Anakin Skywalker made a fateful choice in Last Stand on Jabiim, a volume in the Clone Wars saga that took place, obviously, before the young Jedi converted fully to the Dark Side of the Force. That decision, with fatal consequences for the people of Jabiim, has repercussions for Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa two decades later, in the Empire collection In the Shadows of Their Fathers.

This story takes place in the infancy of the New Republic. The Death Star has been destroyed, but the Emperor and Darth Vader still inspire terror throughout the galaxy. And on Jabiim, the people are still fighting to throw off the yoke of Imperial rule.

The arrival of representatives from the Rebel Alliance might seem a godsend to the oppressed natives -- until they learn the name of one of their would-be saviors. The Skywalker name still inspires anger and hate, and the Rebel cause takes a pretty sharp blow from that association alone. Are Luke and Leia up to the challenge of tearing down a generation of loathing?

An entertaining aspect of the story is Luke's personal voyage of discovery as he learns a possible downside to his father's sainted memory. Remember, this all takes place before Luke discovers that his father is Vader; he still believes sincerely in Ben Kenobi's slanted tale of a brave and bold Jedi cut down in his prime. This is all overlapped by Vader's own memories as he revisits a planet that carries unpleasant memories for him.

The story by Thomas Andrews is tight, making full use of the previous storyline to explore the Jabiimi matter from a new perspective. The bulk of the art by Adriana Melo is solidly appealing and bright, but a last-chapter switch to artist Michel LaCombe is a disappointment; his more cartoony style of drawing is bland and uninteresting.

The book also includes a backup story, "The Price of Power," by writer Scott Allie and artist Joe Corroney. The fast-paced tale shows Vader's style of "negotiating" with a reptillian race with assets the Empire requires.