publication date: May-October 1997

pencil: Terry Dodson

story: Mike Baron

inks: Kevin Nolan

New battle between the New Republic and the Old Empire, now led by Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Both sides want to take over a lost fleet of the Empire made up of a very powerful type of ships, the Katana fleet.
Han Solo and Lando Calrissian discover it is in the possession of the Korellian ambassador, Senator Bel Iblis, now in command of a pirate fleet.
Meanwhile, Leia Organa Solo, in an advanced state of pregnancy with twins, wants to free the people of Honoghr from imperial control.
Leia manages to free them, proving the emperor's deception against them.
The empire gets the Katana fleet and is ready to clone its troops to equip them.
Dodson is a good portrait painter and the resemblance of the characters to the actors greatly helps the story. We understand that the plot is taken from a book (by Timothy Zahn), due to its complexity.

No story from the comic book series prior to the Disney purchase (October 30, 2012) was recognized in the new continuity.
SW4 indicates the date on which the 4th cinematic episode is set, "a" indicates "forward", "d" indicates "after". The scale is in years.

Star Wars TimeLine:

• 5,000 to SW4: The Golden Age of the Sith

• 4,990 to SW4: The Fall of the Sith Empire

• 4,000 to SW4: Ulic Qel Droma and the battle of Onderon

• 3,999 to SW4: The Nomi Sunriders saga

• 3,998 to SW4: The Return of Freedon Nadd

• 3,998 to SW4: Dark Lord of the Sith

• 3,990 to SW4: The Sith War

• 3,986 to SW4: Redemption

• 30 to SW4: Aurra Sing

• 32 to SW4: Darth Maul

• 32 to SW4: EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE

• 0-10 to SW4: Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire

• 5-10 to SW4: Droids

• 25 to SW4: EPISODE 2: THE ATTACK OF THE CLONES

• 25 to SW4: Repubblic

• SW4: STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE

• 0+ n SW4: Darth Vader

• 3 n SW4: The shadow of the Empire

• 3 n SW4: EMPIRE STRIKE BACK

• 3 n SW4: Jabba De’ Hutt: The Art of Deal

• 3.5 n SW4: The price of a rogue

• 4 n SW4: X-Wing Rouge Squadron: The Phantom Affair

• 4 n SW4: X-Wing Rouge Squadron: Battleground Tatooine

• 4 n SW4: X-Wing Rouge Squadron: The Warrior Princess

• 4 n SW4: X-Wing Rouge Squadron: Requiem for a Rogue

• 4 n SW4: Shadows of the Empire

• 4 n SW4: RETURN OF THE JEDI

• 4 n SW4: Mara Jade: by the Emperor’s Hand

• 4 n SW4: Classic Star Wars: the Vandelheim Mission

• 4 n SW4: The heir of the Empire

• 4 n SW4: Challenge to the New Republic

• 4 n SW4: The last command

• 5 n SW4: Boba Fett: engines of destruction

• 10 n SW4: Dark Empire: the dark side of the Force

• 10 n SW4: Dark Empire II: the emperor's revenge

• 10 n SW4: Boba Fett: Death, Lies & Treachery

• 11 n SW4: Empire's End: the end of the empire

• 11 n SW4: Kenix Kill

• 11+ n SW4: Crimson Empire

• 11+ n SW4: Crimson Empire II

• 12+ n SW4: Jedi Academy: Leviathan

• 20+ n SW4: Union

• 25+ n SW4: Chewbacca