"Celestia Galactica Photografica," alternatively called "Celestia Galactica," is a twelve-page pictorial collection by Ryan Church. It's part of the Star Wars: Visionaries graphic novel anthology, released by Dark Horse Comics in 2005. This gallery showcases twelve in-universe paintings depicting diverse locations and moments from the Star Wars galaxy. These paintings are set over one hundred years following the events seen in the original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The eras depicted encompass the Clone Wars and the Imperial Period, while other paintings appear to be set far beyond the original trilogy films.
The Visionaries comics project arose from J.W. Rinzler's wish to showcase unused concept art from artists involved in the prequel trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. Two images from "Celestia Galactica Photografica," specifically Mygeeto Burns and Utapau Surrenders, were selected to grace the front and back covers of Visionaries, respectively.
"Celestia Galactica Photografica" presents a collection of twelve paintings that illustrate various events and places across the galaxy. The first painting, Mygeeto Burns, portrays the Battle of Mygeeto during the Clone Wars. It depicts a lightsaber-wielding Jedi standing before a Separatist LM-432 crab droid within a burning Mygeetan city. In the distance, more Jedi are shown in combat with additional crab droids. Alderaan Refugees displays numerous vehicles parked in a green area on Alderaan. A group of Humans are gathered around a fire on one starship, while others are setting up tents. Death Star Drydock shows Imperial-class Star Destroyers undergoing repairs inside a Death Star. An Imperial officer and the Sith Lord Darth Vader seem to be overseeing the repairs from a platform covered in loose paper. In AT-AT Villa, two All Terrain Armored Transports have been repurposed with buildings on a rocky world. Below, one alien guides a starship to a landing platform, while another speaks with two droids.
Green Coruscant portrays the cityscape of Coruscant with sections replaced by grass and trees. The painting includes floating structures and colorful speeders, with their occupants observing the natural environment. Reclaimed Wreck illustrates an Imperial-class Star Destroyer that has crashed on a forested planet. Bad Pet shows four rancors causing havoc in an Imperial hangar, one holding a crushed TIE/LN starfighter. Stormtroopers stand before them as Vader gestures towards the beasts. Bridgeworld Lost, also set during the Clone Wars, depicts Skakoans on a world with bridge cities surrendering to clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic. Executor Executes shows the Super Star Destroyer _Executor](/article/executor-legends) and other Star Destroyers attacking an artificial ring around an astronomical object.
Jedi Museum presents the interior of a vast museum filled with artifacts of the Jedi Order, observed by many visitors across its multiple levels. Visible is a statue of a Jedi riding a varactyl while raising a lightsaber, along with a T-65 X-wing starfighter. More Jedi statues are on the museum's highest level. Hunting Overlook depicts a massive tree on Kashyyyk, home to the Wookiees. In the foreground, Wookiee mechanics work on a Raddaugh Gnasp fluttercraft, and colored YT-1300 light freighters fly around the tree. Finally, Utapau Surrenders portrays the surrender of Utapau to the Separatist Droid Army under the command of General Grievous (a Kaleesh) during the Clone Wars. Inside a sinkhole, a robed Pau'an kneels before Grievous, presenting a staff as hundreds of other Pau'ans watch. In the background, three core ships descend, one unloading vulture droids.
Ryan Church created "Celestia Galactica Photografica" for Star Wars: Visionaries, a graphic novel anthology by concept artists for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, which came out on May 19, 2005. The concept for Visionaries was proposed by J.W. Rinzler, who wanted to recognize the film's artists' often unseen work. The announcement of Visionaries on StarWars.com on August 3, 2004 also mentioned Church's participation.
Some concepts from Revenge of the Sith development appeared in "Celestia Galactica Photografica." During the film's pre-production, the "bridge world" was planned as Saleucami, linked to the Techno Union and the Separatists. Eventually, it became Cato Neimoidia and was associated with the Trade Federation. In 2002, Church also created the concept of an artificial ring surrounding a planet, seen in AT-AT Villa and Executor Executes.
Another StarWars.com post on March 15, 2005, revealed "Celestia Galactica Photografica" as part of Visionaries, giving a brief overview of some images, including Mygeeto Burns, Alderaan Refugees, and Jedi Museum. Jeremy Barlow edited Visionaries, which Dark Horse Comics published as a trade paperback on April 2, 2005. Mygeeto Burns was the front cover art, and Utapau Surrenders was on the back. "Celestia Galactica Photografica" is tenth in the anthology, between "Deep Forest" and "The Eyes of Revolution." The graphic novel's contents page uses the shortened title "Celestia Galactica."
Dark Horse later republished the gallery and the rest of Visionaries in Star Wars Omnibus: Wild Space Volume 2 on October 9, 2013. Marvel Comics also published "Celestia Galactica Photografica" and "The Fourth Precept" (another story from Visionaries) in Star Wars Legends Epic Collection: Legacy Vol. 4 on March 15, 2022.
"Celestia Galactica Photografica" showcases images of various events and places within the Star Wars universe. According to Leland Chee, the keeper of the Holocron continuity database, "Celestia Galactica Photografica" exists as a series of paintings within the Star Wars reality. Star Wars Insider 82, which was sent to subscribers on May 17, 2005, and then widely released on May 30, provided an overview of Visionaries, describing "Celestia Galactica Photografica" as depicting worlds affected by the Clone Wars. Yet, the gallery also shows aspects of the Imperial Period, and many paintings lack any clear connection to the Clone Wars.
Chronologically, Mygeeto Burns, Bridgeworld Lost, and Utapau Surrenders depict events of the Clone Wars, which occurred between 22 BBY and 19 BBY. The first and last paintings tie into Revenge of the Sith, where the Pau'an Tion Medon reveals Utapau's occupation by Grievous before the film's events, and a scene shows the Battle of Mygeeto. Alderaan Refugees occurs at an unspecified time before the Destruction of Alderaan in 0 BBY, originally shown in the 1977 film, Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.
Death Star Drydock, Bad Pet, and Executor Executes are set during the Imperial Period. Death Star Drydock doesn't specify which Death Star version it depicts, but it and Bad Pet occur while Anakin Skywalker is in his armor, which began in 19 BBY in Revenge of the Sith and ended with his death in 4 ABY in 1983's Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Executor Executes takes place during the Executor's existence, first shown in _Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. The Executor first flew in 0.5 ABY and was destroyed at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, as depicted in Return of the Jedi.
AT-AT Villa and Reclaimed Wreck are set during or after the Imperial Period, showing vehicles used by the Galactic Empire. Hunting Overlook and Green Coruscant aren't set in a specific era. Legacy Vol. 4 of the Epic Collection series, which includes "Celestia Galactica Photografica," states that the stories take place over one hundred years after Return of the Jedi (4 ABY). Therefore, the paintings in "Celestia Galactica Photografica" were created after 104 ABY, within the Legacy era.