Robert Townson, a prolific soundtrack producer for Varese Sarande, collaborated with Joel McNeely on the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack back in 1996.
Townson's work for Lucasfilm included producing the recordings for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles tv series. Additionally, he engaged in conversations with Lucy Autrey Wilson regarding a potential soundtrack for Timothy Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy. This idea was ultimately repurposed for the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire multimedia project, where he produced a soundtrack to accompany the novelization's narrative. To achieve this, he enlisted Joel McNeely, meeting with him to explore the storyline's atmosphere, scale, key themes, and required musical compositions.
- " Around the Galaxy " — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 7
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire