CLASSIC MERCHANDISE: CLOSE QUARTERS COMBAT!

Back in 1997, the return of the Classic Trilogy to cinemas was a big thing, but so too was its reinvigorated merchandising areas, especially in the realms of the booming computer games market, as LucasArts/Playstation launched their now cult favourite Star Wars - Masters of Teras Kasi, in which Luke Skywalker and friends were pitted against the fighting skills of the Teras Kasi martial artist Arden Lyn, under command from a behind the scenes Emperor Palpatine.

It was nice to see this form of physical combat, prior introduced in Shadows of the Empire novel, onscreen used by the formidable Qi'ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story, having been taught its lethal ways by her Crimson Dawn overlord Dryden Vos. I bet fans of the game got a real big kick out of this classic reference, presumably slipped in by the Lucasfilm Story Group.

https://screenrant.com/solo-movie-teras-kasi-rogue-one/

'SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE' - AT HOTH AND BEYOND

Smuggler and reckless wiseass Dash Rendar takes centre stage in the heroism department, flanked by a variety of bad guy Imperial and Bounty Hunter figures, plus the ominous background presence of the manipulative Prince Xizor, for the cover of another popular multi-media incarnation of the SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE computer game, this time for PC, from 1997. If anyone knows the artist here, please get in touch.

It was nice to see a YT-2400 freighter similar to Dash's efficient Outrider vessel (originally designed by Doug Chiang for the STAR WARS Special Editions) in the latest Season Three episode of STAR WARS REBELS, Iron Squadron.

STAR WARS REBELS imagery: DISNEY XD.

Rebels Recon #3.07: Inside "Iron Squadron" | Star Wars Rebels - YouTube

'SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE' AT 20: BLASTER TIME!

One of its key aspects was to provide some welcome new storytelling for our Classic Trilogy heroes in the gaps between EPISODEs V and VI, but let's face it, LUCASFILM were also keen to merchandise the characters - and the new heroes and villains they'd be mixing with/fighting against - to the maximum inside this multi-media extravaganza, especially for the ever advancing world of computer gaming, as the SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE Nintendo 64 game arrived to a million sales from STAR WARS fans and game players worldwide, making the most of the shadier sides of Steve Perry's written adventure, notably Black Sun's Prince Xizor and the smuggler for hire in Dash Rendar.

If anyone knows the artist/s of the above promotional art piece, please get in touch.