Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away Is a Book For the Nerds
I say this lovingly, as a semi-professional nerd.
Back when I was first exploring a galaxy far, far away as my own fandom as a kid, the Star Wars Databank became my obsession. I liked the stories and characters as entertainment. But I found myself hungry for facts, for a bigger-picture look at the franchise as a whole, how it came to be — I wanted to know everything I didn’t already know. And I’ve recently found a book that has given me that same sense of wonder and hunger again. I think you’ll like it, too.
On July 3, 2023, Vernon Press released Star Wars: Essays Exploring A Galaxy Far, Far Away — a collection of essays diving in to the history, ideas, and characters of the franchise. It’s likely not a book you’ve heard of, and that’s exactly why I reached out to the Powers That Be to review it. Now This Is Lit celebrates Star Wars books of all shapes and sizes, and especially after reading it myself, I did not want this one to stay in the shadows.
Not everyone wants to sit down and read heavily researched nonfiction about Star Wars. I get that. I’m not one of those people, and perhaps you’re just like me — drawn not just to what your favorite characters mean to you but also to their lasting cultural impact throughout the decades. Even if you’re not like me, there’s a chance you could get something out of this book too. It’s never too late to explore a new type of Star Wars reading.
Whether you’re into video games, books, the development of fictional languages, or diving into the deeper motifs that link Star Wars stories together, there is something in this collection for you. And while books like these may not be accessible to everyone at the scale other books might be — this one is over $100 on Amazon, because academia — there should be many more like them.
Star Wars is so embedded in our culture that there are professionals and experts documenting and studying it. This isn’t new, but it still fascinates me, and this essay collection is the perfect example of how powerful fictional stories can be. A galaxy far, far away isn’t just a form of entertainment — it’s so much more. In this context, it’s a lens through which we can view the world, different points in time, what people were thinking about, why certain things were made a specific way in a certain era. It’s so big, and it’s ever-expanding. This is the kind of stuff that gets me excited about this fandom, even just the fact that there are nearly infinite opportunities for essays like these — chances to pick a topic that is often analyzed at surface level and go all in with it.
I found myself personally drawn to two essays in particular — John Jackson Miller’s brief history of canonicity in Star Wars, and Andrew Higgins’ exploration of the development of fictional languages for the universe over time. But these cater to my highly specific nerd interests, and favoritism has nothing to do with the quality of writing (it’s all excellent) or anything like that. If you’re a Knights of the Old Republic or The Mandalorian fan, those two essays may stick out to you the most.
This is not one of those quick or easy weekend reads, and that’s okay — Star Wars publishing is diverse in many ways, including the types of reading it offers. If you read this one, you’ll definitely want to take it one essay at a time, probably in a quiet room with some tea. It was refreshing to get to turn my brain on a little more, and I actually came away from it inspired to diversify my own Star Wars writing. to go deeper, to be more purposeful with my research and what I use it for.
As a final note, I’m so honored — and I think it’s very cool — that two of the contributors featured in this book have been on this show. Both of my interviews with Amy Richau and John Jackson Miller were published as bonus episodes on Now This Is Lit between Seasons 1 and 2, and if you like their work, you’ll love listening to them talk about it, I’m sure. I don’t know why so many amazing people keep agreeing to come hang out with me, but I’m here for it, and it made reading their essays even more special having talked to them IRL, as they say.
If you feel so inclined, you can get your copy of Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away on Bookshop.org to support your local independent bookstores and this podcast/newsletter at the same time! How cool is that?
Now This Is Lit is a podcast (and newsletter!) about Star Wars books, the people who make them, and the readers who just can’t get enough of them. You can find the show wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to the Substack for more deep dives, guides, interview transcripts, and book love.