Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back



Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back is a 4-part comic sub-series of Star Wars Infinities. It was published from July 2, 2002 to November 20, 2002, then compiled as a trade paperback on April 2, 2003.

It deals with what would have happened if Luke Skywalker had died in the frozen wastelands of Hoth, leaving Han Solo to go to Dagobah.

Publisher's summary
Take the events and characters from one of the classic Star Wars'' films, throw in one happenstance, mishap, or technical glitch beyond the characters' control, and watch how that changes everything. In Dark Horse's first foray into Infinities (Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope), Luke Skywalker's valiant torpedo attack on the Death Star failed due to a faulty detonator -- an event no one could have foreseen -- and the Rebellion was dealt a debilitating setback. In Infinities -- The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo's desperate attempt to locate his friend Luke in the icy wastes of the planet Hoth is thwarted when the tauntaun he's riding succumbs to the cold while Han is still a mile from Luke's location. Han arrives too late, barely in time to hear Luke's dying words about Jedi training and the planet Dagobah...

''Thus begins an adventure far different than the one seen in the motion picture. Along the way, a famous bounty hunter is frozen in carbonite, Han and Chewie are captured on Tatooine by Jabba the Hutt, and Princess Leia and Yoda have a fateful jungle showdown with Darth Vader!''

Story summary
On the ice planet Hoth, Luke Skywalker is scouting the vast wastelands when he is attacked by a wampa. Freeing himself and escaping its cave, he collapses in the snow, hearing the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi, telling him to go to Dagobah to train under Yoda. A short time later, Han Solo arrives, but it is too late for the young Jedi. Luke tells Han to train as a Jedi, then dies in the Corellian's arms.

The next day, the Alliance forces hold a funeral for Luke that is interrupted by the arrival of the invading Imperial forces. Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson die during the ensuing battle, although much of the Rebel force escapes, including Han, Leia Organa, Chewbacca, R2-D2 and C-3PO onboard the Millennium Falcon.

Evading the blockading Imperial ships, the Falcon travels to Bespin, where Han and the others are met by Lando Calrissian. Although skeptical of Han's claim of being a Jedi, Lando offers to fix the Falcon and keep them company. Lando then meets with another recent arrival: Boba Fett.

Fett demands that Lando take him to Han and the others. Lando does so, quietly signaling to Lobot to inform the Cloud City Police for assistance. Fett is knocked unconscious in the ensuing battle. Lando tells the others that Fett was here on his employer's wishes. Thinking that Fett meant Jabba the Hutt, Han, Leia, Chewbacca and Threepio depart Cloud City and head for Dagobah.

Shortly thereafter, Lando is relaxing in his office, when Darth Vader arrives in orbit demanding to speak with the bounty hunter. Lando says that neither Fett nor the Rebels are there. Vader, using the admission as a reason to declare Cloud City as a secret Rebel base, utterly destroys it.

En route to Dagobah, Han comforts Leia on what he assumes is the events of the past few days catching up with her (actually the subconscious disruption in the Force with the destruction of Cloud City). Once arriving on the planet, they are met by Yoda, who plainly tells the group that it is Leia, not Han, who is to be trained as a Jedi. With great reluctance, Han departs Dagobah to deal with his deathmark, while Leia remains to be trained.

Many months pass, and Leia continues to grow strong in the Force, while Vader continues to search for his son, casually dismissing any rumor that he was killed during the Battle of Hoth. And on Tatooine, Han arrives to pay off Jabba the Hutt, using the services of an aged Vilmarh Grahrk. Instead of helping them, however, ""Uncle Villie" betrays Han and the others, who are taken to Jabba's Palace.

The next day, Han and Chewbacca are brought before Jabba and, despite Han's best efforts to convince the Hutt otherwise, are sentenced to death by a pair of nexu. With everyone's attention diverted, Artoo secretly frees Han and Chewbacca, who escape while the nexu—likewise freed from their imprisonment—tear the palace apart.

Arriving the next day, Darth Vader demands that Jabba turn over Han and Chewbacca. Jabba says that they escaped, but Vader finds something of more interest: the droid he built as Anakin Skywalker. Taking him back to Executor, he reveals himself as the droid's Maker, and learns from him the location of "Skywalker": Dagobah.

On Dagobah, Leia senses the presence of a lightsaber crystal nearby. Yoda sends her off to retrieve them, saying that she will soon become a Jedi. Shortly after she leaves, Vader arrives and demands that Yoda turn over Luke to him. The two then engage in a battle of minds that sees Vader get hurt from the spirits of Jedi he knew during his time as Anakin Skywalker, specifically Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu.

