J.J. Abrams has already confirmed to fans that roughly 30 years have passed since the events of "Return of the Jedi" and the upcoming "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Although fans are excited (understatement) for the new installment, they still have a lot of questions about what exactly has transpired in the intervening years.
Disney and Lucasfilm hope to answer those questions through a series of novels, comics and books (all considered canon) called "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens." One such entry in this series is called "Star Wars: Shattered Empire" and will give fans an early glimpse at just what happened after Anakin Skywalker brought balance to the force. The officially synopsis of the comic reads:
"Emperor Palpatine's twenty-year reign of terror came to an abrupt 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 retains 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!"
"Shattered Empire" sounds as if it will cover the majority of the immediate happenings following the deaths of Darth Vader and the Emperor. That will help fans fill in the dots and better understand how things came to be the way they are in "The Force Awakens." For example, it sounds as if the new-look Stormtroopers and The First Order arose from the ashes of the Empire.
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" hits theaters on December 18.
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