Star Wars: Crimson Empire III—Empire Lost

Crimson Empire III was a proposed comic, the sequel to Crimson Empire and Crimson Empire II: Council of Blood. Like its predecessors, it was to be a 6-part miniseries co-written by Mike Richardson and Randy Stradley. Though originally canceled, the series was revived for a 2011 release.

Origin
"I patterned Crimson Empire after the Japanese tale of the forty-seven Ronin - not in the story itself, but in the quest for revenge. How I see it in the first Crimson Empire series is that it deals with laying out the ground work and its interaction with the initial characters, with actually somewhat of a tragic ending to the first series. I see it as a trilogy: the second part being the quest for Luke Skywalker - for his part in the death of the Emperor; the third part, the revenge on the ruling counsel. It'll be a story-cycle that takes them through personal discovery, great adventure, and intrigue in the Empire itself. And ultimately the opportunity for revenge, where Kir Kanos finds himself."

- Mike Richardson

Crimson Empire III was originally planned for release in 2001 and later 2002, but the project was eventually shelved. The basic plotline, set in the New Jedi Order era, was to have Kir Kanos fight Luke Skywalker, the last one left who was complicit in Palpatine's death. The concept of an Imperial Royal Guard fighting Skywalker was a concept Stradley developed for Marvel's Star Wars series, but was not allowed to use; it was the originator of the original Crimson Empire concept.

Besides Kanos and Skywalker, Mirith Sinn would certainly have appeared, and Nom Anor might have also. Besides the plot of Kanos fighting Skywalker, it might have provided an additional tie-in to the Bantam/Dark Horse invasion storyline. The short comic Hard Currency also seemed to be a prelude to Crimson Empire III.

Temporary revival
"So, despite Mike's untimely mention of the project, it doesn't actually exist, no work is being done on it, and it is not on Dark Horse's Star Wars publishing schedule."

- Randy Stradley

In 2008, Mike Richardson announced that he and Stradley were working on the project again to finally wrap up the Crimson Empire saga. Several days later, however, Stradley announced that although there had been talks, the project was not going to happen.

Second revival
In 2010, at Celebration V, Crimson Empire III was announced for a 2011 release. Richardson and Stradley will be writing, with Paul Gulacy on the art.