The Star Wars Encyclopedia, a reference book from 1998, was penned by Stephen J. Sansweet, content management director at Lucasfilm Ltd. and a science fiction writer, and released via Del Rey Books. Its purpose was to consolidate the vast amount of information about the Star Wars universe, which had previously been scattered across various publications. According to Sansweet, it drew inspiration from the second edition of the Guide to the Star Wars Universe and the initial set of Essential Guide books.
A decade later, it received an update and was replaced by The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.
For over two decades, its extensive history and environments have undergone exploration, scrutiny, and detailed recording. This important book—a comprehensive reference dedicated solely to the Star Wars setting—consolidates information from various sources, including films, radio plays, novels, short stories, and video games, covering the entire spectrum of this extraordinary galaxy.
Encompassing science and technology, history and geography, culture and biography, ecology and cosmology, and ranging alphabetically from "abo" and "Abrax" to "zwil" and "Zirtran's Anchor," this exhaustive, fully illustrated reference work addresses all aspects that have shaped and enriched the Star Wars universe, resulting in a complex and varied history spanning millennia. Its scope includes both the well-known and the infamous ("Luke Skywalker," "Darth Vader") as well as the lesser-known and enigmatic ("Tnun Bdu"); from the historical events of the Sith Wars to the Galactic Civil War between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. It presents the inhabitants and traditions of diverse planets like Tatooine and Dagobah, and even the mysteries and beliefs of the Jedi Knights.
As an added benefit for dedicated researchers, this extensive reference includes a complete timeline of significant events in Star Wars history.
Every essential element within the Star Wars world is presented here—in clearly defined entries that have been meticulously researched and written by a leading expert on the Star Wars universe.
During a January 28, 2004 Hyperspace celebrity chat, Steve Sansweet expressed his opinion that an updated version of the Star Wars Encyclopedia would be created.
Sansweet reaffirmed that a second Encyclopedia was in development during his "Star Wars Spectacular" presentation at ComicCon on July 15, 2005. He mentioned that he and Lucas Licensing were still deciding on the approach to writing the new Encyclopedia. He illustrated the process by explaining that they were considering whether to create a second volume or a completely new Encyclopedia.
In a December 2005 post on the StarWars.com message boards, Sue Rostoni stated that the format had been finalized; entries from the first edition with newly revealed information would be updated and included in the second edition of the Encyclopedia, while entries without new information would be omitted. She also indicated that the new edition would maintain the same format as the first, and that Lucas Licensing was aiming for a potential release date in Fall 2008.
Sansweet later revealed in Star Wars Insider 87 (May/June 2006) that work had commenced on an updated iteration of his Star Wars Encyclopedia.
At the 2007 Comic-Con, the Star Wars publishing panel announced that a second edition of the book would be co-authored by Sansweet and Pablo Hidalgo (who had previously collaborated on Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels), with a planned publication in Fall of 2008.
In April 2008, Random House listed The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, a detail later reported by Club Jade.
Interestingly, the cover depicts Darth Vader wielding a blue lightsaber and Luke Skywalker with a red lightsaber. The reasoning provided is that the artwork was directly sourced from Drew Struzan's poster for the Revenge of the Jedi film and was intentionally left unchanged as a tribute.
The entry for Klaatu features an image of Wooof.
The entry for Dak Ralter includes an image of Derek Klivian.
- Entry in the Random House catalogue
- Star Wars Encyclopedia on Wikipedia