With all of the Star Wars media out there, it's challenging to keep track of where stories and their characters had their origins. This is especially true when the Disney-era series introduces familiar faces in an unfamiliar context. Thanks to one fan, we can enjoy the original version of the tactical genius Grand Admiral Thrawn via YouTube.
What is Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn?
Timothy Zahn's 1991 novel, Heir to the Empire, was not the first sequel to the stories of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia. Alan Dean Foster sent Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to Mimban in 1978's Splinter of the Mind's Eye. Marvel Comics adapted the first film into a comic, then continued the stories of the "Star Warriors."
With Zahn's book, we picked up the story of our heroes five years after their victory at Endor and saw how life went on, but peace wasn't easy. Luke was a Jedi Knight but had yet to train others in the Jedi ways. Han Solo and Leia were married and well on their way to starting a family, with Leia holding high government office and Han reaching out on the New Republic's behalf to smugglers. In the Imperial remnant, there was a mysterious tactical genius named Grand Admiral Thrawn at the head of the people who wouldn't accept defeat, and he formed an alliance with the clone of a Jedi Master who had Force-related ambitions of his own. Caught between the two factions is Talon Karrde, a smuggler rumored to be the successor to Jabba the Hutt, and Mara Jade, his savvy associate with an unexplained drive to kill Luke Skywalker. Zahn's new trilogy not only had the characters we loved but also intrigue, suspense, and tension. It also jump-started the Expanded Universe that is now referred to as Star Wars Legends.
Now, after five years of incredibly hard work, fan Damien Valentine has completed all 32 chapters of the fan adaptation of this ground-breaking novel. Screen Rant reports that "it's been selected by or won awards at ten film festivals across the world." The accolades include "Best Voice Cast" and "Best Web Series" at the Pure Magic International Film Festival and it was a Special Selection for the FanFilm Awards: Literature Edition.
I agree with Screen Rant's Thomas Bacon that "it's fascinating to experience this iconic Star Wars story in such a different medium." I own the book in print and e-book, but also have my signed copy of the comic interpretation. The prose of the novel is evocative and the storytelling is compelling, but the comic helps me process the scenes with a different emotion.
In Valentine's adaptation, we get to see all of this brought to life, especially with the now-revisited Grand Admiral Thrawn, who "feels different to the one in canon, and not just because of those sinister glowing red eyes." Bacon observes that "there's a degree of sophistication that hasn't quite been captured by Ahsoka's portrayal." I was most captivated by the depictions of action. This is the novel that includes an ambush on a diplomatic mission, a run-in with a Star Destroyer that leaves Luke's ship crippled in space, and a game-changing attack on the Sluis Van Shipyards. Valentine pays faithful attention to what makes those scenes work in Zahn's source material, and the result is "an absolute delight.."
Star Wars: Heir to the Empire can be found on DarthAngelus' YouTube channel here, and we wish the creative team the best of luck as they turn their attention to the next book, Dark Force Rising.