Ultimate Star Wars: Characters, Creatures, Locations, Technology, Vehicles

DK Books’ Ultimate Star Wars is a rather interesting book. This isn’t just an updated ultimate visual guide to Star Wars. Instead, this is like five essential guides all rolled up into one. There’s a section covering characters and creatures, a section for locations, a section for technology, and a section for vehicles. There are also timelines, and in general, the whole book is sorted in chronological order. So if you’re looking for a character whose name you don’t know, you can quickly flip to where they appeared in the films/tv shows. Yet the real objective of this book is a bit more bold than that. With the division between Legends and canon, this is the first guide to gather everything that is canon under one cover. In a way, it’s the essential guide for the new era.

At 319 pages, Ultimate Star Wars covers a lot of material. For fans new to the franchise or not that steeped in the material, this will be a book that will help you dig deeper into the galaxy far, far away regardless of your age. Each section starts off with a timeline to help you sort through the material. There are lots of pictures to help you identify the element you’re looking for. And buried within all those pages is a lot of detail pulled from the canon material. Keep in mind that everything in this book counts. It’s all canon. However, for some fans, the lack of expanded universe material may be a drawback.

As a long time Star Wars reader and a big fan of the EU, one thing I noticed when reading this book was how limited the knowledge was of the various characters. Quite simply, it’s because the only things we know now are from the movies and the television shows. As of yet, we only have a handful of canon comic and books to draw upon for extra material. As Dan Wallace said, we have to unlearn what we have learned. The EU was a massive wealth of obscure, humorous and detailed background information, but now that it’s all Legends, we have to be aware of what is actually canon. In that regard, Ultimate Star Wars is a very valuable resource as it can remind us of exactly that. What is Jango Fett’s official backstory? Is Mace Windu still from Haruun Kal? Who is Darth Maul’s mom? All of those questions and more are answered in this book, definitively.

Reading through the early parts of the book, I did find myself going over a lot of stuff I already knew. With the big characters, and with the book sticking to canon, there’s not much for well versed readers to learn. However, I did keep finding things as I went along. For instance, I didn’t realize that the Gungans have two subspecies, the Otolla Gungans (Jar Jar) and the Ankura Gungans (Boss Nass). I didn’t know that Ben Quadinaros went on to become Sebulba’s greatest rival, or that Gasgano came in second place in the big podrace in The Phantom Menace. I learned that the name of the Tusken Raider who attacked Luke in A New Hope is named URoRRuR’R’R (which is hilarious). Another thing I didn’t know is that Yarael Poof, the extremely long necked Jedi Master on the council, had two brains and an extra set of arms (which are hidden under his robes). A few cool things to see set in stone was that Lando is still from Socorro, the Sandtrooper’s pauldron ranking is laid out, and Obi-Wan really is from a planet called Stewjon.

There are some errors in the book, though. Even Piell is accidentally listed as a Zabrak from Nar Shaddaa, the clone trooper’s affiliation is Separatists, and Savage Opress species is Dathomirian. Still, with a book this size, there are going to be some errors, and there really aren’t that many. What’s more interesting are the things that are left unstated. For example, the book does not say that Boba Fett died in the sarlacc. Perhaps a hint that we may be seeing the armored bounty hunter once again?

Overall, the book is pretty neat and definitely serves a purpose no matter how knowledgeable of a Star Wars fan you are. While the timelines aren’t going to be very useful for those steeped in the universe, and the character entries might be hit and miss, you will finds things of interest. Personally, I really enjoyed the obscure characters from the Prequels, like the podracers. I got a lot out of the Star Wars Rebels characters as there were things there I didn’t know or hadn’t put together. There were a lot of fun things for the Original Trilogy characters, and the locations, technology and ship sections are all very cool. Whether it’s a close-up shot of a lightsaber hilt or new stats for a starship, there is something to catch your attention. For the ship nuts out there, the Imperial I-class Star Destroyer is now 1,600 meters with 72 TIE fighters, 8 Lambda-class Imperial shuttles, 20 AT-ATs, 30 AT-STs or AT-DPs, 15 Imperial troop transports, 60 Taim & Bak XX-9 heavy turbolaser batteries, 60 Borstel NK-7 ion cannons, a contingent of 9,700 stormtroopers and crew of 27,850 enlisted officers and 9,235 officers. So yeah, they don’t skimp on the stats, however, they do dodge them on the Super Star Destroyer so we’ll still have to guess on how big that thing really is.

