Star Wars: Planet of Twilight (film)

Star Wars: Planet of Twilight is a 1997 direct-to-video animated epic space opera film directed by, written by , and based on a story by. Produced by and Lucasfilm Feature Animation, in association with, and distributed by , it is the third installment in The Callista Trilogy, preceded by Children of the Jedi (1995) and Darksaber (1996), as well as the final installment to feature Callista Ming, an old flame of , from the previous films. The film was nominated for two.

Plot
The crystal-rock-covered world of Nam Chorios in the Meridian Sector was once the center of Imperial heavy industry. The inhabitants of the planet follow the so-called Theran cult by forbidding technological advances and all trade with other worlds. In order not to break this cult, automatic cannon stations are aligned across the planet, destroying any ship larger than a B-wing starfighter. After the Empire's near annihilation, new settlers arrived on the primitive and backward planet. In contrast to the old settlers, the newcomers demand the right to technical progress and galactic trade. No agreement can be reached between the two fronts and open civil war threatens to erupt. Seti Ashgad, the leader of the settlers and the Rationalist party, approaches the leader of the New Republic, Leia Organa Solo, to mediate the conflict. In a subsequent unofficial meeting, Leia explains that she feels unable to help Ashgad due to political considerations. Ashgad then leaves Leia's ship with his secretary Dzym.

Following the meeting, Leia bids farewell to her twin brother, Luke Skywalker, who is investigating some clues about his missing lover, Callista. It is suspected that Callista, who has been missing for a year, is said to be on the planet Nam Chorios. In addition, prior to meeting Ashgad, Leia received a message from Callista warning the leader not to trust Ashgad.

Luke piloted a B-wing instead of his X-wing because he needed more firepower due to the pirate activity in that sector. A short time later, after Luke began searching the planet, a plague broke out aboard Leia's ship. Like the entire crew, Leia faints after a short time. The only ones who can follow the action any further are the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO. Both must watch as Leia is taken to the crystal and prison world of Nam Chorios by Ashgad and Dzym. Feverishly, the droids flee to seek help.

While approaching Nam Chorios, Luke is suddenly attacked by the gun stations and he is forced to make an emergency landing. Elsewhere on the same planet, Leia awakens from her unconsciousness. She realizes that she is in Ashgad's chambers and overhears a conversation between him and Beldorion the Hutt. It shows that Ashgad spread the deadly plague on Leia's ship. Also, Leia learns that Beldorion has the ability to use the Force. Eventually, Liegeus Vorn, an Ashgad employee, appears and offers the head of state a drink. Before she knows it, Leia realizes her water has been laced with a drug, causing her to pass out again.

Continuing his search for Callista, Luke meets the young man Arvid Scraf. Luke quickly befriends Arvid and receives an offer from him to stay in the town of Hweg Shul, where Arvid lives with his aunt. Meanwhile, on Coruscant's moon Hesperidium, Han Solo is vacationing with his children. When Mon Mothma informs him that his wife, Leia, is missing, he decides to call off his vacation and go in search of Leia.

Luke is still unaware that Leia was kidnapped and is also on Nam Chorios. After a while, Luke meets the Jedi Taselda, who claims to know Callista, while searching for her. Talking to Taselda further, Luke learns that Callista made the decision to stay on the planet after arriving on Nam Chorios a year ago. However, Beldorion the Hutt robbed Callista of her power and lightsaber, allowing him to rule the city of Hweg Shul. Next, Callista was captured by the Hutt as his slave. Beldorion was subsequently betrayed by Seti Ashgad and Callista managed to escape. At the same time, Leia is still in Ashgad's house, talking to his employee, Liegeus. The clerk seems to have a crush on Leia. In the meantime, Han Solo has reached the Meridian sector. There he finds out that a deadly disease has raged there.

One day, Ashgad leaves his home, allowing Leia to break free. She decides to search Ashgad's records and finds out that Ashgad is in league with the droid manufacturer Loronar Corporation. Together, they use the planet's crystals to craft remote-controlled warships. Unexpectedly, Ashgad returns after a short time and Leia frantically tries to find a safe place to hide. From there, she observes Ashgad, who, to her amazement, looks a lot older than before. His secretary, Dzym, is at his side. After Dzym removes the clothes from his body, bends over and bites Ashgad, Leia is surprised to see that Ashgad looks younger again.

When the opportunity arises, Leia flees Ashgad's house and heads to one of the numerous cannon stations scattered across the planet's surface. At the cannon labeled Bleak Point, Leia meets Callista, who tells the head of state that the common Death Seed plague was caused by Dzym and his little bug-like drochs. As a result, Dzym has the ability to suck the energy from a living organism and pass it on to either himself or others. Callista goes on to say that the prophet Theras recognized the cause of the plague long ago and accordingly introduced safety precautions so that no planetary pandemic can develop from it. He quarantined the entire planet and made sure that no ship larger than a starfighter left the planet again. Larger vessels possess enough radiation protection to carry the sun-sensitive drochs beyond the borders of Nam Chorios.

Luke, too, now senses his sister's presence on Nam Chorios. While looking for Leia, Luke meets Dzym at Ashgad's house, who is about to kill Liegeus' employee. He expels Dzym and saves Liegeus' life, hoping to learn more about Leia's whereabouts.

Meanwhile, in the Meridian Sector, two droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, are desperate for help. Along the way to Cybloc XII, they encounter a small fleet led by Admiral Daala, the former warlord of the Galactic Empire. Since then, Daala has joined the Independent Settlers Community, a group that openly admits its dissatisfaction with the Empire, and has risen to the rank of President in the process. Daala tortured the droids, who revealed that the Death Seed plague had struck the planet, wiping out all beings there. The droids also told her that the plague had been released as part of a plan by the Loronar Corporation, ex-Senator Seti Ashgad—who had been exiled to Nam Chorios decades ago by Palpatine—and the corrupt Moff Tol Getelles.

Meanwhile, the situation on Nam Chorios is so tense that open fighting broke out between the Therans and the new settlers near the Bleak Point station. A short time later, Luke and Liegeus also reach the scene and explain to the settlers that they have all been betrayed by Ashgad. Leia corroborates his brother's message with the documents from Ashgad's computer. The new settlers begin to believe Luke and Leia's words as the two rush off to intercept Ashgad at his home. But in front of Ashgad's house, Luke and Leia just see his ship, the Reliant, disappear into orbit. While Luke is repairing a Z-95 Headhunter, Beldorion the Hutt appears, but Leia defeats him. After the ship's repairs, Luke launches into orbit to continue tracking Ashgad. Over Nam Chorios, Luke finds that an Imperial fleet is fighting against a New Republic fleet. He gets a shot and has to make an emergency landing on the planet again. There, in the desert, Luke discovers that the Crystal Rocks are a collective being, capable of both thought and feeling. Luke manages to gain the Crystals' trust. Because the crystals were also incorporated into the hunters and droids of the Loronar Corporation, the crystals can pull the hunters and droids on their side through their collective way of life.

In this way, Ashgad's ship can be destroyed and the battle can be won. In addition, the crystals promise to heal areas of the Meridian Sector afflicted by the Death Seed plague. Daala finally discovers Liegeus and it turns out that the two used to be lovers. As Liegeus and Daala fall in love again, Luke sees Callista in the distance. But instead of meeting her, he gives her a waving farewell gesture as a sign that he will not come back to her.

Voice cast

 * as
 * as
 * as
 * as Callista Ming
 * as
 * as
 * as Beldorion the Hutt
 * as Admiral Daala