At long last! We’ve come to something truly exciting! (Well, for me, at least.)
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away the year 1991, Star Wars was dead. Not dead dead, perhaps, but close enough. The last movie, Return of the Jedi, released in 1983. There had been a decent run of comics, but the last issues had released in 1988. The two animated series, Droids and Ewoks, had run in 1985. The most recent novels were 1983’s The Adventures of Lando Calrissian. A few video games came out, but they were adaptations of the films, not original material. Toys still existed, but the river had become a stream, and then trickle. The only ongoing piece of Star Wars media was the tabletop roleplaying game. For all practical purposes, Star Wars had run its course; and we fans were watching it fade into the sunset.
Enter Timothy Zahn.
I have not taken the time to delve into just how Zahn’s first Star Wars novel came to be commissioned. My perspective, rather, has been that of a fan, and that’s how I’ll address it here. But I can still remember, late 1991 (or perhaps early 1992), visiting my local libary’s bookmobile, and coming upon a blue hardback book…with Star Wars across the top. Already a huge fan, I remember my heart leaping into my throat at the discovery of this new–this new!–novel, Heir to the Empire. I was twelve years old.
In the years since, I’ve seen many other fans recount similar stories. As well, I’ve seen many new fans come along and discover Heir to the Empire for the first time–something that is especially gratifying here in the era of Disney’s Lucasfilm and its new canon. Timothy Zahn continues to write for Star Wars, even bringing into canon many characters and concepts from his Expanded Universe work; but here we have the one, the only, the original. And now, after thirty years, here I am again, at this oldest of old friends.
It’s no exaggeration to say that this novel, and its two sequels in what has come to be called the “Thrawn Trilogy” (after its villain), saved Star Wars from oblivion. The Expanded Universe, such as it was, was long in its grave when 1991 came around. Heir to the Empire changed all of that, and breathed new life into this franchise, sparking off a veritable horde of books, comics, and then games, and ultimately television. I would argue that it’s not beyond belief to say that without the Thrawn Trilogy, we might never have had the Special Edition films, the prequel films, and everything that has come with the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm–no Rogue One, no The Mandalorian, no Clone Wars, no sequels (well, that might not have been so bad, but I digress). Or possibly we would have eventually had new material–but what form would it take? It’s impossible to predict.
So, let’s dive in! We’ll take a look at this novel, and then talk about the effect it had on everything that came after. Let’s get started!
As always, there will be spoilers ahead! For a less spoiler-filled review, skip down to the second line divider–but no portion of this review is completely spoiler-free!
It is five years after the destruction of the second Death Star and the death of the Emperor and his apprentice, Darth Vader. The Rebellion has become the New Republic, and has taken control of much of the Empire’s territory, including the capital world of Coruscant. Led by the Provisional Council under Mon Mothma, Admiral Ackbar, and the Bothan Borsk Fey’lya, the new government seeks the good of the galaxy, but is not without its own infighting. Former Rebellion heroes seek the future in their own ways: Luke Skywalker seeks information regarding the Jedi in his quest to reestablish the order; Han Solo and Leia Organa have married and are expecting twins; and Lando Calrissian has established a mobile mining operation on the superhot world of Nkllon. Leia continues her diplomatic work on behalf of the Republic; and Han, having resigned his military commission, seeks out smugglers to help the Republic with much-needed shipping capacity.
The Republic labors under the idea that it has the much-reduced Empire on the back foot; but the tenuous peace is about to break. From the depths of the Unknown Regions, the last of the Empire’s Grand Admirals has returned. The Chiss named Mitth’raw’nuruodo, or Grand Admiral Thrawn, has assumed control of the fleet, and is prepared to take the fight back to the Republic. Thrawn is a genius of nearly unparalleled military acumen; and he has discovered a secret: An Imperial technology storehouse on the planet Wayland, defended by the mad Jedi Joruus C’baoth.
Thrawn wastes no time assembling his advantages. From the planet Myrkr, he obtains native creatures called ysalamiri, which can repel the Force in large bubbles around themselves. Using this ability to contain C’baoth, he recruits the dark Jedi to coordinate the efforts of his forces, much as the Emperor himself did before his death. He then finds a prototype of a working cloaking shield inside the facility on Wayland…and one other, “almost inconsequential”, bit of technology. But it is not without give-and-take; and in return, C’baoth demands something Thrawn may be challenged to provide: new Jedi students in the form of Luke Skywalker, his sister Leia, and her unborn, Force-sensitive children.
