Part 13: Shadows of the Empire: The Comic
Let's talk about Shadow Of The Empire some more. I focused primarily on the largest media products in this thread (i.e., the game, the novel, the soundtrack, and the comic), but it was truly a multimedia affair. Just as a reminder, the SOTE multimedia project also included trading cards, metallic collector cards, a toy line, a junior novelization, an audiobook version, and even a freaking Micro Machine collection!
Tiny Dash!?
There was even a book released that chronicled the Shadows project. I haven't read it, but it looks pretty cool.
It was a very successful venture and Lucas later used it as a model to kick off his Clone Wars multimedia project and the Force Unleashed project. He like SOTE so much that he once said that he would have made a film out of it if he hadn't have been distracted with the prequel trilogy. And don't forget that the Outrider, ASP Loading Droids, and the Sentinel-Class Imperial Landing Craft, all originally from SOTE, made appearances in the Special Edition of A New Hope. Oh, and Xizor made a cameo in the podracing crowd in The Phantom Menace, but, you know, Order 66, no prequel talk, yadda yadda. It's funny, though, cause they used Xizor's Micro Machine model.
That said, Lucas wasn't willing to let Shadows rest after just the original run. There were all sorts of smaller projects that related to the project added to the EU, including an official sequel penned by Steve Perry himself. These projects were a chance to flesh out Perry's characters, and that's what I'm going to show off here.
Unfortunately, aside from a few easter eggs, none of the SOTE characters would get a jump to the big or small screen. Nor would there be any more video game appearances aside from that seen in X-Wing Alliance and a cameo or two in games like Galactic Battlegrounds. Instead, Dash, Leebo, Guri, Xizor, and Black sun would reappear in more EU novels, comic books, and short stories.
Without further ado, I give you Shadows Of The Empire: Evolution, the book in which we found out what happened to Guri of all the characters.
(Most of the covers were pretty neat, but this one was my favourite).
SOTE: Evolution begins with the most frustrating case of "look-at-how-badass-my-original-character-is" Mary Sue-isms I've ever seen. (Well, that's probably not true, but it's pretty bad!). I'm not going to bother adding captions throughout. Here it is in all its glory:
Yup. Guri's ship, the Stinger, is so cool that it can destroy a Star Destroyer of all things with a single spray of proton torpedoes. Anyone know how powerful those things are supposed to be anyways? Luke destroyed the Death Star with two of them, so maybe Guri just managed to fire off every single shot into a thermal exhaust port. She is, after all, a human replica droid of the perfect femme fatale assassin.
Anyways, the narrative switches from space to Coruscant where a large pterodactyl-like bounty hunter, Kar Yang, makes his way to the Southern Underground to an antique shop to meet with the owner, Azool--who may or may not be Xizor or a relative of him.
Note: the Southern Underground is where Leia met her Ho'Din contact, Spero. I forgot to post a picture of him earlier, which is too bad, because he looks like the Star Wars equivalent of Carrot Top. Ah well, you can laugh at his design now.
Anyways, we flash back to Guri and she is lost in her memories of being a slave to Xizor, being forced to do horrible violent things. We also get this hilarious image that shows how she escape the blast at Xizor's Palace. Remember back in the Xizor's Palace update where I made a big deal about Luke noticing the paragliders on the landing platform?
Blind Sally posted:
Luke notices a set of paragliders on the platform. He toys with the idea of using them to escape if the Falcon doesn't arrive soon. It's almost a throw away detail, and it's unimportant to the novel overall, but this little significant detail is actually really important later on. Seriously. But we'll get to that.
Remember how he considered using them to escape but then didn't because the Falcon arrived? WELL THEY WEREN'T THERE FOR SOME IDLE MUSING, NO SIR!
Guri used a pair to escape!
That picture is silly. I like it.
Anyways, she travels to Hurd's moon in search of a man named Massad Thrumble. Turns out he's a master, uh, droid-smith? He used to be the Admiral in charge of the Empire's droid research facility, so he knows his stuff. He recognizes Guri for what she is immediately.
SOTE: Evolution has this problem of just name dropping all sorts of side characters that we don't really care about. At least the novel's focus on Xizor made the bad-guy really stand out. We already have a shady Falleen, a dinosaur bounty hunter, twin bounty hunters, and a rival droid scientist. It doesn't end there.
So Guri travels to Spinda Caveel's base on the planet Murninkam and gets shot down by drones left by the Pikkel Sisters. Not a big deal, but it does give Guri a chance to act like the Terminator:
Meanwhile, Kar Yang tracks Guri to Massad Thrumble and shows off how much of a badass HE is.
Gosh, with so many badass bounty hunters in this sequel, I just don't know what is going to happen! Anyways, back on Murninkam, Caveel forces A-OIC aka "Doc" to reprogram a number of his droids into assassins--a very illegal procedure.
Back on Coruscant, Azool receives word from Kar Yang and his droid, Lintu, that he is on Guri's trail when a Rodian bounty hunter ambushes him.
Turns out Xizor actually DID die in the Skyhook blast. Yup, the man shouldn't have tried to call Vader's bluff--cause Vader doesn't bluff. So Azool is actually Xizor's niece, Savan. She quickly hires Prevaro to be a gun for her while she makes her powerplay to take over Black Sun before one of the surviving Vigos can.
