Fascinating Facts: Story, Lore, and History from the Greatest Galaxy by Pablo Hidalgo

Fascinating Facts: Story, Lore, and History from the Greatest Galaxy by Pablo Hidalgo

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Let me start by saying this book was an exceptionally fun and easy read. By putting each bit of information into a small chunk per page, usually with a photograph included as well, it was hard not to stop zooming through each page. It was also an interesting set up that this book was super random, no rhyme or reason to the order any of the informational chunks were in. Behind-the-scenes sat next to in-universe sat next to interesting Earth-based stories outside of the movies. But this added to the fun and ease with which I flew through the text. I never knew what was coming up next!! I usually skip behind-the-scenes info when it's sandwiched in an appendix-style section at the end of a reference book, but with such a set up as this, I was forced to read everything...and I'm actually really glad I did because what I got was truly fascinating (haha, see what I did there?)!! There is an index in the back if you're looking for a specific topic, but honestly, just read through the entire thing, it's well worth it.

My only gripe was that the photos were all black and white...meaning a Kindle version would have been perfectly acceptable, but they didn't make a Kindle version, which is odd. Oh well.

Below I have detailed new tidbits from the canon, in-universe side of things, so the bulk of this review will read mostly like a collection of trivia, but I do have some comments about some of the items. Then at the end of the breakdown, I list my favorite tidbits of out-of-universe information--just a few things that really struck me.

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In-Universe

I'll start with a problem--there's a bit of a misstep between the timelines given for Luke and Kylo. According to Luke's timeline, "The Rise of Kylo Ren" comic mini-series takes place only 3 years before The Last Jedi! Which would be totally weird because this would mean Kylo Ren had only been training with Snoke and working for the First Order for 3 years before the events of the sequel trilogy begin. This is indicated by the timeline saying Luke was 50 when he had to stop himself from killing Ben and 53 when he died. BUT...then there's Kylo's timeline in which he was 23 when he burned down the temple and defeated the leader of the Knights of Ren and 29 when the sequel trilogy begins...which would be a 6 year NOT a 3 year gap. Which is it?!? Come on Pablo!! On another note, he was 10 when he began training with Luke and Rey was born, making them 10 years apart! Not as much as Leia and Han at 13 years apart, but still quite a distance.

Poe's timeline was a bit jacked as well...according to Poe Dameron: Free Fall, he's 15 when he joins up with the Spicerunners of Kijimi, but according to this timeline he's 16. And it says he's 21 when he returns home. I know there's discrepancy with The Rise of Skywalker visual dictionary too which agrees with this 5 year stint with the Spicerunners, while the novel Free Fall made it seem more like maybe three years at most. Regardless, the timeline also says he joined up with the New Republic at 25 and the Resistance at 29. It says he's 32 when he recruits Kaz in the "Resistance" TV show/as the sequel trilogy begins. So he's 13 years older than Rey!

Leia was 24 when Ben was born and 53 in The Last Jedi.

Han is 8 when he joins the White Worms Gang as a scrumrat on Corellia. He is 19 when he leaves the planet and joins up with the Imperial navy. He is 22 when he makes the Kessel Run. He is 32 in A New Hope...dang!!...again, as mentioned above, that means Leia and Han are 13 years apart...but it works! 

Obi-Wan was 15 during the time that he and Satine developed feelings for each other...please give me this story!!!!

At age 12, Padme "joins the Legislative Youth Program [and] has a young crush on an artist named Palo."

Rey's parents sold her to Unkar Plutt when she was 6. She is 19 at the beginning of the sequel trilogy...same as Luke and Leia at the beginning of the original trilogy...and Anakin during Attack of the Clones...must be something about that age...

I love the way this book describes Anakin's death in his timeline, "Age 45: Betrays and destroys the Emperor rather than see his son suffer; dies in the light as Anakin Skywalker." *my heart!!*

Warwick Davis has played the following characters: Wicket W. Warrick, Wald, Weazel, Wollivan, Wodibin, Weeteef Cyu-Bee, WG-22, Wamoth, Wazellman, Wizzich Mozzer, and Wolentic Dudge.

John Williams' character in The Rise of Skywalker was Oma Tres, a tinkerer on Kijimi...I thought he was the bartender??

The First Order stormtrooper who gets hit in the visor by an arrow on Pasaana courtesy of Lando is FN-2808.

Geonosis is the second planet from Ea, its red star.

Tatooine is the first planet from Tatoo I and Tatoo II, its binary yellow stars.

Mustafar is the third planet from Priate, its red star.

Jakku is the first planet from Jakku, its yellow star.

Crait is the first planet from Crait, its yellow star.

The forest moon of Endor is one of 9 moons that orbit Endor which is the first planet from Ibleam, its yellow star.

Naboo is the third planet from Naboo, its yellow star.

Hoth is the sixth planet from Hoth, its blue-white star.