In the course of her diplomatic duties, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca are nearly kidnapped by Thrawn’s servants, the deadly Noghri. A second attempt occurs, this time with Luke present. Han formulates a plan to hide Leia away; but to keep her connected to the situation at home, he needs a slicer (the Star Wars equivalent of a hacker) who can penetrate diplomatic sources. For that he turns to Lando on Nkllon. They arrive just in time to fend off a raid from Thrawn’s forces, who manage to steal a number of Lando’s “mole miner” machines. Lando agrees to help, and connects them with a talented slicer. They decide to secretly send Leia with Chewbacca to Chewie’s home planet of Kashyyk; meanwhile they modify C-3PO to imitate Leia’s voice, and Lando accompanies Han and C-3PO on the Millennium Falcon. With Lando’s help, Han is able to approach arch-smuggler Talon Karrde at his base on the planet Myrkr.
But Myrkr is more pivotal to events than anyone knows. It holds a secret: the Force-repelling ysalamiri; and unknown to Karrde, Thrawn’s forces are returning for more. Meanwhile, Thrawn locates Luke and sets an ambush for him; with his X-Wing crippled, Luke is stranded in deep space. He is picked up–captured, in fact–by Karrde’s lieutenant, a woman named Mara Jade–who has her own personal vendetta against Luke, for reasons she holds very close. On Myrkr, Luke manages to escape into the forest, with Mara in pursuit, just as Han and Lando arrive–and just after Thrawn’s troops arrive.
Meanwhile, on Kashyyk, Leia and Chewbacca are stunned to learn that Thrawn has seen through their ruse, and has sent assassins again. The formidable Wookiees fight off the Noghri; but one survivor is captured, and Leia interrogates him. She is caught off guard when the Noghri realizes she is Darth Vader’s daughter; it names her the Mal’ary’ush, a figure of importance to his people, and swears not to harm her. It reveals that the Noghri consider Vader the savior of their world, due to events during its conquest by the Empire, and now they will transfer that respect–and service–to her. Or they will, that is, if she will come and present her case on their world, alone. Against her better judgment–but perhaps with a nudge from the Force–she agrees.
Luke and Mara fight their way out of the jungle, battling their own suspicion of each other, as well as the Empire’s troops–and all without the aid of the Force. When the Imperials have gone, they are able to rendezvous with Karrde, Han, and Lando back at the base–only to find that Karrde has decided to abandon Myrkr. Karrde sets Luke free with Han and Lando, and warns them that Thrawn has unwittingly revealed he has plans for the shipyards at Sluis Van. They head for the shipyards to try to intervene; on their way out, they receive alarming news: Leia has returned to Coruscant. She swears that she has resolved the matter of the assassinations, though she doesn’t explain how; and she reveals that there is a suspected leak in Republic intelligence, currently referred to as Delta Source. She also reveals that a potential “civil war” is brewing inside the provisional council, with Borsk Fey’lya grabbing for power.
When the battle erupts at Sluis Van, Thrawn’s plan becomes clear. The stolen mole miners will be used to breach the hulls of several capital ships, allowing troops to board and steal the ships while their manpower is limited. Unfortunately for Thrawn, by way of a mishap in scheduling, Rogue Squadron is present, and holds off the Grand Admiral’s fighters. Meanwhile, Lando–who still has the master codes for the mole miners–is able to slice into their command systems and adjust the settings. Several ships are crippled, but not stolen. Quietly enraged, Thrawn aborts the mission–interrupted, but not defeated.
Ah, nostalgia, what a drug! I will admit that it’s hard for me to look past my feelings for this story and evaluate it based on its merits. Every line felt like an old familiar friend, even though my last reading of it was nearly three decades ago. Still, let’s look at some of the best characters of this novel:
- Grand Admiral Thrawn: Without a doubt, Timothy Zahn’s greatest contribution to Star Wars–both EU and Canon–is the character of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The Chiss officer, Mitth’raw’nuruodo, is the highest-ranking officer in the Imperial Navy, and thus the de facto leader of the Empire at this point. Our heroes make a point of saying that “we thought we got them all”, referring to the Empire’s Grand Admirals; but Thrawn was a unique case. Previously stationed in the Unknown Regions of the galaxy, his return now bodes ill for the infant New Republic. Thrawn is a master of tactical and strategic acumen, but that alone wouldn’t distinguish him from the likes of, say, Ysanne Isard. What makes him distinctive–his “gimmick”, if you will–is his skill at analyzing a culture’s art in order to determine the best strategies for defeating them. He deploys this skill to great effect at the battle of Sluis Van.
- Joruus C’baoth and Mount Tantiss: I’m being cautious here not to reveal things we’ll only cover in the next two books. Joruus C’baoth is a Jedi Master from the era of the Old Republic–or is he? Thrawn insists he isn’t, because Thrawn claims to have killed the original C’baoth during a decades-old mission called Outbound Flight. Either way, the insane Jedi has secrets still to reveal–but for now, Thrawn wants him for his ability to engage in battle meditation, the Force skill the Emperor previously used to coordinate his forces and make them more effective in combat. C’baoth comes as a package deal with the Imperial storehouse at Mount Tantiss on the remote planet Wayland, which has its own secrets, pivotal to Thrawn’s plans. He also has an ambition: He wants to train Luke, Leia, and Leia’s children as his own disciples in the Force.
