#Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

[n64retro]

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Lucas Arts Nintendo 64 1996

[alphamecha-mkii]

Star Wars: Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels - Dash Rendar's Modified Corellian Engineering Corporation YT-2400 Light Freighter "Outrider"

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Topps (1996) - Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Trading Cards - #51 - Take That, Xizor! by Greg & Tim Hildebrandt

[marvelstars]

I really loved Vader´s and Prince Xizor rivalry in old school star wars. Their conflict is different to the ones Vader traditionally has.

Xizor isn´t a military adversary, a jedi or a sith, he is a legitimate leader of a very powerful corporation that serves an important role in developing the construction for death star II but he is also a mafia Don,leader of Black Sun, an undersworld organization that shares intelligence with the rebels and the Empire because he is playing the long game and betting to both sides until there´s a clear winner, Xizor is sure the Empire will win but he is covering all his bases. He is also 300 years old so he has done this in the past with the Republic as well, his race lives for such a long time that he sometimes can get bored.

Xizor fight with Vader is mostly political and strategic, he wants to capture and kill Luke Skywalker for the Emperor in a way to show him his capabilities but also to take Vader´s role in the Imperial court, he is aware Vader is a Sith Lord but he doens´t know Palpatine is one as well and so his chances of getting Vader´s position in particular isn´t a safe bet but the Emperor allowed him to think he had an opportunity because his resources are useful and because he wants to test Vader on his political skills.

Vader prepares to confront Xizor because he doesn´t really want to relly on Black Sun for the death star, knowing all the intelligence he most definitely must be sharing with the rebels but more than that he is aware of Xizor ambitions but he isn´t truly worried about his own position, he is worried about Xizor killing his Son or hurting the Emperor which I find honestly cute, at that moment Luke and the Emperor are the people Vader cares the most about so their protection are his priority :D and so his whole role in this story, shadow of the Empire, is to get into the politics of it all, protect Luke, send Boba Fett and another of his agents to protect Han Solo´s carbonite block and keep an eye on Luke´s shennanigans, both the legitimate imperial politics and the underworld ones to keep his Son safe and to protect the Emperor.

This is an interesting story in which Vader´s foe isn´t fighting him directly but looking to show him innefective in his work as the imperial enforcer and leader of the army to defeat him politically, Vader´s initial reaction is to follow the game, aware of his Master expecting him to do that but once his darling Son and Lando decide to bomb to death Xizor´s Corustcant castle to rescue Leia and for his betrayal of the rebellion there´s clear evidence Xizor is trying to kill Luke and his friends right in front of him, so Vader no longer has to hold back.

Love this because this story is bassically about poor Xizor´s no good bad week with the Skywalker family, Leia spying on his archives, taking his intelligence of the death star, Luke bombing his castle and everything around him which is his style and Vader joining for the sake of protecting his boy but also because he kind of likes Luke´s style of burning everything in his sight even if this brings down all his political plans to deal with Xizor personally but he still offered Xizor to be captured out of professional etiquette.

This old flavor Vader is very refreshing, because he shows here how while politics isn´t his arena, he is no slouch at them whe he has to get involved there and I belive that´s something modern star wars comics have not tackled as well as this story did.

If there´s ever a Vader or Empire series, doubtful I know, I would like it to tackle his story from this perspective to truly connect the PT with the OT.

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

"SET IN THE TIME OF THE ORIGINAL "STAR WARS" TRILOGY..." -- THE BLAST OF THE HUNT BEGINS ANEW.

PIC(S) INFO: Resolution at 2172×2871 -- Mega spotlight on a "Shadows of the Empire" (1996) Boba Fett lithograph print by now late, great sibling art team, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt -- more legends lost.

EXTRA INFO: Two more Boba Fett paintings, both part of Topps' "STAR WARS: Shadows Of The Empire" trading card series, the then-newest chapter in the ongoing "STAR WARS" saga. Famed fantasy illustrators, Greg & Tim Hildebrandt, presented "Shadows" through 100 skilled and impressive new paintings.

Sources: www.lucasfilm.com/news/greg-hildebrandt, https://x.com/bobafettfanclub/status/1852198081002917890, various, etc...

[alphacomicsvol2]

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #1 by Killian Plunkett

[zeldasminion]

Dianoga have seven tentacles, an eye stalk at their base, and a gaping mouth below the base of their eyestalk, so how the heck did the giant dianoga sport only four barbed tentacles, its base body on the ground floor, and its eyestalk conjoining at the same area as its tentacles? Must've mutated so much when it reached an insane size.

[that-dinopunk-guy]

I've also started rebuilding my collection of Star Wars novels.

So far I'm just sticking to the ones I remember enjoying (plus the Lando novels, which I have not read but sound fun).

...And these four which I have not yet read and know nothing about, because Timothy Zahn writes good Star Wars and come on, why would I not read a Star Wars story from the Expanse guys:

[randomisedgaming]

1996 - Developed by LucasArts & Published by Nintendo Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

AT-ST ‘Star Wars: Shadow Of The Empire’ Nintendo 64

[fonmythenmetz]

The Shadow

[princeyralsei]

Movie Sonic is gonna realize that Shadow is unaware of the existence of sequels to the original Star Wars movie and he will be horrified and intent on rectifying this immediately

[n64retro]

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Lucas Arts, 1996) magazine ad for Nintendo 64.

[alphamecha-mkii]

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire #1 by Killian Plunkett

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Game) - Dash Rendar Jetpack Concept Art by Jon Knoles

[didyougaming]

[savage-kult-of-gorthaur]

STAND BY YOUR WOOKIE CO-PILOT -- JUST MOMENTS BEFORE RESCUING HER GREAT LOVE.

PIC INFO: Resolution at 827x1100 -- Spotlight on the work of the late, great brother/artist duo, Greg & Tim Hildebrandt, from "STAR WARS: Shadows of the Empire," featuring Princess Leia as Boushh and the "mighty Chewbacca," c. 1996. This painting was used for SOTE foil chase trading card #74.

EXTRA INFO: The original painting of Chewbacca and Princess Leia (in Boushh outfit), getting ready to rescue Han from the clutches of Jabba the Hurt (Jabba's Palace is visible in the distance behind Leia). The edge to edge acrylic painting is on 11” X 15” Masonite board.

OVERVIEW: Tim and Greg Hildebrandt’s major "STAR WARS" project after their iconic "STAR WARS" (1977) poster work came nearly two decades later in 1996 for the epic "Shadows of the Empire trading card set. The twin brothers took on the ambitious project, painting one hundred illustrations depicting many highlight moments from the SOTE novel, comic book series and even the video game. They were able to visually tell a story of the “Movie without a movie” through their dazzling paintings."

-- H P (Premium Gallery Owner)

Source: www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=587302.