The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Stephen J. Sansweet, Pablo Hidalgo, Bob Vitas and Daniel Wallace

Del Rey 2008

Bookwise Australia

Star Wars has been around for 30 years and is considered a major science fiction phenomenon. From what was considered somewhat of a “boys own adventure” in space it matured into a complex sequences of films and along the way has spawned a wide range of merchandise from action figures to books, collectibles to artwork as well as developing its own intricate mythology and multifaceted characters. The first edition of Stephen J. Sansweet's The Star Wars Encyclopedia came out some eleven years ago, it was a book of around 380 pages and was considered pretty definitive. However, the Star Wars universe soon began to evolve including many Special Edition DVDs, Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace and myraid other offerings, ranging from computer games to RPG titles, card games and novels.

Stephen J. Sansweet kept his finger on the pulse of the Star Wars experience and in collaboration with Pablo Hidalgo, Bob Vitas and Daniel Wallace, has updated The Star Wars Encyclopedia to create what is a true goliath in the world of Sci Fi publishing. Some twelve kilos in weight, over 1200 pages in length and three hardcover volumes presented in a slipcase, this is quite an astounding release.

Since there is now some 30 years of Star Wars history to draw from the encyclopedia is divided into three beautifully presented volumes divided into A-G, H-O, and P-Z. It uses a simple two to three code reference at the end of each reference (ESB for The Empire Strikes Back, for example), so you can easily identify the source of the material. This allows for an easy to follow encyclopedia where you can refer to the sources if you want to but are not overwhelmed with references. The encyclopedia offers extensive and comprehensive entries without being overwhelming.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia is illustrated throughout and includes an incredible diversity of graphical content. Illustrations range from what we may expect; stills from the feature films, animated series, television etc as well as more unusual content covering video games, comics, books, card games and other materials. What I especially like about this is that it gives you varying visions of the Star Wars world from the “official” Star Wars content to how others have adapted it. Each letter in the encylopedia is also prefaced with a full size plate and this is also a nice touch.

The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia has been written as though it is a scholar’s reference work produced by historians living some 20 years after the events they are chronicling. It shows a special interest in the mythology of the Star War’s universe using the vision of George Lucas as well as the games and novels which are licensed by Lucasfilm, the characters, planets, weapons, life-forms, societies, institutions and spacecraft described in them are also covered in detail. This emphasis on the “mythological” framework of the series is especially intriguing and offers a wealth of information which would otherwise have to be assembled from many diverse sources. There is coverage of everything in the Star Wars universe, from biography to botany, key chronologies and cosmologies and more, from the most significant details to the most obscure. Extensive research has been undertaken to resolve confusions in the development of the Star Wars story include some final clarification about some confusing issues such as the identities of Wooof and Klaatu which many Star Wars fans wondered about.

To have all this Star Wars material in one place is an absolute wonder.

Just some of the noteworthy contents include:

Superb and quite stunning character portraits of both the renowned (Luke Skywalker, Queen Amidala, Darth Vader) and the obscure (Tnun Bdu, Tycho Celchu, Bib Fortuna)

Comprehensive coverage of the natives and customs of planets as diverse as Tatooine and Hoth, Dagobah and Kashyyyk.

Extensive coverage of the rituals and traditions of Jedi Knights and Sith Lords.

A timeline of major events in Star Wars history, from the Clone Wars and the inception of the Empire to the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the invasion of the monstruous Yuuzhan Vong.

Many of the images, screen shots and pictures have not been seen in print before.

Certainly this is a volume that comes at a cost, however, if you are a Star Wars fan it is an absolute must. There is a lot of material in these volumes which would be difficult to find anywhere else, the editors have such an intricate knowledge of Star Wars that you will surprised how much you didn’t know about Star Wars, even if you are a great fan !

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.2 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

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