Star Wars Legends author Timothy Zahn penned Heir to the Empire. This novel marks the initial entry in Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, brought to readers by Bantam Spectra in May of 1991. Taking place in 9 ABY, a half-decade after the events of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the story introduces the trilogy's main antagonist, Grand Admiral Thrawn. Heir to the Empire has been produced as several audiobooks, and it also received a comic book adaptation in 1995 as a miniseries. Del Rey released a special 20th Anniversary Edition of the novel in 2011. It achieved the top spot on the New York Times Best Seller List in Fiction on June 30, 1991. By 2017, the trilogy had achieved sales of over 15 million copies.
Prepare for the science fiction publishing event of the year: a thrilling continuation of the legendary Star Wars saga. Picking up where the movie trilogy concluded, Heir to the Empire unveils the dramatic events unfolding after the most beloved series in cinematic history—skillfully crafted by Hugo Award–winning author Timothy Zahn.
In the spring of 1977, a film titled Star Wars emerged, igniting a cultural phenomenon. Its sweeping narrative, centered on a young man named Luke Skywalker destined to liberate the galaxy from tyranny, captured the hearts of millions and shattered box-office records. Today, Star Wars and its sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, are recognized as the most iconic series in movie history, consistently ranking among the top ten films of all time.
The three Star Wars films constitute a remarkable saga of boundless imagination and thrilling adventure. However, the stories of its characters extend beyond the screen. Now, for the first time, Lucasfilm Ltd., the production company behind the Star Wars movies, has authorized the continuation of this cherished narrative. In an extraordinary three-book cycle, Timothy Zahn expands upon George Lucas's breathtaking vision, "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away," as he continues the tale of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the other characters who gained worldwide fame through Star Wars.
Heir to the Empire commences five years after the conclusion of Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has successfully destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and forced the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to retreat into a fraction of the territory they once dominated. Leia and Han are now married and bear significant responsibilities in the government of the new Republic. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker stands as the first of a prospective new order of Jedi Knights._
Yet, thousands of light-years away, amidst ongoing skirmishes, the last of the Emperor's warlords has assumed command of the remaining Imperial fleet. He has made two critical discoveries that could potentially obliterate the fragile new Republic—a republic forged at great sacrifice by the Rebel Alliance. What unfolds is a grand epic of action, innovation, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale—in essence, a story befitting the name Star Wars.
Now available for the first time in trade paperback: A Star Wars Legends classic featuring the immensely popular Thrawn, repackaged to commemorate Lucasfilm's 50th anniversary.
Behold the #1 New York Times bestselling novel that sparked the entire Star Wars publishing phenomenon. The most significant event in the history of Star Wars literature, Heir to the Empire chronicles the adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia following their triumph with the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars_: Episode VI Return of the Jedi._
Five years have passed since the destruction of the Death Star and the defeat of Darth Vader and the Emperor. The galaxy struggles to recover from the ravages of war, Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting twins, and Luke Skywalker has emerged as the first in a long-awaited lineage of new Jedi Knights.
However, thousands of light-years distant, the last of the Emperor's warlords—the brilliant and formidable Grand Admiral Thrawn—has seized control of the shattered Imperial fleet, preparing it for war and aiming it at the vulnerable heart of the New Republic. This dark warrior has made two crucial discoveries that could dismantle everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so valiantly to establish.
In the wake of the Battle of Endor, five years later, the New Republic struggles to maintain its tenuous grip on the galaxy, a fresh menace arises. Grand Admiral Thrawn, a shrewd and astute Chiss commander stationed far from the action, initiates the consolidation of his Imperial forces for a calculated assault on the New Republic. Aided by Captain Gilad Pellaeon and his personal bodyguard Rukh, Thrawn devises a nearly impenetrable strategy. They secure the assistance of a deranged clone of Jorus C'baoth, a deceased Jedi Master, and exploit the Emperor's clandestine weapons cache on the planet Wayland, guarded by the clone. The ensuing events trigger widespread turmoil within the New Republic.
Simultaneously, Luke Skywalker crosses paths with Talon Karrde and his band of smugglers. Although captured, Luke is not handed over to the Imperials. Instead, the smugglers offer him refuge just as Han Solo and Lando Calrissian arrive seeking to enlist the smugglers as traders for the New Republic. Compounding matters, Grand Admiral Thrawn appears to visit Karrde just as Luke manages to escape. One of Karrde's associates, Mara Jade, pursues Luke into the depths of the forest, where both their ships crash. Mara attempts to assassinate Luke, believing him responsible for the Emperor's death five years prior during the Battle of Endor, as she was the Emperor's Hand at the time. However, she realizes her survival depends on Luke. Thrawn then intervenes in Karrde's rescue efforts, aiming to capture Luke and Mara first, leading to a confrontation between Imperial troops and Karrde's forces. Ultimately, Karrde prevails but is forced to evacuate his base. Han and Lando journey to the shipyards at Sluis Van after learning from Karrde of Thrawn's plans there.
The insane Jedi clone, Joruus C'baoth, emerges from seclusion on Wayland thanks to Thrawn and discovers Princess Leia's unborn Jedi twin children. Driven by his madness, C'baoth resolves to train them in the ways of the Force, inadvertently guiding them toward the dark side. Essentially, Leia's unborn Jedi twins and Luke Skywalker face the choice of joining him or perishing. Luke and Leia are relentlessly pursued across the galaxy. Princess Leia is repeatedly targeted by the Noghri, a species of aliens. To ensure her safety from further abduction attempts and to provide respite from her duties in the New Republic, Han dispatches Leia and Chewbacca to the planet Kashyyyk, where the Wookiees can safeguard her. However, Thrawn anticipates this move. Leia is once again hunted by the Noghri on Kashyyyk, but she has a plan. With Chewbacca's assistance, she successfully escapes, capturing one of the Noghri, Khabarakh. Khabarakh recognizes her scent as that of a descendant of the Dark Lord Darth Vader, as the Noghri had served as secret bodyguards to the Sith Lord. Determined to uncover more about the Noghri's situation, Leia convinces him to take her to his homeworld.
