Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons

Star Wars: Essential Guides #4

by Daniel Wallace, Scott Kolins

THE ULTIMATE RESOURCE TO THE WORLDS OF THE STAR WARS GALAXY!

From the sun-baked deserts of Tatooine to the frost-bitten snowscape of Hoth to the misty swamps of Dagobah, here's your expert guide to the hundred most fascinating worlds of the extraordinary Star Wars universe. Travel from the Deep Core to the Outer Rim Territories and discover the wonders of:

¸  Kashyyyk--the treacherous, arboreal planet where the Wookiee race dwells among the branches in elevated cities . . . and lethal predators rule the surface
¸  Bespin--the gas planet devoid of solid ground, in whose atmosphere hovers the formidable Cloud City
¸  Endor--The Forest Moon: home to the peaceful but powerful Ewoks and site of a decisive battle in the galactic civil war
¸  Coruscant--center of power, law, history, and culture in the galaxy . . . and once the location of Imperial City, the seat of the dreaded Empire

EXPLORE THE TERRAIN, MEET THE INHABITANTS, AND UNCOVER THE SECRETS OF THESE AND MANY, MANY MORE REMARKABLE DESTINATIONS ON A CAPTIVATING, FULLY-ILLUSTRATED VOYAGE TO THE BRIGHTEST STARS OF A FANTASTIC UNIVERSE!

Genres: Star Wars, Reference, Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Space Opera, Science Fiction Fantasy

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I wrap up my tour of old Star Wars books I own, the last of the coffee table sized books is the Essential Guides. This book is difficult to review because I loved these books growing up and the Star Wars Expanded Universe has changed a lot since the writing of this book which makes it somewhat dated. The book is in black and white with a few drawings and about a page of text for each planet. There is some background about the planet itself (some of which could possibly be made up by the author) and usually a summary of what happened in a Star Wars novel or movie on that planet. The tone is well done and especially captures the imagination of younger readers. Some of the aliens seem a bit silly (and are probably some of the oldest ones in the Star Wars Universe which helps explain why) like giant rodents, frogs, etc. I think this book is best for someone that has a pure interest or fascination with Star Wars and wants to know everything that happened in the books released around the time of the Special Edition movies. That is how I felt as a kid reading these guides. Of course, you can always read the novels that these summaries come from as well. That might keep you from asking questions like why has Boba Fett tried to kill or capture Han Solo so many times and failed if he is so awesome? And why was Emperor Palpatine cloned so many times and yet none of them could ever be quite as menacing and competent as the original?

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Planets & Moons does a good job of informing the reader which planets or moons the movies, radio shows, books and comic book series take place on.

As for the information given in the main section, I wanted more about the planets and moons themselves, and not so much of the stories that took place on them. I wanted more about the makeup of these planetary bodies and the native creatures or peoples that inhabit them. But, maybe that is just me.

You may want something different then I, and if that is so, Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Planets & Moons may just be perfect for you.

[Ron Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's nice to flip through but it's extremely outdated, applying to the now-defunct Star Wars Expanded Universe. Unfortunately it's also in black-and-white with location scenes postcard size so you don't get to see much.