Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away

In “Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away,” Emily Strand and Amy H. Sturgis offer a compelling new take on the familiar and not-so-familiar corners of the Star Wars universe and media megatext. Organized in three parts–Exploring the Series and Films, Exploring the Ideas, and Exploring the Multimedia Storytelling–the collection interrogates some of the franchise's more eccentric, quirky, and even disturbing dimensions. Part One offers insightful critiques of such wide-ranging topics as the representation of Twi’leks as enslaved people, crafters/makers as a source of resistance, and the disturbing disposability of mothers. Part Two shifts the focus away from critiques of the transmedial text proper and turns to the cinematic influences that shape the franchise, the parallels between Star Wars and the Harry Potter franchises, and the immersive performance of cultural memory through Sabacc. Part Three, on the other hand, embraces the transformative shift from cinematic storytelling to a sprawling transmedia narrative encompassing comic books, novels, video games, and serialized television. Without exception, the essays in all three sections stand as superior examples of the thoughtful, carefully crafted work produced by acafans, or academics who are also fans of the texts they explore. A particular strength of this collection is the book's engagement with almost every dimension of the Star Wars franchise. The Original/Prequel/Sequel trilogies, the “Knights of the Old Republic” games, the various animated series, the episodic live-action Disney+ fare, and the Expanded Universe novelizations all receive the attention they deserve. To my knowledge, this is the first text to look at aspects of The Book of Boba Fett and Andor. Although written as an academic text, I have no doubt that casual fans of the Star Wars franchise will also find the book an enjoyable read. If I had one critique it would be this: give me more! I could see an entire Star Wars series of books focused on each of the three parts developed by Strand and Sturgis.

Derek R. Sweet, Ph.D. Professor of Communication Studies, Luther College

Author of 'Star Wars in the Public Square: The Clone Wars as Political Dialogue'

[...] If you’re a huge Star Wars fan who would like to read a slightly different non-fiction content about the universe you are passionate about, or an undergraduate student who would like to see more examples of how academic writing can be paired with your favorite extracurricular subject - this might be just the book for you.

[Extract from book review appearing at goodreads.com. Reviewer: Elizabeth Laskin]

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. [...]

[Extract from book review appearing on 'Now This Is Lit'. September 29, 2023. Reviewer: Meg Dowell]

"Star Wars: Essays from a Galaxy Far, Far Away" is a multi-course festive feast, with some fantastic academics and authors round the table. Editors Emily Strand and Amy H. Sturgis present a collection of fascinating essays; the history of alien language creation in Star Wars, parallels between the mirror encounters of Rey and Harry Potter, the complex morality of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, the impact that an art house short film called 2187 had on George Lucas, and much more.

[Extract appearing on 'Journals of the Whills' (Instagram.) Hosted by Jonny, host of the Star Wars Book Community podcast. https://www.instagram.com/p/C0P8nIqqdTm/ ]