The Story of Shadows of the Empire & What It Takes to Become a "Legend"

[@ross2283]

I must have played the Battle of Hoth level on the N64 ten thousand times. I loved it so much.

[@JustinLisaHaynes]

It was the only level I could do on the Jedi difficulty

[@TheACcam]

It makes me sad that Shadows is basically a forgotten footnote in Star Wars history. Things like this proved to the business types that fans still loved Star Wars. And on the flip side, stuff like this kept us going. The games, the novels, the new toys (with their exaggerated body types).... it was a different era, where we thought we'd never see another movie again, but hey, that was okay, because we knew that Han and Leia had children and Luke was married to Mara.

[@reidmortensen2629]

Tell me the Jacen/Jaina dynamic wasn’t the prototype for Ren/Rey.

[@joezar33]

@@reidmortensen2629 the Solo twins where actually likeable characters ... so I doubt that .

[@Alucard-A-La-Carte]

Truly we were lost lambs before learning about Boba Fett's Judeo-Christian/Purtianical views on premarital sex.

[@TheConfessor]

I owned the soundtrack and listened to it endlessly. The novel still remains one of my favorite SW novels to this day. I even wrote a fan letter (on paper and physically mailed) to Steve Perry asking him a few questions about the book when I was a kid - and he WROTE BACK!

[@stopactionsam]

That is so cool! What a guy.

[@radwolf76]

Chewbacca's flatop mullet w/eye patch action figure was the most 90s this franchise has ever gotten.

[@warpartyattheoutpost4987]

Wookie Snake Plissken.

[@tsuyoisama]

That's still one of my favorites in my collection!

[@nickm5419]

@@tsuyoisama i love how these toy companies just made the most outlandish figures and based some on R rated movies, there were RoboCop and Aliens toys

[@funkyweapon1981]

@@nickm5419 The Aliens toys were cool.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

@@warpartyattheoutpost4987 yeh I zcthilly have al, the zcthion figuresvog of shadows of empire now

[@TheCyanideSmoker]

One of the first games I played on the N64. Searched for that Outrider/Millenium Falcon race for so long.....

[@8_Bit]

I think I learned about Shadows of the Empire from a box of Shreddies (my favourite breakfast cereal) here in Canada. The back of the box had trading cards to cut out, or something like that, which I did even though I was ~24 years old. Maybe there was something included in the box. I might still have them somewhere. Google doesn't seem to know they existed. I just remember thinking it was so cool there was a new Star Wars movie happening after so many years. Except... there wasn't a movie. Thanks for the video, guys!

[@JoeSelf1982]

I consumed everything SOTE in 1996. 👍 Bonus points for pronouncing Xizor correctly.

[@phreakazoith2237]

I wonder if StarTrek nemesis Shinzon was inspired a lil bit by Xizor. The look is somewhat similar, the name, pheromons and mind controll is not too different as well...

[@gohjohan]

I've been pronouncing Xizor as "C-zor". The reason is because of Chinese Pinyin. "Xi" is pronounced as "C" or "see"

[@thefunktipus02]

It's very strange to see SOTE reduced to a 20 minute video when we spent so many hours devouring everything

[@toamatau8785]

I've always said it like "scissor" but with a z at the start lol, will never be able to unlearn that

[@gohjohan]

@@toamatau8785 "Sci-zor" could be another reason why we pronounce it that way. Sci-zor sounds like a Masters of the Universe character though.

[@hang10wannabe]

I remember when my parents got my sister and I an N64 for Christmas and the 2 games we got were Starfox 64 and Shadows of the Empire. I still remember my mom let us open the n64 early and I played the heck out of SotE and I still remember call my mom from the kitchen to show her how realistic and amazing it looked at the Battle of Hoth. I was blown away and to this day it is still one of the best memories of gaming I have! My mom passed away at the end of last year and remembering this is bittersweet. Great video Toy Galaxy, thanks for making me remember this!

[@TV-Tony]

"Steve Perry, who had never been the lead singer of Journey"'-well played sir. Glad you referenced this.

[@matthewsalazar3575]

Also, I would like to add that Dash Rendar's YT-2400 does NOT have the ability to B-wing into a vertical flight position. Its a smaller version of the Millennium Falcon (YT-1300) Hasbro really blew it.

