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The Star Wars Book: Expand your knowledge of a galaxy far, far away
This is the Star Wars book you're looking for.
If you want to comprehend the epic and intricate Star Wars saga, this is the book for you. It is a unique and insightful examination of this beloved franchise, including Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Written by Star Wars experts, including fan-favorite Pablo Hidalgo, this book is packed with stunning film and TV stills, illuminating infographics and curated essays that reveal the mysteries of the Star Wars galaxy. From legendary heroes like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to fascinating species like the Wookiees and Tusken Raiders, this book explores the central characters, technology, governments, and events that have shaped the epic saga.
The book is divided into key subject areas - the galaxy, science and technology, the Force, the Skywalkers, galactic governments and their dissidents, and galactic denizens. Whether you are a devoted Star Wars fan or a casual reader curious to learn more, The Star Wars Book is an invaluable roadmap to this galaxy, far far away....
(c) & (TM) 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd
If you want to comprehend the epic and intricate Star Wars saga, this is the book for you. It is a unique and insightful examination of this beloved franchise, including Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Written by Star Wars experts, including fan-favorite Pablo Hidalgo, this book is packed with stunning film and TV stills, illuminating infographics and curated essays that reveal the mysteries of the Star Wars galaxy. From legendary heroes like Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa to fascinating species like the Wookiees and Tusken Raiders, this book explores the central characters, technology, governments, and events that have shaped the epic saga.
The book is divided into key subject areas - the galaxy, science and technology, the Force, the Skywalkers, galactic governments and their dissidents, and galactic denizens. Whether you are a devoted Star Wars fan or a casual reader curious to learn more, The Star Wars Book is an invaluable roadmap to this galaxy, far far away....
(c) & (TM) 2020 Lucasfilm Ltd
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2020
98 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 9, 2021
The editors of ‘The Star Wars Book’ helpfully – or unhelpfully, depending on if you are a ‘half full’ or ‘half empty’ glass type of person – point out that there are an estimated 400 billion stars and over 3.2 billion habitable star systems in our galaxy. This colossal scale is not only hard to comprehend, it also means that “while great Republics and powerful Empires attempt to bring order to the galaxy, none can ever truly control it entirely.”
They elaborate: “Each region has many solar systems that in turn are home to multiple planets. Conventionally, numerous star systems are collected to form a sector, areas of the galaxy mapped together though not necessarily organised politically or culturally.”
Traffic across the galaxy flows along well-defined trade routes, with constant friction between legitimate corporations and illegal syndicates. Wealth and influence is at its highest in the Core Worlds, the centre of galactic politics. “Various Core Worlds have been the seat of the prevailing government, as the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, and New Republic all seat their capitals on one of the Core planets.”
Inevitably, the prosperity and influence enjoyed by the Core Worlds creates tension with those eking out a living in the farthest reaches “Core Worlders gain a reputation for arrogance and selfishness as those beyond the Core begin to see them as privileged. Common critiques of the Galactic Republic include that it disproportionately favours the Core Worlds and its politicians ignore the safety, well-being, and needs of those in other regions.” Sound familiar?
The planet-wide city of Coruscant itself is a living symbol of this deep-rooted division, with the wealthiest living in the upper storeys closest to the sky, while citizens on the lower levels “might live their whole lives without seeing natural sunlight in a notoriously crime-ridden underworld.” Coruscant is invariably depicted in the movies as a Golden SF type of utopia, something dreamt up by Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov, but the reality is far different.
The Colonies just outside the Core Worlds are home to the Trade Federation, “which oversees its massive business interests from this centrally-located region.” Then we get the Inner Rim and Expansion region. The Mid Rim is home to Naboo, Kashyyyk and Takodana. Many of these Mid Rim worlds were caught up in the Galactic Civil War.
To paraphrase Yeats, ‘the centre cannot hold’, so far from the stability of the Core Worlds is the Outer Rim, “a vast region known for its many lawless, lightly populated, and primitive frontier worlds.” Significantly, this is also the largest and most diverse region.
“Far from the oversight of powerful galactic governments, outlaws, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers operate with relative impunity, as Republic and Imperial laws mean very little so far from those who might enforce them.” Naturally this creates a power vacuum, which is quickly filled by the Hutts and other criminal syndicates such as the Pykes, Black Sun and Crimson Dawn.
