By Pete Vilmur
Believe it or not, it's been ten years since Lucasfilm unleashed its seminal "movie campaign without a movie": Shadows of the Empire. It was the first time fans and collectors were able to purchase a Star Wars novelization, action figures, vehicles, card sets, a video game, comic books, roleplaying game supplements, and even a soundtrack -- all based on a story without a movie.
For the uninitiated, Shadows of the Empire filled in the timeline between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, venturing into uncharted territory that had not been fully explored in the films -- namely, the criminal underworld inhabited by the likes of bounty hunters, gangsters, and crime lords. The most powerful of these is Prince Xizor, a criminal overlord whose cancerous Black Sun organization has spread into the farthest reaches of the galaxy. Xizor has discovered the identity of Luke Skywalker as Vader's son, and plots to assassinate the young Jedi before the Dark Lord can find him. Xizor then intends to expose Vader's traitorous tendencies to the Emperor, thereby securing a place at Palpatine's side.
Meanwhile, Leia, Lando, Chewbacca, and newcomer Dash Rendar plot to rescue the frozen Han Solo from Boba Fett, who must deliver his prize to Jabba the Hutt before the heroes, or other hunters eager to cash in Solo's bounty, can stop him.
The Shadows campaign had the unique opportunity to play up the strengths of various media in order to extend the storyline -- while the novel provided an overview of the entire Shadows narrative, the comic book series expanded the Fett component, elaborating on his race to keep Solo from the Rebels and hunter adversary IG-88. Likewise, the video game delivered on the action elements of the story, following smuggler/scoundrel Dash Rendar in his Falcon-inspired Outrider to help Luke Skywalker rescue Princess Leia from the clutches of Prince Xizor. Of course, each of these experiences could be enjoyed against the backdrop of Shadows music, recorded exclusively for the campaign by feature film composer Joel McNeely.
