Get ready for an all-new saga and a brand-new threat in the Star Wars galaxy -- because here comes the invasion!

Alright, I’ll admit that was a little cheesy. But still! There’s never been a story like this, and any fans of Star Wars will want to take the ride as we see what happens to Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of the original characters after the fall of the Empire, and the rise of a even deadlier adversary.

Dark Horse recently got to chat with Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson, the creators behind the epic story of Star Wars: Invasion.

Dark Horse: Invasion takes place approximately 25 years after the Battle of Yavin (destruction of the Death Star in the original movie A New Hope). Can you explain what this means to anyone unfamiliar with the timeline? What characters should readers expect to see?

Tom Taylor: 25 years have passed but you should expect to see a lot of the established characters. Han and Leia have kids. Luke is married. They all have a few more wrinkles . . . except for the droids. There's one other thing, I don't know how to tell you this, but . . . Chewie's dead.

I recently had to do a Q&A on Invasion at a con. I announced the death of Chewbacca and the entire room looked at me like I'd just murdered one of their pets live on stage. I'll tell you the same thing I told them; I didn't do it! It was the Vong. Any issue you have with this should be taken up with the Vong. Before you do though, I should warn you, they are seven-foot-tall, bloodthirsty, almost unstoppable killing machines. If you're going to approach one about your issues with Chewie, be polite . . . and be prepared to part with at least one limb.

DH: Who, in your opinion, is the best Star Wars character?

Colin Wilson: I've got no idea who my "best" Star Wars character is, but Han Solo was the guy who kept the films moving for me. He seemed to have been around the block a few times, and I always thought that he got all the best lines. In a tight situation, I think he'd be the guy I'd want at my side . . .

Mind you, there were those strange guys -- the Tusken Raiders -- they seemed like an interesting bunch as well . . .

TT: What? I don't know. Luke is my favorite character, and I certainly like the amount of power he wields in our era, but that doesn't necessarily make him the best. Han and Leia both kick ass, and Yoda and Vader are some of the greatest characters ever seen on screen. All the characters combine to create one of the BEST ongoing franchises in the world. The BEST Star Wars character? It's too hard to choose . . . which is your best nostril?



DH: What’s up with the Yuuzhan Vong? I mean, seriously guys. Can’t we all just get along?

TT: Tell me about it! Lighten up, you gigantic, violent, pain-loving freaks.

CW: I always found that vegetarians are a pretty odd bunch . . . and clearly the Yuuzhan Vong have gone a little further down that particular path! I know I get pretty cranky without my Sunday roast . . .

TT: From another galaxy far, far away comes the biggest threat ever faced by this one -- the Yuuzhan Vong. They bring with them incredibly powerful biotechnology, unlike anything ever seen before, and a hatred of all machinery. As if being tall, strong, well armored and sadistic wasn’t enough, they also exist outside of the Force. This means that Jedi can’t sense them, and Force powers don’t tend to work on them, at all. I’ve said something like this before, but it means that a Jedi attempting, say, a mind trick on a Yuuzhan Vong, might find the Yuuzhan Vong is already beating him with his own legs.



DH: Finn Galfridian seems to have a highly unusual predisposition to the Force. Historically, in the Star Wars Universe, this often spells trouble for the Jedi in one way or another. Are there any fears that Finn will turn to the Dark Side?

TT: No. There are no fears. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Fear leads to the dark side!

Which isn't to say we're not a little bit . . . wary.

DH: What attracted you to the Star Wars: Invasion story?

CW: This is the first SW work that I've had the chance to be involved with from the beginning, and Tom and I have had the chance to put a huge amount of ourselves into the whole series. Long before Dark Horse gave Invasion the green light, Tom and I spent weeks throwing around ideas of what each of us would like to see in a new Star Wars series, and now we've been given the chance to bring it all to life.

TT: First up, despite my being known mainly as a playwright, comic books are my favorite story-telling medium. The original Star Wars Trilogy [movies] are right up there with my favorite films. So the opportunity to combine these two great loves was one that I would have, and did, drop everything to grab.

As for the Invasion story, there’s just so much scope for great storytelling. Sacrifice, friendship, love, betrayal, pain, salvation, twists and turns -- all set against incredible landscapes and exotic locations. Brilliant! It’s also been fantastic to work so closely with Colin on this. We’d be sitting in Colin’s study talking anyway; it’s nice to have someone paying us for it.



DH: What makes Star Wars: Invasion different from other events in Star Wars Universe?

TT: This has never happened before. What we've seen previously is, I guess, galactic civil war. This is not the Empire versus the Rebellion, or the Jedi versus the Sith, this is an entire galaxy of people, evil and good, facing an invading force that wants their destruction. A galaxy far, far away is about to get its ass kicked.

DH: Colin, how has your work on Star Wars: Rebellion helped you with this project?

CW: Rebellion was a terrific warm up to Invasion, as it gave me the first opportunity to work with the classic SW characters. The visual richness of the first SW films had a huge impact on me at just the right time as I started working as a comic artist; and so on Rebellion I had the pleasure of rediscovering all the amazing design work that went into those early films. Years ago, I'd picked up copies of many of those early SW Art books, and Rebellion gave me the opportunity of working with all those elements. Now, with Invasion, I get to create some of my own stuff . . .

DH: Tom, where do you draw inspiration from to script this story?

TT: To look for invasion and refugee stories, sadly, we don’t have to look any further than the planet we live on. I certainly draw a lot of inspiration from real world events and stories. This is the reason our heroes are refugees. Too often, and too easily, these poor people are seen as the problem, while the larger problem they’re fleeing is ignored. In a galaxy full of Vong and Twi’leks, Mon Calamari and Hutts, there’s still a lot of room for some humanity.

DH: Alright, now for the most classic of questions -- The Empire Strikes Back or The Return of Jedi?

TT: Again, which nostril do you prefer? You breathe with both.

CW: Awwwww . . .