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.

The basic plotline was to have Kir Kanos fight Luke Skywalker, the last one left who was complicit in Palpatine's death. The concept of an Imperial Guard fighting Skywalker was a concept Stradley developed for Marvel Star Wars, 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 New Jedi Order series. The short comic Hard Currency also seemed to be a prelude to Crimson Empire III.

Quote from Mike Richardson
"I patterned Crimson Empire after the Japanese tale of 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 groundwork 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."