For 25 years, the Star Wars Insider has brought news, interviews and reveals to Star Wars fandom. When it changed name to The Insider, back in 1994 after seven years as the Lucasfilm Fan Club Magazine, the internet was still a novelty and print was undeniably king. Over the next 25 years, this now veteran publication has adapted to sit alongside such outlets as StarWars.com, giving unique content to its readers.
In the 20th anniversary year of The Phantom Menace, Titan’s latest collection, The Best of Star Wars Insider: Behind the Scenes of the Prequel Trilogy, takes us back to 1999. An era of excitement for all fans, the material selected perfectly captures the tone of the time. An interview with George Lucas about creating the prequel trilogy; Liam Neeson discussing his character Qui-Gon Jinn; Ewan McGregor on replacing Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi; all hugely evocative of an era before Jar Jar and young Anakin became targets of ridicule.
By the time Attack of the Clones rolled around in 2002 Star Wars fandom was in a very different place. Keyboard warriors had stirred the fandom into a rabid, nit-picking, dissatisfied broth of anger. Somehow, George Lucas had raped people’s childhoods. Attack of the Clones picked up the story a decade later with a new Anakin – Hayden Christensen – in his late teens and the galaxy teetering on the edge of conflict. Insider dived right in, looking at the impressive design work of the film courtesy of a look at Dexter’s Diner and the creatures of the Geonosis Arena. There are also interviews with Natalie Portman and the maestro, John Williams.
The volume completes the circle with a look back to 2005 and Revenge of the Sith. By then, the commonly held belief – and justifiably so – was that Episode III would be the last ever Star Wars film. The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, Rogue One, Solo, even the animated Clone Wars epics were far off in the future (back then the abandoned live-action show was all folks could talk about) and as a consequence, Sith had a far easier time of it from an ever-critical fandom. This time around the focus is firmly on the design and visuals of the final prequel film. Trisha Biggar walks us through the costumes of the film, David Tattersall the photography, while Roger Barton and the legend Ben Burtt talk about the editing and soundscape of the film. ILM is given focus via Rob Coleman and John Knoll before Lucas, Christensen and Ian McDiarmid wrap up the issue.
Reprinting vintage articles was a good idea; a freshly presented blast of a bygone era that’s well worth buying.
THE BEST OF STAR WARS INSIDER: BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE PREQUEL TRILOGY / AUTHOR: VARIOUS / PUBLISHER: TITAN / RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26TH
