If it wasn’t for Star Wars I might never have been a GeekDad. Many of you as old as I (50+) will remember a time when admitting you liked Star Wars (let alone Dungeons & Dragons or Warhammer) was a good way to find yourself scorned, or at the very least, bring a promising conversation to an end. But I stuck it out and now the geeks have inherited the Earth. Star Wars is everywhere. Everyone (mostly) loves it, and the universe is ever-expanding. Fortunately, to reflect this, DK has expanded and updated its Star Wars encyclopedia.
What Is the Star Wars Encyclopedia?
It’s a lot of Star Wars packed into 450 pages. The book covers the saga through films, live-action TV series, animated series, video games, and comics. It’s not quite fully up to date. There is no mention that I can find of Acolyte or the newly released Skeleton Crew (I didn’t expect the latter, but maybe the former). Nevertheless, the book dives deep into the Star Wars universe, describing a host of characters, locations, and technology, that you’ve probably forgotten about, as well as all the classic favorites from across the franchise.
After an introduction from contributor Ryder Wyndham (the book has many contributors, including former GeekMom writer Kelly Knox) and a foreword by Rosario Dawson, the book is broken down into 4 sections: Characters and Creatures, Locations, Technology, and Vehicles.
Half the book is taken up by the first section, which comes as no surprise when you consider the sheer volume of residents of the Star Wars galaxy, both in the foreground and those lingering in the back of shots.
The contents page lists all of the saga’s major players, with their page entries, such as Ahsoka Tano – Page 62 and Mon Mothma – Page 67. What, though, lies on the intervening pages? Whilst each major listed character is given a full-page entry, in between you’ll find a host of smaller entries. Adjacent to Ahsoka we have Rotta the Huttlet, Commander Fox, and even the droid R7-A7, which gives you some idea of the depth of the entries found in the book.
The encyclopedia runs roughly chronologically starting with characters that are yet to appear on film; those from the “High Republic” era of books. The last entries in each section are from The Rise of Skywalker. Rogue One and Solo are also represented.
Why Read Star Wars Encyclopedia?
In short, this book has everything a Star Wars fan could ask for. It takes the deepest of dives that will satisfy even the most ardent of superfans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a comprehensive Star Wars overview, in book form. Being a DK book, and featuring countless stills from the films and series, the book is a visual feast too; though compared to the recently reviewed Warhammer 40,000 Ultimate Guide, the pages are a little cluttered. This encyclopedia is more about the amount of information, rather than how it is presented.
Despite this minor quibble, this book is an indispensable guide. It’s a great way to remind yourself about the many stories now available in the Star Wars universe. It might even prompt you to dig deeper into the more esoteric aspects of the franchise. I read a couple of the early High Republic books to my son, but looking at the opening pages of this encyclopedia, I can see there are a lot more characters and stories to discover. Perhaps I’ll check them out!
With the holiday season more or less upon us, it’s hard not to see how the Star Wars encyclopedia wouldn’t be the perfect gift for the Star Wars fan in your life, young or old.
If you would like to pick up a copy of the Star Wars Encylopedia, you can do so here, in the US, and here, in the UK. (Affiliate Links)
If you enjoyed this review, check out my other book reviews, here.
I received a copy of this book in order to write this review.
