Ann Carol Crispin (April 5, 1950 — September 6, 2013)[1] was a science fiction fantasy writer and the author of 23 published novels. For Star Wars, she wrote the bestselling Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy as well as two short stories—"Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe" for Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina and "Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer's Tale" for Tales from Jabba's Palace. She had also written several Star Trek novels, created her own original science-fiction series called StarBridge, and was contracted by Disney to write Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom.
Biography
For Star Wars, Crispin wrote Star Wars: The Han Solo Trilogy: The Paradise Snare, The Hutt Gambit, and Rebel Dawn, which told the story of Han Solo from his early years right up to the moment he walks into the cantina in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.[2] During the development of the novels, author Crispin was requested and instructed by Lucasfilm to not cover Han Solo's time at the Imperial Academy or his first encounter with Chewbacca.[3] Despite this, she was allowed to write a brief explanation of how Han had saved Chewie's life when he was enslaved by the Empire, and had gotten cashiered for his pains with a life debt. Crispin was also faced with the challenge of trying to explain how Han discovered his cousin, Thracken Sal Solo, without ever knowing anything about his parents, even their names.[4]
In 2006, Crispin had stated that she proposed a book series dealing with Princess Leia Organa between Episode III and IV, but that "Lucasfilm didn't approve the idea of a Leia backstory because they want to keep that era of the SW continuity untouched for the television series they're considering."[5]
On February 9, 2013, Crispin posted her thoughts on Disney's plans to do a film based on the early life of Han Solo. Although it was suggested by some that Disney could film Crispin's trilogy for the movie, Crispin herself believed it was unlikely that they'd use any material from any Star Wars novels. She guessed the film might be about any of the several things she was instructed not to write about, specifically Han's days in the Academy.[4]
On September 3, 2013, Crispin posted on Facebook that her cancer had progressed and her condition had worsened to the point that she would not likely live much longer. She invited people to post messages for her on her Facebook, which would be read to her by her husband, Michael.[6] She passed away three days later.[1]
Works
Bibliography
- "Play It Again, Figrin D'an: The Tale of Muftak and Kabe" — Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina (1995)
- "Skin Deep: The Fat Dancer's Tale" — Tales from Jabba's Palace (1996)
- The Paradise Snare (1997)
- The Hutt Gambit (1997)
- Rebel Dawn (1998)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3
A.C. Crispin dies at 63; author of sci-fi and tie-in novels by Matt Schudel on The Washington Post (September 7, 2013) (backup link archived on September 28, 2021)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
ACCess — A. C. Crispin (April 5, 1950 – September 6, 2013) on WordPress (September 8, 2013) (backup link)
- ↑ A.C. Crispin on TheForce.net (backup link archived on August 3, 2020)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1
ACCess — Our 12th Anniversary, and Disney’s plans for a Han Solo Film on WordPress (backup link)
- ↑ Author Analysis: Ann C. Crispin (post by accrispin) on the Jedi Council Forums' Literature board (May 29, 2006) (backup link)
- ↑ A.C. Crispin says goodbye to fans and colleagues by Dunc on Club Jade (backup link archived on September 5, 2015)
External links
- Official website (backup link)
- Ann Crispin (@ann.crispin.5) on Facebook (backup link)
- Ann C. Crispin (@anncrispin) on Twitter (backup link)
- Ann C. Crispin on Wikipedia
- A.C. Crispin on Memory Alpha
- A. C. Crispin on the Pirates of the Caribbean Wiki
- Flying Solo – Interview with Ann Crispin by Jeff Carter on Echo Station (original page now obsolete)
- A.C. Crispin interview on Unreality SF (December 29, 2004) (backup link archived on September 14, 2016)
