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Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide
Dark Horse presents the definitive guide to Star Wars comics, complete with in-depth coverage all the way through Episode III! Written by Ryder Windham, Star Wars expert, and densely illustrated with both brand-new art and classic images from the comics, this chronological compendium contains everything you need to be the ultimate Star Wars reader in-the-know. Follow Anakin Skywalker's descent into darkness, from his early days as a padawan, to his harrowing Clone Wars battles, up through his transformation and eventual death as Darth Vader. Get complete details on the exploits of Luke and Leia, Han and Chewie, and all the rest of the gang, with thorough rundowns of classic Star Wars history, from the very beginnings of the Jedi order, no character goes unmentioned and no quadrant goes unmapped.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2005
20 people are currently reading
860 people want to read
About the author
Ryder Windham
277 books169 followersRyder Windham is an American sci-fi author who has written over sixty Star Wars books, including novels, comics, reference books, and so on. He has also written junior novelizations for Indiana Jones movies. Since 1993, he has been working on Star Wars projects either by himself or with other authors. His reference book Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide had been on the New York Times Best Seller list for three weeks in 2005. Although he has written lots of books, accepted interviews, and appeared at several fan-conventions, little is known about his personal life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
February 27, 2020
Poor Ryder Windham. Not only was this book, even at the time, destined not to be the “ultimate” Star Wars visual guide (it is, after all, the second edition, which makes you wonder about the “ultimate” moniker anyway), but much of it has now been outright erased by Disney. However, this book certainly represents the ultimate overview of the original-canon Expanded Universe, and as such it is a good reference. It’s fun to note the coverage ratio: the original trilogy gets 28 pages; the Clone Wars series gets 26 pages; and the prequel trilogy gets just 22 pages. I think that’s a good reflection of how fans felt in 2012.
For me, the least interesting parts of this book were the pages about the movies. I know the movies really well already, and the summaries here added little extra information. More useful is the overview of the Old Republic era, which brings together books, graphic novels, and video games into a mostly coherent (thought still quite complex) timeline. That’s the era about which I know the least. I have to wonder: Is there always somebody at Lucasfilm story group meetings these days who says, “You know, would it be easier to just go with all the Old Republic stuff as-is in the new canon, instead of making it all up again?” (And then, presumably, Kathleen Kennedy says, “Mm, interesting idea. Let’s table that until next month’s meeting, again.”) I wonder about this especially because Disney has done almost nothing with that era so far, and even their new initiative is to fill in the High Republic era, which the previous canon didn’t really touch. I wouldn’t be surprised eventually to see the original Old Republic narrative brought in more or less whole from the old canon.
Less interesting to me is the other end of the Expanded Universe: what happens after Return of the Jedi. Those books and graphic novels always felt so lame (and yes, I’m including the original Thrawn trilogy in that sweeping judgment). I truly wish the decades after Episode VI had just been left to our imaginations and that SW had picked up the story many years after all the characters we know had passed on. It’s sad to read George Lucas saying, “[T]o be very honest with you, I never ever thought of anything that happened beyond Episode VI. It’s the Darth Vader story” (182). He said that in 2005, but by the time this expanded book was published in 2012, he was probably already at work mapping out the sequel trilogy—plans which Disney then apparently scrapped in favor of...what they ended up doing. What a mess. If only they’d just left this era alone and moved on to more creative, unexplored territory.
The book concludes with a quick look at some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of SW, including some of the merchandise produced over the years, from the beloved to the bizarre. Because I lived through all of that, and it was all such a big part of my life, it was a fun section of the book to look through.
Overall, this visual guide is a great way to understand what SW meant to its fans, just before Disney bought it and made it into what it is now.
For me, the least interesting parts of this book were the pages about the movies. I know the movies really well already, and the summaries here added little extra information. More useful is the overview of the Old Republic era, which brings together books, graphic novels, and video games into a mostly coherent (thought still quite complex) timeline. That’s the era about which I know the least. I have to wonder: Is there always somebody at Lucasfilm story group meetings these days who says, “You know, would it be easier to just go with all the Old Republic stuff as-is in the new canon, instead of making it all up again?” (And then, presumably, Kathleen Kennedy says, “Mm, interesting idea. Let’s table that until next month’s meeting, again.”) I wonder about this especially because Disney has done almost nothing with that era so far, and even their new initiative is to fill in the High Republic era, which the previous canon didn’t really touch. I wouldn’t be surprised eventually to see the original Old Republic narrative brought in more or less whole from the old canon.
