Marvel Comics’ Star Wars: Shattered Empire will follow the continued battle with the Empire in the months after Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens will take place a full 30 years after the end of Return of the Jedi. If its Stormtooper-laden trailers are any evidence however, it will also take place in a galaxy still very much at war. That might be surprising to some. Jedi‘s ending, after all, arguably made it seem like the Rebel Alliance had won and that the threat of the Empire was over. If there’s one thing the creative minds currently driving the franchise are intent on showing however, it’s that the fight for galactic peace will take more than blowing up a few Death Stars.
Case in point, Disney-owned Marvel Comics recently offered Star Wars fans a sneak peek at Star Wars: Shattered Empire, an upcoming four issue mini-series aimed at portraying the immediate aftermath of Palpatine’s death and the Rebellion’s victory at the Battle of Endor. According to series writer Greg Rucka, it won’t be all celebrations and Ewok dancing. “The Empire still has resources.” he said. “They may be in disarray post the Battle of Endor, but to think that in that vacuum people aren’t stepping up [is shortsighted]… All these people are not about to go, ‘Oh, well, I guess we were on the wrong side. It’s over, then.'” In other words, the Empire in Shattered Empire will still be a force to reckon with.
Rucka will demonstrate this, in part, by moving away from the holy trinity of Luke, Leia and Han and introducing a new pair of protagonists, the husband and wife team of Kes and Shara Bey. Through their experiences in the months following Endor, readers will learn that “the Empire has no intention of going quietly into the night.” While Rucka acknowledges that four issues isn’t nearly enough time to fully explore that idea, its his hope that Shattered Empire will serve as a strong foundation for more post Jedi stories as Disney, Lucasfilm and Marvel work their way forward on the “Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.“
Source: Star Wars