“Despite its remote location, the Outer Rim plays host to many of the galaxy’s most significant events. During the age of the Republic, tensions between Outer Rim systems and the Core boil over into the Separatist movement, and this area of space plays host to much of the fighting during the ensuing Clone Wars...”
During the Empire’s rule, the Rebel Alliance opts for remote Outer Rim worlds for its secret bases, such as Yavin 4 and Hoth. The Death Star battle stations are secretly constructed in this region. And after the ascension of the First Order, remote worlds like D’Qar, Crait and Ajan Kloss all come into play.
The brilliance of ‘The Star Wars Book’ lies in how the editors take all of this crazy amount of information and history and mould it into a highly readable account of the cyclical evolution of the Star Wars universe, including all of its main players and stakeholders. It is often difficult to perceive the larger structure in individual movies, especially when the different worlds, let alone regions, are treated as mere backdrops to the main action, rather than players themselves in a quite complex socio-political web.
George Lucas’s indebtedness to other SF writers, especially E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith and Frank Herbert, is readily apparent when the universe he so lovingly curated over decades is laid bare like this. ‘The Star Wars Book’ is wonderful to dip into when you want to check out something specific, but it also makes for an absolutely riveting read in and of itself. It will make you fall in love with Star Wars all over again.
They elaborate: “Each region has many solar systems that in turn are home to multiple planets. Conventionally, numerous star systems are collected to form a sector, areas of the galaxy mapped together though not necessarily organised politically or culturally.”
Traffic across the galaxy flows along well-defined trade routes, with constant friction between legitimate corporations and illegal syndicates. Wealth and influence is at its highest in the Core Worlds, the centre of galactic politics. “Various Core Worlds have been the seat of the prevailing government, as the Galactic Republic, Galactic Empire, and New Republic all seat their capitals on one of the Core planets.”
Inevitably, the prosperity and influence enjoyed by the Core Worlds creates tension with those eking out a living in the farthest reaches “Core Worlders gain a reputation for arrogance and selfishness as those beyond the Core begin to see them as privileged. Common critiques of the Galactic Republic include that it disproportionately favours the Core Worlds and its politicians ignore the safety, well-being, and needs of those in other regions.” Sound familiar?
The planet-wide city of Coruscant itself is a living symbol of this deep-rooted division, with the wealthiest living in the upper storeys closest to the sky, while citizens on the lower levels “might live their whole lives without seeing natural sunlight in a notoriously crime-ridden underworld.” Coruscant is invariably depicted in the movies as a Golden SF type of utopia, something dreamt up by Arthur C. Clarke or Isaac Asimov, but the reality is far different.
The Colonies just outside the Core Worlds are home to the Trade Federation, “which oversees its massive business interests from this centrally-located region.” Then we get the Inner Rim and Expansion region. The Mid Rim is home to Naboo, Kashyyyk and Takodana. Many of these Mid Rim worlds were caught up in the Galactic Civil War.
To paraphrase Yeats, ‘the centre cannot hold’, so far from the stability of the Core Worlds is the Outer Rim, “a vast region known for its many lawless, lightly populated, and primitive frontier worlds.” Significantly, this is also the largest and most diverse region.
“Far from the oversight of powerful galactic governments, outlaws, bounty hunters, mercenaries, and smugglers operate with relative impunity, as Republic and Imperial laws mean very little so far from those who might enforce them.” Naturally this creates a power vacuum, which is quickly filled by the Hutts and other criminal syndicates such as the Pykes, Black Sun and Crimson Dawn.
“Despite its remote location, the Outer Rim plays host to many of the galaxy’s most significant events. During the age of the Republic, tensions between Outer Rim systems and the Core boil over into the Separatist movement, and this area of space plays host to much of the fighting during the ensuing Clone Wars...”
During the Empire’s rule, the Rebel Alliance opts for remote Outer Rim worlds for its secret bases, such as Yavin 4 and Hoth. The Death Star battle stations are secretly constructed in this region. And after the ascension of the First Order, remote worlds like D’Qar, Crait and Ajan Kloss all come into play.