Less interesting to me is the other end of the Expanded Universe: what happens after Return of the Jedi. Those books and graphic novels always felt so lame (and yes, I’m including the original Thrawn trilogy in that sweeping judgment). I truly wish the decades after Episode VI had just been left to our imaginations and that SW had picked up the story many years after all the characters we know had passed on. It’s sad to read George Lucas saying, “[T]o be very honest with you, I never ever thought of anything that happened beyond Episode VI. It’s the Darth Vader story” (182). He said that in 2005, but by the time this expanded book was published in 2012, he was probably already at work mapping out the sequel trilogy—plans which Disney then apparently scrapped in favor of...what they ended up doing. What a mess. If only they’d just left this era alone and moved on to more creative, unexplored territory.
The book concludes with a quick look at some of the behind-the-scenes aspects of SW, including some of the merchandise produced over the years, from the beloved to the bizarre. Because I lived through all of that, and it was all such a big part of my life, it was a fun section of the book to look through.
Overall, this visual guide is a great way to understand what SW meant to its fans, just before Disney bought it and made it into what it is now.
March 10, 2013
“This is so HARD-CORE VISUAL GUIDE!”
From the Star Wars SAGA, Comics, TV-Series, Collectibles and Games…this is so ULTIMATE! I got overwhelmed by the book cause it’s a hard bound and a high-quality colored pages that makes you say “WOW!”. It’s really nice to see them all in just one book.
I love it and I suggest this to those Star Wars Fans to have one. Definitely worth it.
From the Star Wars SAGA, Comics, TV-Series, Collectibles and Games…this is so ULTIMATE! I got overwhelmed by the book cause it’s a hard bound and a high-quality colored pages that makes you say “WOW!”. It’s really nice to see them all in just one book.
I love it and I suggest this to those Star Wars Fans to have one. Definitely worth it.
April 8, 2025
So fun! I love this as an easy way to learn about the Legends universe (I did not know the ‘fault’ in the Death Star was attributed to one guy being a corrupt loser lol. That’s one area I think the EU did so much better.) and a brief history into behind the scenes stuff. I’m still reading Rinzler’s ROTJ book but I’m honestly mostly clueless about the Prequels so that was fun.
Also maybe they should reshoot 43yo Hayden now for the final scene in ROTJ…
Also maybe they should reshoot 43yo Hayden now for the final scene in ROTJ…
January 3, 2020
Der historische Teil ist zu kurz...
June 8, 2018
Ihan kohtalainen SW-opas nuorelle fanille. Kuvitus on hienoa ja materiaalia on otettu käytännössä kaikkialta: elokuvista, tv-sarjoista, kirjoista, sarjakuvista, peleistä, oheistuotteista...
Kirjassa on paljon hyviäkin juttuja, mutta harmillisesti siinä myös sooloillaan omituisesti ja jopa kerrotaan asioita päinvastoin kuin elokuvissa on suoraan sanottu. Monet tiedoista ovat myös melko puuduttavaa luettavaa: erityisesti Clone Wars -kokonaisuus, jossa käytännössä vain tiivistetään jokaisen jakson tapahtumat 3-5 lauseeseen. Harmillista on myös se, että käytännössä kaikissa kokonaisuuksissa kerrotaan myös lopputulema todella yksityiskohtaisesti.
Lopussa esitellään myös oheistuotteita sekä kulissien takana tapahtuneita asioita. Näissä olisi toivonut hieman kriittisempää otetta, sillä nyt ne luovat Lucasista turhan kaikkitietävän ja -osaavan kuvan. (Tosin Lucasin on todennäköisesti pitänyt hyväksyä tämä kirja, joten kritiikkiä hän tuskin olisi laskenut läpi.)
Kirjan käännös on kömpelö ja joskus virheelliset tiedot johtuvat puhtaasti siitä.
Ihan mukava selailtava kirja, mutta voi pilata lukemisilon monista muista kirjoista ja sarjakuvista. Kirjan tiedot ovat vanhaa Expanded Universea eli ne eivät enää pidä paikkaansa.
Kirjassa on paljon hyviäkin juttuja, mutta harmillisesti siinä myös sooloillaan omituisesti ja jopa kerrotaan asioita päinvastoin kuin elokuvissa on suoraan sanottu. Monet tiedoista ovat myös melko puuduttavaa luettavaa: erityisesti Clone Wars -kokonaisuus, jossa käytännössä vain tiivistetään jokaisen jakson tapahtumat 3-5 lauseeseen. Harmillista on myös se, että käytännössä kaikissa kokonaisuuksissa kerrotaan myös lopputulema todella yksityiskohtaisesti.
