SPLINTER OF THE MIND'S EYE

2017 Special Edition

By

Rob Astor

Adapted from the 1978 novel by Alan Dean Foster and the 1995 Dark Horse Comics adaptation scripted by Terry Austin with additional sequences written by Rob Astor.

** NOTICE **

I do not claim any rights to the characters or to the ownership of the 1978 novel or 1995 comics adaptation. I didn't write this for profit. No money is being made. And, most importantly, no copyright infringement is intended. This version of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" is just a Star Wars fan's re-imagining of a classic.

Note From Rob Astor

"Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" has remained a favorite story since first reading it. Over the years, it's been read many times.

In 1995, the Dark Horse comic adaptation further solidified "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" as a favorite. Many were the times this reader longed to see it in movie form. The comic version was the next best thing.

More recently, the more I read it, the more the original bugged my inner editor. (I've been writing for thirty-five years.)

Alan Dean Forster was hired to write "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" as a follow-up to the original 1977 "Star Wars" film if it warranted a sequel, and if "Star Wars" had not done well at the box office.

The inner editor I mentioned kept going off as parts of his novel repeated themselves, or went through a lot of exposition. Some scenes lacked better development. In many ways, the "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" I so loved felt more and more like a movie treatment than a completed novel.

So, this writer thought he could do "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" better by completely re-writing it.

For four months, I've immersed myself in "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" in a very intimate way, something I've never done with a fan fiction before. I wanted to improve upon things I thought could be fixed, to bring "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" up to modern standards. Or at least into something meeting with my standards.

The first thing accomplished was bringing the comic version and original novel in line with one another by carefully stitching together the additional scenes offered up in Terry Austin's script. Spots that seemed to hamper the flow were adjusted with some editing. The addition of Darth Vader's sequences from the comic inspired more scenes for him written by me.

Next, a little research revealed there was supposed to be more to "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye". An opening space battle, for example.

Now, I have no way of ever knowing what the opening sequences were supposed to be like. George Lucas had Alan remove them because he wanted a story that, as a film, could be done with a much smaller budget than "Star Wars" had.

However, "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" spoke to my imagination and my creativity ran wild with the idea of how a space battle and missing characters - Han and Chewbacca weren't included - might play a part in an updated narrative.

Going back to 1977, you have to understand Harrison Ford was not contracted for three "Star Wars" movies. He was brought on each film with no guarantee of coming back for the next. In fact, he wanted his character to die frozen in carbonite in "The Empire Strikes Back", and then again die during the battle of Endor in "Return Of The Jedi".

"Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" was written to reflect Harrison's non-contractual status. With no Han and Chewbacca in "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye", many fans over the years felt that was something of a disappointment, or that the story suffered.

"Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" was the very first "expanded universe" novel published under the heading of "from the further adventures of Luke Skywalker". Not long after its publication, Han Solo fans were given a trilogy of stories beginning with "Han Solo At Star's End". No one seemed to complain Luke and Princess Leia were missing.

At any rate, the creative side of me wanted to insert scenes into "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" featuring Han and Chewbacca. I also wanted to do a space battle.

So inspired, I began writing. And rewriting. Playing with and improving upon ideas. The characters in "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" already lent themselves to act in certain ways. This made it very easy to expound on their individual plots and characteristics. The ideas written into the comic version of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" opened the path to a space battle.

While recreating this universe, I explored every single person, including those I created myself, and brought them to a canvas bursting with ideas. Writing the dialog for Star Wars' original characters came from listening to how they all talked in the first three movies. In fact, you'll find there are borrowed lines scattered throughout. Things I would like to have seen or have explained from the original version, I went ahead and filled in.

What you are reading now is my finished version of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" - completely transformed. It's fresh, faster paced, suspenseful, and very much like a tale I would have expected a final draft to look like had George Lucas himself polished it way back when. I don't think I left a single sentence untouched from the original version.

Proudly, I present my vision of "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" - complete with a Han Solo and Chewbacca plot and a space battle.

I hope you enjoy reading "Splinter Of The Mind's Eye" as much as I did writing it.

Rob Astor

May 1, 2017