1977 was…

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. It’s probably a little gobsmacking to those of us who were there at the beginning to actually contemplate the fact that Star Wars has been around for so long, and has been put through so many iterations, film, television, novels, comics, and countless games.

For those who grew up after The Original Trilogy they were always there, and then the Prequel Trilogy and New Trilogy came along, as well as The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian… Star Wars continues to be a huge sprawling space fantasy, and with so much out there it can be a little tough to know where to begin, who is who, and how it all ties together.

DK Canada’s new book, aptly called, The Star Wars Book, lays it all out for us. Written by a trio of fans, including Pablo Hidalgo, who gets to work within Lucasfilm, itself – and let me just say, if you ever need a hand, or want a research assistant to help going through the archives – Call me! – The Star Wars Book takes us through all the canon events portrayed in film and television (and while the new novels and comics, since 2014, are considered canon, there is just too many stories for them all to be given their proper due in this book- though a few are worthy enough to mention).

What it does do is take us through characters, events, ships, technology, species, and more making it all accessible at the touch of a finger. Your own personal Star Wars databank, you know, if databanks were books.

Filled with stills, diagrams and art, this puts the Star Wars universe in your hands and whether you use the index to find a specific item, or read it cover to cover, the film wraps you up in the lexicon of the universe so many of us grew up in, and have shared with those we love.

DK Canada’s Star Wars books have always been exceptional pieces of work, and this one is no different, gorgeously crafted and compiled, the authors’ work meticulously researched, it’s hard to believe that there has been that much Star Wars material (and so much more) to be worthy of an encyclopedic handbook.

If I could tell my 7 year old self how much Star Wars would be a part of my life so many decades on, and that there is so much material, toys, comics, and more out there I’m not sure I would believe it. That young boy was starstruck in the theatre watching that first film (not christened Episode IV yet) and though he knew he would never be the same again, I don’t think he realised how much that universe would affect him.

Leafing through this book, seeing the images, the characters, the stories that have become not only a part of popular culture but my own personal history and mythology, that same starstruck feeling hits me again, and I want to slip behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon, jump to lightspeed, and learn the ways of the Force.

That youthful magic hits me all over again. Proving that the Force is strong with The Star Wars Book. Pick it up now from DK Books, because you know there’s a Star Wars fan in your life, young or old, who will love it!