Lopussa esitellään myös oheistuotteita sekä kulissien takana tapahtuneita asioita. Näissä olisi toivonut hieman kriittisempää otetta, sillä nyt ne luovat Lucasista turhan kaikkitietävän ja -osaavan kuvan. (Tosin Lucasin on todennäköisesti pitänyt hyväksyä tämä kirja, joten kritiikkiä hän tuskin olisi laskenut läpi.)
Kirjan käännös on kömpelö ja joskus virheelliset tiedot johtuvat puhtaasti siitä.
Ihan mukava selailtava kirja, mutta voi pilata lukemisilon monista muista kirjoista ja sarjakuvista. Kirjan tiedot ovat vanhaa Expanded Universea eli ne eivät enää pidä paikkaansa.
December 4, 2012
(More pictures at parkablogs.com)
This book is a visual guide to all the six Star Wars film, in chronological order. This book doesn't cover the basic stuff like characters (in depth anyway), weapons, etc which are already covered in Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary. Instead, this book goes into the galaxy conflicts and background stories of things you see on screen, for example, Jabba's palace, Luke's training with Yoda, etc.
It's filled with lots of imagery, comic frames, film stills and photographs. At the back is a behind-the-scene look at how Star Wars, the visual effects, concept art, franchise, etc. Other Star Wars book which deals specifically on the topics have more depth than this book of course.
If you need a quick guide to understanding the Star Wars and its history, this would be a nice book.
January 10, 2016
Absolutely brilliant book. It gives so much more information you don't get from the films. I have been a fan of the films since A New Hope was released in 1977 and I had read some of the books on the expanded universe, but not all, and I hadn't followed the Clone Wars animated series (which I will probably start watching - better late than never), so this book filled in a load of gaps, and also gave a lot explanations and insights into characters and events. What I really appreciated was the galactic map (it was enlightening to find out at last where all the planets/systems were), the timeline and managing to put a face on some of the aliens.
For people who only see Star Wars as films, this book demonstrates that it is a whole lot more (a lot of people still don't realise just how far reaching this saga has become). An extremely well presented reference book about a galaxy far, far away....
For people who only see Star Wars as films, this book demonstrates that it is a whole lot more (a lot of people still don't realise just how far reaching this saga has become). An extremely well presented reference book about a galaxy far, far away....
July 8, 2012
I am the FURTHEST person from the title "Star Wars fan," but this visual encyclopedia, that Dayson picked up from the library, was THOROUGHLY enjoyable! (I can't believe I'm writing this!) It tells the whole SW story from a historical perspective (using movies, novels, cartoons, comic books, etc.), starting well before the movies and ending well after the movies. Man, Mr. Lucas created quite a universe! For a short moment, my inner Jedi came out! :)
October 14, 2016
The details are fun, but it spoils many of the Expanded Universe (now called Legends) books, and doesn't talk enough about the gaming aspect of the franchise. Plus, some of the print was hard to read due to the backgrounds. As much as I love Star Wars, I'd rather read or watch the saga than read about it.
June 6, 2020
This 30th anniversary edition is a summary of the different story arcs of the saga, in movies, books, comics and some topics more related to the saga such as George Lucas, special effects, merchandise, games, etc. By 2020 it is already an outdated book, because Disney in its infinite wisdom put aside all this material to make a new canon with its sequel films, an error if we consider the wealth of these stories that give not only more depth and wealth to the saga but also make it much more entertaining.
I'm still going to keep this book out of nostalgia to know that Star Wars was once much more than a franchise that only makes products with the sole purpose of selling. It is proof that the content before the great purchase of Disney was made with more passion and by people who really cared for the saga, people who cared about continuity and all this always under the supervision of the creator of the same. That is why there are stories that are organic, although it is true that they are not all good, something that can be said is that they made more sense than the current ones.
If someone wants to know roughly what the canon was like before, this book is essential.
I'm still going to keep this book out of nostalgia to know that Star Wars was once much more than a franchise that only makes products with the sole purpose of selling. It is proof that the content before the great purchase of Disney was made with more passion and by people who really cared for the saga, people who cared about continuity and all this always under the supervision of the creator of the same. That is why there are stories that are organic, although it is true that they are not all good, something that can be said is that they made more sense than the current ones.
If someone wants to know roughly what the canon was like before, this book is essential.
December 4, 2019
It really hurts to give this 3 stars. The book had good information & I went into it realizing that everything was essentially pre-2010. So, there is nothing on the sequel trilogy or Solo or Rogue One. (Understandable & sadly, expected considering when the book was from.) There is a lot of information from the Star Wars books. Like A LOT. Kind of cool but I also found it a bit unnecessary. Firstly, everything has been retconned out of cannon. Secondly, the books always felt a step above fan fic to me. (Here are the stories we want told from the Star Wars universe & we just happen to have Lucasfilm ok & everyone is buying into this stuff hardcore.) Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the fact that there are Star Wars books out there & I love the Lucasfilm gave the go ahead for a long time. I have even enjoyed several of the books that I have read. (All of this is beside the point, by the way.) I just think that when something like the visual guides are made, there needs to be a bit of distinction between cannon (the movies) & fan fic (the books).
