It has been six years since the death of Emperor Palpatine
and the founding of the New Republic. But without the
thousands of Jedi Knights who formed the backbone of the
Old Republic, the confederation is a precarious one.
Long years of struggle have ensued, and surviving Imperial
factions have pushed back against the Rebel Alliance and
consolitated control over a fourth of the galaxy.

The threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who nearly brought the
fledgling Republic to its knees, has finally been ended. But
following his downfall, suriving members of the Emperor's
Ruling Circle have staged a stunning assault on Coruscant.
The vital Imperial system has once again fallen under
Imperial control.

It looks certain that a new Empire is about to emerge from
the ashes of the old. That very possibility has triggered a
ferocious civil war among the numerous Imperial factions.
Who will sit in the Emperor's throne? Who has the right -
and the might?

The rebels have been quick to seize the opportunity to sow
confusion among the feuding Imperials, using captured Star
Destroyers to conduct hit-and-run sorties into the war zones.
One such raid, over the raging Imperial City battleground, has
ended in disaster: the Alliance Star Destroyer ''Liberator'',
commanded by Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian, has
crash-landed on the planet's surface.

Now, Princess Leia Organa and her husband Han Solo, together
with the Wookiee Chewbacca and the protocol droid C-3PO,
are on a daring mission to rescue their fallen comrades....