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A review by dr_matthew_lloyd
Star Wars: Dark Empire Trilogy by Tom Veitch
3.0
06/01/2016: Finished Dark Empire I (3.5*).
It's interesting, coming to one of the earliest monuments of the old Expanded Universe/"Legends" series, to see where people foresaw the Star Wars story going after the conclusion of Return of the Jedi. Both Dark Empire and its near contemporary novel, [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995], establish that Han and Leia are married (an event which would not be novelized until [b:The Courtship of Princess Leia|821010|The Courtship of Princess Leia (Star Wars)|Dave Wolverton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401659364s/821010.jpg|806845] in 1994), and Leia is pregnant. The deminished Empire remains the enemy, and though it is powerful it has its own difficulties, in Dark Empire I, the Empire has split into several factions of warlords (believable). It is perhaps a little frustrating that the plot revolves around the resurrection of the Emperor and the threat of the Dark Side (the word "Sith" has not yet been used); nonetheless, as in The Force Awakens, the remnants of the Empire continue to pump their money and resources into ineffectual weapons of mass destruction, which the rebellion/Republic must take down.
The most interesting feature of Dark Empire is that in this version of a Star Wars future one of the first items on the agenda is the training of Leia as a Jedi. As the early-'90s text states: "Leia Organa, wife of Han Solo, already a mother of two, is, above all things, a Jedi Warrior!" (p.19). It wouldn't be unsurprising as a Twitter bio and it's a strange list of priority identities (which notably doesn't include Princess), but the narrative continues to emphasise that Leia must also undergo training as a Jedi if she's to escape the lure of the Dark Side. Despite everything going on with Luke and the rebellion, it's Leia's story which takes priority, even if it does somewhat revolve around her pregnancy.
The art betrays Cam Kennedy's work for 2000 AD; but it also has the unmistakably Star Wars richness of detail to the worlds. It's a style that I like quite a bit, personally, although it is certainly subject to taste. The limited colour palette adds to the darkness of the story, again, though, it could be off-putting.
Overall, the story feels like a continuation of the Star Wars story; there's little sense to the necessity of the story, but it's a worthwhile contribution to expand a universe and stands up even after that universe has been added to (and wiped out).
10/01/2016: Finished Dark Empire II (3.5*)
21/01/2016: Finished Empire's End (3*).
The ending came a lot faster than I was expecting, like they thought they were going to have ten pages more. The final moments are actually the best -where the Empire's obsessive building of weapons of mass destruction leads to them destroying themselves . But, overall, the art is less good, the story rushed and weak, and a bit of an anticlimax.
It's interesting, coming to one of the earliest monuments of the old Expanded Universe/"Legends" series, to see where people foresaw the Star Wars story going after the conclusion of Return of the Jedi. Both Dark Empire and its near contemporary novel, [b:Heir to the Empire|216443|Heir to the Empire (Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy, #1)|Timothy Zahn|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398253847s/216443.jpg|1133995], establish that Han and Leia are married (an event which would not be novelized until [b:The Courtship of Princess Leia|821010|The Courtship of Princess Leia (Star Wars)|Dave Wolverton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401659364s/821010.jpg|806845] in 1994), and Leia is pregnant. The deminished Empire remains the enemy, and though it is powerful it has its own difficulties, in Dark Empire I, the Empire has split into several factions of warlords (believable). It is perhaps a little frustrating that the plot revolves around the resurrection of the Emperor and the threat of the Dark Side (the word "Sith" has not yet been used); nonetheless, as in The Force Awakens, the remnants of the Empire continue to pump their money and resources into ineffectual weapons of mass destruction, which the rebellion/Republic must take down.
The most interesting feature of Dark Empire is that in this version of a Star Wars future one of the first items on the agenda is the training of Leia as a Jedi. As the early-'90s text states: "Leia Organa, wife of Han Solo, already a mother of two, is, above all things, a Jedi Warrior!" (p.19). It wouldn't be unsurprising as a Twitter bio and it's a strange list of priority identities (which notably doesn't include Princess), but the narrative continues to emphasise that Leia must also undergo training as a Jedi if she's to escape the lure of the Dark Side. Despite everything going on with Luke and the rebellion, it's Leia's story which takes priority, even if it does somewhat revolve around her pregnancy.
The art betrays Cam Kennedy's work for 2000 AD; but it also has the unmistakably Star Wars richness of detail to the worlds. It's a style that I like quite a bit, personally, although it is certainly subject to taste. The limited colour palette adds to the darkness of the story, again, though, it could be off-putting.
Overall, the story feels like a continuation of the Star Wars story; there's little sense to the necessity of the story, but it's a worthwhile contribution to expand a universe and stands up even after that universe has been added to (and wiped out).
10/01/2016: Finished Dark Empire II (3.5*)
21/01/2016: Finished Empire's End (3*).
The ending came a lot faster than I was expecting, like they thought they were going to have ten pages more. The final moments are actually the best -