[@latenightswitch4467]

Shadows of the Empire was in a era where there was still hope, great story telling including adding to cannon without erasing or destroying it. SOE was great from N64 to graphic novel comic's hell the novel was a must and the figures awesome, (Luke in guard disguise) was a personal favorite. I couldn't wrap my head around the swoop bikes they seemed a bit off to me. And Dash Rendar was a solid character including Xizor as the main antagonist sadly enough we never got a film produced that would have been epic! Great Video as usual best content I've seen all day.

[@MrlspPrt]

I still have a Kenner's Dash Rendar, it was a solid story, with Lucas himself supervising the product (just like he did with Force Unleashed I). By the way: you forgot to mention the novel and the official soundtrack, SoE was the first big Star Wars media production since RotJ.

[@Peppers19781978]

Except it wasn't canon to Lucas. He said the ONLY canon was his movies and The Clone Wars. Books, video games etc were not canon to him. He always stated nothing from the Expanded Universe, especially the books, had any connection to his Star Wars universe and neither did the video games. Lucas also stated he never read any of the books and disliked a lot of the changes made. It was pretty much licensed fan fiction. “There are two worlds here; There’s my world, which is the movies, and there’s this other world that has been created, which I say is the parallel universe-the licensing world of the books, games and comic books.” - George Lucas, Cinescape, July 2001 ”The novels and comic books are other authors' interpretations of my creations sometimes, I tell them what they can and cant do, but I just don't have the time to read them all. They're not my vision of what Star Wars is.” - George Lucas 2004 "The books are in a different universe. I've not read any of them, and I told them when they started writing I wouldn't read any of them and I blocked out certain periods [they couldn't touch where the real story happens]." - George Lucas 2003 "Do you supervise the development of all the off-movie stories? After all, Star Wars exists in books, comics, video games. "You know, I try not to think about that. I have my own world in movies and I follow it." - George Lucas, 2008 “For me and my training here at Lucasfilm, working with George, he and I always thought the Expanded Universe was just that. It was an expanded universe. Basically it’s stories that are really fun and really exciting, but they’re a view on Star Wars, not necessarily canon to him.That was the way it was from the day I walked into Lucasfilm with him all through Clone Wars, everything we worked on, he felt the Clone Wars series and his movies were what was actually the reality of it all, the canon, then there was everything else. So it wasn’t a big dynamic shift for me mentally when there was this big announcement saying the EU is now Legends. I’m like, ‘Okay, well, it’s kind of the same thing to me because that the way I work.’” -Dave Filoni, September 2017 "In the canon debate, it is important to notice that LucasFilm and Lucas are different entities. The only canon source of Star Wars are the radio plays, the movie novels and the movies themselves. In Lucas' mind, nothing else exists, and no authorized LucasFilm novel, comic or video game will restrict his creativity in any way."" - Steven Sansweet - Director of Content Management and head of Fan Relations at Lucasfilm Ltd. "George Lucas, and by extension Lucasfilm itself, never considered anything in the Expanded Universe to be part of the films’ canon, even stories that he had a fondness for like Shadows of the Empire. As far as the movies were concerned Dash Rendar and Prince Xizor never existed, and never were going to. That’s a prerogative that’s existed since the beginning. The Expanded Universe itself had its own continuity that it … sort of tried to keep internally consistent. That didn’t just disappear just because Disney and Lucasfilm confirmed what George was already saying for years. Shadows of the Empire is still a story that exists in that continuity and that isn’t contradicted by much of anything. It’s just that the Expanded Universe’s continuity isn’t the one the films will be using."

[@brettnelson6572]

@@Peppers19781978 solid information. Never read those quotes before.

[@latenightswitch4467]

Greatest Quote in Shadow of the Empire the novel. "If crime didn't pay there would be less people doing it"

[@francismarionswampfox3468]

"You see, to contend with Xizor is to lose. As far as any reasonable person is concerned, attacking me will also be judged as suicide." Is the one that always stuck with me.

[@Orangefan77]

I played that Hoth snowspeeder battle soooooooooooooo many times, man I miss that game.

[@ToyKennections]

Always loved the name "Outrider" for Dash's ship. Ended up playing the video game in the late 90s.

[@mrf19741]

I read the Shadows Of The Empire trade paperback and it instantly became on of my Favorite sci-fi books of All-time. I also lucked out with finding all of the SOTE action figures such as Dash Rendar, Prince Xizor, Princess Leia as Bosch, etc. on clearance at my local Kay-Bee toy store. I still have all of them to this day.

[@lando7763]

Ditto. My younger brother got caught shoplifting a bunch of stuff and for extra punishment, my parents made him give me all the figures and vehicles he stolen over a few weeks. Best way to get your hands on a starship outside of a 6 hour game of Sabacc.