In comparison to all of the guide books that have come before it, Ultimate Star Wars has a rich field of competition. Visually, it’s hard to beat the Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary as the layout of that book puts all the cool visual elements right next to each other for easy reference. However, it does combine everything into one book, which is very handy. Need to look up a blaster? The name of an Ewok? Or do you need to know what sector Cato Neimodia is in? Now you can get all those answers in one book without pulling up Wookieepedia and wondering if this is canon or Legends. In the end, that is the big draw of the book. This is the first guide to canon. Our knowledge is now limited to the first six films, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, and a small but growing handful of books and comics. At the kickoff point, this is a good book to get everyone started on the same page. As such, I give Ultimate Star Wars a four out of five. While not perfect, it still provides a lot of fun and useful content for Star Wars fans of all types.

This isn't a novel, it's a "pretend Star Wars is real and then draw a bunch of diagrams that show how everything 'works'" kind of fake-encylopedia.

That said, it's nearly perfect in this role. My kids and I have read and re-read many of these entries.

Popping it open is like jumping into the Wikipedia of a galaxy far, far away. Whatever page you hit is likely to look great, contains something very interesting, and reference a half-dozen other cool stuff elsewhere in the book.

It's a great resource for anyone into Star Wars fandom, RPG's, comics, or similarly lore-thick approach to Star Wars. It likely has no practical, real world application, but is a great world-bible and springboard for SW-flavored imaginations.

DK publishing has released Ultimate Star Wars today, and, much like the title suggests, it is the ultimate book for Star Wars knowledge and information. This gorgeous, 320 page book is the most current, up to date resource for all things canonical in the Star Wars saga, and is a must have for any Star Wars fan. Not only does it answer many of your Star Wars questions, but invites fans in, both new and old, into the universe we all know and love so well. The layout is a visual splendor as well; if you are a Star Wars fan, this is the ultimate encyclopedia for you.

The book looks at the series chronologically (films, animated series, and comics), and provides the most up to date information and resources on the saga. The layout is exquisite and pleasant to behold, and the prose is insightful, intelligent, and accessible. This should be no surprise, particularly since the four authors (Ryder Windham, Daniel Wallace, Adam Bray, and Tricia Barr) are no stranger to Star Wars, and are all excellent writers in their own right. Whether the focus is on key events from the saga, characters, vehicles, or technology, the information gleaned through the text and layout are a proverbial banquet of information for fans. Once you have read the book, you will be hard-pressed to discuss Star Wars without it.

This is a must-read book for any Star Wars fan, and is an outstanding resource. With so many things out now as part of the canon, Ultimate Star Wars is your gateway to retake your first step into a larger world, with all the knowledge you will need at your fingertips. Ultimate Star Wars is available wherever books are sold. Be sure to check it out today, as you won’t be disappointed. Go grab a copy, get a cup of coffee, and let the debating and analysis begin anew!

5 out of 5

I would like to start off by thanking the writers and publishers of Ultimate Star Wars. You helped me bring back my father's love for me. Let me explain.

Growing up my sister could do no wrong. I was the poster child and she was the screw up, yet she was always perfect in my father's eyes. I graduated high school 4.0 and she had to pay her math teacher a "private visit" and give him her "plea" to pass school. I was a D-1 athlete in college and graduated with an architecture degree. She dropped out of drama school because it was "causing too much drama in her life". Now she is a barista. And not even at Starbucks, but some crappy local knockoff that sees 15 customers EVERY DAY. I, however, designed the tallest building in Alabama. Point is, through all of this, my sister was treated like an angel while every time I called home, they assumed I was asking for money.

And finally, Kevin came into the picture. Kevin owns the awful coffee shop my sister works at. Unsurprisingly, she tried to sleep with him to get a raise and it stuck and they are a couple. Apparently my parent's "can do no wrong" googles apply to him as well. "Do you know he owns he own business Jake?" Yes mom, its a failing coffee shop" "It is not failing! There are people there all the time." "Dad, no one goes since he is too lazy to paint over the phallic graffiti"

On and on this goes. For two years, no conversation could go by without them praising Kevin. Then finally, at Thanksgiving, everything changed. At the dinner table, the new Star Wars movie came into conversation. After having just read Ultimate Star Wars, I felt prepared to show my knowledge. That's when Kevin says, "oh I love Star Wars. No one knows more about Star Wars then I do." I admit, when he said that I grinned, until my parents said, "Wow thats so neat. You know a lot about everything" (or something like that). At this point I broke into a full out smile. "Prove it Kevin".

Star Wars Trivia Battle

Round 1 (Easy):
Kevin: Who blew up the Death Star?
Me: Luke Skywalker. Duh.
Me: Who did the voice of Darth Vader?
Kevin: James Earl Jones, everyone knows that.

At this point I knew he had at least seen the movies.

Round 2

Kevin: What system is Cloud City in?
Me: Bespin
Me: What species is Greedo?
Kevin: Rodian

Now it is heating up. He does know his Star Wars.

