Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (novel)

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (formerly titled The Empire Strikes Back) is the novelization of the film of the same name. It was written by Donald F. Glut and based on a story by George Lucas. It was first published in paperback by Del Rey on April 12, 1980.

Publisher's summary

Luke, Han and Princess Leia's story didn't end with the destruction of the Death Star—it continues in The Empire Strikes Back.

Though they had won a significant battle, the war between the Rebels and the Empire had really just begun.

Now, several months later, the Rebels have established an outpost on the frozen wasteland of Hoth. But even on that icy, backwater planet, they could not escape the evil Darth Vader's notice for long.

Soon, Luke, Han, the princess and their faithful companions were forced to flee, scattering in all directions—the Dark Lord's minions in fevered pursuit!

Continuity

The novelization has a number of differences from the film:

• The novel has more scenes with the probe droid and its journey to locate the Rebel base on Hoth. One of them is the droid's encounter with a wampa, which attacks it. The probe droid reacts by disintegrating the creature with its blaster.
• Han Solo never says, "And I thought they smelled bad on the outside." He does however mention that if he doesn't get the shelter built in time, "Jabba won't need those bounty hunters."
• Yoda has blue skin, which was originally intended for his character design, instead of his recognizable green skin.
• Han and Leia's kiss is not interrupted by C-3PO, but Chewbacca witnesses part of the scene.
• There are only five bounty hunters aboard the Executor; 4-LOM is omitted, and Zuckuss is a "human type" instead of a Gand.
• When greeting the Millennium Falcon on the landing platform, Lando Calrissian's entourage includes aliens.
• The Ugnaughts are throwing scrap into a pool of molten metal instead of putting them onto a conveyor belt that carries them into an incinerator. Chewbacca also has far less trouble in forcing them to relinquish Threepio's parts.
• Vader's lightsaber during the cave scene on Dagobah is blue rather than the usual red.
• Han does not say "I know" in response to Leia's "I love you." Instead, Han reassures Leia that he will be back.

Reception

The novelization sold two million copies within the first week of Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back's theatrical run.

Media

Editions

American

• ISBN 9780345283924; April 12, 1980; Del Rey; US paperback
• (No ISBN); May 1980; Del Rey; US hardcover, Book Club edition (3863)
• ISBN 9780345320223; June 12, 1985; Del Rey; US paperback, reissue
• ISBN 9780345400789; September 1995; Del Rey; US hardcover
• ISBN 9780307795458; June 28, 2011; Del Rey; US eBook

International

• ISBN 9780722156537; 1980; Sphere Books; UK paperback

Cover gallery

American

US paperback US paperback, reissue (1991) US paperback, reissue (1994) US Cassette (1994) US paperback, reissue (1997) US paperback, reissue (1999) US paperback, reissue (2005) US hardcover

International

UK paperback Hungarian-language edition (1981) Japanese-language edition Polish-language hardcover (1991) Polish-language edition (1997) Polish-language edition Romanian-language edition Russian-language hardcover

Appearances

By type

Characters	Creatures	Droid models	Events	Locations
Organizations and titles	Sentient species	Vehicles and vessels	Weapons and technology	Miscellanea

Characters

Cal Alder (First appearance) 2-1B (First appearance) Bossk (First appearance) Lando Calrissian (First appearance) C-3PO Chewbacca Dengar (First appearance) Bren Derlin (First appearance) E-3PO (Bespin)/Legends (First appearance) Toryn Farr (First appearance) Boba Fett FX-7 (First appearance) IG-88 (First appearance) Jabba Desilijic Tiure (Mentioned only) Obi-Wan Kenobi (Appears as a ghost or spirit) Derek Klivian (First appearance) Lobot (First appearance) M'Kae (First appearance) Lorth Needa (First appearance) Nemet (First appearance) Leia Organa Kendal Ozzel (First appearance) Palpatine (First appearance) (Appears in hologram) Firmus Piett (First appearance) Corman Quien (First appearance) R2-D2 Dak Ralter (First appearance) Tamizander Rey (First appearance) Carlist Rieekan (First appearance) Zev Senesca (First appearance) Luke Skywalker Han Solo Darth Vader Maximilian Veers (First appearance) Venka (First appearance) Yoda (First appearance) Zuckuss (First appearance)

