Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters

Star Wars: Essential Guides #1

by Andy Mangels

The Star Wars universe is expanding faster than ever before, and Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters has received an exciting new face-lift–with completely updated text and more than a hundred brand new, full-color illustrations by extraordinary new artist Michael Sutfin.

This all-new Essential Guide features detailed profiles of more than one hundred and thirty characters from across the Star Wars galaxy, including all of your favorites–such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and Mara Jade–as well as, from Episode II:

• Jango Fett • Count Dooku • Anakin Skywalker • Zam Wesell

And the key players from Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace:

• Queen Amidala • Qui-Gon Jinn • Mace Windu • Darth Maul

Here is complete, updated coverage of the novels from the incredible New Jedi Order and all of the classic movies, books, comics, TV specials, games, and the rest of the Star Wars universe.

This must-have book describes the essential history and personal data for each character–with vital statistics, homeworlds, and political affiliations.

More characters, more information, brilliant artwork–the Essential Guides are hotter than ever!

Genres: Star Wars, Science Fiction, Reference, Fiction, Media Tie In, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy

Paperback

First published October 24, 1995

About the author

Andy Mangels is an American science fiction author who has written novels, comics, and magazine articles, and produced DVD collections, mostly focusing on media in popular culture. As an openly-gay man, he has been a longtime advocate for greater visibility of gay and lesbian characters in various media, especially comics, including the coordination and moderation of the annual "Gays in Comics" panel for Comic Con International since it was begun in 1988. He is the founder of an annual "Women of Wonder Day" event, which raises funds for domestic violence shelters and related programs. As of 2011 he has had books on the USA Today "best-selling books" list three times. wikipedia

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool collector's item!


LONG TIME AGO

Buying Characters' Guides in Star Wars nowadays (2017) is always a costly gamble since Disney is producing a new movie each year, for not mentioning the current animated Rebels, since due that...

...those books tend to get outdated too soon.

And, also, in the internet era, with sites like "Wookiepedia", you can check out any character you want to consult in an easy way and always updated.

Therefore...

This book at hand, obviously is absurdly outdated, since not only it was published in the 90s, but also it contains characters from the previous Expanded Universe in comics and prose novels that now they're not canon anymore, but merely "legends".

STILL...

...I love to have this book in my collection, since at its moment, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, when internet wasn't so well equipped with info about pop culture franchises, this reference book was a real treasure to have, with info that at that moment in the past, it wasn't so easy to read about.

So, even if many of the information is outdated or even non canonical anymore...

...it remains bravely as a cool collector's item.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Look, this isn't an awful book. It's just, well...I used to love this book as a kid! And for years I enjoyed the world of Star Wars that existed beyond the movies. That is, until Disney came along and wiped out the entire expanded universe, rendering this book irrelevant. Now this once wonderful tome is little more than Star Wars fan-fiction from the 90's. Oh well.

[Keni Mecha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I bought this years ago when it first came out. It is DEFINITELY not canon, thanks to Disney doing away with Expanded Universe (Legends) material, so pretty much all of the information in it is considered null and void. In spite of that it is still a fun read. Think of it as a "what could have been" as you read through it.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was happy to find this book in my local library & I definitely read it. The disappointing (frustrating? heartbreaking?) aspect of this book is that it was written in 1995. So pre-Sequel trilogy. Pre-Prequel trilogy. Definitely before Disney got their hands on Lucasfilm & threw out all of the Star Wars based books as being anything more than fun fanfic reads. So, several characters are not included in the book & a good chunk of the information (both for characters that ARE canonical & the ones that only appeared in the books) is now null & void. :S

[Josh Manley · Rating 2 out of 5]

While a product of its time this relic of the legends era. Some of it is really cool and interesting even the prequels destroy the lore in this book. There are some parts of it that are completely unreadable, especially considering the new lore that we have. It’s a neat book for its time, but it doesn’t hold up.

[Stormy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 2000 by Lucas Books. It’s a complete compilation of characters, including the graphic novels, before Disney took over the franchise. The illustrations by Bill Hughes are excellent.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back in 1995 when George Lucas announced he was creating the Shadows of the Empire story and later revealing that he was making Special Editions of his film, almost every store was abuzz with Star Wars merchandise. This book was a chronicle of all the characters of the epic story from the Original films to the Extended Universe. A bit outdated now with all the new Extended Universe stories, Prequels and pretty soon Sequels. Still a great read, especially when now we know the truth of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader and the stories surrounding Boba Fett long before we found out where he came from. B+

[Ron Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't pay attention to the Goodreads description. That's for an entirely different book. This one doesn't have color photographs and came out in 1995 long before the prequel trilogy.

It's a bit repetitive and horribly outdated, especially since the Expanded Universe has been thrown out the window, but I still enjoyed it. I liked reading the back stories of all the minor characters in the movies. I especially enjoyed all the intrigue swirling around in the Mos Eisley Cantina and Jabba's Palace.

[Christøpher Es · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably my alltime favorite book.

I read it over and over and over and over.

Then I got the Star Wars Encyclopedic.

Then I lost that after Episode 1 came out.

Now all I have is this. A completely (pre) episode I record of how cool star wars used to be to (everyone else).

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love to read more about characters I have seen or read about, but there simply could be more to this book. It's a good start, but it needs to be updated and expanded to cover the whole Star Wars universe.

[Amanda Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is an interesting, if "out-dated" book. Note that it was written before Episodes I, II, and III movies were created. Thus, there is some conflicting information in this book verses the more recent additions to the Star Wars saga. (Example: Boba Fett is NOT the product of cloning here)

[Grub · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this 10,000 times.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reference book when the EU was first taking off in the 90s. I used it a million times.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

pictures and description with limited history of characters in the series

[Abraham Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

good star wars book!

[Zanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

25.00

[Trey Nowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was reading this back in the mid 90's, really awesome, still have it.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Old School Goodness! I don't even know half the characters, but this book made my 11 year-old self a very happy nerd...still does.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not have survived traveling without this book as a kid. This book was even better than hand-me-down Playboy magazines. Disney should have referred to the notes on Jacen and Jaina Solo.

[Matt Hartzell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now we're certainly reaching the upper eschalons of nerdery.

[J.M. Brister · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent reference guide. However, the version I have is very out of date.