also LOL @ the idea that Zahn didn't sign all rights away as part of his initial contract
As odd as it sounds nowadays, the whole Star Wars media empire (no pun intended) wasn't really a thing back in the early 1990s. Between Return of the Jedi and Heir to the Empire's release dates, there were a handful of books, some niche comics, some bad videogames, some kids' cartoons and toys. Lucasfilm didn't have nearly the kind of leverage that they later had, and Disney now has, over authors.
As odd as it sounds nowadays, the whole Star Wars media empire (no pun intended) wasn't really a thing back in the early 1990s. Between Return of the Jedi and Heir to the Empire's release dates, there were a handful of books, some niche comics, some bad videogames, some kids' cartoons and toys. Lucasfilm didn't have nearly the kind of leverage that they later had, and Disney now has, over authors.
while its true the media empire was dormant when Zahn wrote the original Zahn trilogy, Lucas has always been a canny businessman above all else.
(also, you forgot the RPG, which created much of the stuff that later ended up being canon)
deleted by creator