Leia retrieves the crystals and, upon inserting them into her lightsaber, has a vision of Yoda in danger. She rushes back, but is too late, for Vader has delivered a death blow to the old Jedi master. Leia and Vader engage in a duel, a duel that is brought to a sudden and violent end by a blaster shot from Han. Lord Vader's last words were " Lucky shot."

With both Yoda and Vader dead, and Leia now a Jedi Knight, she, Han and Chewbacca now prepare themselves to bring everlasting peace to the galaxy...

Parallels to the original story
The Infinities story included a few "tongue-in-cheek" references to the original version of Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back:


 * Boba Fett is frozen in carbonite on Cloud City and used as a desk by Lando Calrissian. In the original version, Han Solo was frozen, but not used as a desk.
 * Han refers to the scene where the Millennium Falcon lands in an asteroid.
 * On learning that Darth Vader is Leia's father, Han screams "That's impossible!" In the original story, Luke screamed something similar on learning the same thing.
 * Vader states to C-3PO that "I am your maker." This appears to be a play on the statement to Luke in the original, "I am your father."
 * Vader severs Yoda's right arm with his lightsaber. This also appears to be a play on Vader's severing Luke's right hand in the Episode V, his own hand which was severed in Episode VI (his right arm was cut off in Episode II), and Mace Windu's hand which was cut off by him in the third episode.
 * Vader tells Leia, "Join me and we shall rule the galaxy together." This appears to be a play on his statement to Luke, "Join me and together we shall rule the galaxy as father and son."
 * When Han fires his blaster at Vader, it kills him unlike the shot in the canonical Episode V. In Empire's End, Han shot the cloned Palpatine with his blaster, which ultimately resulted in his final death.

Characters

 * Luke Skywalker
 * Leia Organa
 * Han Solo
 * C-3PO
 * Obi-Wan Kenobi
 * Yoda
 * Zev Senesca
 * Chewbacca
 * R2-D2
 * Maximilian Veers
 * Darth Vader
 * Wes Janson
 * Wedge Antilles
 * Carlist Rieekan
 * Lando Calrissian
 * Lobot
 * Jabba Desilijic Tiure
 * Boba Fett
 * Anakin Skywalker
 * Vilmarh Grahrk
 * Bib Fortuna
 * Mace Windu
 * Qui-Gon Jinn

Sapient species

 * Human
 * Wookiee
 * Rodian
 * Nikto
 * Unknown tridactyl species
 * Devaronian
 * Gand
 * Hutt
 * Twi'lek
 * Bith
 * Frog-Dog
 * Quarren
 * Gamorrean
 * Gran
 * Trandoshan
 * Tusken Raider

Creatures

 * Tauntaun
 * Wampa
 * Swamp slug
 * Nexu
 * Rancor

Droid models

 * 3PO-series protocol droid
 * R2-series astromech droid
 * 2-1B surgical droid

Locations

 * Hoth
 * Echo Base
 * Dagobah system
 * Dagobah
 * Yoda's hut
 * Dark Side Cave
 * Bespin
 * Cloud City
 * Tatooine
 * Mos Eisley
 * Jabba's Palace

Vehicles and vessels

 * T-47 airspeeder
 * YT-1300 light freighter
 * Millennium Falcon
 * TIE/ln starfighter
 * All Terrain Armored Transport
 * Imperial-class Star Destroyer
 * GR-75 medium transport
 * T-65 X-wing starfighter
 * Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft
 * Slave I
 * Storm IV Twin-Pod cloud car
 * TIE/sa bomber
 * All Terrain Scout Transport
 * Lambda-class T-4a shuttle
 * Executor-class Star Dreadnought
 * Executor

Organizations and titles

 * Alliance to Restore the Republic
 * Rogue Squadron
 * Rogue Two
 * Jedi Order
 * Galactic Empire
 * Snowtrooper
 * Stormtrooper
 * Sandtrooper
 * Galactic Emperor
 * Order of the Sith Lords
 * Sith Lord
 * Bespin Wing Guard
 * Baron Administrator

Weapons and technology

 * DF.9 anti-infantry battery
 * Lightsaber
 * EE-3 carbine rifle
 * Dur-24 wrist laser
 * Z-6 jetpack
 * DL-44 heavy blaster pistol
 * Bowcaster
 * DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle

Events

 * Battle of Hoth

Miscellanea

 * Carbonite
 * Kloo horn
 * Hookah pipe

Issues

 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back 1
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back 2
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back 3
 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back 4

Collections

 * Star Wars Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back (TPB)