Star Wars: What Happens To The Empire Between 'Return of the Jedi' and 'The Force Awakens'

For thirty years, fans of the Star Wars saga have been wondering what happened to the Empire after the events of The Return of the Jedi. Although the Extended Universe books tried to fill that void, they're considered "non-canon" when Disney acquried rights to the franchise. Now, we finally got some concrete information about what happened during the 30-year period between the end of The Return of the Jedi and the upcoming film, The Force Awakens.

Shattered Empire, one of the comics Lucasfilm is releasing between now and December 18, brings this new information It's been reported that the story is told through C-3PO's perspective, but now we have an official synopsis that gives us legitimate information about what happens following the destruction of the Death Star:

In December, a new chapter in the

Star Wars saga

will begin when Star Wars: The Force Awakens — the seventh Star Wars film and the first to take place after Return of the Jedi— arrives in theaters. As the excitement for the new film builds, Lucasfilm and its partners will explore the aftermath of

Return of the Jedi

in a series of canonical projects debuting in September, and Marvel Comics leads the way with Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto's Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire #1 (JUL150767)!

Emperor Palpatine's twenty-year reign of terror came to an abrupt and fiery end in the skies above the forest moon of Endor. A decisive victory for the Rebel Alliance, to be sure, but even with the loss of its leadership, the Empire's Moffs and regional governors retained their hold on important systems from the Core to the Outer Rim, thanks to the might of the Imperial Starfleet. Now, with a power vacuum atop the Empire, those Moffs will jockey for position and control, and the heroes of the Rebel Alliance will soon discover that a wounded and fractious Empire may be more dangerous than any threat they faced before!

Greg Rucka, the acclaimed writer of Wolverine and Cyclops, reteams with his collaborator on The Punisher, Marco Checchetto, for a Star Wars tale that will reveal the untold story of the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the political machinations that ensued. The Rebellion's desperate struggle to liberate the galaxy from the Empire's tyranny will face new challenges, and Rucka and Checchetto will bring their incisive storytelling to a story that no Star Wars fan will want to miss.

A new addition to the Star Wars

canon

, Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire will take readers into uncharted territory and set the groundwork for the new Star Wars film. Put your Empire Strikes Back soundtrack in the stereo and cue up "The Imperial March" when you read Rucka and Checchetto's Star Wars: Journey to The Force Awakens: Shattered Empire #1 (JUL150767) this September!

Here's the full cover art of Shattered Empire:

So what do you think of the events between the two Star Wars episodes? Are you looking forward to read this comic? How do you think this will set the stage for the events of The Force Awakens?

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