In the 1980 classic Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the Rebel Alliance suffered a massive defeat: Their fleet was scattered across the galaxy; Luke Skywalker lost a hand and was forced to cope with the revelation that Darth Vader is his father; and Han Solo was captured by the bounty hunter Boba Fett. The true test of a hero, however, is how they recover from such overwhelming losses, and in 1983's Return of the Jedi, the protagonists not only rallied to rescue Han from the gangster Jabba the Hutt, they also liberated the galaxy from the tyrannical rule of the Galactic Empire.
However, the finale of the originally trilogy picked up with Luke, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian and the other Rebels already in action; it didn't depict they regrouped and recovered from the traumas of Empire. That story will finally unfold beginning in January in Marvel's new Star Wars series, by writer Charles Soule and artist Jesus Saiz.
CBR spoke with Soule about the challenges of writing a Star Wars comic without Han Solo, whether or not certain Star Wars Legends characters appear, the possibility of certain events and references being further fleshed out, and the joy of once again writing Darth Vader and the Emperor.
CBR: Your Star Wars run will explore what happened between the Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. What are some of the major challenges you face in telling stories set during that time period?
Charles Soule: There’s no Han Solo! He’s a Han-sicle in this period, and so the specific type of energy he delivers to the story has to be found somewhere else. Lando helps with that, of course, but still – there’s really only one Han Solo. Similarly, Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader can’t meet or battle in the book, because it’s strongly implied by Return of the Jedi that when they see each other on Endor, it’s the first time they’ve seen each other since Cloud City. It’s stuff like that… there are some constraints based on the story we see told in Episode VI that mean my story has some boundaries around it. That’s OK, though; writing around challenges means a more creative, surprising story.
This time period was previously explored in 1996's Shadows of the Empire, which is now considered part of the Legends timeline. Are you interested in using some of the characters and concepts from Shadows, like Dash Rendar or Xizor?
Shadows was a great story, but this is a new era, and I’m planning to answer some of the big questions between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in my own way. Dash and Xizor are fun, but their stories were already told. That said, never say never – if there’s a good reason to bring them in, I will!
Han Solo might not be physically in your book, but will he be there spiritually? What does Han's absence from this series mean for your main cast?
As I mentioned, it’s a challenge, but one that inspires new ideas. For instance, now you have Leia being torn between wanting to try to save Han and her obligations to a Rebellion reeling from the Hoth attack and other setbacks. That’s an interesting dynamic. You also have Lando Calrissian trying to work with the Rebellion, when he’s basically the reason Han is gone (depending on how you look at it). Han’s presence is felt throughout, even if he’s not there in the flesh.
What can you tell us about your plans for Luke Skywalker? How traumatized is he by the events of the end of The Empire Strikes Back when you pick up with him?
The opening shot of the series is Luke getting his hand cut off in Cloud City. That’s a pretty good sign of how I intend to handle this part of things. Luke stopped being an innocent at that moment – now it’s time for him to grow up. By the beginning of Return of the Jedi, he’s a confident, skilled warrior. My job is to take him along the path from Bespin to Jabba’s palace, and there are a lot of cool stops along the way.
What's your sense of Leia in the immediate aftermath of The Empire Strikes Back? Which aspects of her character are you interested in exploring?
Traumatized. That’s true of the whole cast – except for, possibly, Lando – but he’s probably just hiding it. Leia is dealing with a huge conflict between what she wants (Han) and her duty to the Rebellion. The Rebel fleet is scattered, many of its leaders missing, and a vicious new villain is hunting its remnants. Leia sees herself as crucial to its survival, and she’s going to make sure the Rebels rebuild and live to fight again.
How important are Chewbacca, Artoo and C-3PO in your initial stories?
Oh, they’re around, and I’d say they play a similar sort of role to how they work in the films. They aren’t always in the forefront, but they always get their moments, and sometimes they take the spotlight. I love working with all of them – they give fantastic energy to any scene they’re in, especially Chewie.
Are you interested in chronicling some of the history of this time period that is alluded to, but not seen? Like, might we see the maneuver Lando performed at the Battle of Taanab that he mentions?
Yes, but not as a sort of laundry list. My job is to tell the best story I can, not necessarily check boxes for canon stuff. If there’s a good reason to bring in the Battle of Taanab, or explain how Lando got a gig at Jabba’s palace, or seeing Luke hide that green lightsaber in Artoo… I’ll tell the story. But I’m sort of more interested in telling stories and answering questions readers didn’t even know they wanted.
Your collaborator on Star Wars is artist Jesus Saiz, who showed a knack for science fantasy during his Doctor Strange run. What's it like seeing him bring to life classic Star Wars characters and concepts? And have you and Jesus designed any new people or locales for your run?
Jesus and I did a long run together on Swamp Thing for DC Comics years ago – I loved working with him then, and it’s even more fun now. He strikes that perfect balance between recognizable likenesses for the characters and adhering to his own amazing style. It’s really hard to do, and he’s killing it.
Within the story, sure, of course we’re coming up with lots of new stuff! My feeling is that just rehashing old stories and concepts is a waste. You use the framework and amazing characters that already exist and use them to tell new stories that are still very Star Wars. It’s something I’ve tried to do from the beginning, and it’s fun for me, and, I think, fun for the readers. We’ll see some cool new characters right from the beginning, including a new Imperial villain I like very much, a woman with an interesting past and a strong personal motivation to destroy the Rebels. Familiar plus novel is the key to good Star Wars, I think.
You wrote both Vader and the Emperor in the most recent Darth Vader series, which was set before the original film trilogy. What's it like returning to these characters in this time period?
I’ll write Vader and Palpatine all day and all night. Their particular dynamic is so specific and interesting… I love it. Vader here is fascinating, too, because he knows how powerful his son is becoming, and knows there could be a real chance for him at… well, if not redemption, at least evolution. But there are a lot of things that need to happen before we get to that throne room at the end of Return of the Jedi, and it’s been cool taking a few steps toward it. My friend Greg Pak’s Darth Vader series will explore a lot of that too.
It’s an honor to be working on Star Wars right now, as always, at a time when interest in these stories is at its peak. I know how lucky I am to be the person who gets to answer questions fans have had for ages – not just in this series, but also The Rise of Kylo Ren and my other Star Wars work. I hope people will like where we take Luke, Leia and the gang – it’s fun and exciting and tragic and scary… all the things Star Wars should be.
