Star Wars Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Table of Contents:
General Knowledge Questions
Q. What is Star Wars?
A. Star Wars was the title of a science-fiction movie that came out in 1977. It was followed by two sequels, Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983). The title has since been expanded to include the entire saga, which includes all material set within the same universe (books, comics, toys, movies).
Q. Why is the first movie sometimes referred to as Star Wars but sometimes as A New Hope?
A. When George Lucas made the first movie, no one was really sure if it would be successful or not. Since it might have been his only shot at it, he named the movie Star Wars, but really had something else in mind. When it became the overnight success that it did and he knew he would make the sequels, he then considered each movie an "episode" of the entire saga. The opening credits of the original movie state that it's "Episode IV: A New Hope", even though it's titled "Star Wars". Since the entire story is spread out over several movies, it's now considered proper to refer to each movie by its episode name. In the case of the sequels and prequels, this is also the title of the movie, but many of the original fans and most retailers still refer to the first movie as Star Wars.
Q. Where and when does all this stuff take place?
A. The opening credits of each movie state that it takes place "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away". Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. Obviously this other galaxy was far more technologically and culturally advanced than our own, although its inhabitants have yet to explore beyond the borders of their own galaxy.
Q. Who is Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader or Han Solo or Princess Leia?
A. Several of the major characters from the Star Wars saga have become symbolic of it, and these four are probably the top ones. The rundown is this: Luke Skywalker is the naive farmboy who ventures out into the galaxy and ends up a hero; Darth Vader is the main "bad guy" throughout the first three movies; Han Solo is the seasoned mercenary who has a change of heart and becomes a hero; and Princess Leia is, at first, the damsel in distress, and later the love interest/heroine. For more information about each character and what's become of them, please see the Characters page.
Q. You keep referring to the Star Wars galaxy and the Star Wars universe. What's the difference?
A. When I refer to the Star Wars galaxy, I am referring to the actual, physical galaxy that the inhabitants live in. When I refer to the Star Wars universe, I am referring to the fictional reality in which the galaxy exists. In other words, the term "galaxy" assumes that the saga is real, while the term "universe" acknowledges that it is all fiction. The distinction may seem thin, but it should be apparent to most fans.
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Expanded Universe
Q. What is the Expanded Universe?
A. The term expanded universe refers to any material that furthers the story beyond that of the movies. This includes novels, comic books, graphic novels, and games. It is through expanded universe sources that fans learned of the scope and magnitude, history, and vast majority of the Star Wars universe.
Q. How many planets are there in the Star Wars universe? How many alien races?
A. No one source has ever said (with authority) how many planets or alien races there are in the Star Wars universe. Many sources estimate that there are approximately twenty million forms of sentient life in the galaxy. Of course, these aren't all civilized races, simply sentient lifeforms. There are roughly 400 billion star systems in the galaxy, and about half of those have planets that support some sort of life on them. If you figure that each star system has several planets in it (which isn't necessarily true), well -- that's a lot of planets. It's a big galaxy, after all.
Q. My friend said he was upset because the new prequels are changing stuff. What's he talking about?
A. Ah - this is a point of contention for many fans. After the original three movies came out, Lucas authorized all sorts of expanded universe material to be released, including novels. Therefore, each novel's storyline was approved by Lucas before being released. However, some of the backstory revealed in the novels is now being contradicted by information in the prequels. The most popular example is the origin of Boba Fett. In one of the novels, Boba Fett was thinking about his past and revealed (via flashback) where he had come from. Now Episode 2 is coming out and saying he came from someplace totally different. The Official Site has accounted for this as the first source being rumor, but many fans point out that Boba himself was thinking about it. It's a precarious situation. Regardless, though, the movies are canon so what they say goes. If you don't know what the term canon means, see the next question...
Q. What does the term canon mean?
A. The term refers to the authority of material in establishing continuity. Continuity is important in a saga like Star Wars in order to maintain the illusion that it's all taking place in the same universe. Various materials are ranked on how canon, or true, they are. For instance, the movies are the highest canon, and novels are lower on the list. If a detail from the movie contradicts with a detail from a novel, the movie wins. See the Expanded Universe section for a list of resources and their canon ranking.
Q. What is the New Jedi Order?
A. The term New Jedi Order refers to the current series of Star Wars adult novels. Taking place about 30 years after Return of the Jedi, the series takes a more serious look at the Star Wars galaxy, giving it a realistic edge where heroes die and good guys don't always win. The series revolves around a race called the Yuuzhan Vong who invade the galaxy from another galaxy far, far away. They use strange biological weapons and technology, and don't appear to be part of the Force. The series is called "New Jedi Order" because it's main stars are Luke Skywalker and his new order of Jedi. Only by using their enhanced abilities are the Jedi able to match the Vong, who appear nearly their equal in combat. Fans either love or hate the series, since it has already seen the death of numerous main characters, both good and bad. The series is scheduled to end in November of 2003. See the Novels page for more information.
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The Site
Q. This site is pretty big. Where did you get all of this information?
A. I've been a Star Wars fan for most of my life. Believe it or not, I just know most of this stuff. I've read just about every adult novel and most of the graphic novels, and have played most of the games. But, what I didn't know, I found on other websites, all of which can be found on the Links page.
Q. Who are all the characters on your Characters page? Most of them weren't even in the movies!
A. The majority of this site treats the Star Wars galaxy as if it were real. The site then acts as a reference source to that galaxy. And the movies were only a glimpse of the story. Therefore, most of the characters on my Characters page are from the Expanded Universe.
Q. Where'd you get that picture of Thracken Sal-Solo?
A. I made it. The only existing picture of Thracken (that I know of) is on the cover of Assault at Selonia, and there his face is obscured by ships and stuff. He is described as looking nearly identical to Han Solo with a beard, so I found a mugshot from the film The Fugitive, in which Harrison Ford has a bushy beard. I then used a little digital magic, and voila! - instant Thracken Sal-Solo!
Q. Your old site said you were working on a database of the alien races. Where is it now?
A. It's not. My tired fingers and my wife convinced me that I was trying to tackle too much information. There are plenty of other sites out there that have information about the alien races in Star Wars. I've tried to limit myself to the information that's hard to find, like the expanded universe characters or this FAQ file. Even without the alien races, this was a lot of work.
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Star Wars Costuming
Q. What is Star Wars costuming?
A. Like many other sci-fi or fantasy universes (like Star Trek or LOTR), there is a large community for Star Wars costuming. This refers to the act of fans wearing costumes and dressing up like chracters from the Star Wars universe. Many fans even make their own costumes. It's not uncommon to see fans appearing at conventions and movie showings dressed like stormtroopers or Jedi, or even Darth Vader. Most fans like to form clubs with fellow costumers in their area and have events where they can get together.
Q. Sounds kind of weird. Why would you want to do something like that?
A. Different fans will give you different reasons, of course. Some enjoy the role-playing aspect of it (pretending you're someone or something else) while others would cite the pleasure of designing and creating your own costume. Many of the more experienced costumers out there can create costumes of near-professional quality, rivaling those seen in the movies. For some fans, it's the F/X side of it -- creating and applying makeup and/or masks. My original reason was that I wanted to design my own lightsaber. I eventually got the idea to create a Jedi costume and character to go along with it. Besides, no matter why you do it, it's a lot of fun!
Q. How do I get involved in something like that?
A. It's easy, but will take time and work (like anything else worth having). For more information, see the Costuming section of the site.
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