The Star Wars Encyclopedia by Steve Sansweet is a favourite book of mine, and I'm sure many other fans feel the same way. It was written in 1998, previous to any of the prequel films, but still contains many entries, taken from sources including films, books, TV series, card games and video games.

The biggest argument for a new update or volume is that there is so much new data to be processed and stored in the encyclopedia. Star Wars source sizes have probably doubled since 1998, and this is the main problem I have when researching using the book. I believe that the book is, or was, also used by EU writers and possibly others working to produce official Star Wars material - it would be of great benefit to them.

The encyclopedia presents the information in such a readable way. I often just pick up the book and read random entries to learn about the Star Wars universe, and if I'm looking for a certain planet or vehicle I always find it. The pictures are very useful too, providing an illustration of characters that the reader may never have come across before.

Nothing else is needed when you have the SW Encyclopedia. There are other such books that detail characters or weapons or timelines, but none cover everything in the way that the encyclopedia does. It saves looking through an EU novel, or poring over a website, when all that is required is the encyclopedia.

A new encyclopedia would probably solve many continuity issues, as it would bring together many sources and give an official verdict on issues such as the creation of the Death Star. Although it might halt enjoyable speculation on some subjects, some fans would appreciate a definitive answer to their questions.

A new version would definitely be a mammoth task for the author, whoever it may be, but it should be remembered that the first encyclopedia proves a second is possible. Also, during the celebrity talk with Sansweet that took place on the Hyperspace section of the Star Wars Message Boards in January 2004, a question was asked about whether a new encyclopedia was in the pipeline. Sansweet's answer can be seen here and should give hope to anyone wishing for a second.