The brilliance of ‘The Star Wars Book’ lies in how the editors take all of this crazy amount of information and history and mould it into a highly readable account of the cyclical evolution of the Star Wars universe, including all of its main players and stakeholders. It is often difficult to perceive the larger structure in individual movies, especially when the different worlds, let alone regions, are treated as mere backdrops to the main action, rather than players themselves in a quite complex socio-political web.
George Lucas’s indebtedness to other SF writers, especially E.E. ‘Doc’ Smith and Frank Herbert, is readily apparent when the universe he so lovingly curated over decades is laid bare like this. ‘The Star Wars Book’ is wonderful to dip into when you want to check out something specific, but it also makes for an absolutely riveting read in and of itself. It will make you fall in love with Star Wars all over again.
February 18, 2021
The Star Wars Book: They don’t even bother naming new Star Wars books anymore. If they’d named it The Millionth Star Wars Book, then my wife would be even more correct when she sighs and says to me, “I don’t know why you’re reading the millionth Star Wars book.”
Anyway, of all “The Star Wars Books” published by DK, this one is...the newest. (For now.) The only thing that renders it already out of date is some events and revelations in season two of The Mandalorian, which aren’t mentioned in the book. Unlike the visual dictionaries, this volume is more text-focused. Illustrations are small, and most of them don’t include captions pointing to things like “Beard, streaked with grey” or “Tall boots.” The book is divided into somewhat thematic sections, which means that by the time you’ve read it cover-to-cover, you will have read through the chronology of Star Wars several times, from various perspectives (and drawing from the current canon of movies, TV series, video games, and graphic novels). For someone who doesn’t know much about Star Wars and wants to quickly acquire pretty comprehensive knowledge, this is a good source.
The page (64) about Mace Windu unambiguously declares him “deceased,” so that settles all the speculation about whether he survived his defenestration and is still around somewhere in the galaxy, awaiting his own Disney+ series.
Anyway, of all “The Star Wars Books” published by DK, this one is...the newest. (For now.) The only thing that renders it already out of date is some events and revelations in season two of The Mandalorian, which aren’t mentioned in the book. Unlike the visual dictionaries, this volume is more text-focused. Illustrations are small, and most of them don’t include captions pointing to things like “Beard, streaked with grey” or “Tall boots.” The book is divided into somewhat thematic sections, which means that by the time you’ve read it cover-to-cover, you will have read through the chronology of Star Wars several times, from various perspectives (and drawing from the current canon of movies, TV series, video games, and graphic novels). For someone who doesn’t know much about Star Wars and wants to quickly acquire pretty comprehensive knowledge, this is a good source.
The page (64) about Mace Windu unambiguously declares him “deceased,” so that settles all the speculation about whether he survived his defenestration and is still around somewhere in the galaxy, awaiting his own Disney+ series.
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November 28, 2020Great book
The Bible of current cannon. This book is great. Timelines, graphics and great stories of those in and events of the curren5 Stars Wars cannon.
The Bible of current cannon. This book is great. Timelines, graphics and great stories of those in and events of the curren5 Stars Wars cannon.
November 20, 2023
This is s pretty good compilation of events and people involved in the various Star Wars projects. It’s also pretty up-to-date including all of the movies plus The Clone Wars and at least the first season of The Mandalorian. The only drawback is that some of the sections can get repetitive but I’m not sure how that could have been avoided when writing such a broad book that seeks to explain every bit of the galaxy and how people and events are connected.
November 5, 2020
Fun read/reference, but a few errors (that I assume/hope will be corrected in later editions.)
December 20, 2020
I would prefer a New New Essential Chronology, but this is still a fantastic and comprehensive resource.
January 13, 2021
This is a fun reference book for fans of all ages. I wish it went beyond the movies a bit more but that’s about my only complaint.
December 26, 2022
A pretty good general reference book for anyone wanting a quick answer to "who was this?" or "what was This Event about?" This book isn't exhaustively expansive as I'm sure it could be, but more a quick overview of many characters and events in Star Wars canon (as of the publication date of 2020). Its main focus seems to be from all nine Star Wars movies, some information on The Clone Wars, and a tiny bit of The Mandalorian.
It's clear the information was taken from many sources including the movies, comics, books, etc. This aspect is good in case you were confused, for example, of who all the hooded beings at the end of The Rise of Skywalker were on Exogul, since the movie did not answer it. Or if it did, it must have been a very quick passing single line. In any case, the hooded figures are, apparently, Sith cultists.