Meanwhile, Guri punches some cats:
She makes it to Caveel's compound, while Kar Yang simultaneously arrives in orbit and blasts the rest of the Pikkel Sister's drones. The Pikkel Sisters try to take out Kar Yang when he lands, but he evades them. They return to the compound in time to engage the Pikkel Sisters. They retreat behind the shields of the compound and Guri sneaks in just at it seals off--leaving Kar Yang outside.
Back on Coruscant, the old gang watch a secretly taped meeting of the Black Sun Vigos argue over leadership. In the meeting, one of the Vigos asked what happened to the twin assassins hired by Black Sun, known as the Pike Sisters. Another mentions that they changed their names and went freelance. HMMM, I WONDER IF THE PIKE SISTERS AND THE PIKKEL SISTER MIGHT NOT BE THE ONE AND THE SAME?
If you remember back in the Ord Mantell update, I brought up the Pike Sisters...
Blind Sally posted:
Anyways, Xizor orders her to hire more assassin's for the Black Sun. Specifically, the Pike Sisters, two genetic twins. This is going to be the last we hear of the Pike Sisters for a looooong time. However, they do become relevant much later.
So I guess Steve Perry was really planning ahead when he added them in.
Oh, Han.
Leia and Han seem to already be having relationship trouble, and everyone else thinks it's hilarious. Look at Luke and Chewie's expressions!
Anyways, on Murninkam Guri easily knocks out the Pikkel Sisters. Caveel tries to get a cheap shot on Guri but is stopped by the assassin droid A-OIC reprogrammed. Guri rescues "Doc" and they leave. On Coruscant, Savan reveals to Prevaro that Kar Yang's droid is a spy working for her to ensure Kar Yang's loyalty. Speaking of Kar Yang, he attaches a tracking device to Stinger before Guri and Doc go off-world.
When we flash back to the gang, it's revealed that the Alliance is extending an olive branch to some of the Black Sun's remaining Vigos.
Haha, yeah, last time the Princess tried to negotiate with Black Sun she almost got raped!
The negotiations are interrupted by an attack from one of the other Vigos, though.
Oh, Han.
And Savan is undercover as Azool AND a Black Sun Vigo, apparently. She receives word from her droid spy that Kar Yang has planned to try and take Guri for himself, so she vows to get involved personally. Prevaro is hesitant of that plan, but Savan reveals she has the secret family codes to control Guri. It's too bad Kar Yang is onto Savan.
Kar Yang goes in to try and take Guri, but she turns out to be the bigger badass.
He should've waited for Massad and Doc to put her under. He really would've had to wait only a minute or two longer. Oh well, one badass down. Note: her previously sexily torn flight suit has been replaced by a new one. She probably keeps spares on her ship.
While this is going on, Leia discovers the true identity of their Vigo contact.
Oh, Han.
Massad begins the process and we see kind of an Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind sort of thing where Guri's memories replay in her unconscious mind while simultaneously being erased. Nearby, Savan has landed on Hurd's moon and is doing some recon on Massad Thrumble's base. We get a cameo from Skahtul here, but she doesn't do much else but give Savan info.
Also, this happens:
Oh, Han.
So Savan puts together an army of bounty hunters, assassins, and hired guns to assault Thrumble's base. Simultaneously, Caveel and the Pikkel Sisters leave Murninkam to kill Thrumble and get back A-OIC.
Savan is too late to acquire Guri as she was.
Yay, Guri's redemption arc is proceeding as planned!
Oh, Han.
While Savan's forces go against Thrumble's security measures, Luke and Co. bump into the Pikkel Sisters.
Of COURSE Lando knows who they are. Lando knows everything.
Caveel tries to get the Pikkel/Pike Sisters to press on, but they're an incredibly self-aware duo:
Hahaha, awesome.
Oh, Han.
Caveel tries to fire the Pike Sisters with his blaster, so they put him down permanently and leave the game. It's just Savan and her crew left.
Luckily, Guri still has her muscle memory and defeats them all. Luke and co. arrive in time to see Savan give the override codes. Too bad they were erased in the procedure.
Too bad Guri's terrible one-liners weren't erased either
Guri remembers Luke because he wasn't specifically a bad memory. Well, she doesn't remember their fight, but she remembers him sparing her. Luke senses that she is truly seeking to atone, so he convinces Leia and the rest to let Guri go her own way.
Is that...
My god...
Was that really?
The man...
The myth...
The legend...
Our lord and saviour...
DASH RENDAR!?!?!_!@>?
There was also a pop-up comic book released detailing Boba Fett and IG-88's space battle. It's as cash-grabby as it sounds, though was very realistic to canon--the fight lasted seconds before Boba Fett won. It also showed Fett landing on Tatooine and delivering Solo. He fought a Krayt Dragon and some stormtroopers and it was silly as all heck, but hey. It exists.
"Carbonite got your tongue"? Never change, Action Fett.
And IG-88 is still bad at calculations.
Ah well.
Next time: "Whatever happened to the Black Sun?" and "The Return of Jix!"