In a time when Star Wars had all however light away, Tom Veitch helped maintain the Force alive. Veitch was one of many main comedian e-book writers for the Star Wars Dark Horse line within the Nineteen Nineties and launched tales and ideas that also resonate at this time. In unhappy information for Star Wars followers in all places although, the creator handed away lately on the age of 80, in keeping with Wookieepedia.

After Return of the Jedi was launched in 1983, Star Wars largely left the mainstream for nearly a decade. Without future films, most individuals minus the hardcore followers simply stopped caring. A few key publications appeared within the ‘80s, including Marvel’s Star Wars comedian, however it could take till the early ‘90s to see material released that begin to reinvigorate the franchise by continuing the story forward, with the first major launches in what would become known as the Star Wars Expanded Universe. In novels, there was Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire launched in the summer of 1991. In the comics, there was Star Wars: Dark Empire, written by Tom Veitch. In it, Veitch got here up with most of the concepts that ultimately got here to fruition many years in a while the massive display, even after the top of the EU, chief amongst them the resurrection of Emperor Palpatine in clone kind. The collection, which was illustrated by Cam Kennedy, was a smash and was adopted by two sequel collection: Star Wars: Dark Empire II and Star Wars: Empire’s End, all of which have been written by Veitch.

But whereas his and Zahn’s works have been concurrently exploring a post-Return of the Jedi world, Veitch had his most genius and far-reaching concept but. What if issues went not ahead, however backward? And so, lengthy earlier than George Lucas launched a prequel or players have been wowed by Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Veitch wrote Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, first launched in fall of 1993. With tales set hundreds upon hundreds of years earlier than Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, or Princess Leia, Veitch’s work exploring the historical past of Star Wars with new characters impressed an entire new chapter of the franchise. It’s an concept that also lives on at this time, not simply in Knights of the Old Republic, however in Star Wars: The High Republic.

And whereas Veitch’s profession got here to be outlined by his landmark work in a galaxy far, far, away, it was far, far, away from the one factor he did. He lived for a number of years as a Benedictine monk and wrote a e-book concerning the experiences referred to as The Visions of Elias. He labored for each Marvel and DC doing creator-owned graphic novels akin to The Light and the Darkness in addition to My Name Is Chaos. He did superhero work for DC too, together with Superman and Animal Man, and was an completed poet as effectively. But for Star Wars followers, he’ll all the time be one of many individuals who, with out many understanding it, stored Star Wars alive lengthy sufficient for it to develop into what it’s at this time.

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