The Bearded Trio

IN SEARCH OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE STAR WARS PREQUEL TRILOGY The date of October 30, 2012 was a “where were you” moment for most of us Star Wars fans. It was the day the press release was issued, stating Disney was purchasing Lucasfilm. It got me thinking, “was there an equivalent press release announcing the prequel trilogy?” Some background. I graduated from high school on June 12, 1991. A few weeks before that, Heir to the Empire was released. I recall seeing it in a bookstore within a week of my graduation. The event of that book’s release can’t be overstated when telling the real world story of Star Wars. It triggered a renaissance in the brand that hasn’t slowed down in the 29 years since. I believe the success of that book, which zoomed to number one on the New York Times Bestseller List, was an indicator to George Lucas that his historic creation wasn’t dead, but was waiting to be revived. And revived it was, thanks to Timothy Zahn’s wonderful novel. Did th...