BARE ESSENTIALS
Review by
Will
Obringer
A look
inside the workings of the devices and gizmos
of the Star Wars Universe
Star Wars: The
Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
by Bill Smith, David Nakabayashi and Troy Vigil
published by Del Rey
It could have been called Shop Class in the Star Wars
Universe.
If you ever wanted, or needed, to know that a BlasTech DL-44 heavy blaster pistol is comprised of such hardware as the Final Stage Collimator Barrel, Galven Pattern Damping Sleeve or Cautionary Pulser, then Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology is definitely for you.
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This edition, third in Del Rey's "Essential Guide" series, following Characters and Vehicles and Vessels, covers the wide spectrum of SW mechanics, from the basics (how a blaster works) to the more obscure (the side effects of carbon-freezing). Not only does the book create and describe the technical specifications to items that were seen in the movies, but also includes weapons, sensors, security devices and general equipment created in the post-film Bantam books.
(By the way, did you know that Han Solo's blaster is custom-fitted with motion sensor software and computer-enhanced low light sighting? Now you do.)
TAB "A" IN SLOT "B"...
The author of Weapons and Technology has a strong
history in creating "back story" for all things
Star Wars. Bill Smith, who also wrote the Essential
Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, wrote extensively for
West End Games, which began the fine art of fleshing out
the Star Wars universe when it first published the
Star Wars Roleplaying Game back in 1987.
Smith continues his excellent work of making the
fictional seem real with the details and
"anatomy" of its construction. Included with
the description of each device is enough
"techno-babble" to make it seem real, without
vaulting it to Trekian proportions, as well as
cut-away drawings of its innards. Each device is then
placed in the movie or book of its origination through
brief anecotes of its use - although sometimes this
continual reference borders on the annoying: "As a
youth, Luke Skywalker often carried a pair of
electrobinoculars so that he could quickly survey the
vast ranges of his uncle’s moisture farm." Is
there someone who doesn't know this?
Each item includes an illustration designed by artist David Nakabayashi made to seem as if done in a sketch book for one of the movies. But the best part of the entire book has to be the schematics by artist Troy Vigil. Each of device is drawn in detail with certain key technologies being identified. From the Deflector Shield Generator to the Sun Crusher, each schematic is exquisitely done, giving a clean and detailed look at the weapons and technology described in the book.
Star Wars: Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology would make a great addition to anyone’s Star Wars library for those times when you just have to know "why do Snowspeeders have harpoons and tow cables?" (Page 184.) The explanations and schematics of Star Wars technology make this book a quality investment.
(Will Obringer is an undergrad at American University where he is currently trying to find a balance between beer and his fantasy Universe. His friends have recently commited him to Saint Elizabeth's Mental Hospital where he is rooming with John Hinkley and Napoleon.)