1998 saw the release of the very first edition of Star Wars Incredible Cross-Sections, written by David West Reynolds with artwork illustrated by Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore. Over the years the series has become an essential release for fans who want to know more about the workings of the Star Wars galaxy. Where Jonathan Rinzler and his making-of books peeked behind the real-world curtain of the saga, this series takes an in-universe look at the worlds, characters and vehicles of the movies, giving technical details, detailed names of the tiniest elements of the minutia of Star Wars.
The series has continued from the pre-prequel era into the sequel trilogy, and the latest release sees artist Kemp Remillard pick up where the previous artists have left off and litters the images with crazy detail. Take a closer look at the A-Wing double-page spread. Not only does it allow comparison to earlier iterations of the A-Wing but it adds useful information regarding the upgrades and new innovations worked in to the vehicle since the classic A-Wing we know from three decades ago. That’s down to the written contributions of Jason Fry.
Fry, also the author of The Last Jedi novelisation, imbues the book with details and snippets of information in his always smooth-to-read manner. Whatever your focus is, there’s something in here for you. Interested in the vessels of the meagre Resistance fleet? That’s here, with vehicle specs, lengths, manufacturers, number of weapons emplacements and crew personnel all mapped out.
Fry also works in details that hint at further stories, giving future authors plenty of fertile ground to go off and spin out their own books and manuals expanding on what’s in the film and here in this Cross-Sections release. For example, Kylo Ren’s TIE Silencer has a pedigree that can be traced back to the little used TIE Defender, which deep-diving fans will know was the tri-winged fighter first seen in the classic 1994 LucasArts game TIE Fighter. With the Silencer being a hybrid fighter/bomber, this detail makes all the sense, and who wouldn’t want to know more about this design evolution? It’s information like this that turn the book from an interesting read into a page turner, and across the whole book there are plenty more teases and dips into the wider story.
In concert with Pablo Hidalgo’s freshly released The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary this is a must-have release. Between the two books, many of the most pertinent elements of The Last Jedi are revealed, and while the book is only 48 pages long it’s a BIG book and one you will regularly find yourself coming back to.
STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI INCREDIBLE CROSS-SECTIONS / AUTHOR: JASON FRY/ ART: KEMP REMILLARD / PUBLISHER: DK / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