- Borsk Fey’lya: This Bothan is one of the more enduring contributions to the EU from this novel. Building off a single line in Return of the Jedi (“Many Bothans died to bring us this information”, Mon Mothma), Zahn gives us Fey’lya, who will continue to be a foil and minor antagonist to the Republic for years to come. He sits on the Provisional Council, the ruling body of the Republic, and is setting up for a power grab by the end of the book. He’s also a world class asshole, but you won’t find that phrase in the book! We’ve seen him before, but only because books were written out of order; this is his first appearance in print, but not his first appearance in universe.
- Talon Karrde: This smuggler boss will be a prominent recurring character well into the New Jedi Order series. I consider him a counterpart of sorts to Booster Terrik, with a similar skill set.
- Mara Jade: Ahh, Mara Jade. Great adventures lie ahead for this character! For most of the book, we’re told that Mara has a strong grudge against Luke Skywalker, and even fantasizes about killing him. It’s only near the end that we find out why: She was previously the “Emperor’s Hand”, his personal assassin–Force sensitive, but only minimally trained in it, which distinguishes her from a Sith apprentice such as Vader. When the Emperor died, her life collapsed around her; she blames this solely on Luke. However, when she is confronted with the reality of Luke, she begins to question her stand.
- The Noghri: These assassins and bodyguards will be in the background for years to come. Currently serving Thrawn, they previously served Vader and the Emperor–but they’re about to experience a crisis of loyalty.
- Gilad Pellaeon: This Imperial captain is very underused here; chiefly he serves as the point of explanation for Thrawn’s actions. However, he too has a bright future ahead, and much fame to be had. As Imperials go, he’s one of the good guys; you can decide for yourself how much that’s worth, but eventually many of our heroes will come to accept him as an ally. Just, not in this trilogy. But it all begins here!
Far more important than any single, character, though, is the tone of the novel. Zahn is reopening the EU here; and he sets the tone for most of the post-RotJ era. Things are optimistic, and not at all gritty or dark. (There’s an argument to be made that Star Wars has some grit as part of its aesthetic, that whole “lived-in future” feeling; but within that framework, things look quite bright!) Zahn establishes several elements of the setting which will help shape the future and its entire tone. We have Luke’s search for the history of the Jedi, and his dream of reestablishing the order; Han and Leia’s children (as yet unborn), who will be major figures going forward; the various remnants of the Empire and their various leaders (including mentions of characters such as Warlord Zsinj, years before their respective stories would be written!); the struggles of the Provisional Council as it reestablishes the Republic; Lando’s various business ventures; Han and Leia’s marriage (an issue that we’ve already seen, but which was established here, and which will be the center of some upcoming stories); the heritage of Darth Vader; the prominence of Rogue Squadron; and a history of the Republic and Empire which differs somewhat from the version we would eventually receive in the prequel films (but not so substantially that it can’t be reconciled!).
Worthy of particular note: This novel is the first time we would see the capital of the Empire, the planet Coruscant, sometimes known as Imperial Center or Imperial City. The idea that the Imperial capital would be an ecumenopolis–a world-spanning city–is not new; it dated back to the earliest drafts of notes for Episode IV in the 1970s. However, Zahn’s vision of the capital world is very different from Lucas’s original notes; and it was Zahn’s vision that won out, right down to the name. When the planet made its first onscreen appearance six years later–a brief appearance at the end of 1997’s Special Edition release of Return of the Jedi–it was the view imagined by Zahn, or something very like it. And in The Phantom Menace, released in 1999, the planet was called–you guessed it!–Coruscant. (We’ll have to wait a few novels for an in-universe explanation of the name of the planet–see you in Dark Apprentice!)
And that’s where we’ll stop for now. If I continue, I’ll end up spoiling the next two books! Overall, it’s difficult to find fault with this book. Prior to the change in canon in 2014, it was practically universally considered to be the continuation of Star Wars canon (along with at least portions of the rest of the post-RotJ EU); and even today it maintains a high level of respect in the fandom. If you’ve come here from Disney-era canon, you are in for a treat! And if you’ve been here all along, well, welcome home–because that’s what it’s going to feel like when you reread it.
Next time: We’ll continue the Thrawn Trilogy with its own personal The Empire Strikes Back moment: Dark Force Rising! See you there.
Heir to the Empire is available from Amazon and other booksellers.
You can find Wookieepedia’s treatment of the novel here.
Timewalkerauthor 