The Bad Guys Fight Each Other

Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars Legends)
by Steve Perry

Content warning: sexual assault

​Han Solo has been frozen in carbonite and is the prisoner of Boba Fett. His Rebel friends won't let that stand - but this won't be an easy rescue. Darth Vader wants Luke Skywalker alive. Therefore, Prince Xizor, current head of the criminal organisation Black Sun, wants him dead. Only one of them will prevail. Fortunately, Luke has friends - and a new companion by the name of Dash Rendar.

How do I review this? Just as a book - or the entire multimedia campaign? Well, I suppose this isn't the place to exalt about the accompanying soundtrack (go find it on Spotify!) - or to lament my inability to progress through the game without cheats. But it's worth mentioning the sheer excitement I had for Shadows of the Empire at the time, which ramped up a LOT after I saw the ads on TV.

I remember this book being muuuuch better when I was a kid. But in 1996, I only had the junior novelisation (I was restricted by my meagre pocket money and the meagre offerings at the local K-Mart) and that was a tight story. As an adult novel, which I think I've only read a handful of times, it's not tight enough and wanders all over the place. I now understand the general complaints about Dash Rendar - and have just realised that the version of this character I loved only existed in the adventures I created with his action figure (yes, there were action figures!). Perhaps Perry's over-reliance on cringeworthy comedy was also more palatable when I was younger.

Xizor could have been a really interesting villain. Unfortunately, in order to make him Totally Super Bad We Swear, he was written as a sexual predator who sexually assaults (and no doubt rapes) his conquests. There's no discussion about consent...I mean, this was a different time, but it's reaaaaally not great to read in 2025. The junior novelisation was the best option for me as a child, so I'm thankful I happened upon that first. I wish I still owned a copy.​

Also, why was Leia given nothing to do? Arrghhhh. And don't get me started on the almost complete absence of the actual Rebel Alliance in the storyline.

In short, I no longer love this book. But it did evoke some pleasant childhood memories.

EDIT 25/04/25: I do feel I need to add, given recent canonical events in the IP, that I don't necessarily object to sexual assault and rape being on the page/screen in Star Wars, but I do object to it not being named for what it is. This book failed to do that.​

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