Editing Splinter of the Mind's Eye (section)

== Background and publication ==
In 1976, [[Alan Dean Foster]] was contracted to [[ghostwriting|ghostwrite]] a [[Star Wars: From the Adventures of Luke Skywalker|novelization of ''Star Wars'']].<ref name="sfw">{{cite news |last=Wenz |first=John |title=The First Star Wars sequel: Inside the writing of Splinter of the Mind's Eye |url=http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-first-star-wars-sequel-inside-the-writing-of-splinter-of-the-minds-eye |access-date=July 19, 2018 |work=Syfy |publisher=SyFy Channel |date=January 1, 2018 |language=en}}</ref> Foster was given some drafts of the script, rough footage, and production paintings for use as source material in fleshing out the novel.<ref name=ds>{{cite news|last=Armitage|first=Hugh|title=Star Wars has a lost sequel you've never heard of|url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/star-wars/feature/a805216/star-wars-sequel-splinter-of-the-minds-eye/|access-date=July 19, 2018|work=Digital Spy|date=August 21, 2016}}</ref> His contract also required a second novel, to be used as a basis for a low-budget sequel to ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' in case the film was not successful.<ref name="sfw" /> Though Foster was granted a great deal of leeway in developing the story, a key requirement was that many of the props from the previous production could be reused when shooting the new film. Foster's decision to place his story on a misty jungle planet was also intended to reduce set and background costs for a film adaptation. [[Han Solo]] and [[Chewbacca]] were left out, as [[Harrison Ford]] had not signed a contract to film any of the sequels at the time of the novel contract.<ref name="sfw" />{{efn|While not featured in the book, Han Solo is alluded to by Luke as "a pirate and a smuggler" he knows.}} Lucas's only request upon reviewing the manuscript was the removal of a space [[dogfight]] Luke and Leia undertake before crash-landing on the planet, which would have been effects heavy and expensive to film.<ref name="ds" />

An additional sequel novel was planned,{{sfn|Kaminski|2008|p=118}} but by the time ''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' was published, ''Star Wars'' had broken box office records. The film adaptation of ''Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' was abandoned in favor of Lucas's vision of a big-budget sequel (''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'').<ref name="ds" /> Nevertheless, riding on the success of the film in its first year of release, the book became a bestseller.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hidalgo|first1=Pablo|title=Star Wars: The Essential Reader's Companion|last2=Trevas|first2=Chris|publisher=Del Rey|year=2012|isbn=978-0345511195|page=vii|author1-link=Pablo Hidalgo}}</ref> It was reprinted in 1994 as ''Classic Star Wars: Splinter of the Mind's Eye'' and retroactively placed two years after the original film, thus one year before ''The Empire Strikes Back''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hidalgo|first1=Pablo|title=Star Wars: The Essential Reader's Companion|last2=Trevas|first2=Chris|publisher=Del Rey|year=2012|isbn=978-0345511195|pages=226–27|author1-link=Pablo Hidalgo}}</ref>