My rating comes down to a few different criteria. Objectively speaking, I've taken off points for:
1) There is some odd inconsistency in when and who they use the label of "status report" for. So for instance, a majority of characters within the book do have a status that indicates whether, currently in known canon, the character is alive, deceased, or missing. There were a few characters that I knew are deceased in canon, but there was no "status report" for them.
2) I noticed very minor punctuation errors, which is a nitpick, but still a mistake in a published book.
3) There was a technical nitpick, but incorrect information nonetheless, when I came across the description of Luke Skywalker having his "right arm" cut off. It was his right hand, not his arm. I'm also positive there were other instances of incorrect information like this, which is odd and disappointing for an official SW publication.
Part of my subjective rating comes from some material in this book simply not interesting me. There are some characters, for example, that I don't care to reference or really learn about, and so their specific pages were of no use to me.
It's clear the information was taken from many sources including the movies, comics, books, etc. This aspect is good in case you were confused, for example, of who all the hooded beings at the end of The Rise of Skywalker were on Exogul, since the movie did not answer it. Or if it did, it must have been a very quick passing single line. In any case, the hooded figures are, apparently, Sith cultists.
My rating comes down to a few different criteria. Objectively speaking, I've taken off points for:
1) There is some odd inconsistency in when and who they use the label of "status report" for. So for instance, a majority of characters within the book do have a status that indicates whether, currently in known canon, the character is alive, deceased, or missing. There were a few characters that I knew are deceased in canon, but there was no "status report" for them.
2) I noticed very minor punctuation errors, which is a nitpick, but still a mistake in a published book.
3) There was a technical nitpick, but incorrect information nonetheless, when I came across the description of Luke Skywalker having his "right arm" cut off. It was his right hand, not his arm. I'm also positive there were other instances of incorrect information like this, which is odd and disappointing for an official SW publication.
Part of my subjective rating comes from some material in this book simply not interesting me. There are some characters, for example, that I don't care to reference or really learn about, and so their specific pages were of no use to me.
July 4, 2022
Good reference book. A bit dated. 3.5 stars.
This book is full of mostly “older” Star Wars info for the average fan, which I consider myself to be. The book seems focused on the movies and the animated series. I loved the original movies and the first of the three-sequel series. I did not like the prequel movie series, but I did enjoy Rogue One. I’ve watched some animated series, but I do like the Bad Batch—including the four episode intro in the last season of Clone Wars, on Disney+.
Like many jaded Star Wars fans, my interest was rekindled by “The Mandalorian” with Pedro Pascal from GOT and the animatronics-puppet, Grogu. Unfortunately, at book print time, the TV series was probably still new. There is info about Mandalorians in general and their bloody history, which comes from several long-running animated series.
The book is divided into various sections—Science and Technology, The Force, The Skywalkers, etc. So, I looked at topics under each section and chose what to read, instead of reading cover to cover. I searched for topics of interest, which can be found under different sections. Examples: Deathwatch, Order 66, Saw Gerrera, and Thrawn. This book has a lot of info about Clone Wars, but nothing about the Bad Batch—which was introduced during the last season of Clone Wars in 2020.
This book is full of mostly “older” Star Wars info for the average fan, which I consider myself to be. The book seems focused on the movies and the animated series. I loved the original movies and the first of the three-sequel series. I did not like the prequel movie series, but I did enjoy Rogue One. I’ve watched some animated series, but I do like the Bad Batch—including the four episode intro in the last season of Clone Wars, on Disney+.
Like many jaded Star Wars fans, my interest was rekindled by “The Mandalorian” with Pedro Pascal from GOT and the animatronics-puppet, Grogu. Unfortunately, at book print time, the TV series was probably still new. There is info about Mandalorians in general and their bloody history, which comes from several long-running animated series.
The book is divided into various sections—Science and Technology, The Force, The Skywalkers, etc. So, I looked at topics under each section and chose what to read, instead of reading cover to cover. I searched for topics of interest, which can be found under different sections. Examples: Deathwatch, Order 66, Saw Gerrera, and Thrawn. This book has a lot of info about Clone Wars, but nothing about the Bad Batch—which was introduced during the last season of Clone Wars in 2020.