Creatures

Bantha (Mentioned only) Dragonsnake (First appearance) King of the Dragonsnakes (First appearance) Exogorth (First appearance) Gundark (First mentioned) Mynock (First appearance) Tauntaun (First appearance) Wampa (First appearance)

Droid models

2-1B surgical droid (First appearance) 3PO-series protocol droid FX-series medical assistant droid (First appearance) IG-series (First appearance) Power droid R2-series astromech droid Viper probe droid (First appearance)

Events

Galactic Civil War Battle of Hoth (First appearance) Battle of Yavin (Mentioned only)

Locations

Anoat system (First appearance) Bespin (First appearance) Cloud City (First appearance) Cloud City apartment complex (First appearance) Platform 327 (First appearance) Dagobah (First appearance) Yoda's hut (First appearance) Darth Vader's meditation chamber (First appearance) Hoth (First appearance) Echo Base (First appearance) Ord Mantell (First mentioned) Tatooine (Mentioned only) Mos Eisley (Indirect mention only) Mos Eisley Cantina (Indirect mention only) Triton (First mentioned) Yavin Prime (Mentioned only)

Organizations and titles

Alliance to Restore the Republic Echo Three (First appearance) Echo Seven (First appearance) Commander Galactic Empire Death Squadron (First appearance) Galactic Emperor (First appearance) (Appears in hologram) Imperial Navy Snowtrooper (First appearance) Stormtrooper Jedi Master Order of the Sith Lords Dark Lord of the Sith

Sentient species

Gand (First appearance) Gank (Mentioned only) Human Corellian Cyborg Trandoshan (First appearance) Ugnaught (First appearance) Yoda's species (First appearance) Wookiee

Vehicles and vessels

All Terrain Armored Transport (First appearance) Firespray-31-class patrol and attack craft (First appearance) Slave I (First appearance) Luke Skywalker's T-47 Airspeeder (First appearance) T-65 X-wing starfighter TIE/LN starfighter YT-1300 light freighter Millennium Falcon X-34 landspeeder (Indirect mention only)

Weapons and technology

Bacta (First appearance) Bacta mask (as "protective pad") (First appearance) Blaster Borg Construct Aj^6 (First appearance) Comlink Darth Vader's armor E-Web heavy repeating blaster (First appearance) Electrobinoculars Glowlamp (First appearance) Hologram Holoprojector Lightsaber Portable scanner (First appearance) Remote Sentry marker (First mentioned)

Miscellanea

Bog tree (First appearance) The Force Telekinesis (First appearance) Gimer stick (First appearance) Obsidian Sabacc (First mentioned) Shyriiwook

Collections

• The Star Wars Saga
• The Star Wars Trilogy

Sources

• The Jedi Master's Quizbook
• "Star Wars Publications Timeline" – Star Wars Insider 23
• Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle
• The Essential Reader's Companion
• Star Wars Year by Year: A Visual Chronicle updated edition
• How Book and Comic Adaptations Expanded (and Changed) the Star Wars Films, Part 1 on StarWars.com (backup link not verified!)
• Star Wars Year By Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded Edition
• Empire at 40 | Empire Novelizations Through the Years…and Around the World on StarWars.com (backup link not verified!)

External links

• The Empire Strikes Back: Star Wars: Episode V on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link) (Paperback, reissue)
• The Empire Strikes Back: Star Wars: Episode V on Penguin Random House's official website (backup link) (eBook)

In other languages

• čeština
• Deutsch
• español
• ქართული
• magyar
• Nederlands
• 日本語
• polski
• русский
• српски / srpski