Star Wars: Heir to the Empire

Author: Timothy Zahn

Published May 1991 by Bantam Spectra

8 years after the Return of the Jedi hit our cinemas there was still no sign of a much rumoured sequel film. It was slowly beginning to fade from our collective consciousness. Suddenly, a book appears with that familiar “Star Wars” logo promising more adventures of our favorite characters with the sub-heading: “The Saga Continues!” Could this be the trilogy sequel we’ve all be craving for? Do we dare to dream?

Hugo award winning writer Timothy Zahn took on the arduous task of creating the follow up to one of the greatest space operas of all time. And did pretty well! This first novel reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list and is widely credited with bring some much needed buzz back to the Star Wars franchise.

Although not considered ‘cannon’ as far as the films are concerned, Zahn’s book did add to Star Wars continuity with the introduction of Grand Admiral Thrawn and the name for the city-planet Coruscant. He also included clones before they were movie-popular.

The story is set five years deep away from the Battle of Endor and the death of the Emperor. The Rebels are now the ruling party and have re-introduced a democracy to the Galaxy. But an ambitious, clever Admiral who has made a name for himself has rallied the remains of the empire under his leadership and is making a comeback. Grand Admiral Thrawn has plans to take back the galaxy.

Luke is the last Jedi (that we know of) but that is about to change. Leia is pregnant with twins with plans for Luke to teach them in the ways of the Force. But Thrawn suspects another player exists with control of the Force. Jorus C’baoth, Jedi Master, is willing to assist Thrawn for a price: Twins with the power of the Force he can shape to his will.

Our heroes are thrown from battle to battle, picking up hints and threads of the looming Imperial threat, and managing the fallout from their greatest victory, which includes a skilled warrior, Mara Jade, who has become an invaluable asset to the latest galactic gangster on the block, Talon Karrde. Who is Mara Jade and why does she hate Luke Skywalker so much?

Timothy Zahn has created some characters that would have played integral roles in the original trilogy, retconning them into the movies. Not on screen, these players would have an influence on the boundaries of the action, pulling strings peripherally and only having consequences in this tale 5 years later. At first read, this is a little jarring, almost somewhat sacrilegious, playing with such a beloved story suggesting that George Lucas missed something? But if you’re able to get past any “How DARE he??” thoughts and just enjoy these new characters as written, we can discover some truly unique and well developed players that are challenging, well-rounded and entertaining. The fresh perspectives of characters such as Thrawn and Jade are what gives the book that new curiosity and the fun unknown we want to explore, and pushing the narrative all the way to the “To Be Continued…” at the end.

The much loved characters we do know are easily recognizable and familiar. Zahn captures the tone and voice well, making it easy to re-enter this world and allow our imagination to play in this space. Wedge Antilles is a good example of a recognizable character that’s been built on and given more depth and voice. If pushed to criticise, there is a repeated tendency to call back to popular quotes or scenes, always done with the characters tongues firmly held in cheeks, that pulls on our nostalgia and flood back memories of these characters visually. It works for its purpose, but also feels counter-productive to originality the book needs. One of the positives of telling a new story in an already established universe is the author can refer to elements of that universe without much description or explanation. A Star Destroyer appeared, or the threat of a Wookie… As fans, we know these descriptions intimately, however when a new ship or species is introduced, the description can be vague or hard to recreate in the minds eye. Or we can get bogged down in the details and lose momentum of the story-telling. It’s a fine line in all Sci-fi literature, and an issue Zahn does encounter in here from time to time.

But all the exciting Star Wars beats are here. Planets with different climates, space battles, gangsters and bounty hunters, new creatures in seedy bars and a sprinkling of internal politicking. It’s only missing a lightsaber duel, but it’s not without some lightsaber action. But the stakes are high, the villains are as dangerous as ever and we have an ending that we WANT to be continued.

It sure does feel like STAR WARS to me.

In a tribute to George Lucas for an AFI Life Achievement Award, Harrison Ford famously quoted himself recalling some feedback on set:

“George, you can type this shit, but you can’t say it!”

Timothy Zahn continues the tradition of words you can’t pronounce. Some examples: (some of these admittedly may have come from the Star Wars RPG Sourcebook)

Vornskr

Is it the Sequel trilogy we all were craving? 5 years is enough to comfortably fill a scrolling preamble. We do start with a scene on a Star Destroyer, so we would get our spaceship opening. The bones of a sequel trilogy are here: Our heroes start off together only to branch out on separate but related missions. Allies new and old. Spaceports full of scum and villainy. Different planets showcasing different, yet vibrant terrains. And a dramatic space battle for good measure. However the book crams a lot more into it’s pages than we would be able to bring alive to the silver screen. Yet I still can’t help but feel like Timothy Zahn could imagine himself typing up a screenplay as he was writing this. Perhaps a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Evin Bryant 23/08/2023