Star Wars the Galactic Explorer’s Guide
I was 7 years old when I first saw Star Wars. It was The Empire Back; my dad was bed-ridden, and it was my weekend with him. It’s kind of funny that I started in the middle but that didn’t stop me finding Han and Fett cool, being scared of the Emperor and Vader or falling in love with Yoda. The series spans several media such as movies, TV shows, novels, comics and videogames but my fandom with the franchise though has been a slightly odd one. Mainly, I’ve been interested in the alternative stories told in the games and novels than I have the films. My son is now the same age I was when I discovered The Force; it isn’t his sort of thing but when I mentioned I had a copy of the Star Wars Galactic Explorer’s Guide; he was interested in checking it out.
About the Star Wars the Galactic Explorer’s Guide
Published by Welbeck Publishing (formally Carlton), this is an interactive experience that combines reading with augmented reality via an App; the book contains info, diagrams, photos, exposition and games on a wide variety of series staples. There is heaps of detailed descriptions on characters, droids, vehicles, planets and tech set in the Star Wars galaxy. The author Jason Fry has been involved in more than 40 Star Wars books and clearly knows his stuff.
Giveaway
To win a copy of Star Wars the Galactic Explorer’s Guide, enter via Rafflecopter below. Ends 06/03/20 Other T&C’s apply.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
First Impressions of the Book
The first thing that stands out with the book is the striking in-universe imagery. The Explorer’s guide is filled with stylised propaganda posters, photos, maps, logos, schematics and is then enhanced with short snippets of texts describing the content matter. The book is A4 sized, hardback and very well made.
The only criticism is that the text itself is late, putting aside the AR experience this is more a visual guide than an encyclopaedia.
Our Experience
The Galactic Explorer’s Guide isn’t just a book, it is an augmented experience combining your phone or tablet and the book itself to explore the galaxy of Star Wars.
After a bit of getting used to the AR (more on that in a moment), we set ourselves up and moved through the book. There is a sort of narrative to it guiding you through; the whole experience is in world and treats you like a character in the universe itself.
In our fifty minutes with the book, we giggled at the beeps of BB-8, explored interactive maps, fought simulated space battles and learned about the unique creatures inhabiting certain planets. We loved the holographic presentation and it got my son who is not a Star Wars fan asking questions about the series. It’s a fantastic experience with one minor consideration.
Something to Be Aware Of
We tried both with a Samsung Galaxy S10 and an iPhone 8. With the iPhone, we had a few issues with getting the AR to work correctly. The problem was that the images appeared broken at times. We didn’t have the issue at all with the Samsung, but it did resolve in the end with the iPhone.
I think this was more a user error than one with the app. It can be difficult for younger kids to get to grips with AR positioning at times. Once we got past this, we found the tech impressive.
The process of getting it right took five minutes or so, not a long time really but worth playing with yourself before if your children are easily frustrated by such things.
*This is a collaborative post
The Busy Papa
Also known as Aaron, The Busy Papa focuses on lifestyle, parenting and personal wellbeing content. He has two decades experience in creative writing (including several published poems) and strongly dislikes (though tolerates) tomatoes.
It looks like a visual feast that we would enjoy but It is a shame that the AR is an issue initially.
Looks fantastic – huge fans of Star Wars here.
My friend would love this
Looks a great prize!
my daughter is a massive star wars fan and would love this!
Awesome count me in
OUR boy’s Will be super impressed Thankyou
Used to be a Star Wars fan, secretly so as not to be called uncool, and would love to win this for…me: secret nerd that I am. Ssshhhhh…
Used to be a Star Wars fan, secretly so as not to be called uncool. Maybe I can now come out of the closet. This would be GREAT! For….me. Ha!
Great prize. I’d love to win this. Good luck everyone.
The originals back in the 70s/80s were brilliant and I was jealous of my classmates who could be open about their love for those films without caring about what anyone thought. Now, I wish I’d joined in their enthusiasm. Some of the items sold back then are now worth a mint and I missed out completely.
this looks fun for my daughter – I’ve always been a star wars fan since I was a kid!!
nine year old Finley would love this as Star Wars crazy
Love the originals. Down with corporate Disney, logo slapped on (anti) Star Wars. Have you seen the “Luke would never say that!” video?
Who doesn’t love Star Wars? More power to your elbow!
This looks such an informative book…..really THE book for Star Wars fans
Looks like a wonderful prize for any star wars fans, just like my younger nephew
Awesome prize, as I a huge Sta Wars fan it looks the perfect prize!
Star wars was considered a great piece of postmodern pop art when it came out with references to The Searchers, Akira Kuroswawa, The Dam Busters, Leni Rifenstahl. George Lucas pitched it to the studios as Flash Gordon meets James Bond and Lawrence of Arabia and hired conceptual artists to show paintings to executives who had trouble following the concepts but fortunately was championed by Alan Ladd Jr at Twentieth Century Fox.
It is considered a timeless Hero-Journey Story. With a classic sequel which takes the story forward in bold and creative ways.
George Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney thinking they would protect his legacy but who then proceeded to mount a rehashed cash grab of a messy trilogy which mades no sense on its own terms and which had political ideology which was already dated upon release.
Can’t help myself. I’m in.
This book looks wonderful. Not biased at all. My sign in name is a coincidence.
Not on social media hence the comment to enter. This is a nice prize. Could your son bare to part with it?
Not giving Disney a single penny so this would be my only chance to win this. Viva The Fandom Menace.
This looks amazing. My son is a huge Star Wars fan and he would love it.
Great giveaway love star wars.
My son is nearly 7 and would adore this nearly as much as my husband, after 2 daughter who have never been interested he is enjoying having someone to share his love of star wars with. They are currently building the Lego millennium falcon together.
My nephew Luke and his dad are both huge Star Wars fans, they were both very excited to get some new Lightsabers for Christmas!
This looks perfect for a massive Star Wars fan and the augmented reality makes it even more fun.