Star Wars Epic Adventures: The Empire Strikes Back


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One of my favorite projects was a storybook of The Empire Strikes Back (Sandvik Publishing/Early Moments). I got to visit Hoth on a trip to Norway, and standing in the snow where AT-ATs once walked was a dream come true!S.T. Bende

Star Wars Epic Adventures: The Empire Strikes Back was a planned ninety-six page illustrated storybook by author S.T. Bende adapting events from the 1980 film of the same name. The book was to be published by Sandvik Publishing as part of the 2019 Star Wars Epic Adventures monthly subscription series but was never released, as the series was canceled after two months.

I also loved writing the Episode I and Episode V books and writing the character cards that went along with all of the books in that series. And any time I get to type "Luke Skywalker," my heart beats just a little bit faster.S.T. Bende

ST Bende Hoth Norway Lightsaber
S.T. Bende visiting Norway as part of research for The Empire Strikes Back.

The Empire Strikes Back was to be an illustrated storybook by author S.T. Bende adapting[1] the 1980 original trilogy[5] film of the same name.[1] The title was to be published as part of Star Wars Epic Adventures, a monthly book subscription series created by Sandvik Publishing and Disney–Lucasfilm Press.[3] The book was written from the perspective of[4] protocol droid C-3PO[5] and would have also featured tie-in informational flashcards which were also authored by Bende for the Star Wars Epic Adventures: Galactic Profiles series.[1] S.T. Bende worked with Sandvik Publishing editorial director Cynthia Stierle when writing The Empire Strikes Back and other content for the Epic Adventures series.[2]

Bende noted that The Empire Strikes Back was one of her favorite Star Wars projects to work on. She especially enjoyed writing for[1] the Jedi trainee Luke Skywalker.[5] When developing the book, Bende was sent to Norway to visit the original shooting location for the Battle of Hoth in the film. She described the experience as a "dream come true."[3]

The Epic Adventures series began in May 2019[2] but was canceled after the first two subscription boxes were released. As such, all subsequent titles, including The Empire Strikes Back, never saw publication.[4]

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