Star Wars: Blogs | Continuity, Criticisms, and Captain Panaka | The Star Wars Planet Guide: Back From The Grave

Continuity, Criticisms, and Captain Panaka

by: Dan Wallace

date posted: Oct 12, 2007 3:27 PM

The Star Wars Planet Guide: Back From The Grave

After discovering online fandom in 1994, I assembled a list of planets that had appeared to date in the Star Wars films and Expanded Universe.

At first available only in America Online's file library and the ftp site at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, it eventually found its way on the nascent World Wide Web at www.jimfisher.net/planet. I released at least three versions, but put the brakes on the project when I started writing for Lucasfilm. Some parts of the planet guide were used as background for Steve Sansweet's Star Wars Encyclopedia.

jimfisher.net has long since been washed away in the 'net's data churn -- not even the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine has a trace. Here, then, is a link to the unreleased version 3.0, last updated in early 1996.

While not as comprehensive as similar projects by similarly Quixotic fans (Bob Vitas' Completely Unofficial Star Wars Encyclopedia, Jason Fry's planetary database, or Pablo Hidalgo's Star Wars Index), it indirectly led to me being hired to write The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons.

The lesson? Fannish obsession sometimes pays off.

The other lesson? I have mad Microsoft Paint skillz.

Dan
(writing projects and current releases)

http://blogs.starwars.com/danwallace/88

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	vadersgirl33 vadersgirl_reflections
date Posted: Oct 12, 2007 4:12 PM Cool!!!!!!!! I know I'd like a copy of it. Would make things easy for Star Wars discussions, which I am having from time to time with my oldest padawan. vadersgirl33

janlomona
Smugglers Rants

date Posted: Oct 12, 2007 4:17 PM

Oh...my...God...
I am holding in my very hands a printed copy of The Star Wars Planets Guide Version 2.5, at http://www.jimfisher.net/planet/source.htm

When I was putting together the Setnin Sector guide over on www.lightsabre.co.uk, I pretty much copied the template and format for our guides, which were originally intended as a written guide but ended up becoming a 334 planet, 1083 character database.

That's amazing, I've been reading your stuff since at least when this was printed off (12/4/98 at 12:59:31.

Increasing ly small world!

	nob01 Oil Bath Bubbles
date Posted: Oct 13, 2007 9:36 AM Very interesting - and I learned something new today! As I was perusing the Alderaan entry, I noticed a mention of the organic art made there - I always this was an invention of Troy Denning for Tatooine Ghost, but I was wrong! You live and learn, eh? Thanks for sharing.

MomOf2YoungPadawan
Mamadala's Lair

date Posted: Oct 13, 2007 11:38 AM

Good stuff, indeed! The '96 3.0 guide is certainly a great reference - I'm bookmarking that one! Do you happen to know if there is a good database for all the species of SW? the Databank doesn't seem to be complete (EU), although I've usually been able to find what I need on Wookieepedia. I don't own the Encycolpedia of which you speak, either. Hmmm....I need to get that, methinks!

	Rainbow Droideka Aren't you a little short for an egg?
date Posted: Oct 13, 2007 5:23 PM The other lesson? I have mad Microsoft Paint skillz. Nice! That's very skilled how you were able to texture the blue background of the text like that..... Seriously though, the detail on the planets is pretty damn good.

JMMC

date Posted: Oct 15, 2007 6:43 AM

Ah, 1996... It's not really that long ago, but to those of us the right age to witness the web back then, it seems like the old days. "Back in my day, we didn't have yer fancy Wookieepedias. We had to do it all ourselves!"

I think it's always inspiring for the aspiring writer/SW fan to see posts like this. I know part of the reason I've gotten to write the handful of SW stuff I have was seeing guys like Dan W, Pablo H and Abel P get there and say to myself, "Heck, if these guys can do it, I sure can..."

	The Stooge Star Wars Joke-A-Day
date Posted: Oct 15, 2007 12:05 PM That is one sweet logo!

	Bubba1227 Ramblings of a Completely Unofficial IA Engineer
date Posted: Oct 17, 2007 3:51 AM I was quite jealous of your guide for years, since it did a much better job of describing the planets. I remember doing at least one round of CUSWE updates to rectify the situation, but it still didn't come close. Thanks for sharing, Dan! The lesson? Fannish obsession sometimes pays off. If only it paid off more often...

	janlomona Smugglers Rants
date Posted: Oct 17, 2007 6:00 AM Don't shortchange yourself Bob, your site has always been a vital resource for fans.

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