakes or broken links please let us know - or have anything for inclusion to the above info too. 👍
 

Last Updated: 9th February, 2023.

A little patience goes a long way on this old-school Rebel base. If you are having issues finding what you are looking for, these will be of some help…

Welcome to the OriginalTrilogy.com | Introduce yourself in here | Useful info within : About : Help : Site Rules : Fan Project Rules : Announcements
How do I do this?’ on the OriginalTrilogy.com; some info & answers + FAQs - includes info on how to search for projects and threads on the OT•com

A Project Index for Star Wars Preservations (Harmy’s Despecialized & 4K77/80/83 etc) : A Project Index for Star Wars Fan Edits (adywan & Hal 9000 etc)

… and take your time to look around this site before posting - to get a feel for this place. Don’t just lazily make yet another thread asking for projects.

Author
Time

I remember this. I have the Mark Vaz book, the comics and CD Soundtrack in storage somewhere. I also believe i have the book club edition of novelization.

I had Shadows of the Empire N64, but it went the same place all my other consoles and games did into my brothers collection.

I remember renting the cartridge from Blockbuster video, i believe i bought an ex-rental copy somewhere down the line without the instruction book but with the box.

I have the carded figure of Luke in that red colored outfit. Its somewhere.

I remember really liking Hugh Fleming’s cover art for Shadows of the Empire, and some of the other dark horse titles like Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith, and Splinter of the Mind’s eye

Author
Time

This was a brilliant campaign that no one has ever really replicated. Most only remember or know the game these days which to me has always been a frustrating experience. The Perry novel is the heart and a good starter book for new to EU fans though some parts always felt a bit off.
I loved the purple blast art on the toys and that they made special figures. I had the disguised Chewie at one point and my Slave I was the SOTE box though that got thrown away years ago…
I still haven’t read the comic version or bought the soundtrack CD so I really should do that.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

Author
Time

I’m too young to remember this, but I did get into SW just a few years later in 1999 so there was still plenty of SotE stuff around. The comic series was the first EU material I ever read, followed by Dark Empire, both of which I borrowed from my older brother.

I read the Steve Perry novel many years later and I feel that it doesn’t get quite the attention it deserves. Sure it’s hardly one of the absolutely greatest SW novels ever written, though I would say it’s definitely among the best of the 90’s. I also think it’s a great starting point for people interested in SW novels as it’s so directly tied to the plot of the OT, plus it’s a lot easier to read one novel than have to commit to a series or trilogy right off the bat.

Star Wars is Surrealism, not Science Fiction (essay)
Original Trilogy Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Beyond the OT Documentaries/Making-Ofs (YouTube, Vimeo, etc. finds)
Amazon link to my novel; Dawn of the Karabu.

Author
Time

ZkinandBonez said:

I read the Steve Perry novel many years later and I feel that it doesn’t get quite the attention it deserves.

I concur. It’s a bit strange because it was more-or-less the centerpiece of the whole multimedia project next to the video game. But the comics, figures, soundtrack, etc. were tied directly to the novel if I’m remembering correctly.

I could also be a bit biased because SOTE was my first proper experience with the EU back in the '90s, but I gladly recommend it to anyone wanting to delve into the EU as a kick-start point.

Author
Time

Such a cool game for the time.I had seen the movies prior to this but it wasn’t until Dark Forces and this game came out that I got interested in the universe. After the game I read the novel, then I started reading more EU books, and the rest was history.

Author
Time

The SotE multimedia project holds a special place in my heart, because up until then I wasn’t really interested in Star Wars, and only had a passing familiarity with the franchise, and when my dad bought me an N64 console SotE was amongst the games he purchased, and the N64 was my first proper introduction to SW.

Because of the limitations inherent to the N64 console, they used slideshow images for the cutscenes whilst the PC version used CGI animated shorts with voice acting. I must say that the N64 slides have aged much better than the PC cinematics.

The score by Joel McNeely is awesome, especially because it captures the essence of SW without imitating John Williams. I read that McNeely himself was unhappy with the score, but I still hope he gets another chance at doing more SW music.

I’ve never read the book nor the comic book miniseries.

Author
Time

the McNeely score kinda sounds like Indiana Jones in places. Like something he might’ve scored for Young Indy. Except where he is quoting Williams scores.
It is supposed to be a soundtrack for a film that doesn’t exist.

I still wonder who originally came up with the idea for Shadows of the Empire. Its a pretty bold move. even more bold than the NJO publishing project, or anything dark horse comics ever did. Lets have a comic adaptation, a novelization, posters, toys a soundtrack, trading cards, a video game for a non-existing film. A making of book. They made a bigger deal out of the merchandising on this than Disney did with the sequel movies. Which never received making of books, had severely delayed publishing timelines for novels, and rise of Skywalker’s comic was never even released.

Author
Time

Come to think of it, I don’t know of any multimedia project that has come close to what Lucasfilm did with SotE.

Author
Time
 (Edited)

Shadow of the Empire was my introduction to Star Wars the game is how i imagined the films were misterious full of spaceships i believed Dash Rendar was Young Obi Wan or Han Solo i was impressed how Shadow of the Empire never become a real movie in the 90s

Author
Time

I was pretty confused when SOTE was out. Not living in the US and without Internet it was hard to grasp what it was supposed to be. There were some figures in stores, who were they? Then there were 3 pretty slim comic albums of it that I didn’t buy/read (didn’t care for any SW comics at the time, and having read them now, I wasn’t wrong). I knew there was a game but my PC wasn’t up for it (played it over 5 years later, pretty lame and extremely hard). So, for me, it just flew by as some kind of marketing thing that wasn’t really succesful. I didn’t understand the point. Without Internet this kind of worldwide multimedia project must have been a big challenge as you couldn’t find any info about it. Making one now seems much more plausible.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

Author
Time

LexX said:

Without Internet this kind of worldwide multimedia project must have been a big challenge as you couldn’t find any info about it. Making one now seems much more plausible.

Very true, and yet the upcoming ‘War of the Bounty Hunters’ crossover event - which looks to be a soft reboot of the comic series, or at least very similar to it - is still a bit confusing to me. I think Lucasfilm maybe need to release a video guide to all the issues that factor in to the event and when they release.

“Remember, the Force will be with you. Always.”

Author
Time

I remember this pretty well. I was 12 at the time and it was pretty effective at getting me re-hyped for Star Wars. It was my first EU novel (for a while it was my only EU novel) and I remember kids at my school reading the comics. I read the issue where IG88 fights Boba Fett and I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

Author
Time

So I dusted off my N64 and started replaying the SotE game.

Way back in the day I only finished it on Easy and Medium. Never finished it on Hard and Jedi, and I always assumed that Jedi was the toughest difficulty setting but that’s not the case. Jedi is more of a “kill or be killed” type of difficulty, where enemies are essentially glass cannons that go down in one or two shots but do a lot of damage.

Holy shit this game is tough on Hard. I’m currently stuck on the Ord Mantell junkyard, and this is the difficulty setting is where your blaster does the least amount of damage.

Author
Time

I see the PC version is available to purchase for under 10 dollars US and with no DRM. But i’m nostalgic for the Nintendo 64 version.

Author
Time

JadedSkywalker said:

I see the PC version is available to purchase for under 10 dollars US and with no DRM. But i’m nostalgic for the Nintendo 64 version.

The PC version used voice-acted CGI animated cutscenes whilst the N64 version used slideshow pictures with text and some slight animation. If you ask me the N64 slideshows have aged way better than the CGI cutscenes, and I think that aspect of the N64 version is worth preserving.