I was at a comic shop today and was thumbing through the "Star Wars" section, with Marvel's Star Wars, Droids, and Ewoks titles, along with the numerous Dark Horse editions, it's quite large. I came across some back issues of Star Wars Galaxy Magazine.

I had a few issues in college, I think I might have even subscribed for awhile (along with my Fan Club membership (by the way, I still haven't received my latest kit)).

I'm not a roleplayer, so I never really liked the character stats section of the magazine (and don't now), but the publication did have a lot of good points.

The magazine showcased new Star Wars products, while at the same time celebrating the vintage material. Many issues revolved around one particular character (Boba Fett, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, and Han Solo were all highlighted) and would sometimes feature an interview with the actor. It also gave updates about the then mysterious "Prequel Trilogy".

I bought three issues today. I think at one time I had them all before, they were issues 10-12 (I wish issue one had been there). Part of the fun of reading them, then and now, is to see the fan letters and stories about fans. It's especially interesting to hear about kids that were born after the films were out of theaters who were fans (and strange to think they are in their twenties now; perhaps some of you reading sent in a letter or were featured). I read one article about a father and two sons who got into collecting the original Kenner action figures.

Of course, the nice thing about Star Wars Galaxy magazine was that each issue had bonus material: promotional cards from Topps, mini-posters, postcards, and the like.

I'm not sure when the magazine stopped publishing. It began in 1995, as I remember, and the first issue dealt with Han and Chewbacca. If you happen to come across these quarterlies, especially if you get them at 10% cover price, as I did, you should treat yourself. For fans like me, it's a trip down memory lane, and for younger fans it's a bit of affordable Star Wars history.