November 14, 2020
I read this book a ton as a kid. It was a pretty solid overview of the entire Star Wars lore at the time, and included content from not just the movies but also the novels, comics, videogames and more.
The version I had was not the special edition and it released in 2005 so obviously it does not include the CG Clone Wars TV show or any of Disney's content.
With that in mind, I still recommend it as there is so much expanded Star Wars content across different mediums that I would have never herd of had it not been for this book.
The version I had was not the special edition and it released in 2005 so obviously it does not include the CG Clone Wars TV show or any of Disney's content.
With that in mind, I still recommend it as there is so much expanded Star Wars content across different mediums that I would have never herd of had it not been for this book.
September 24, 2020
The last meta Star Wars book that I've had on my shelf for as long as I can remember. Obviously outdated due to the Disney takeover but luckily it is recent enough that it does cover the beginning of The Clone Wars and several videogames.
There were still some chronological problems, but a ton of great background info on now-legends happening. Plus it helped me fix where Droids and Ewoks takes place in my chronological watch-through list.
#StarWars
There were still some chronological problems, but a ton of great background info on now-legends happening. Plus it helped me fix where Droids and Ewoks takes place in my chronological watch-through list.
#StarWars
July 23, 2022
I just finished reading this aloud to my 5-year who is currently obsessed with Star Wars and John Williams. It was the first time that I saw what might draw people deeper into Star Wars universe, the expanded universe stuff was especially interesting.
It was enough to get me interested in reading expanded universe stuff and it was cool to see what expectations were for movies 7-9 back in 2007z
It was enough to get me interested in reading expanded universe stuff and it was cool to see what expectations were for movies 7-9 back in 2007z
July 14, 2025
While my first experiences with the EU in elementary school were with the Junior Jedi Knights series and a Clone Wars Kit Fisto comic, this book at that time opened my eyes to many other stories beyond the movies. Now as an adult, I am currently reading through a lot of the materials mentioned in here and also am now the proud owner of a copy of this.
December 20, 2017
It was pretty cool. Much of the same stuff from the movies with extra tidbits. Only Star Wars 1-6. Not sure if the timeline is canon or not since Disney just changed everything. I liked the movie posters at the end!
February 3, 2020
A short but comprehensive book. You get a ton of detail in a short read. The timeline at the end of the book was really cool for me. The behind the scenes stuff from Star wars is about as interesting as the films and Mythology themselves. Good read for someone trying to learn more about star wars.
November 13, 2020
Ein wunderbares Buch, das einen hervorragenden Überblick und viele Informationen bietet.
Außerdem gibt es viele zusätzliche Inhalte, zum Beispiel ein Blick hinter die Kulissen, ein paar Fotos von lustigen Fan-Artikeln etc.
Kann ich empfehlen.
Außerdem gibt es viele zusätzliche Inhalte, zum Beispiel ein Blick hinter die Kulissen, ein paar Fotos von lustigen Fan-Artikeln etc.
Kann ich empfehlen.
March 8, 2021
A beautiful book, but not a complete guide to the SW Universe, since it doesn't cover the recent movies ("The Force Awakens" et al.) You'll be better served by waiting until a new revised edition appears.
November 18, 2022
An impressive work. I could do without the fanfiction sections however
August 31, 2023
A great overview of all the great Star Wars lore and history before it was acquired by Disney!
December 13, 2023
Outdated now that Disney acquired SW, but this thing was/is the best. Great to point fans towards new storylines.
January 28, 2024
It's a great book of Star Wars images and story info
February 20, 2017
Doesn't include stuff from the last 2 movies so it's no longer canon but still has lots of stuff I didn't know.
August 9, 2012
I am a long time fan that is still reading (some of) the Expanded Universe books, so it is not easy to provide me with content that I am not familiar with, or in a way that makes it seem fresh. This book managed to do just that.
Being a visual guide more than an encyclopedic guide, this book is wonderful. There are lots of great artwork and still from the movies and TV shows to view. Past and present are all represented, along with the stories as they appear throughout different media. I do wish there were more pages devoted to the comics, which is one of my weak areas of Star Wars lore. It did, however, go into the Clone Wars era a good bit, which is another weak area for me. And it balanced the new and the old very well, so there is something there for everyone, no matter which generation of Star Wars fan you are.