[@enjnman]

I got them all too still in original packaging thanks eBay!

[@jasonblalock4429]

The book also led me to discover Steve Perry's "Matador" series, which were very fun martial-arts space operas about a group of master-class bodyguards who are secretly political assassins and agents provocateur. (TW: the series has some very dated phobic elements, and a weird hangup on eroticizing\objectifying albino people.)

[@thetvbaby83]

@@kevins4213 you ever jumped from a airplane before actually landing in one? 😆

[@MerlinTheCommenter]

@@jasonblalock4429 who gives AF. Literally fiction. Imagine being so weak that make-belief harms you. Definition of weak sperm. People like that are not long for this world and are the first to go during a pandemic.

[@freddiejohnson6137]

The game actually got me interested in reading the Star Wars books from that period and I think they done a great job of delivering a good way to expand the universe. The Thrawn Trilogy being some of the best books I read and would have been great as a movie trilogy in their own right.

[@paulscott1792]

Man I loved that game as a kid. Played it so many times. The last mission flying in the station was so much fun.

[@venkelos6996]

Thank you so much for doing this. I remember when Shadows was new, and it was one of my favorite bits of Star Wars; even today, it and Kotor still make me happy, while more "official" material leaves me asking "did we really need to lose what was to receive what is? Was it worth it?" Thrawn was my favorite support character in Star Wars, so when Rebels reintroduced him into official content, I was stoked. When we saw the YT-2400 in that series, I was so ready for it to be the Outrider, and one more great part of old lore getting brought back, but nope. It was really fun to take this little trip down memory lane, and revisit some old Star Wars I still miss. Thanks!

[@ChristianHansard]

It was an event, I still have my book, I played the N64 game like mad and had the soundtrack. The late 90s was a great time for Star Wars fans.

[@MustardEAD]

My favorite tie in to a tie in, was in XWing Alliance (which was already a great "enjoy this story while Star Wars is happening around you" game), when you play one of the other basically no-name pilots during an ambush on a convoy, and the Outrider arrives to try to shoot down the diamond plated torpedo. It was pretty sureal playing it as a teenager, having previously read the book and played the N64 game as a... younger teeneager.

[@saxifridge]

I never realised SotE was a conscious marketing experiment ahead of the rereleases and new films. Great vid!

[@minicle426]

Leebo was my favourite Droid. Specially since he was voiced by Tom Kane. "Go away, Sir..."

[@brianfoster3615]

The Soundtrack was amazing! (Still have it). I also read and have the book and had a Dash Rendar action figure. Wanted the game, but we didn’t have money for an N64. Only played it in store or at friends’ houses.

[@jpmjpmjpmjpm]

I think I bought all the SOTE stuff I could when it came out. And I loved it. I’m in that generation that came of age for Star Wars long after the original trilogy was released but years before the prequels. The first “grown-up” books I remember reading in middle school were Star Wars novels because I just needed more Star Wars and that’s all we had. So, ironically I have Star Wars to thank for getting into…reading.

[@rmglover3191]

Toy Galaxy - giving us the news and content we need! My adulthood never knew my childhood could be this happy.

[@TheProphetJoshua]

This was at the peak of my SW interest, 1996. SOTE, Zahn novels, Dark Horse Comics, TIE Fighter & Dark Forces computer games. But then TPM landed in 1999 and I was stone done with it.

[@jkincaid582]

Yeah that was the death knell for me too. I've kept some modest enthusiasm for some parts of Star Wars since then, it's never been the same.

[@oxwah]

@@jkincaid582 The Special Editions (and subsequent re-edits, such as Vader's "Noooo!") didn't help either.

[@pawned79]

I bought the Shadows soundtrack back when it was new. I still have it. I rented the N64 game many times. A few years ago, someone gifted me the N64 game, and two years ago, someone gifted me the novel. I still haven’t read it. It’s one of the many things that is “on my list to do.”

[@TonySalazar933]

That score was really good and I still read the trade paperback every so often.

[@michaelthomas6108]

Loved your flawless "communication" of that lady shave gag.

[@paulp6672]

I was all over this event; read the novel, read the comics, bought the Luke, Leia, Chewbacca and Xizor action figures, bought the soundtrack, and I got a making off book. Didn't play the game until years later, when I finally got a N64

[@jasonblalock4429]

5:45 This undersells how brave the Zahn trilogy was. Circa 1990, Star Wars was nearly dead as a brand, and had come to be exclusively seen as a kid's property due to the mid/late 80s being saturated with toys, Ewok stuff, and almost nothing else. Bantam took a big risk, believing there was a remaining adult Star Wars market, and hired a major name among sci-fi authors to write the books. Of course, they were right and it massively paid off. But if that hadn't happened, Star Wars probably would have died as a property.

