About

Era of Rebellion is a multimedia project set in the Star Wars universe created by Christopher Levy in the fall of 2005. The goal of the project is to present an original Star Wars story through a variety of different media types including fan fiction, fan art, sketch cards, and comics. In the spring of 2006, Era of Rebellion partnered with TheForce.Net, the leading Star Wars fan site, to reach not only a larger audience, but also to entice new writers and artists to participate.

Era of Rebellion is designed to coexist without disrupting official Star Wars continuity. The events that occur in the story are consistent with the events of the Star Wars universe. The project seeks to expand upon what was originally a minor part of the Star Wars universe and develop it into a fully-realized chapter of the Star Wars saga.

Era of Rebellion's fan fiction is unique in that the majority of stories were written by individuals in an interactive format known as role-playing. Although each writer presents the story of their own character(s), their collaborative efforts tell an interwoven story. The quality of this 'interactive fan fiction' is enhanced by the fact that multiple writers provide different perspectives on the same events to allow the reader to formulate an opinion rather than rely on a presentation from a single author.

Era of Rebellion's fan art is visualized by a team of international artists who utilize different artistic styles. Each artist specializes in a different aspect of the project including paintings of characters and scenes, digital renderings of planets, starships, and characters, hand drawn character sketch cards, and illustrated comic panels.

The Galactic Civil War provides a dramatic backdrop for the story and is presented not just by those directly involved in the conflict, but also by those caught in the middle. Many of the short stories are narratives that provide a window into a character's soul that is rarely seen in material of this kind.

One of the most unique aspects of Era of Rebellion is that the Rebels and Imperials are not presented as flat, two-dimensional, good and evil forces. The story portrays the Galactic Empire as a government led by an evil man attempting to force his will on the galaxy, but its members are shown as honest individuals who support and carry out the policies of the legally-constituted government. In the eyes of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance is viewed as a terrorist organization seeking to spread civil unrest and disorder throughout the galaxy and endanger the lives and property of its citizenry.

The Era of Rebellion story takes place during the early years of the Galactic Civil War. The majority of the stories are set in a region of space known as the Ringali Shell, which contains six important planets, including Brentaal IV.

In the Ringali Shell, the Galactic Empire is represented in the form of an Imperial Oversector. The Empire's forces consist of elements drawn from the Imperial Army, Intelligence, Navy, Security Bureau, and Stormtroopers Corps. They are attempting to suppress the planetary governments of the Ringali Shell through political influence and the use of Imperial agents. While the Galactic Empire is not at war with the planets in the Ringali Shell, it nevertheless is attempting to bring them into line with the Emperor's New Order. In addition, the Galactic Empire is attempting to locate and destroy the secret Rebel base, purge the planets in the Ringali Shell of Rebel guerillas, protect Imperial convoys from Rebel starfighter attacks, and inspect civilian space traffic to reduce smuggling.

In the Ringali Shell, the Rebel Alliance is represented in the form of a Rebel Sector Force. The Alliance's forces consist of elements drawn from the Alliance Fleet, Intelligence, Ordnance and Support, Special Forces, and Starfighters Corps. They are attempting to gain the support of the wealthy populations of the planets in the Ringali Shell. In addition, the Rebel Alliance is striving to harass Imperial efforts in the Ringali Shell by attacking Imperial forces assigned to garrison duty on the planets and striking at Imperial convoys passing through the Ringali Shell.

In addition to the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance, stories feature unaligned characters trying to make their way in the universe. In addition to minor criminals, smugglers, and bounty hunters, a major criminal organization, the Black Sun, is attempting to expand their sphere of influence.

The citizens of the Ringali Shell are struggling to survive the chaotic conflict between two opposing forces. The planetary governments are torn between supporting the Galactic Empire, which intends to replace them with a Regional Governor, and the Rebel Alliance, which is desperately striving to enlist their financial and material support.