Star Wars: Crimson Empire, a comic book miniseries, was crafted by the writing duo of Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley. Dark Horse Comics published it from December 10, 1997 until May 20, 1998. As a component of a broader series, its follow-up, Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood, saw release later in 1998 and 1999. The second sequel to Crimson Empire, titled Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost, was subsequently launched in 2011 and 2012.
Within the Empire, the Emperor's Imperial Guard are the most formidable warriors, with Kir Kanos being the most loyal. However, Carnor Jax, the most powerful of this elite group, betrays the Emperor and orders the Guard's assassination. Kir must escape to fulfill his duty of avenging his master. Remaining devoted, Kir must collaborate with Rebel forces to achieve retribution against the Empire's might. For Kir Kanos, the last Imperial Guard and threat to Jax's power, loyalty is paramount.
On Zaddja in the Trilon sector, General Wessel's forces locate former Imperial Royal Guardsman Kir Kanos. Upon closer inspection, the dwelling is empty except for a time bomb left by Kanos, which detonates, killing the strike team.
Kir Kanos arrives on Phaeda, a remote Imperial planet. After stormtroopers initiate a cantina brawl, Kanos is forced to kill them, revealing his presence. A man named Merkon offers him refuge before reinforcements arrive.
Kanos recalls his early experiences as a royal guardsman. He fought alongside Carnor Jax on a distant world. Their skills impressed their commander, who transferred them to Yinchorr, the secret training grounds for the Emperor's red guard. Years later, he meets the Emperor and Darth Vader during an inspection. Vader challenges Burr Danid, the most talented recruit, to a duel in the Squall, a terrifying arena. Vader defeats him and kicks him into the abyss. Kanos realizes that perfection alone is insufficient in the Emperor's service.
Meanwhile, Colonel Shev, the corrupt ruler of Phaeda, investigates the cantina murders, seeking to capture Kanos before the attention jeopardizes his activities.
Merkon brings Sadeet and Mirith Sinn to Kanos. After Kanos threatens them, Mirith offers him a place among the Phaeda rebels. As they leave, Merkon promises to obstruct Shev's investigation.
The cantina incident attracts General Wessel and Carnor Jax, the reigning Imperial lord. They order Colonel Shev to stand down but he disobeys and continues the search, aided by his informant, Tem Merkon, who reveals the rebel base's location. Shev orders an assault on the base in the mountains near the spaceport.
Upon arriving at the rebel base, Kanos makes Sadeet and Massimo feel threatened. Unaware of his past, the rebels offer him shelter. Over a meal, Mirith tells Kanos about her past on Nez Peron and her motives in rebelling.
Mirith leaves Kanos alone, and Kanos continues recording his past. He recalls his final day of training on Yinchorr. After killing Lemmet Tauk in a duel for a place in the Royal Guard, Kanos graduates and joins the Royal Guard. Darth Vader scars him across the face with his lightsaber.
After a poor command decision by Mirith Sinn, one squad of rebel troops ends up surrounded by Shev's troops and without reinforcements. As Massimo is about to be captured, a mysterious royal guard begins single-handedly eliminating Shev's army. As Mirith confronts him, a TIE Interceptor strafes the group. The guardsman takes a hand blaster and shoots the pilot through the viewport, killing him and causing the ship to careen out of control and crash into the remote command post, winning the battle. After the battle, the guardsman reveals himself as Kir Kanos. The rebels, their base discovered, begin evacuations.
Mirith finds Kanos's recorder. She listens to his entry, which recounts the events following the battle of Onderon. Kyle Hannad, a survivor, returns to Yinchorr to inform the other guardsmen that Carnor Jax is alive, had paid the Emperor's physician to create faulty clones, and had gained control of two divisions of stormtroopers. He orders the troops into the guardsmen's stronghold on Yinchorr. Though the former Royal Guards killed hundreds of stormtroopers in the battle, sheer numbers overwhelmed even immeasurable talent, and all of the guardsmen died that day, save Kanos, who escaped, and Jax, his sworn enemy.
In the present day, Kanos plans to leave the planet. In the aftermath of the battle, Merkon goes once more to Colonel Shev to offer him the location of Kanos's ship, just before Jax and Wessel drop out of hyperspace. Merkon returns to the rebel base once more to rendezvous with Mirith and Sadeet. Sadeet has already begun to suspect Merkon at this point and tries to mislead him about where the rebels are going, but Mirith corrects Sadeet and tells Merkon about the fallback point at Collo Fauale.
Jax scolds Colonel Shev and receives information from Merkon about the location of the rebel base and Kanos's ship. The rebels discover Merkon's treachery and kill him. To save Kanos, Mirith disguises herself and goes to Kanos's ship to be captured in Kanos's place. Jax tortures her (to no avail) to find out Kanos's location. She talks when he threatens to destroy the rebel base using the turbolasers aboard his orbiting star destroyer, the Emperor's Revenge. Jax does not keep his promise, ordering the Steadfast to bombard the rebel base even though Mirith talked. However he does allow Mirith to leave safely.
Jax leaves for Yinchorr, where Kir Kanos is waiting for him. The Steadfast is left alone in orbit over Phaeda, where Rogue Squadron delays them until General Wedge Antilles and the captured Imperial Super Star Destroyer Lusankya drop out of hyperspace and capture the Steadfast. Mirith and Sadeet commandeer Kir Kanos's old ship in the Phaeda spaceport and leave for Yinchorr.
In orbit around Yinchorr, the Emperor's Revenge boards a lone Scimitar-class fighter. The ship is found empty but for a pilot droid and another of Kanos's bombs, which detonates, destroying the Emperor's Revenge. Carnor Jax has already taken 6 stormtroopers and left for the planet's surface, having predicted Kanos's move. Upon arrival on the planet's surface, Jax tells the troops that they are the best in the Empire and that if anyone can beat Kanos, it will be them. Kanos eliminates them quickly and efficiently, leaving him alone with Jax in the Squall. Jax offers him a place at his side, ruling the Empire. Kanos refuses, reminding Jax that he murdered the emperor, and attacks.
Kanos and Jax fight their final battle in the Squall on Yinchorr. Jax is confident in his victory, reminding Kanos that in the squall, he always wins. Kanos disarms and nearly defeats Jax, but Jax has been fostering his newfound dark force powers and uses them to knock Kanos back and regain his weapon.
Mirith's and Sadeet's arrival on Yinchorr provide enough of a distraction for Kanos to regain his feet. He renews his attack on Jax, disarming him and knocking him to the ground.
Mirith realizes that Jax has information that would enable the rebels to swiftly and efficiently destroy the Empire. She cries out for Kanos to stop, but Kanos ignores her and executes Jax anyway. Sadeet is drawn into a murderous rage and charges Kanos. Kanos, left with no choice, kills him in self-defense.
Angry and grief-stricken, Mirith asks Kanos what he will do now that Jax is dead. Kanos swears to eliminate the rest of the Imperial ruling council, and leaves the planet. Some time later, Massimo arrives on the planet to find Mirith alone. Mirith swears to find and someday kill Kir Kanos for what he has done.
Stradley initially conceived the idea for a one-shot. This project did not come to fruition but eventually evolved into the Crimson Empire series.
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