Hasbro
Longtime fans of the "Star Wars" Expanded Universe (now relegated to "Legends" status since Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm) have something new to be excited about, thanks to Hasbro finally digging into "Shadows of the Empire" for its Black Series line of action figures.
For those who may not know, "Shadows of the Empire" was an Expanded Universe multimedia story that took place between "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." Lucasfilm dug into video games, toys, comics, and more for the multimedia initiative that unfurled in 1996, and it's been a favorite of fans for nearly 30 years.
Not too long ago, "Shadows of the Empire" villain Prince Xizor (recently brought back in a new "Star Wars" comic) was revealed to be in the upcoming pipeline of new "Star Wars" Black Series action figures (the bigger, more detailed toys on a six-inch scale), with pre-orders open now and a release slated for April 2025. As the official press materials indicated, Hasbro was also planning on releasing Black Series figures for Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Dash Rendar, inspired by the Expanded Universe multimedia story that took place between "Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi."
Today, we can exclusively reveal two of those figures that will be available in 2025: Luke Skywalker in his Imperial Guard disguise and Princess Leia Organa in her Boushh gear that originally debuted in "Return of the Jedi" back in 1983. Get details on when and where you can pre-order the "Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire" action figure two-pack of Luke and Leia below.
Luke Skywalker as Imperial Guard and Princess Leia as Boushh
Hasbro
Here's Hasbro's official press materials on the new "Shadows of the Empire" Black Series action figure two-pack with Luke and Leia:
To gather intel on the Black Sun, Leia disguised herself as an Ubesian bounty hunter. But when Xizor captured her, it was up to Luke — alongside his friends and posing as an Imperial Guard — to rescue her. STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES includes 6-inch action figures, vehicles, and roleplay items from the 40-plus-year legacy of the STAR WARS galaxy, letting fans create galactic scenes with a faithfulness to STAR WARS comic books, movies, and series.
Hasbro
This action figure set is detailed to look like Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia as they appear in STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE – their first release since 1996. The Luke Skywalker figure includes a removable helmet and spear accessory. The Leia Organa figure comes with a Boushh helmet, staff, and pouch accessory. Display STAR WARS fandom on your shelf with packaging featuring character art and a sleek outer sleeve.
Hasbro
This isn't the first time that Princess Leia in Boushh gear has been released, so it may seem a little odd to include her in a two-pack with a figure that hasn't been released at all yet, but maybe that's the point. Perhaps there are collectors out there who haven't yet picked up Princess Leia as Boushh, so this will be the perfect opportunity to snag her. Plus, it looks like the helmet and thermal detonator have been given a bit of a different paint job from the most recent release in the Archive collection, so perhaps this is the best version of Leia as Boushh so far?
Hasbro
As for Luke, this is pretty much an entirely new figure. While Luke's face sculpt is probably very similar to recently released figures in the Black Series, the collection has never delivered an Imperial Guard as seen in "Shadows of the Empire" before. The armor is a shiny red, and it's also a nice echo of Luke getting into stormtrooper gear from the very first "Star Wars" movie, though I personally think the Imperial Guard armor is much cooler.
Hasbro
The two-pack will be available for pre-order with a retail price of $44.99 on December 11, 2024, at 1:00pm ET on Hasbro Pulse for Premium members, and then it will be available for everyone starting at 2:00pm ET. The figures are expected to ship sometime in spring 2025, and they'll also be available from Disney Store at a later date. Now we just have to wait for Dash Rendar to make his Black Series debut.
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