Even if that hero is a member of the evil Empire and is a James Bond for that famous galaxy far, far away.

A new five-issue miniseries from Dark Horse Comics debuting Wednesday, Star Wars: Agent of the Empire — Iron Eclipse stars Jahan Cross, a secret agent working under Darth Vader in the Imperial diplomatic service three years before the events of the original Star Wars movie.

MORE: Check out a preview of Star Wars: Agent of the Empire

Cross is on the case when some droid devices and protocols end up on the black market, and his adventure will lead him to cross paths with raiders, pirates and one very recognizable smuggler by the name of Han Solo (and his loyal Wookiee pal, Chewbacca).

Ostrander's original sell for the series was putting a 007 type in George Lucas' expansive universe, and he has a "Q"-like weapons master who outfits him with cool stuff and an R2-D2 in his helper droid, IN-GA 44.

However, Agent of the Empire also takes influences from the Bourne movies, the Secret Agent TV series and John le Carré novels, Ostrander says.

"Still, there's a lot of overlap in the Bond and Star Wars franchises: charismatic lead character, beautiful women, exotic locales, large-scale villains, intense action, chases, technology and gadgets. It's like peanut-butter cups: two great tastes that go great together."

While fans usually think of the Empire as "bad guys," Cross is at the very worst seemingly an antihero. When he literally runs into Solo, a pal of his from the Imperial Academy, he doesn't blast him — instead Cross helps him out.

One of the dynamics of the series for Cross is what is required of him in his missions and his own code, and how he can reconcile the two, Ostrander says.

However, he is a member of the Empire and believes it to be a necessary evil.

"He was alive to remember the Clone Wars and the chaos of the closing days of that war," says Ostrander, who teams on Agent of the Empire with artist Stephane Roux. "Safeguarding the Empire and its interests is, for him, a good thing. What's the cost of doing that?

"It's a question we sometimes have to ask ourselves: To be safe, to be secure, what are we willing to do? What may be necessary to do to achieve those goals? What is the price we pay personally to achieve them? That may all sound pretty serious but we're also in it for a good time."

Agent of the Empire also gives him a chance to explore the inner workings of the Empire, where there is a lot of fan interest, Ostrander says. "For them, the Rebellion are traitors. Besides, the bad guys usually have the better uniforms and the best lines."

In his Star Wars comics, Ostrander has worked in several different times. For example, he and artist Jan Duursema are currently working on Dawn of the Jedi, which goes way back in the mythology to the origins of the Jedi Order.

However, he's not shaken when having to work in the era of the original movie trilogy, where Ostrander hasn't explored extensively. In fact, it stirs his interest to work in the period.

"That's part of what makes Agent of the Empire so much fun for me," he says, "and, I hope, for the reader."