Mages, scribes, and chroniclers

Heir to the Empire written by science fiction author Timothy Zahn saved the Star Wars franchise. How did this prose novel and its two following volumes of what is now referred to as the Thrawn Trilogy keep that galaxy from a long time ago from fading into memory?

By the year 1987, the phenomenon known as the Star Wars saga was at its lowest point since it arrived in movie theaters in May 1977. The three movies were long since out of theaters, all available on home video release, and in the eyes of most fans they were complete. People were ready for new things, the bigger the better. Most people were done with the Force.

The writing was on the wall in more than one way. Kids had stopped getting the toys. Kenner’s line of 3 and 3/4 inch action figures and the vehicles to carry them was cancelled. Similar lines such as GI Joe, MASK, and the Transformers were the new rage. They had animated television shows to keep interest afloat. The brief runs of the Droids and Ewoks animated shows were in the rear view. They had been good, but they hadn’t offered anything as captivating as the film trilogy.

Lucasfilm had lots on its plate, but none of it was Star Wars-related. George Lucas made a deal with Disney for a Star Wars-themed park ride. Star Tours opened in 1987 to good reviews, but it was a theme park attraction. It wasn’t any sort of promise that the stories begun in the films would continue. West End Games published a Star Wars role-playing game beginning around the same time. It provided many books, adventure modules, and miniatures. Role-playing was a niche market, though.

In early 1991, news made the rounds about an upcoming book series from Bantam Spectra that would continue the post-Return of the Jedi story of Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo. Timothy Zahn was writing this story with the approval of George Lucas and Lucasfilm, Ltd. The first volume would be hitting bookstores that spring.

As a die-hard Star Wars fan, I reserved my copy at the local Waldenbooks. I will never forget the feeling of pure joy I had upon walking into the book store and seeing that front end display. Heir to the Empire was here, and I could finally find out what was new with Luke, Leia, Han, and their friends.

The story was set five years after the Emperor and Darth Vader were defeated at the Battle of Endor. The Alliance had fought the remaining Imperial forces. They had beaten the rest of the Empire’s warlords and forced the Imperial remnant into a small corner of the galaxy’s populated worlds.

Or so they thought. Unbeknownst to the New Republic’s leaders, one of Emperor Palpatine’s grand admirals had been on assignment in the Unknown Regions. Grand Admiral Thrawn had returned with his fleet of four Imperial star destroyers and assessed the current state of affairs. Thrawn, a mysterious character, quickly came up with plans for a devastating campaign against the New Republic.

Obi-Wan Kenobi’s ghost visited Luke to explain that he would be journeying beyond the mortal plane. He would no longer be able to communicate with Luke. He told Luke to trust in the Force. He also left him with a warning to beware the dark side.

Han and Leia were married by this time. Leia was pregnant with twins and assisting Chief of State Mon Mothma with the developing government. Lando Calrissian had resigned his commission with the New Republic military and built a mining operation on the planet Nkllon.

The novel featured many new additions to the Star Wars universe, including characters, planets, ships, creatures, and droids. Talon Karrde, a smuggling boss, was introduced early on. When Thrawn’s soldiers came to the planet Myrkr seeking native ysalamiri creatures Karrde offered assistance in removing them from their habitat. Of course, this put him on friendly terms with an Imperial presence near his base, but it also allowed him to discover a piece of Thrawn’s plans.

Mara Jade was also introduced early on in the story. Karrde promoted her to be his second in command despite knowing little of her history. He cited her loyalty and ability to do a fine job in the smuggling organization. Mara soon revealed a dangerous hatred she had for the New Republic, more specifically Luke Skywalker.

Thrawn visited the planet Wayland and the late Emperor’s Mount Tantiss stronghold to retrieve two rare pieces of technology stored there. He also recruited the dark Jedi Master Joruus C’baoth who had killed the mountain’s guardian. C’baoth was in actuality a clone of the Jedi Master Jorus C’baoth who disappeared just before the Clone Wars started. Thrawn petitioned the cloned Jedi for help. He expected that with C’baoth’s Force abilities the Jedi could coordinate his wings of fighter craft in battles with New Republic forces. Thrawn hypothesized that the Emperor’s focus on Luke and Vader during the Death Star raid distracted him from coordinating pilots over Endor’s moon. He pointed out the Imperial fleet’s complete descent into chaos when the Emperor died.

C’baoth agreed to coordinate Thrawn’s fleet with his Force abilities in return for new Jedi to teach and subjugate. Thrawn agreed to help him find Luke Skywalker and his sister Leia Organa Solo.

There’s much more to it. If you enjoy SF/fantasy or Star Wars, then I recommend it. If you’re only a fan of the new Disney canon it might not be for you. When Lucas brought out the first three episodes from 1999 to 2005 there were minor inconsistencies with lore. Mainly Zahn’s references to minor details about the Clone Wars became obsolete. All in all, this didn’t hurt The Thrawn trilogy’s place in the Star Wars timeline. What did ruin the trilogy’s place in the grand scheme was when Disney wiped away the extended universe as published by Bantam Spectra and Dark Horse Comics and made the film Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

As for how Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command saved Star Wars it goes like this. Heir to the Empire reached number one on the New York Times bestseller list. The Thrawn trilogy sold a combined total of 15 million books. These numbers proved that the franchise was still a force to be reckoned with. The stories appealed to much more than just the die-hard fan base. People wanted more Star Wars.

The rest is history. George Lucas felt that computer generated effects and other money saving practices in filmmaking had progressed far enough to tell his backstory about Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Padme Amidala. He further tested the waters by releasing the Star Wars Special Editions in movie theaters in 1997. They were a smash success. The franchise was back. Two years later, Star Wars: Episode One–The Phantom Menace premiered.

The Thrawn trilogy of Star Wars novels lit the way to this continued existence of a galaxy far, far away.

May the Force be with you, always.