Meanwhile, the New Republic suspects a mole within their ranks is leaking information about their actions and plans to the Imperials, known only as Delta Source.
As Han and Lando arrive at the shipyards of Sluis Van, Thrawn launches his planned assault on the location. Utilizing a cloaking device, Thrawn achieves an element of surprise as his mole miners (stolen from Lando) attempt to breach the hulls of ships at Sluis Van and steal them. However, Rogue Squadron happens to be present. They engage the TIE fighters while Han and Lando devise a clever strategy to thwart the theft of ships. Thrawn's first major offensive is defeated.
The Imperials retreat, and order is restored…for the time being.
Following the 1983 release of Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the Star Wars franchise began to wane in popularity as creator George Lucas opted to set it aside to concentrate on other endeavors. Nevertheless, as the 1980s drew to a close, the franchise started to regain momentum, culminating in Lucas Licensing president Howard Roffman exploring the possibility of reviving Star Wars adult fiction with the help of publishing director Lucy Autrey Wilson. Despite his reservations about the demand for new Star Wars novels, Lucas acquiesced and established several guidelines: the books should be set after the events of the original trilogy in case he ever decided to produce the prequel trilogy so he could recount the backstories of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi without creating inconsistencies, and no major characters could be killed off. Most publishers declined, believing the franchise had run its course, but Bantom Books was intrigued, and coincidentally, Lou Aronica had recently contacted Lucasfilm Ltd. to propose a three-book trilogy set after Return of the Jedi, with author Timothy Zahn in mind, who commenced work on the novel in November.
Timothy Zahn's initial working title for the book was Wild Card. Bantam rejected this title due to its similarity to Wild Cards, another series published by Bantam at the time. Zahn's second choice was The Emperor's Hand, which Bantam also turned down. Warlord's Gambit was another potential title, but ultimately Heir to the Empire was selected, a suggestion made by science-fiction author Lou Aronica.
After Zahn had already begun writing the novel, Lucas Licensing requested that he incorporate material from West End Games' Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game into his work and maintain continuity with it. Many significant elements, such as the Interdictor-class Star Destroyer, originated in those sourcebooks.
Shortly after the novel's release, Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine clarified that, while the book was licensed and approved by Lucasfilm, Heir to the Empire was not George Lucas' story or the official continuation of the saga but rather a product of Timothy Zahn's imagination. The sourcebooks released for the novels stated that all products taking place after Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi represent the author's vision of what might have happened, not the true fate of the characters. In 1994, Howard Roffman, head of Lucas Licensing, affirmed that the books following the events of Episode VI were never intended to depict the story of the planned Episode VII-IX.
Heir to the Empire marked the first instance of the galactic capital being referred to as Coruscant in a Star Wars book. George Lucas later adopted this name for the galactic capital throughout the prequel trilogy. Additionally, several references in this novel are echoed in the prequels. An Action VI transport, the same model as the Wild Karrde, designed by Rob Caswell, also arrives at the Theed Spaceport in Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones.
The novel introduced several recurring characters and elements to the Expanded Universe, most notably Thrawn, the Chiss species, Talon Karrde, and Mara Jade.
On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company finalized its acquisition of Lucasfilm and announced the production of the sequel trilogy. On April 25, 2014, Disney declared that existing Expanded Universe content published before that date would be rebranded as "Legends" and treated as a separate continuity, while some elements from Legends would still be utilized to allow for greater creative freedom in the direction of the new trilogy. The announcement on StarWars.com confirmed that past novels would continue to be published with a golden banner featuring the Legends label, accompanied by an illustrative example of the cover of Heir to the Empire.
In the new canon, the phrase "heir to the Empire" was spoken by Ahsoka Tano to describe Grand Admiral Thrawn in the trailer for the Disney+ series Ahsoka, which was initially revealed at Celebration Europe on April 7, 2023.
- ISBN 9780553073270 ; May 1991 ; Bantam Spectra ; US hardcover [2] [21]
- ISBN 9780553296129 ; May 1992 ; Bantam Spectra; US paperback [3]
- ISBN 9780307796103 ; June 28 , 2011 ; Del Rey ; US eBook [4]
- ISBN 9780593358764 ; June 15 , 2021 ; Del Rey; US paperback; The Essential Legends Collection edition [5]
- ISBN 9783442413348 ; 1992; Goldmann; German-language paperback
- ISBN 9788070332856 ; 1993 ; Olympia; Czech-language hardcover
- ISBN 9788571233645 ; 1993; Editora Best Seller; Portuguese-language paperback
- ISBN 9789721036468 ; 1993; Publicações Europa-América; Portuguese-language paperback
- ISBN 9789510216361 ; 1997 ; WSOY; Finnish-language hardcover
- ISBN 9788072143207 ; 2000 ; Baronet; Czech-language hardcover
- ISBN 9789545282157 ; 2001 ; Trud; Bulgarian-language paperback
- ISBN 9789634971085 ; 2005 ; Szukits; Hungarian-language paperback
- ISBN 9788025213407 ; January 26 , 2010 ; EGMONT ČR ; Czech-language hardcover
- ISBN 9788863552935 ; 2012 ; Multiplater.it Edizioni; Italian-language paperback
- ISBN 9788576571988 ; 2014 ; Editora Aleph; Portuguese-language paperback