It is really hard to find any glaring flaws for a book this size. It is a tall order to try to fit this much info coupled with this much imagery and still make the book accessible and manageable. Did it cover everything or go into depth? No. Could it have? No. If you don't believe me, check out the three volume encyclopedia set to see just how big a task this would be. I am just glad the author was able to do as much as he did given the scope of the book.
Being a visual guide more than an encyclopedic guide, this book is wonderful. There are lots of great artwork and still from the movies and TV shows to view. Past and present are all represented, along with the stories as they appear throughout different media. I do wish there were more pages devoted to the comics, which is one of my weak areas of Star Wars lore. It did, however, go into the Clone Wars era a good bit, which is another weak area for me. And it balanced the new and the old very well, so there is something there for everyone, no matter which generation of Star Wars fan you are.
It is really hard to find any glaring flaws for a book this size. It is a tall order to try to fit this much info coupled with this much imagery and still make the book accessible and manageable. Did it cover everything or go into depth? No. Could it have? No. If you don't believe me, check out the three volume encyclopedia set to see just how big a task this would be. I am just glad the author was able to do as much as he did given the scope of the book.
April 21, 2012
I really enjoyed reading this book. DK Publishing does their usual complete and thorough job in detailing the fictional history of the Star Wars universe in text and pictures. Spanning all the movies, the TV appearances, comics, and even books, the amount of background history for Star Wars is incredible. I find it very interesting that the weakest link in all this incredible outpouring of creativity are the movies themselves. After reading this I'm even more disappointed in the second trilogy. I always thought it was the stilted dialog, overall messy screenplay, and poor acting at fault, but add shoddy editing to the mix as well. There actually is a good story underneath it all - but somehow half of the important events and back story are left out or not explained, making the movies incoherent at best and on the verge of being unwatchable. The Star Wars universe deserved better - I'm happy this book improves its reputation somewhat.
January 13, 2019
While the book has been dated by the Star Wars reboot/new movies, it's full of information on the original universe. While the "in universe" explanations may no longer be relevant for some things, the look at the classic EU stories, comics, and shows is still worth it for fans, particularly those who grew up loving Star Wars. An additional section focusing on "real world" items, such as merchandise and games, is an interesting look at how the perception of SW has changed. The book was full of fun and enjoyable photos and tidbits.
On re-reading, I would add that the book isn't really an "ultimate" anything. It just doesn't have enough information on things. The pictures are great but in order to include them, they leave out a lot of stuff. Definitely not a Star Wars reference book, perhaps a SW coffee table book. Still enjoyable though.
On re-reading, I would add that the book isn't really an "ultimate" anything. It just doesn't have enough information on things. The pictures are great but in order to include them, they leave out a lot of stuff. Definitely not a Star Wars reference book, perhaps a SW coffee table book. Still enjoyable though.
February 20, 2013
Ok I will admit I am biased towards Star Wars - how can I not be since it was the first film I ever saw - yep at the tender and impressionable age.
Anyway - This book as the blub says is updated and revised and thats exactly what it is - I originally read the first edition some time ago - then I discovered that it had been updated - it now includes a lot of new material, from the Clone wars to the the old republic to mention but two of the many new additions and updates.
The book as always is lavishly illustrated and a joy to read. I would not say there is anything new to learn here (apart from the new additions I guess) but still it proves that there is still a lot of life and new material still being added to the universe of Star Wars.
Anyway - This book as the blub says is updated and revised and thats exactly what it is - I originally read the first edition some time ago - then I discovered that it had been updated - it now includes a lot of new material, from the Clone wars to the the old republic to mention but two of the many new additions and updates.
The book as always is lavishly illustrated and a joy to read. I would not say there is anything new to learn here (apart from the new additions I guess) but still it proves that there is still a lot of life and new material still being added to the universe of Star Wars.
September 27, 2013
This is actually the best star wars book you can get for people who want to learn more about star wars, but for people that already know a lot about star wars its not that good. The book is generally really good, plenty of information and pictures with most of it. The book covers pretty much every thing in the star wars universe (generally) and has info on anything from the wars, to the videogames, and even merchandise, and technology. Like i said its got a little bit of everything from star wars. Its nice to have for any star wars fan.
June 3, 2012
For someone as steeped in Star Wars as myself, this book doesn't really offer anything. It's stuffed with art, images, and info, but the majority of it is things I've seen and read before. Towards the end there are some pretty cool sections on merchandise and behind the scenes of the movies. This isn't to say the book is bad however, just as I can get entertainment from the watching the movies multiple times, I can get entertainment out of book like this.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews