Dark Empire - Audio Drama - New Republic

Six years after the Battle of Endor (from Return of the Jedi), the fight for freedom rages on. While Luke Skywalker delves deeper into the mysteries of the Force, Han Solo and Princess Leia, now married, struggle to protect their twin children from danger. Darth Vader is dead, but a reborn Empire—guided by a mysterious new leader—strikes back against the Rebel Alliance. But the Rebels discover that their greatest foe may be their closest friend: Luke Skywalker!

The Dark Empire audio drama was a full cast audio adaption of Dark Horse Comics' Dark Empire comic book series. It was adapted by John Whitman from the source material by Tom Veitch. It was directed by Arthur G. Insana and featured parts of composer John Williams's classic score along with authentic stereo sound effects.

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This 3 part series is so easy to get into even without reading any of the prior novels.  These events take place six years after the "death" of Emperor Palpatine and the destruction of the second death star.  Luke Skywalker is drawn to a mysterious yet familiar feeling in the force.  While Luke is being seduced by the Dark Side, Leia, Han and company go back to Nar Shadda for some unfinished business and end up in the grasps of slew bounty hunters along with arch enemy, Boba Fett.

The Emperor still lives strong as he mastered the ability to transfer his self in death to another life form, and before his death over Endor, he transferred to one of his clones......again with the clones!  That was my only gripe about these audio drama's.  In Luke's curiosity in the Dark Side, and the pursuit for the knowledge of what destroyed his father Anakin and turned him the Dark Lord Darth Vader, Luke finds himself on a familiar path of destruction and controlling what is left of the Empire.

When turning back from the power of the Dark Side, Luke finds he does not have the power with in to turn back to the light, and will need the help of another powerful Jedi to remove the embrace of the dark side, and destroy the Emperor and his clones, once and for all.  Luke must be rescued and tempt not to destroy the New Republic while under the Emperors spell, the New Republic seeks to find Luke on the Emperors Citidal on his private planet of Byss.

These audio dramas are no longer than the movies and are all in familiar places and really easy to follow.  With the great cast playing the roles, sound effects and usage of some of the original movie scores, this will not let down and full time or part time Star Wars Fan.  Adapted from the comic series, these should be able to be enjoyed by all audiences.

I find your lack of faith disturbing..............

Star Wars Hitchhiker

X-wing: Isard's Revenge - Book 8 X-Wing Series - Novel

Sleek, swift, and deadly, the famed X-wing fighters have earned their reputation as the Rebel Alliance's ultimate strike force the hard way first in battle, the last line of defense. Now they must make a deal with the devil herself—an enemy whose ultimate goal is their total annihilation.


It's the kind of mission only Wedge Antilles and the Rogue Squadron would dare to undertake. Against impossible odds they will stage a daring raid into an enemy stronghold only to be rescued from certain destruction by an unexpected ally. Ysanne Isard, the ruthless Imperial commander, has appeared on the scene seemingly from out of nowhere. Now she proposes a most unusual alliance, offering to help Wedge rescue his captured comrades from Imperial Warlord Admiral Krennel's sadistic prison camp. But her offer is not without a price. Wedge must lead Rogue Squadron in Isard's deadly struggle against an enemy made in her own image. It's an offer Wedge would love to refuse, for Isard is certain to betray them. But how can they leave their comrades at Krennel's mercy? The answer is: they can't—even if it means being caught between Krennel's ruthlessness and Isard's treachery.

Isard's Revenge, the 8th book in the X-Wing Series was better than the 7 predecessors of the series, but failed to captivate where other Star Wars Novels have.  Clone, Clones, Clones are becoming a commonly used plot, and it is wearing very thin based on its usages.  The thought to be destroyed Ysanne Isard is resurrected from the dead....but we find out no she was not killed in the prior novels, it was a clone of her that was supposedly destroyed, but the clone lived, and there were now double Isard trouble.  These novels use warlord characters as the basis of the enemies of the New Republic and rulers of what is left of the empire, but they lack the evil, sinister foes that we are used to in the Sith used in the prior novels and movies.

Isard's Revenge was a step up from the other X-Wing Novels but you may want to skip straight to the Jedi Academy series if you are looking for a real thrilling novel.  More updates soon, lots of school work is killing my hitchhiking!

Mind your feelings, your thoughts betray you.......

Star Wars Hitchhiker

The Last Command - Thrawn Trilogy Book 3 (final of series) - Novel

Heir to the Empire was a number-one New York Times bestseller and the science fiction publishing event of the year. Dark Force Rising continued the gripping new adventures of Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and the other heroes of the most popular trilogy in movie history. Now the saga concludes with The Last Command.

It is five years after the events of Return of the Jedi. The fragile New Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has not only rallied the remaining Imperial forces, but has driven the rebels back with an abominable new technology: clone soldiers.

Hopes are dim as Thrawn mounts a final siege against the Republic. While Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a wary alliance of smugglers in a last-ditch attack against the Empire, Leia keeps the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. But the Empire has too many ships and too many clones to combat. The Republic's only hope lies in sending a small force, led by Luke, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines.

There a final danger awaits. The Dark Jedi C'baoth schemes in his secret fortress, directing the battle against the rebels, nursing his insanity, and building his strength to finish what he had already started—the destruction of Luke Skywalker.

An odyssey of fast-paced action, stunning revelation, and final confrontation, The Last Command spans a galaxy in flames—a tale that will conclude in this third and last installment as Good and Evil battle "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…"

Finished it finally is, the Thrawn Trilogy I've heard so talked about among fellow Star Wars enthusiast.  I was most happy with the finally of this series.  No, not because it was over but the beginning of new stories.  The finale with estranged clone Jedi Master C'baoth, the bond that is formed between Mara Jade and Luke, and the killing of Luke Skywalker. 

Mara Jade kills Luke Skywalker in the Last Command.....how?  Its the clones.  I've been noticing a trend in the Star Wars Universe, since the Clone Wars TV Series, Cloned Jedi Master, Cloned Luke Skywalker (from his dismembered hand during his battle with Vader), clone of the War Lord Isard, and what I never thought I would see a Cloned Palpatine.  Watch for it in Dark Empire, a Cloned Palpatine.  The Star Wars EU has been thriving on the idea of Cloning, and its pretty cool, but its starting to sound like a broken record, but its still cool.

I really enjoyed the finale and I won't divulge to much but it was incredible to me the reuniting with Luke's original Light Saber, Anakin Skywalkers Original Light Saber that Luke used in his battle on Cloud City against Vader, and the beginning of Mara Jade and her transition from Emperors Hand to joining the New Republic and embarking on her journey as a Jedi.  Luke gives Mara what could be his most priceless possession and invites her to begin her Jedi Training.

Always changing, the future is!

Star Wars Hitchhiker