Star Wars: Dark Empire (novelization)

Star Wars: Dark Empire was a planned novelization of the Dark Horse Comics comic book series of the same name written by Tom Veitch and illustrated by Cam Kennedy.

Lucasfilm originally proposed to Bantam Spectra about doing a novelization of Dark Empire after the project was proposed, accept and scripted six months prior to Timothy Zahn's hiring. In October 1989, Veitch was informed by Lucasfilm about their dealings with Bantam and they approached him to see if he would like to novelize his comic book, offer that Veitch accepted much to the excitement of both parties.

However, after further conversations with Bantam, their editors said they would indeed like to make a Star Wars novel but prefer to hire one of their contract writers to make an original story of their own, resulting in the hiring of Timothy Zahn, whom the editors already had in mind due to becoming known in the world of science-fiction novels, for the novel that became Heir to the Empire. After being informed by Lucasfilm of this, a disappointed Veitch offered to talk to Zahn to coordinate ideas and plotlines, but his request was apparently ignored as someone at Bantam suggested they be allowed to make Star Wars: Heir to the Empire comic adaptation of Zahn's book due to the recent success of Grant Morrison's 1989 Batman graphic novel Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth in direct market sales, but Lucasfilm honored their deal with Veitch.

As Veitch proceeeded with his plans for Dark Empire after the story moved from Marvel Comics to Dark Horse, Zahn and Bantam kept working on Heir to the Empire, which became the first installment of Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy, which reinvigorated the franchise alongside Dark Empire.

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