July 30, 2024
The book serves the purpose as stated in the title. If you have only seen the movies, there was probably a lot going on that you would not have understood. The action moves fast in the movies, leaving no time for reflection. This book fills in a lot of detail about politics, technology and characters. It emphasises timelines of events relative to the first SW movie (now called Episode 4). The book is not organised chronologically, but in topics such as The Galaxy, The Force, etc. Readers will find themselves back at the same point in time over and over.
It's hard to describe the impact that the first SW movie had on me. There was technology, humour, drama, and characters you could love or hate. I've read various books in the SW timeline written by various authors, and I found them completely flat and dull. They are full of characters with weird names, conjured randomly by jumbling the alphabet. It seems to me that only the movies can do justice to this story, and propel the watcher into those exciting alternate galaxies and worlds.
I found myself disappointed with the book, but in fairness to the author, and other potential readers, I award a rating of 3.
It's hard to describe the impact that the first SW movie had on me. There was technology, humour, drama, and characters you could love or hate. I've read various books in the SW timeline written by various authors, and I found them completely flat and dull. They are full of characters with weird names, conjured randomly by jumbling the alphabet. It seems to me that only the movies can do justice to this story, and propel the watcher into those exciting alternate galaxies and worlds.
I found myself disappointed with the book, but in fairness to the author, and other potential readers, I award a rating of 3.
May 30, 2021
This book, part of the DK series of books that highlight topics was interesting, engaging and informative. It covered a wide range of items, including recent material such as the Mandalorian, Resistance cartoon, and new books and graphic novels.
A small sampling of the topics discussed included Galactic Governments, the Skywalker family and the Jedi and Sith. Within each of those larger chapters, were smaller ones dedicated to specific things such as The New Republic, planets concentrated with Force energy, or military organizations.
I did notice at least one discrepancy, in the book it says Padme was the youngest Queen ever elected, when on the film, Padme herself clearly contradicts that by saying she was not. An insignificant error, but still, one an editor should have caught.
I did really enjoy how certain things, such as the Knights of Ren, were expanded on and discussed in depth. There were a lot of topics like that in this book, and I learned a lot of new information. It was a really interesting book to read. I highly recommend it to any Star Wars fan.
A small sampling of the topics discussed included Galactic Governments, the Skywalker family and the Jedi and Sith. Within each of those larger chapters, were smaller ones dedicated to specific things such as The New Republic, planets concentrated with Force energy, or military organizations.
I did notice at least one discrepancy, in the book it says Padme was the youngest Queen ever elected, when on the film, Padme herself clearly contradicts that by saying she was not. An insignificant error, but still, one an editor should have caught.
I did really enjoy how certain things, such as the Knights of Ren, were expanded on and discussed in depth. There were a lot of topics like that in this book, and I learned a lot of new information. It was a really interesting book to read. I highly recommend it to any Star Wars fan.
May 7, 2021
What is an otherwise basic overview of the Star Wars franchise is hampered by a number of minor, but obvious errors. For example, on more than one occasion, the book claims that Qui-Gon Jinn takes Anakin Skywalker as a Padawan, but that plainly contradicts what happens in The Phantom Menace. The entry on Lando Calrissian states that he becomes a general in the Rebel Alliance due to his involvement in rescuing Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. In Return of the Jedi, however, he speculates that his rank is because of his "little maneuver at the Battle of Taanab". How mistakes like these made it through the editing process is baffling.
August 13, 2021
This is a great little encyclopedia of a whole heck of a lot of the major stuff in Star Wars - on screen, cartoons, books, comics. The downside if of course, will need an updated version in a couple years, meaning having to get another book of course.
May 17, 2022
I love learning more about Star Wars and it has Been a main source of information when trying to sort some skirmish out online with a toxic fan. I got Mine off Amazon, 15$ hardcover, and it’s the same thing that you might find at Barnes and noble for 40$
August 20, 2024
really fantastic, goes right back to the begining of the franchise
December 31, 2020
My review of this book can be found on my Youtube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/DKovdRr-oNw
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/DKovdRr-oNw
Enjoy!
January 30, 2024
Another book that I need to add to my refernce collection
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