As we anxiously await the title for Star Wars Episode VIII, we have found out that Star Wars The Force Awakens had a different title for a bit. Shadow of the Empire was the original title for Episode VII, and I’m guessing why they didn’t go with that title was because there was a book released in 1996 called Shadows of the Empire. It had the plural for Shadows, but that story took place between Empire and Jedi. Check out the tweets that verified this.
@justinlasalata for longest time, the TFA title was the same as an old novel. Thankfully it changed. 🙂 With so many books, it's inevitable
— Pablo Hidalgo (@pablohidalgo) December 25, 2015