Exegol is the first planet from Exegol, its blue-white star.

In regards to lightsabers, anyone can use the weapon, "but the extreme danger posed by a blade that can cut through anything means a Force-user has an advantage in sensing the weapon." I like this explanation.

Key features of the Sith Wayfinder include a "supralight loadstone" and "plasmatic interior harvested from deep space nebulae." Ooooh!

At one time, Hondo owned Slave I?!? He repainted it before returning the ship to Boba Fett. What is this in?!?

AT-ATs are apparently quite fast at nearly 40 mph (60 kph). I did not expect that!

Imperial speeder bikes are Aratech 74-Zs.

The A-wings flown by the Rebellion were RZ-1s and the A-wings flown by the Resistance were RZ-2s.

Kylo's Upsilon-class shuttle gets a great metaphor, "Like a carrion bird, Kylo Ren's command shuttle circles the carnage of a battlefield, waiting to land." Spooky!!

MG-100 SF-17s carry 1,048 bombs!!

Sebulba was from the city of Pixelito on Malastare.

Clegg Holdfast raced a Voltec KT9 Wasp podracer.

I knew George Lucas cameoed as Baron Papanoida and his son Jett cameoed as Zett Jukassa in Revenge of the Sith but I did not know that his daughters also had cameos!! Katie played Baron Papanoida's daughter Senator Chi Eekway and Amanda played Senator Terr Taneel.

I discussed this topic at length when reviewing The Last Jedi novelization, but here it is again just in case anyone still thinks Rey was needlessly overpowered, "There is much going on in the subtext of the [Kylo interrogating Rey in The Force Awakens] sequence, not the least of which is the creeping realization that the door that Kylo has opened into Rey's mind swings both ways. In trying to peer into Rey's secrets, Kylo has revealed his own fears to her, as well as a hint of what mind tricks are possible with the Force." Ha!

We get the lowdown on ships present during the strike on the Sith Eternal fleet at Exegol!!! "From "The Clone Wars" came Mandalorian gauntlet fighters, T-6 shuttles, Zygerrian freighters, and Lantillian haulers. From "Star Wars Rebels" come the Ghost, Wookiee gunships, Lancer pursuit ships, and a YT-2400 freighter. From "Star Wars Resistance" come Jarek Yeager, Torra Doza, and Kazuda Xiono in their racers. And zipping in from Star Tours is the Starspeeder 1000! In total, the reinforcements numbered 14,448 ships." WOW!

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Out-of-universe Trivia

-The "Episode IV: A New Hope" title was not added to the first released Star Wars movie until 1981.

-So I'm confused by the page on Amilyn Holdo. It says, "Although Vice Admiral Holdo was written as the traditional hard-as-nails no-nonsense military leader, Rian Johnson switched things up by dressing Laura Dern in finery better suited to the Galactic Senate rather than the bridge of a warship." A style he called "balletic." But if you've read the Leia: Princess of Alderaan young adult novel or "Star Wars Adventures: Vol. 10 Driving Force," you know that at least in her younger years, Amilyn was flighty, fun, thrill-seeking, and overtly tacky in her clothing...something much more akin to what we see in the film, what with her purple hair and halo accessory although it's a much more matured look that still fits her wild personality than the way she used to dress. So if she was supposed to be militaristic, then where did the young Amilyn from the novel and comic come from?? Which came first??

-A fabulous quote from Samuel L. Jackson on playing Mace Windu is included, "I spent a lot of time when I was a kid fighting imaginary things in my room, so when George [Lucas] puts you in that big empty green room and says you're being attacked by lots of droids, you just go in there and fight as many of them as you can. The wonderful thing is, when you go and actually see the film itself, it's amazing!" I LOVE his energetic excitement!!

-Apparently the original treatment of Star Wars from 1973 had the movie set in "the 33rd century, a period of civil wars in the galaxy." Sounds an awful lot like Dune... The first issue of the "Star Wars" comics adaptation modified this into, "This story has no relationship to Earth time and space. It occurs in other solar systems in another galaxy and could be happening in the future, the past, or even the present." Very interesting...and lengthy. Glad they finally landed on "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"!!

-Phantom Menace love!!! "Although often correctly lauded for its breakthroughs in computer-generated visual effects, The Phantom Menace also boasts some of the most elaborate and complex modelmaking and miniature photography work in Industrial Light and Magic's history. 'More models were built for Episode I than in the entirety of the original trilogy of Episodes IV, V, and VI.'" Go prequels, go prequels!!

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So an EXPANSIVE look into ALL things Star Wars and it is glorious!! Definitely check this one out if you don't mind a random look through all sorts of categories of trivia. Again, it's a super fun ride.

I'll leave you with two wonderful images. First is a behind-the-scenes image of Kelly Marie Tran and a fathier that is beyond adorable...her smile is beautiful!! Second is George Lucas's original imagining of Rey as Thea...I love her hair!!