Round 3
Kevin: Who is the actor who plays Chewbacca?
Me: Peter Mayhew
(Duh I just saw him do a panel this year.)
Me: What powered the Death Star's main weapon?
Kevin: Energy Reactor.

... I got you. Kevin starts to ask another question, but I am smiling too much. He stops, the room is dead silent waiting on what I have to say. All eyes on me. "Kyber Crystals. The same ones that power Lightsabers." His jaw dropped. I won! I bet this smug little lazy jerk. Somehow, this felt more satisfying than any D-1 win. At that moment I looked over to my father and he smiled at me, and I knew I had gained that love back.

Thank you Ultimate Star Wars.

This book would be a great gift for either a new or established SW fan. I have almost all of DK Publishing's Star Wars books and this one does not disappoint. The layout and design are innovative and interesting. Facts and photos on every page bring the SW Saga to life. As a long-time fan, there wasn't a ton of "brand new" information here for me, but there were enough "wow, I didn't realize that" moments to make me feel like I was learning new things about the Saga. I think this book might be geared for introducing new fans or getting casual fans up-to-speed in advance of The Force Awakens in December 2015. In that, this book succeeds admirably. Get it!

After discovering the EU back in the year 2002 when I was a 16yr old boy, I came to find it fascinating and amazing. Playinb Jedi Knight 2 and learning about Kyle katarn and of Luke's Jedi academy on Yavin IV and reading R.A. Salvatore introduction of the new Jedi order and the yuuzhann Vong (although they were not a big selling point) but just to read that Luke had fullfilled his destiny and continued the Jedi order was great.
Then the Old Republic RPG game introduced Darth Revan and Malak, it showed that the Jedi/Sith conflict expanded thousands of years.
Games, comics, books, they all expanded on the Star Wars. All of those elements made Star Wars a full experience.
The clone wars tv series relied on the EU to create its stories, but that EU doesn't count anymore but that EU it's still being used to build upon the new shows such as Star Wars rebels.
I think it's sad that Disney in their greed to make more $ have destroyed that EU. There are other great star wars books out there, Star Wars the essential guide to warfare, Star Wars the old republic encyclopedia.
I'm disappointed and sad but yet excited to see where the force awakens goes, I don't trust Abrams, specially after what he did to Star Trek. Star Trek went from a masterpiece to something like Transforners (2007). I cannot say that I would buy this book because other books have expanded on Star Wars at a better level.

This book is terrible. Just terrible and a disappointment. I looked forward to this book because was presented as the book that was going to show us the new canon of Star Wars. Show us what survived from the Expanded Universe beyond the six movies. Glad to see the Clone Wars was made canon but beyond that, this book was a difficult read. Sometimes I think it was written by a three year old for other three year olds. Also a book to show someone how to not edit a book correctly and really confuse the reader. The items are present in no specifc order. It jumps back and forth between eras and locations and seems things we put on some pages to fill gaps or save them from adding more pages to the book so it could be presented properly. Some major characters or fan favorites are by lines where as the first season of Rebels is given more coverage than six seasons of the Clone Wars. I've enjoyed many of DK's Star Wars books over the years. Very entertaining and full of useful information. This book isn't par with anything I've read from them before. I can't suggest it for more than a collectors item or a book for young readers.

This is the best all-around book about Star Wars that I have ever seen. It covers everything and, unlike some books, gives Jar Jar Binks the full credit he deserves. Jar Jar is the key to the entire Star Wars franchise. He's the lucky charm. Without him, everything would have ended in Episode 1. At least this book recognizes his role. Of course, even a thick book like this doesn't catch everything. The authors neglected to mention how Jar Jar is a featured bird in Angry Birds, Star Wars II.

My two Star Wars friends (Randy and Kyle) both hate Jar Jar but they keep wanting to borrow this book from me. I'm making them say the words "Jar Jar Binks is a real hero" before I let them read it. I'm not sure it helps but perhaps it will sink in one day.

Not enough details - I expected to see blueprints and plans but that kind of stuf wasn't included, also missing was details of the storm trooper armour - once again no real details about the helmets, backpack etc - that kind of stuff for the vehicles and tech would have made this much more "ultimate"

That said, don't let that stop you buying this as there are a bunch of iconic images, explainers and spoilers in here that make it a fine addition to the discerning SW collector's shelf ;)

Amazing, high quality, coffee table style book for the Star Wars fans in the house. My eight year old son received as a Christmas present and was in awe of this book. My husband immediately picked it up and loved it even more than the 8 yr old. Even my old kids were enthralled. The pictures and quality are simply amazing. It covers the vehicles, creatures, and other characters with interesting details as well as crisp and dramatic pictures. Everything you want to know about Star Wars!