[@zacharyjochumsen9677]

Jason well geroge Lucas would of still made the star wars prequels

[@AyeThatsHandsomePete]

Meteor Man joke? That’s a deep reference.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

Loved SOTE! I wish we'd get some updated, TVC-style figures of characters like Chewbacca in Snoova Disguise, Dash Rendar, Leebo, Guri, Coruscant Guard Lando & Luke, Jix, Big Gizz, Spiker, and Swoop Biker.

[@jasontempleton2445]

Awesome game. I still have my N64 and every once in a while play this game. Still one of the best top 20 Star Wars games of all time.

[@WalkRobotFilm]

Shadows of the empire soundtrack is amazing.I still have that cd.

[@WrestlingWithGaming]

I recommend everyone take the time to pause the video to read the editor's note not just to read the note, but to gaze upon Dan's face during an unfortunately untimely frame. 👌 Perfection.

[@SecretGalaxyTV]

The extra work will really pay off

[@wstine79]

"What's the deal with these light sabers?"

[@marvelsteveo]

I liked that Dash Rendar figure quite a bit...

[@mikemiller2454]

I still have both the Shadows of the Empire sourcebook and planets guide for the West End Games version of the Star Wars RPG.

[@wonderwaffle93]

This was the Star Wars I grew up with toy wise. Also love how we got buff Solo and Skywalker in the toy lines. They look like they could fold stormtroopers like a chair

[@RA10H56]

I agree!!! They were my little brothers starwars toys as well ans they were like heman guys compared to my starwars guys from the early 80s!!!

[@hgc7000]

The Han Swolo and Buff Skywalker were the first SW figures I bought off the shelf. (I was born after SW and too young to get most of the OG toyline) Their gains will always be remembered.

[@tkc1129]

All the Power of the Force toys looked like that. Mark Hamill commented on it at least once, and it was pretty funny.

[@RA10H56]

@@tkc1129 I remember that, he was on a late night talks how right?

[@tkc1129]

@@RA10H56 I think so. :-D

[@alanblanks]

I really wish they'd bring back Kyle Katarn and the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight/Academy connections. The dark trooper stuff in Mando was at least somewhat inspired by that. I doubt Gideon was the only person working on that. Thrawn only knows what's coming though.

[@liammackay2061]

Kyle Katarn is the best Jedi in star wars

[@alanblanks]

This is an old video going over the Dark Trooper Project. I hope we see some troopers from each phase. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nHikgpaNnM9mfbM

[@MrlspPrt]

@@liammackay2061 better than Luke? Hell yeah 👍🏻

[@MrlspPrt]

@@alanblanks not just the Dark Troopers, also the Shadow Troopers could've been inferred from the project that Gideon was doing with Baby Yoda (I don't care about his real name): obtaining "MD" (funny how they made the midichlorians back, but avoiding the name because the obvious backlash) in order to inject it in other living beings.

[@liammackay2061]

@@MrlspPrt personal opinion, but yes sir!! Not sure if Luke is even top 5 for me 🤭

[@tyr0n313]

The Steve Perry disclaimer was hilarious. That said, I used to love the N64 game. The snow speeder level was the first of its kind and so much fun.

[@spibbymcgoo4877]

Black Sun and Xizor were actually just in a Star Wars comic yesterday oddly enough. Just a very brief reference, but they apparently exist again.

[@MrlspPrt]

Black Sun and the Fallen race exist since some years ago in The Clone Wars, in that subplot where Darth "Maulservice" is tasked to unify the galaxy crime.

[@spibbymcgoo4877]

Pretty sure that was before Disney purged all the expanded universe stuff from their version of the history (and didnt he already mention that in the video?), buuuuut I dont actually care enough to dig deeper into it to find out

[@KaminoKatie]

@@spibbymcgoo4877 TCW is the only exception to the EU purge

[@Summertimeblues28]

My 1st N64 game! Loved SOTE. Great action figures. Thanks for this 90’s awesomeness. Great video guys

[@DrBeauHightower]

I loved these three books when I was a little kid

[@funkyweapon1981]

All my Star Wars RPG characters have Zahn in their names.

