1991 was a pivotal moment in the history of the Star Wars Galaxy, when Timothy Zahn and Lucasfilm linked up to test if there was still any interest in Star Wars. Heir to the Empire was received with rapturous applause and the ping into the void came back with resounding confirmation that Star Wars was still popular among its fans.
The following years saw new projects borne, but not just in the literary format. With the advent of console and PC gaming, the popularity was finding a new audience. Video games by LucasArts; like TIE Fighter, X-Wing, Rebel Assault and Dark Forces soon followed. Literature tie ins with novel and comics, sequel video games were all to follow and with a blend of new characters mixed with original trilogy stalwarts gave our imaginations a jolt.
1995 saw the relaunch of the 3.75-inch Star Wars figure that we all loved, but with a little more poetic licence to their appearance than the originals, however things were brewing behind the doors of Skywalker Ranch. This is a period where Lucasfilm saw exponential growth from the shoots of promise that seemed to have withered away in the mid-eighties. What was to come was a complete game changer for the Star Wars Galaxy and lead us on a roller coaster ride that would throw fans into the middle of a galaxy far, far away.
This event was the release of Shadows of the Empire. Shadows was to be a multi-platform experience encompassing a novel, audiobook, reference books, comic book adaptation, action figures, vehicles, collectibles and most importantly, a video console game for the newly launched state of the art N64 from Nintendo. Initially launched to further whet the appetites of fans across the galaxy ahead of the yet to be announced cinematic rerelease of the original trilogy in an updated format, now known as the Special Editions.
Shadows of the Empire still has a vast following in all its formats to this day and the Jedi News team is no exception to that rule. Our countdown to the 25th anniversary starts tomorrow and will continue for the next 7 days culminating on the anniversary of its release, May 1. Each day until then, Mark Alders and Steve Galloway are going to share their experiences of its release through a of mix of reviews and interviews with some of the important people who helped create this phenomenon.
We will also be announcing details of our exclusive competition to win an amazing piece of artwork especially commissioned for this event by Nick Brokenshire.
So, we hope you will join us for a trip down memory lane to 1996, when times were different, but the passion for Star Wars was just the same.
