Star Wars: Crimson Empire III: Empire Lost represents the concluding chapter of the trilogy, following Star Wars: Crimson Empire and Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood. This comic book miniseries unfolds in the aftermath of the Battle of Nam Chorios. Similar to its predecessors, it is a miniseries comprising six parts, jointly authored by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley, and brought to publication by Dark Horse Comics. The series, initially canceled, was later resurrected for distribution spanning 2011 and 2012.
Around the time the initial issue became available, Dark Horse organized a caption competition, offering two individuals the chance to secure a copy of the first issue bearing the signatures of three of its creators.
Set two years after the events chronicled in Council of Blood, Kir Kanos finds himself the target of Ennix Devian, a figure posing a significant threat to the galaxy. Vima-Da-Boda deems it necessary to caution Jedi Master Luke Skywalker about Devian, the leader of a dissident faction within the Imperial Remnant, known as the Restored Empire. Devian aims to reinstate the Empire based on Palpatine's ideals, mirroring Kanos's own past. Consequently, Devian enlists the services of bounty hunter Boba Fett to locate Kanos, who is operating under the alias "Kenix Kil" in the remote region of Meenka, and transport him to RZ7-6113-23, the base of the Restored Empire. Upon arrival, Kanos is introduced to a sizable army and fleet equipped with hardware from the Clone Wars era, which Devian intends to deploy in attacks against both the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic homeworlds, with the goal of establishing a new order. Simultaneously, political unrest arises across various worlds, fueled by the machinations of Nom Anor, an individual of mysterious origin who orchestrates the theft of a small quantity of the unstable and highly explosive substance zinethium from a storage facility on Nyara.
Identifying Devian as a morally bankrupt "thug" and assassin, Kanos disavows his political objectives and flees the base in a captured shuttle. He journeys to Coruscant, seeking to reconcile with Mirith Sinn and alert her to Devian's impending assault. Unbeknownst to him, the shuttle carries the stolen zinethium from Nyara, which Luke Skywalker abandons in orbit just as it detonates. Kanos is blamed for the incident, occurring while he was accompanying Sinn to a potential peace negotiation between the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic, hosted by the D'Asta family. Shortly after the attempted attack on Coruscant, Devian's stormtroopers disrupt the peace summit, resulting in Feena D'Asta's death during the ensuing conflict. With the peace talks derailed by what appeared to be a New Republic ambush, Admiral Gilad Pellaeon of the Imperial Remnant promptly dispatches a retaliatory fleet toward Coruscant. With the Imperial homeworld of Orinda left with relatively weak defenses, Devian seizes the opportunity to mobilize his fleet for an attack.
Amidst the ensuing political and military pandemonium, Kanos and Sinn forge an alliance with Feena's father, Ragez, who offers his fleet to ambush Devian's forces as they enter the Orinda system. They manage to rescue Admiral Pellaeon from Devian's clutches during the battle, leading to a final confrontation between Kanos and Devian. Kanos defeats and kills Devian, but sustains critical injuries in the process. He exploits this situation to fabricate his death, enabling the New Republic to grant him a "posthumous" pardon for his transgressions while he recuperates from his wounds in one of Ragez D'Asta's safehouses. D'Asta and his remaining daughter, a clone of Feena created by Black Sun whom he adopted, assist Kanos in embarking on a new life, free from the Empire's influence.
Originally, Crimson Empire III was slated for release in 2001, and later in 2002, but the project was ultimately set aside. The core narrative, situated in the New Jedi Order era, was intended to feature Kir Kanos in a battle against Luke Skywalker, the last individual implicated in Palpatine's demise. Stradley had conceived the idea of an Imperial Royal Guard confronting Skywalker for Marvel's Star Wars series, but it was rejected. This concept served as the foundation for the original Crimson Empire storyline.
In 2008, Mike Richardson revealed that he and Stradley were collaborating once more to finally conclude the Crimson Empire saga. However, several days later, Stradley clarified that while discussions had taken place, the project was not proceeding. At Celebration V in 2010, the announcement of Crimson Empire III for a 2011 release was made. Richardson and Stradley were confirmed as writers, with Paul Gulacy providing the artwork. A prequel story, titled The Third Time Pays for All, saw publication in Dark Horse Presents #1 in April 2011. In July 2011, the solicitation for the first issue was unveiled, revealing the miniseries' subtitle as Empire Lost.
The initial sentence of the first issue establishes the setting as ten years after Palpatine's death at Endor, logically placing Empire Lost in 14 ABY.
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New Comic Series on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
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Comic-Con Book Report: Publishing Horizon on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
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Back in the Red: Dark Horse Comics Announces Long-Awaited Crimson Empire III Series on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link)
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Crimson Empire III preview on Dark Horse Comics' official website (backup link)
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