Ann Carol Crispin, born on April 5, 1950 and passing away on September 6, 2013, was a writer of both science fiction and fantasy, having penned 23 novels that were published. Within the Star Wars universe, she authored the highly successful Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy, along with two short stories: "Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe" featured in Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and "Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer's Tale" included in Tales from Jabba's Palace. In addition, she wrote numerous Star Trek novels, originated her own science-fiction series titled StarBridge, and was commissioned by Disney to create Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom.
While working on Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy, Crispin, the author, received a request and instructions from Lucasfilm that she should not delve into Han Solo's experiences at the Imperial Academy or his initial meeting with Chewbacca. Despite these limitations, she gained permission to include a concise account of Han's rescue of Chewbacca from enslavement by the Empire, which resulted in his dismissal and the establishment of a life debt. Crispin also encountered the difficulty of needing to explain how Han discovered his cousin, Thracken Sal Solo, while remaining ignorant of anything about his parents, including their names.
In 2006, Crispin mentioned that she had proposed a series of books that would explore the life of Princess Leia Organa between the events of Episode III and IV, but "Lucasfilm didn't approve the idea of a Leia backstory because they want to keep that era of the SW continuity untouched for the television series they're considering."
On February 9, 2013, Crispin shared her perspectives on Disney's plans to produce a film focusing on Han Solo's early years. Although some people speculated that Disney might adapt Crispin's trilogy for the movie, Crispin herself considered it improbable that they would incorporate any content from Star Wars novels. She speculated that the film might address topics she had been instructed to avoid, notably Han's time at the Academy.
On September 3, 2013, Crispin announced on Facebook that her cancer had advanced, and her condition had deteriorated to the point where her life expectancy was short. She requested that people post messages for her on her Facebook page, which her husband, Michael, would read to her. She died three days later.
- " Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe " — Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (1995)
- " Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer's Tale " — Tales from Jabba's Palace (1996)
- The Paradise Snare (1997)
- The Hutt Gambit (1997)
- Rebel Dawn (1998)
- A.C. Crispin - Science Fiction Fantasy Author - official website
- Ann C. Crispin on Wikipedia
- A.C. Crispin on Memory Alpha
- A. C. Crispin on the Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki
- Flying Solo – Interview with Ann Crispin by Jeff Carter on Echo Station (content now obsolete; archived from the original on March 9, 2016)
- A.C. Crispin interview on Unreality SF ( December 29 , 2004 ) (archived from the original on September 14, 2016)