[@RA10H56]

I agree! The books were awesome! I remember thrawns death! I even had something by ominous classical music in my head when he died and said "but it was so artistically done"

[@UnnameableGreviance]

My Dad gave me these books. It has lead to a life time of reading science fiction.

[@wnrr2696]

I see you comment on so many other random videos I’m on.

[@wnrr2696]

@@RA10H56 I meant Dr Beau buy hey thanks for commenting. What business you got?

[@vaderfett3229]

Great Video Guys! SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE was an interesting project. I got into everything EXCEPT the game (*I was never a NINTENDO guy). I still have the action figures, the novel was a damn good read as were the comics and even the soundtrack is a good addition to any SW fan collection. I recall, 1996 I was working at Forbidden Planet on New Oxford Street and customers - seeing the toys - were asking me "Is this from the new Star Wars film?" - Great Days!

[@Obiwan1994Kenobi-iv4jf]

I have the hardback of the book and 4 of the 6 comics. I am re-reading it again and it is my favorite out of all other star wars media which aren't the original trilogy. They really should've turned it into a movie. Everyone would've been on board and Harrison Ford wouldn't have to be in it, save for archive footage from Empire.

[@TheRobotAssassin]

Agreed. It also seems strange that Dash Rendar looks awfully a lot like 90's Kevin Costner in his in-game cutscene artwork.

[@Obiwan1994Kenobi-iv4jf]

@@TheRobotAssassin My Boat...... = My Ship.......

[@danielmunoz456]

"Where's Boba Fett?!" I lost it at that part. There can never be enough Simpsons references.

[@richardgadberry8398]

But is he louder, angrier and does he have access to a time machine?

[@Verukusaki]

"Hey, wha happuh?"

[@marioquinoz7199]

Where's poochie 😄

[@Jayk129]

All I ever remember of Shadows of the Empire is the “it’s She-xor” scene in the movie Free Enterprise.

[@jasonblalock4429]

It's funny how that movie so perfectly dates itself, without (I think) ever putting a year onscreen. It could have ONLY been made in 1996. The characters' fixation on laserdiscs was especially funny, considering that DVDs had already become big by the time it came out on home video. (Did it even have a laserdisc release? haha.)

[@marsneedstowels]

No tears, t-tears, t-tears, for Caesar.

[@ignaciomunoz6753]

I remember playing the N64 game and enjoying it a lot. Great video, as always!!

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

Shadows of the Empire was perfection, it should have been turned into a movie.

[@CometdownCat]

Im still holding out hope....

[@Shin_Lona]

It's still a better movie than Ep 7-9

[@prestonostra]

I still hope once they perfect the "fake actor" technology ala Tarkin, Leia (Rogue One) and Luke (Mando) they could do something like this in live action. Yisss!!!

[@TheTribalgame]

Animated series

[@toamatau8785]

@@prestonostra i hope to God they never do, that technology is too fucking scary and we don't need people clamoring for it just for the sake of vegetating on the couch with cgi actors instead of recast characters

[@S-T-E-V-E]

Why don't you do a video on Terrahawks? 80's classic! I had the toys, it was terrifying as a kid! lol

[@blakeharris58]

Shadows of the Empire represents one of the greatest points of my childhood.

[@kevintheprf6132]

"Is iit Gizman or Jizman?" Cue 12 year old laughter. 😆

[@davidromeroblaya7920]

"Chewie gets a new haircut." A hard work day for the barber.

[@rodrigof.r.desouza3587]

While I kinda like, to an extent, some of the new canon, the Legends/old EU continuity was my favorite besides the original 6 movies. It really felt like a "Expanded Universe" upon the work that Lucas created, and it was quite wild and adventurous compared to what we got on the new canon by Disney. My introduction to SotE was with the video game (bought the PC version when I was 12, it was in the early 2000s and was quite accessible back then). Played that game for a long time (alongside Dark Forces), and it still is one of my favorite SW games to this day. Only after I discovered that the game was only a part of something bigger. Then I looked for the rest, and it actually took me a lot of time to get it all together (the book was out-of-print for years where I live, for example), but nowadays, besides the PC game, I managed to track down the novel, the comic books, the soundtrack (got on CD quite cheap here this year!) and the "basic" action figure line (Dash, Xizor, Luke as Imperial Guard and Chewbacca as a Bounty Hunter).

[@micmathers1]

Perry wrote a series of books that I really liked, "the matador" series. Worth tracking down and giving a read.

[@roclockdown3987]

Loved that game! Thanks for the awesome video

[@windstormstrike]

Still produced the one comic book I read so much that all the pages started falling out of the binding.

