Star Wars Encyclopedia
By Stephen J. Sansweet 
Published by Del Rey 

Star Wars Encyclopedia is THE source book for any fan who wants to keep track of the constellation of characters, ships, planets and weapons used in the Star Wars universe. If you're not interested in collecting the many available source books or Essential guides, this is the book for you. While detail was sacrificed for room to include as many entries as possible, this is still a fantastic source for casual and serious fans alike.  
  

DIG RIGHT IN 
The Encyclopedia opens with a comprehensive timeline of events, from 4000 before A New Hope, up to the adventures of the Solo twins. Next is a source list of material used to compile the information. Everything from the films, novels, kids books, card games, comics, and computer games was gleaned for entries. Each source of information is coded, so that as you read through the entries, you can refer back to the source list and see where that particular character or ship was found. Scattered throughout are pictures, concept art and drawings taken from the films, comics and guides.  

Nearly every reference you can think of is included somewhere in the 354 pages of items, from the A-1 Deluxe Floter, an airspeeder found in the Customizable Card Games, to ZZ-4Z, Han Solo's housekeeping droid from the Dark Empire comic series. In between, you'll discover a galaxy full of information, both well known and obscure. For example, you'll learn that it is Lt. Shann Childsen who was the guard in Detention Block AA-23 who asked: "Where are you taking this...thing?" (He is listed as being "considered a bully by fellow officers," and "fanatical in his support of the Emperor's policy of subjugating non-human races." Wow, who knew?!)  

One in-house joke among fans is that there are only four women in the entire Star Wars galaxy: Leia Organa, Beru Lars, Mon Mothma, and the "Ion Cannon Girl" (ICG) from The Empire Strikes Back. Well, folks, I'm here to tell you that ICG has a name: Commander Toryn Farr, a communications officer who was decorated for assisting in the escape from Hoth. Information like this was only previously available by reading books such as Tales of the Bounty Hunters or playing the Customizable Card Game. But for fans who aren't into such diversions, having the Encyclopedia will fill in some of the gaps that are not covered by the films.  

Steven Sansweet has done a tremendous job in pulling together information from so many diverse sources, showing once again why he's considered an information guru for Star Wars. I enjoyed just flipping through and reading the entries, learning more about various characters and worlds than I thought I would. The entries are generally concise, except when you get to the main characters and worlds. While Jodo Kast only rates a couple of lines, the listings for the Skywalker and Solo families go on for several columns.  

If you're like me, and haven't bothered with getting many of the source books and guides, the Star Wars Encyclopedia is a great investment.  

ECHO STATION Grade: A  

(When not busy explaining Star Wars to friends and co-workers (no one else in the US Senate has a Darth Vader action figure on their desk), Jody Reeves  spends time listening to Goth, alternative, and classical music, and reading about politics and Celtic mythology.)

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