Post- Empire was a sweet spot for Star Wars to hit at the time. This new setting made the task of telling a huge movie-like story a way to test the boundaries of the franchise before its inevitable rebirth for Episode I. He suggested setting the Shadows project after The Empire Strikes Back instead of before it, as this was a.) fertile ground for storytelling. To get the full Shadowsexperience, fans would have to read the novel and the comic books, play the video game, listen to the soundtrack score, buy the toys, collect the trading cards, etc.Īfter the pitch was tossed around the Lucas subsidiaries, a memo from LucasArts designer Jon Knoles changed their minds. This multimedia initiative was designed to tell one large narrative across various mediums, with each platform contributing an important piece of the story. So Lucasfilm started brainstorming new ways to capitalize on the Star Wars brand and ensure all of its media channels were fully functional before the arrival of the Prequel Trilogy.Įnter Shadows of the Empire-a mad scientist’s experiment in cross-promotion that would make editors at Marvel weep at the complexity of its moving parts. Another film with the main cast was implausible, and the excuses for new merchandising were slim to none.

But it was also a time of relative quiet for the franchise. George Lucas’ happy cinematic accident was still a beloved pop culture tentpole, and the entertainment industry was still busy learning from its business model. The ‘90s were the dark ages of Star Wars. This Star Wars article contains spoilers.

Shadows of the empire evolution