Series: Empire
Publication
Date: 2003 – 2006
# of
Issues: 40
Era: Rise
of the Empire Era
Galaxy
Date: 0 BBY*
*Before
Battle of Yavin
Series: Rebellion
Publication
Date: 2006 – 2008
# of
Issues: 16
Era: Rebellion
Era
Galaxy
Date: 0 ABY*
*After
Battle of Yavin
QE9s3HE3ckBQuOG4u6!g~~60_35.JPG) |
| Imperial Biggs |
The premise behind these two comic series kind of turn your world upside down and the
implications could be debated for years. Think back to that famous scene in A
New Hope where Luke is talking about joining the Academy with his friends.
Alright, now which Academy is he talking about? Did you assume it was an academy for Rebel soldiers? Well, according to the Expanded Universe, you would
be wrong!
Star
Wars: Empire assumes that Luke’s friends submit their applications to the
Imperial Academy. That’s right, Biggs Darklighter & Luke Skywalker seek to become Imperial Pilots. Biggs actually succeeds in this task. Empire issues #8 - #9 deal with how he discovered the empire was evil and how he defected to
the Rebel Alliance.
Therefore, if the droids had never come to Tatooine and the Sandtroopers never
torched Luke’s foster parents, Luke would have joined the Imperials instead of
the Rebels. There are deleted scenes from the original film that show Luke & Biggs on Tatooine and Biggs is on leave from the Academy. Luke hugs Biggs and tells him that they'll be together soon. As Imperials! Has your mind been blown yet? (Because the Death Star certainly
would not have been blown in that situation).
Luke’s
friend, “Tank”, was first mentioned “A New Hope”. After Uncle Owen tells Luke
“It’s only one more season”, Luke says to his Uncle “That’s what you said when
Biggs & Tank left”. Tank is first introduced in Empire #16 - #18 (probably
the strongest story arc in the series), although, when the audience meets him
he is Lt. Janek Sunber, an imperial officer. Though he is Imperial he is quite
likable and the audience can’t help but root for him.
Later in Rebellion #1 - #5, Luke & Sunber meet up during a battle and have
a brief, happy reunion, until they suddenly figure out that they are on
different sides in the war. The reader actually is having conflicting feelings
about which one to root for. It’s not obvious who is good and who is bad. This
type of moral ambiguity is common in Star Wars comics and the novels of the
Expanded Universe.
There is one more character that makes this comic series worth the read: Darth
Vader. The inside flap of Empire #14 claims “This is Vader
as you never seen him before!” and it's
true. This issue starts as Vader is fleeing the Battle of Yavin. The Death Star
has just blown and his ship is damaged. He crash lands on a hostile, savage,
planet.
Vader has no dialogue in issue #14, but through his actions you can see his
raw power and mercilessness as he fights off a pack of wild beasts. Also on
the planet is a small Imperial outpost where some lazy officers prefer to relax
and have fun, rather than do actual work. This comic relief is well balanced
with Vader’s story. Near the end of the comic, Vader finds the outpost, and
let’s just say, he is not a forgiving boss.
Despite wonderful issues like these,
Empire & Rebellion lack a strong central storyline. Therefore they will
probably never be seen as classics. I will still give them 3.5 out of 5
lightsabers, and recommend them to loyal readers.
Dark Horse Comics (Link)
Dawn of the Jedi Dawn of the Jedi
Tales of the Jedi Tales of the Jedi
Knights of the Old Republic Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Republic Star Wars: Republic
Dark Times Dark Times
Empire & Rebellion Star Wars: Empire & Star Wars: Rebellion
Brian Wood's Star Wars Brian Wood's Star Wars
Dark Empire Dark Empire
Crimson Empire Crimson Empire
Invasion Invasion
Legacy Vol. 1 Star Wars: Legacy
Vector Star Wars: Vector
Legacy Vol. 2 Legacy Volume 2
Infinities Infinities
The Star Wars The Star Wars
Star Wars Tales Star Wars Tales
Marvel Comics
Original Marvel Comics Original Marvel Comics
Star Wars #108 Star Wars #108
Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics Alan Moore's Star Wars Comics
Han Solos Vs. Space Crocodile Han Solo vs. Crocodile in Space
Marvel's New Star Wars Line Catching Up With Comics
Age of Republic Age of Republic
Age of Rebellion Age of Rebellion
Age of Resistance Age of Resistance
Star Wars #1... Again Star Wars #1... Again
Ewoks in Comics Ewoks in Comis
Who is Doctor Aphra Who Is Doctor Aphra
The Last Jedi Expanded Universe The Last Jedi Expanded Universe
Who is Jaxxon Who Is Jaxxon
IDW Comics
Tales from Vader's Castle Tales from Vader's Castle
Return to Vader's Caslte Return to Vader's Castle
Era: New
Republic Era
Overall, I’m going to have to give this one 3.5 out of 5
lightsabers. I love the artwork and the tone, but the characters need to be better
developed and the comic has not aged well. Even with this in mind, I believe that
this is a MUST-READ for fans of Star Wars Comics. This is where it all started, my friends! This is the original Dark Horse series!