[@Zoidberg420]

I remember I got the slave 1 ship for Christmas. That was the best Christmas I've ever had

[@bulkhungry]

All named Steve Perry , by default , are lead singers of Journey . 😁

[@steelcurtain187]

I was a huge fan of this storyline and era of Star Wars. I loved the book and video game. There was still so much hope of what may come from Star Wars…and we all knew where that went after this 😪

[@ZXaber78]

I had Dash Rendar and the Outrider. That’s it.

[@joelsquire4086]

Same

[@bruciferthegamer7495]

I remember buying the book on tape narrated by Anthony Daniels. It was so funny hearing his impressions of Lando and other characters.

[@cdybft9050]

The soundtrack is one of my favorites.

[@triceron0082]

By far my favourite EU/Legends story of Star Wars. I just wish they could give it the 'Rogue One' or 'Mandalorian' treatment!

[@SacTownLions0]

When I heard Disney bought Star Wars, the first thought I had was, "Now we can finally get a Shadows of the Empire Movie." Well, instead we got 7-9 which were terrible. But, if you notice, the best Disney Star Wars so far is "Rogue One" and "Mandalorian" which basically just fit into the Original trilogy. "Shadows" would exactly do the same thing. Give us more story of the OT!

[@Sm1thWessonAndMe]

YES! You sir have read my thoughts exactly!

[@Ginlock45]

@DEEPFOXJUDE you have shit taste. Shadow of the empire and the yuzon-vong saga are the best stories in starwars and we deserve to see them brought to film

[@brooklynboiprod]

Solo wasn't that bad either

[@SacTownLions0]

@@brooklynboiprod I liked Solo too. It got a bad wrap coming out so soon after the last Jedi. Honestly, if it debuted on Disney+, say a few months after Mandalorian, I think it would've been a huge hit.

[@thomasbrantley5667]

Oh my god this is such a controversial take. I don't think you'll make it

[@entretantosmundosgaming4974]

Great video. Do a the Filmation Ghost Busters one of these days, please.

[@wstine79]

I remember this actually figure line and books when I was in high school. Even though it's not canon, I still enjoy them.

[@Belgand]

It used to be canon.

[@MrColuber]

@@Belgand Before the dark times. Before Disney.

[@razorfett147]

Unless theres something im not aware of that conflicts, i dont think theres anything that keeps it from becoming canon in the future. The characters and factions from the novel have already been reestablished in the DSWC, so the story of Shadows itself should still be eligible.

[@BTGOldShow]

Fantastic Video.. Shadows of the Empire is one of my favorite EU stories and have always held out hope that Dave Filoni would tackle this story in Animated form for Disney+

[@RealmMan]

Correction: it wasn't that there was too much lore for Disney, it was too much lore that Disney didn't create. Instead of modifying what was already there, they New 52ed the franchise. Therefore, the reintroduction of EU characters is their Rebirth era where they backpedaled like Lance Armstrong heading over a cliff.

[@MikeKaess]

no, it was too much conflicting lore that went unchecked for almost 2 decades that had different tiers of how canon some stories were over others because George Lucas didn't care about any of it. The plan was always to reintroduce the decent stuff back into canon. Thrawn was canonized (more canon than he ever was before) in 2016. You don't have a fucking clue what you're talking about.

[@millenniumf1138]

Even if that was 100% true, IMO the reason given in the video is still a legitimate reason for converting the EU to non-canon status. If I had to fit new stories into the old canon and make them work... my god that would be inconceivably difficult, and I've been a fan since the early 90's, so it's not like I'm not familiar with the universe.

[@RealmMan]

Full disclosure, my original plan was to let the dust settle and see what of the EU could plug back into Disney's new work. Their first volley, The Force Awakens, erased everything post-ROTJ, and by extension everything birthed from those works. They could have tried. And I'm so fking sick of "fans" trashing those of us who didn't roll over on command and embrace the new.

[@RealmMan]

@@MikeKaess LucasFilm had a dept solely focused on maintaining continuity between projects. George had absolute last say over content. There were several stories he nixed as not going where he felt they should. And if George hated the EU as much as is claimed, he could've pulled the plug at any time.

