Star Wars Month: ‘Dark Empire’ Saved A Franchise & Started A Dynasty

In 1988, the Star Wars saga was perhaps at its lowest point since the franchise debuted a decade earlier. The original Kenner toyline had ended three years earlier in 1985. Marvel Comics’ long running Star Wars series had published its final issue a year after that in 1986. But in 1988, George Lucas and his team at Lucasfilm would receive a pitch that would change the course of Star Wars forever.

In November, writer Tom Veitch would write a letter to Lucas, which included a detailed pitch and concept art from artist Cam Kennedy to continue the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Leia Organa and their fellow Rebels. Three days after receiving the pitch, Lucy Autrey Wilson at Lucasfilm called Veitch to let him know she was passing the pitch on to Lucas himself. Wilson was Lucasfilm’s first permanent employee and would eventually go on to become one of the key architects of the early 1990’s renaissance and revival of Star Wars, pre-prequels.

Lucas accepted and approved the proposal. Wilson called Veitch to give him the green light, and by November 29, 1988, Veitch and Kennedy began work. That project would become the legendary Star Wars: Dark Empire.

Dark Empire took a convoluted path from that point to publication. It was initially solicited by Marvel, though the publisher drug their feet, leading to Kennedy temporarily quitting the project. That led to Wilson negotiating a new comics license with Dark Horse Comics. Then Veitch found his story seemingly endangered by another “continuation” story, Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. This led to back and forth between the authors, making compromises with each other to tell the story they wanted without conflicting continuity.

Finally, the six issue limited series was published by Dark Horse in December of 1991, almost three years to the day when the story was first pitched.

Set five years after Return of the Jedi, the story found the Empire resurging in the galaxy, striking victory after victory against the Rebel Alliance. As a new superweapon is decimating Mon Calamari, Luke Skywalker begins to feel a dark presence. He is drawn towards his foe, learning Emperor Palpatine has survived via clone technology. Now, Luke is being corrupted, Mon Calamari is falling and the galaxy is about to fall into darkness again. Their only hope is one woman — Princess Leia Organa-Solo.

It’s impossible to read this story and not see its influence. So many of the elements here were foundational not only to the Expanded Universe that would unfold from 1991 to 2014, as well as Star Wars as a whole. While they’re not fully formed (Coruscant is called Imperial City, the New Republic is never mentioned and so on), many other ideas are here. 

Luke has matured into a powerful Jedi. Leia is growing more powerful in the Force, while growing as a political figure. Han Solo has grown up and settled into a leadership role. And the forces of darkness remain as well, with not just Palpatine’s return, but the reveal that Boba Fett has survived and holds a grudge against Han that will last for the rest of their lives.

And beyond that, the story is really good. Veitch has a great sense of pacing and world building, telling an exciting story while developing what the world has become. Kennedy’s lineart and painted colors expanded the Star Wars universe and set a visual tone for the universe to come alongside Dave Dorman’s gorgeous covers.

It was a story that started over twenty years of Star Wars storytelling that deepened the universe, introduced beloved characters and showed that Star Wars could be outside of the films. Without it, we wouldn’t have Star Wars as it is today. Both Palpatine and Fett’s returns in the new canon were directly influenced by the comic (if executed worse), as were the journeys of the heroes of the Rebellion. 

I’m always glad to revisit Dark Empire and I can’t wait to dig out more of these classic comics.