Prince Xizor and more Shadows of the Empire characters

[HEROGEEK55]

*Shadows of the Empire* has to be one of my all-time favorite stories from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. It  nailed everything that made Star Wars great and gave us so much more to love. I remember reading the original novel and being completely hooked. The way it tied into *The Empire Strikes Back* and *Return of the Jedi* was perfect, and it added so many layers to the characters we already knew. But then, it also introduced us to new ones, like the absolutely ruthless Prince Xizor, who quickly became one of my favorite Star Wars villains.

The comic adaptation was pretty solid too.  I loved getting a visual take on the characters.  It had that gritty, underworld vibe that made it feel like a completely different side of Star Wars while still being very much a part of that universe we love.

Then there was the video game! I played that so much back on the N64. Flying the Outrider, battling stormtroopers, and taking on bounty hunters as Dash Rendar—it was all just so much fun. Dash was basically the closest thing we had to another Han Solo, since he is frozen in Carbonite during this time.

I even bought the soundtrack on CD by Joel McNeely. I’ve probably played it a thousand times at this point, and every time I put it on, it just brings me back to those scenes in the book and the game. It's crazy how the music was made for a story without a movie, but it still feels so cinematic. McNeely really captured that Star Wars feel while adding his own twist to it.

I absolutely lost it when they revealed the new Prince Xizor action figure! Xizor has always been such a cool character—this calm, collected villain who’s as dangerous with his brains as he is with his brawn. The figure looks incredible, too. The detail is spot-on, and I cannot wait to add him to my collection. It’s so awesome to finally get a figure of a villain like him who had such a huge impact on the story.

I’m really hoping they release more characters from *Shadows of the Empire*, though. I mean, we need a Guri figure, right? She was such a badass—Xizor’s assassin, a human replica droid, and just all-around awesome. And Dash Rendar! I’d love to see a really good figure of him too. He was such a key part of *Shadows*, and honestly, it wouldn’t feel right to have Xizor without Dash somewhere in the mix.

I just love *Shadows of the Empire*. The book, the comic, the game, the music—everything about it just clicked for me, and it’s still one of the coolest Star Wars stories ever. If they keep putting out awesome figures from it, I’ll be first in line to grab them!