[@millenniumf1138]

@@RealmMan Everything in the EU was so interrelated and intertwined that I don't see how that would have been possible and still have room for original stories. Which post-RotJ content would have been something that could have had a new epic story slid between it that somehow wasn't mentioned in the preceding or following novels from the EU? I'm not trashing anyone who doesn't roll over and accept the new canon, and in fact I don't think the new trilogy and most of the new novels are very good. I'm just saying that there's a good reason for wiping the slate clean and starting over, because creative stories are very difficult to write if you have to crowbar them into an existing storyline. That being said, it makes it even more of a shame for me I think than you because personally, I loved the EU and the only justification IMO for wiping it clean for creative reasons is if what you replace it with was equally good, and so far, that hasn't been the case (though I did enjoy The Sith Lords).

[@farminglittlepeople9623]

In 1996 I was finished with college and bought almost no figures! I remember the figures and vehicles peg warming all shelves! The only one I ever wanted was Boba Fett’s SLAVE 1!!! YOU HEAR THAT HASBRO??? 😂😂😂 Great work Fan and Greg!👍😁

[@The_Sandcrawler]

I still love and occasionally listen to the soundtrack.

[@lando7763]

In for "The Destruction of Xizor's Palace," but you gotta give some love to "The Seduction of Princess Leia" too! Every playlist I've made over the last 25 years has included these tracks.

[@MrBeardsley]

According to Wookieepedia, Gizman’s nickname is “Big Gizz.” Do with that what you will.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Did Big Gizz like jizz wailers?

[@MrBeardsley]

@@jasonblalock4429 Huge Modal Nodes fan

[@cernstormrunner7263]

Always assumed he was inspired by DC's Lobo, who was know for exclaiming "Feetal's gizz!"

[@RetrocadePodcast]

There was a quote from Lucas in a magazine (Cinescape I believe) where Lucas said had the idea for Shadows of the Empire came up in the 80s he would’ve made a movie around it, which would’ve been especially possible since Han Solo (Harrison Ford) wouldn’t have been in it. It was a great piece of the 90s, a great novel, great game and great score.

[@Law030811]

I'll decide for myself what is and isn't canon when it comes to Star Wars. Disney can't take that away from me! I did always pronounce it "Zy-zor" though, that's gonna take some getting used to. I must've played the snow speeder level of the game hundreds of times.

[@ericturczynowsky3243]

I loved Shadows of the Empire, still have the graphic novel of the series and re-read it occasionally...great character designs

[@heisenbat]

"Jizzman" I laughed so hard there 🤣

[@lucaswakefield4511]

Always in a sticky situation.

[@BackyardEpicMovies]

From the 'Masturbators of the Universe' toy line.

[@fracturedfingers]

The music genre that the Cantina Band plays in A New Hope is also called Jizz.

[@matthewmaceda5042]

I am so happy to see this, I was introduced to this game when I found it in a canal with no label and covered in snails, after minimal TLC it ran perfectly in the good ole N64.

[@sirdaveysockrocker]

Loved the game, read the comic, had some of the cards, and still waiting on some Black Series figures.

[@ryansizemore5064]

The N64 game was one of my favorite on the system and I remember actually getting pretty good at the controls by the end. I mean you had to to beat the arcade style boss fights. Such a gem.

[@kevanoid]

I really would love if the switch ported this game over I legit wanna replay it once more!

[@Fernie52984]

Me too!!!!

[@marioquinoz7199]

People in Hell would love ice water but it ain't gonna happen

[@AaronLitz]

I DEFINITELY remember all the hype around Shadows of the Empire. The videogame, the books, all of it. The hype was so so big that it inspired my gaming group to break out all the old West End Games Star Wars RPG books that we hadn't touched in a few years and start up a new campaign. (We were DEEP into playing D&D at the time... or Call of Cthulhu, or BattleTech/MechWarrior, or really just ANY roleplaying game, actually... I mean, we STILL ARE and we play 2 campaigns, one every Sunday and another every other Saturday, but at that age we could afford the time to play 2 or 3 times a week or more.) I still remember our characters: it was set a few years after the destruction of the Second Death Star and our party was comprised of special operatives of the New Republic, which was in the throes of getting itself established. I played a brash young Ace B-Wing pilot (because I have always just LOVED those darn goofy giant flying wing tanks ever since my cousin owned the original RotJ toy, which I played with every chance I got... although I unfortunately never got to own one myself.*) His name was Va-Brash Barakrash ("Brash" to his friends!) and he had a seemingly endless supply of luck because, unbeknownst to everyone, he was actually quite strongly Force Sensitive (the West End Games RPG of the '80s and '90s is actually where the term Force Sensitive originated, as with SO MANY other terms and concepts of Star Wars lore that are now taken for granted as just always having been part of the setting. Even the name Coruscant was originated by the writers of the WEG RPG material, as with 90% of the names of the planets, sections of the galaxy, and alien races in Star Wars.) My younger brother played a young aspiring Jedi, one of a group of apprentices under the tutelage of Luke (the term "Padawan" hadn't yet been retconned into Star Wars lore) named M. "Hawke" Smythe, whom everyone just called Hawke... everyone except for Luke that is, who called him by his proper name, Melvin (a funny situation that was actually my brother's idea.) When the campaign fizzled out after about a year and a half Luke had just realized Brash's Force Sensitivity, and had just invited Brash to join his group of apprentice Jedi. (*I SERIOUSLY need to start searching online to see if I can find a nice B-Wing toy that isn't going for an exorbitant price. It doesn't have to be vintage; any nice B-Wing would do. Gawd I love those things.)

