Adam Gallardo, author of Star Wars: Infinities - Return of the Jedi, took a few moments to talk to us about Star Wars: Infinities - Return of the Jedi, the challenges of writing Stars Wars stories and the truth behind the claim of 99% less Ewoks in this story!
Dark Horse: Tell us a bit about yourself Adam, have you been writing long?
Adam Gallardo: Not professionally, no. But like a lot of people who'd like to describe themselves as writers, I have been for myself for quite a while. I've also been sending the occasional short prose story submission out into the ether for the last couple of years. And because of this I have a fairly nice collection of rejection slips from magazines that I could show you.
DH: Have you written any Star Wars stories before?
AG: Two so far, both appearing in Star Wars Tales. "The Lesson" was a six-page story in #14 and "All for You" is a ten-pager that will be in #17. Collect `em all, kids.
DH: What attracted you to the Star Wars Infinities series?
AG: I love the sense that, beginning with one minor difference, the story can go anywhere. I think that anyone who loves the movies has probably spent hours sitting with their friends talking about how the story would change if just one element were different--"Ooh, what if Luke won the lightsaber duel at the end of Empire?" Now I get to show people what I think would happen if one thing were different in Jedi..
DH: What are the challenges writing for Star Wars, and particularly this type of Star Wars book?
AG: For me, the initial challenge was making sure that the characters remained true to their nature. The story can range anywhere over the Star Wars galaxy, but Luke is still Luke, Leia is still Leia. Who they are at their cores does not change. I took some fairly big liberties in the first draft of my plot and Randy Stradley promptly put me in my place. And he was right to do it.
DH: Is there a certain Star Wars character you enjoy writing the most? Or would like a chance to write?
AG: I think my favorite so far has been The Emperor. Palpatine has this wonderful, gleefully evil voice that I hear in my head as I'm writing his dialog. When that happens, I know I'm on the right track.
DH: What can Star Wars fans expect from this book, are there a lot of surprises or unique takes on the characters?
AG: Given my skill and professionalism, readers can expect to mess themselves they'll be so excited and surprised. Surprises and unique takes on the characters is the whole point of the Infinities series, right?
DH: Are there more Ewoks in this version of Jedi or less?
AG: Hmm...If I had to quantify it, I'd say there's about 99% fewer Ewoks in this version. But I haven't actually done a frame by frame comparison.
DH: Were you nervous at all about changing things that Star Wars fans have come to know and love?
AG: I think there's always the possibility that some fans will be disappointed, or will question what I've done, but, to be honest, I was mostly concerned with crafting a story with which Randy, Lucasfilm, and myself were happy. I figure that if I can do that, then the majority of Star Wars fans out there will be happy with it, too.
DH: Are you a big fan of the Star Wars movies? Do you have a favorite?
AG: I am a big fan of the films. I don't think I'd have been able to come up with this story, or any other for that matter, if I weren't. And though I'm writing the Jedi Infinites, I have to admit that Empire is my favorite. To quote Clerks, "It ends on such a downer!"
DH: Any writing projects for the future?
AG: A comic I've written called 100 Girls is currently being serialized on the Dark Horse website (http://www.darkhorse.com/100girls). The art is by Todd Demong, who is currently drawing Hell for Rocket comics, and people should check it out for that reason alone. And I'm working to develop a few other things with different artists, but it's probably too soon to mention them.