<i>Shadows of the Empire</i> illuminates the shadowy outlines of a criminal conspiracy that exists in the background of the events in the movies, ruled by a character new to us. Prince Xizor is a mastermind of evil who dares to oppose one of the best-known fictional villains of all time: Darth Vader. The story involves all the featured <i>Star Wars</i> movie characters, plus Emperor Palpatine and, of course, Lord Vader himself.