David West Reynolds (real person)

David West Reynolds, an expert in archeology, is known for writing several authoritative books about Star Wars.

Biography

At the age of 13, Reynolds developed a strong interest in Star Wars and, as a middle schooler, he sketched out a diagram illustrating the inner workings of a lightsaber. After obtaining his Ph.D in archeology from the University of Michigan, Reynolds and a friend journeyed to Tunisia to put his archeological skills to the test, aiming to locate the filming sites used for the Tatooine scenes in the original film. Spending six weeks exploring the Tunisian desert, they successfully identified "a couple dozen" locations by utilizing archeological methods to refine their search across the expansive terrain. Reynolds later documented their discoveries in the magazine, Star Wars Insider.

Around this period, George Lucas was in the planning stages for the prequel trilogy and discovered through his archivist that the precise details of the filming locations had not been officially recorded. Lucas came across Reynolds' article and realized Reynolds was potentially the only person globally who possessed the GPS coordinates. Consequently, Lucas formally hired Reynolds, initially as a location scout, and subsequently as a full-time employee.

While engaged in writing reference books, Reynolds created a cross-sectional illustration of a lightsaber, expanding upon his initial drawing. This design incorporated a lightsaber crystal, introducing the concept that the selection of a crystal serves as a test of a Jedi's force sensitivity. He appeared at the Smithsonian's Star Wars opening event wearing the Boba Fett armor.

Works

Bibliography

Sources

  • Star Wars: Boba Fett
  • Star Wars: The Incredible Cross Sections: A conversation with author David West Reynolds on StarWars.com (link is outdated; backup provided)

Notes and references

Appearances