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‘Star Wars: Shattered Empire’ Set To Explain The Empire’s Survival Following Endor

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 02:34 PST, Aug 8, 2015

A generation of Star Wars fans thought that the Rebels’ struggle against the Empire ended with the destruction of the second Death Star over Endor, but now Shattered Empire is set to reveal what really transpired following Return of the Jedi.

A four-issue comic series from Marvel, Shattered Empire is part of a multi-publisher initiative, Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, intended to set the groundwork for the series’ highly anticipated next installment, which hits theaters in December. According to series writer Greg Rucka, who was interviewed by StarWars.com, Shattered Empire is set to explain exactly how the Galactic Empire survived following the seemingly catastrophic events of Return of the Jedi.

“When you’re young and you see Jedi, you can look at the happy ending and go, ‘Hey, it’s over!’ But you get older and you start to think about it, and you realize, no it’s not. It’s not over at all.”

Rucka noted that the story will cover the immediate aftermath of Endor, as the Inquisitr has previously reported, lasting several months after the battle. Within the larger context of the series, he also very deliberately wanted to examine how propaganda might function in a repressive state like the Empire, as IGN notes.

“Who controls the airwaves? The Empire does. So, the Rebellion can be jumping up and down, and screaming at the top their lungs, ‘Palpatine is dead!’ But I guarantee you, that message didn’t reach 70 percent of the galaxy. It’s a rumor. It’s a whisper.”

The main characters of Shattered Empire are Kes and Shara Bey, husband and wife Rebels who come out of the Battle of Endor elated, only to find that the Empire is far from finished. Despite being scattered and confused, the Imperial forces are hardly broken, much to the main characters’ dismay.

“The Empire still has resources. The Empire still has an enormous fleet. They may be in disarray post the Battle of Endor, but to think that in that vacuum people aren’t stepping up [is shortsighted]. All these people are not about to go, ‘Oh, well, I guess we were on the wrong side. It’s over, then.'”

Rucka added that at every turn in the process of creating the four-issue series, he wanted “nothing more than to honor the source material,” adding to it rather than detracting from it. A clearly important milestone for both writer and fans, Star Wars: Shattered Empire will bring us one step closer to The Force Awakens in just a few weeks.

[Image: Marvel via ComicBook.com]

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