[@thub2743]

Ahh Mechwarrior. Loved the stories so much I have a mad cat /timberwolf tatted on me. Inspired me to join the army as an M1 tanker as well, mostly because real giant walking tanks arent a thing yet lol .

[@barkboingfloom]

After watching this, I really wish Disney Plus would produce a single-season animated series based off of Shadows. In episodic format they could take the time to have episodes just about Dash or just about the bounty hunters while still keeping the overall momentum.

[@autobotstarscream765]

And reprint the game! 😎

[@zullumaster123]

Dash would be cool to feature in mando or book of Bobba fett.

[@robertkilbourne323]

If only they had made Thrawn Trilogy into episodes 7, 8 & 9 instead of... well, don't even get me started on episodes 7, 8 & 9.

[@Berengier817]

Read the book in high school, loved the game and had all the toys. I actually made my original online name Xizor. I thought it was pronounced like Ze. Then I heard of the Xi river in school so I assumed She. I remember explaining this to a dad at the toy store when he couldn't tell his kid the name

[@TATOOINETABLEFLIP]

That’s awesome! Side note : it tells us in the book how his name is pronounced when he’s fiddling with his broken chair : )

[@Berengier817]

@@TATOOINETABLEFLIP I was using Xizor before I read the book. For about a year then I read it. Thanks for the reminder

[@redfive1300]

Dude I JUST FINISHED reading the novel for the first time! The ending was worth it!!!!

[@varkadegames]

Seinfeld music even makes Toy Galaxy funny. 😆✌️👍

[@Bada4ever]

I love this game. The soundtrack is amazing! I have the comic books and the figures still in storage. Shadows of the Empire and the Thrawn Trilogy are canon and I don't care what Disney says.

[@mayumihirtzel7023]

"When Lucasfilm stopped laughing..." :D

[@dashmoe]

Freaking love that shirt sir. Good episode as well LOL

[@angbald]

This was how I got my brother into star wars.

[@6thwilbury2331]

Just stumbled upon your channel. Subbed. And as Yoda as my witness, I played hours and hours of that N64 game without ever knowing what a back story it had. I honestly thought it was a character and world made only for the game.

[@jimjiminyjaroo300]

Let’s face it, xizor is very “Ming the merciless”.

[@maxordman4100]

I read the SOTE comics a bunch and I picked up a Rebel guard Luke Skywalker figure too. Shadows was a really incredible event. I never found a single Dash Rendar figure though. I would love a look one up online. This will always be one of my favorite Star Wars stories! I really liked a lot of the comic book artwork too!

[@lamartherevenger]

Also, I wouldn't mind an animated miniseries done by Dave Feloni of SotE.

[@arvelcrynyd6311]

The timeline of SOTE is currently being replaced by the War of the Bounty Hunters comic line so unfortunately that's probably never gonna happen. SOTE is now officially not canon.

[@bbarrett71]

Just read the book again. It's awesome.

[@RevanMartinez]

Shadows of the empire was AMAZING. I was the perfect age when it came out, I read the book, the comics, listened to the audiobook, and played the n64 game!!! This era of Star Wars was lightyears ahead of anything Disney has attempted with the brand.

[@joezar33]

I 110% remember the game best video game sound track there is and I remember the Book ... when was there ever a comic series on *Shadow of the Empire* I don't even remember the action figures ? looks like a mandela effect which this mandela effect would be fantastic I might buy the comics on ebay .

[@ArcaneEther]

This channel keeps dropping Fact Bombs on my nostalgia. Shadows of the Empire was the second ever game I owned for my old Nintendo 64.

[@soundwave1a]

Would love to see Dave Filoni make this much needed story into a mini series or 90 minute movie Clone Wars animated style. Oh well :)