When Heir to the Empire was published in 1991, it changed Star Wars forever. These are bold words, but as an avid fan- scratch that- as an insanely-obsessed-holy-crap-what-have-I-done-with-most-of-my-life fan, I feel like I can make that statement with confidence.It wasn't the first Star Wars book published. In 1978, "Splinter of the Mind's Eye" by Alan Dean Foster was published as a sequel to A New Hope. Essentially from the time the first movie was published until today, comic books and the Star Wars Role Playing Game have been filling in gaps between the movies and the characters, and expanded the story significantly.
No, "Heir to the Empire" was a dramatic change in the way Star Wars was written, and it's success heralded the start of 20 years of Star Wars publications. Novels and Comics written prior to 1991 were largely fluff. The Marvel Comics read like 60's superhero panels. Cheesy lines, boring artwork, and a general lack of interesting stories made these early comics pretty inconsequential. Sure, they were fun, but what was the point? Neither those, nor the books (Adventures of Han Solo, and Lando Calrissian Adventures) anything more than basic, and rather unsatisfying, back-story for some very important characters.
None of these works capture the true feeling of Star Wars. None of them achieve the epic feel of the original movies, there is no Galactic consequence to any of them, and if there is, it is an unsatisfying result. It's like watching your favorite show on Youtube; the essence is lost in the grainy, low-quality version your viewing.
Heir to the Empire, and the two books that followed it, achieve that feeling. There is the right combination of suspense, action, and inter-galactic conflict to get your heart pumping, all the while it's filling in back story in a way that no other novel had done previously. Constantly it's bringing up information that is familiar to the movie-goers, but without breaking the flow of the story.
For instance, the inclusion of Coruscant, the Capital of the Old Republic, and known as "Imperial Center" under the Empire. There is no mention of this planet in the Original Trilogy, but Timothy Zahn's name stuck, and it officially became canon in the Star Wars Universe.
The Clone Wars. "Years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars" Leia says in her important message to Obi-Wan Kenobi in A New Hope, and that's all we get about this pivotal event in Galactic history. Here in the first 200 pages, we already start to get some development on this huge part of history. Zahn talks about the "Outbound Flight Project," an expedition intended to enter a nearby galaxy, which carried several Jedi Masters, and was destroyed by Thrawn before the Clone Wars broke out. We also see the "Spaati Cloning Cylinders" which were obviously used during the wars, and saved by the Emperor in his Storehouse in Mount Tantiss on Wayland. It also fills in a little on the Imperial Senate, the characters of Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar, Borsk Fey'la and his Bothan Spies. Also in the first 200 pages, it covers Dagobah, and raises questions about the Dark Cave and what happened there to create that Nexus of the Dark Side.
But, these are just details for the Science Fiction Junkies, those people who feed off facts about minor characters, and love to assembly chronologies in their mind. One of my favorite parts about Frank Herbert's "Dune" is his appendix at the end of the novel that fills in a lot of history for you, and Asimov's "Foundation" spans thousands of years, essentially a nerd's wet-dream.
What's more important is the story. In the first chapter of the book, we're introduced to one of the greatest villains in Star Wars, and by far the most interesting. Grand Admiral Thrawn, a blue skinned, Red-Eyed being known as a "Chiss." In an Empire that valued humans above all else, Thrawn's ascension to Grand Admiral speaks to his brilliance, and Zahn shows his talents in his frequent dismemberment of Rebel Forces. Thrawn is cold, calculating, and while not as menacing as Vader, there is an enthralling nature to his character. He studies a species art to better understand how to defeat them. Rather than bombard a planet into submission, he will search out information like pieces of a puzzle that will come together in a plan that comes together masterfully. His Noghri assassins, silent menacing creatures that are as fast as Jedi, and as strong as a Wookie (That's gundark arm-removing strong). Then there is the dutiful Captain Pellaeon, essentially our mental representative in the story. He has just as little idea about what Thrawn is thinking as we do, and because of his rank, can ask the questions that would get our non-officer heads removed. When he does understand, Zahn tactfully has him spell it out in a way that even the most oblivious fans would understand. Lastly, there is Joruus C'Baoth, the Jedi Master. We know he is a clone of the late Jedi Master, and his eccentricities could belong to the mental deficiencies that go along with Spaati Cylinder clones, but there is something truely unnerving about his Palpatine-esque thirst for power, as well as his chilling attitude toward death. His nonchalance as he tells Thrawn and Pellaeon that the crypt he's lead them to on Wayland is filled with other "Offworld Visitors," sends chills down your spine, and his obvious derangement makes his pursuit of Luke and Leia, and her unborn twins, even more frightening.
That leads us to our final component that makes this book trilogy so successful, and it's the continuity between movie and books between the characters. Though 5 years have passed, the characters feel very familiar; the big differences are a few changes in roles, and even the characters feel a little uncomfortable. Han and Leia often remark on how the battle between politicians can be more vicious, and far more unnerving, than even the key moments of the Rebellion were. Luke struggles with his role as the last Jedi, and now that the New Republic has control over Coruscant, he needs to decide how he will act from here on out, and also helps explain how eagerly he searches for C'baoth, without considering the consequences. Chewbacca, Threepio and Artoo are all back, and all as static as ever. It's essential though that these peripheral characters remain familiar, especially as new characters are introduced all around.
Most important though, at least for me, are the constant grounding in the films. Though taking place five years later, and written 8 after the last movie, it was important to create a tie to essentially the most important aspect of Star Wars, the films. In future books, authors would have more to rely on, and would reference previous authors, Zahn included. Zahn however has only the movies to go by, and it flows perfectly. "It's not my fault," makes an appearance, and a smile is shared between Han and Leia after Han suavely remarks, "I didn't have time to consult a commitee." Lando is a part of another mining investment, and it's even more dangerous and outlandish than Bespin's Cloud City. Luke's near constant contemplation of his training and the intentions of Obi-Wan and Yoda also bring us full circle to his training as he contemplates how to move forward as a Jedi.
In just the first 200 pages, there is building suspense as conflict grows throughout the galaxy, as well as within the New Republic's ranks. What are Thrawn's master plans with the Shipyards of Sluis Van, and how will all the components we are seeing come together? What about the Spaati Cloning Cylinders and the Cloaking Device? What will happen to Luke when he finally meets up with C'baoth? What is the significance of Mara Jade and her hatred for Luke Skywalker? So many questions raised, and as you speed through each chapter, every one of them becomes more pressing as the story progresses.
200 pages to go, and then final thoughts on Heir to the Empire, first of the many reviews to come. I have nearly $1000 in Star Wars books and comics, so, I will be working on this for a while.
MTFBWY
-DK
