Dark Empire 1: The Destiny of a Jedi, a comic book, marked the inaugural installment in the six-part Star Wars: Dark Empire comic series. Dark Horse Comics initially published it on December 12, 1991, followed by a reprinting on August 18, 1992.
The following events take place six years following Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has successfully formed a New Republic that controls three-quarters of the galaxy. The remaining Imperial Forces are in disarray due to internal conflicts and constant rebel assaults. One of these incursions culminates in tragedy when Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian are forced to land near the former Imperial City. Upon hearing this news, Han Solo and Leia Organa quickly mobilize a rescue mission… accompanied by Chewbacca the Wookiee and C-3PO the droid, naturally! However, an unknown entity is rapidly approaching the Imperial City… and it desires Luke.
The narrative of Destiny of a Jedi was reworked for the Dark Empire (audio) radio drama, incorporating musical selections from John Williams' original film scores. Furthermore, Billy Dee Williams was part of the voice acting ensemble, reprising his role as Lando Calrissian.
In October of 2019, an animated rendition of Destiny of a Jedi was independently created and shared online, taking inspiration from both the radio drama and the original comic book.