Customer Reviews

Inside the Worlds of Star Wars, Episode I - The Phantom Menace: The Complete Guide to the Incredible Locations

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Have the ultimate experience of The Phantom Menace by extending your understanding with this book.

This book is an excellent expansion of the basic story line of Episode I. Based on reading it, you will have much more appreciation for that movie and the later ones in the series.

The book contains star charts to show you where key planets are located (like Naboo, Tatooine, Coruscant, Alderaan, Corellia), which makes many of the plots much easier to understand.

Beyond that benefit, you get detailed maps of each of the planets where action occurs in Episode I. This allows you to see how the various story lines relate to each other spatially. For example, you can see how the Gungan capital of Otoh Gunda relates to the Naboo capital of Theed. In the case of Naboo, this is supplemented with a geological cutaway of the planet to show you how the two capitals are connected by the ocean.

Next, each city is also mapped. So you see the details of Otoh Gunda, Theed, Mos Espa on Tatooine, and the central area of Coruscant. Then specific buildings and space ships are also shown in cutaways. These include the Droid control ship, Watto's junkshop, Anakin's hovel, the Jedi Temple, the Imperial Senate, and the arena for pod races on Tatooine.

Action sequences are then detailed so that you can see where and when each step takes place. This is done for the duel with Darth Maul and Jedi Qui-Gon Jiun and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Theed palace generator. You also get the battle between the droids and the Gungans. But the best is the full map of the pod race course, with annotations for where each major part of the race's events occurred.

All of these maps are enlivened by detailed notes on the geology, technology, and history of the places displayed. There are many references to Senator Palpatine and the sources of power on Naboo that will be of interest. I thought the expanded information about the Gungan city was especially well done.

The illustrations are new in many cases, which also adds to the reader's pleasure.

My only complaint is that there are several pages with no new information and no interesting detail. An editor should have taken this out or substituted better content. The only argument in their favor is that they help remind you of the story's continuity.

This must have been a lot of fun to create. My suggestion is that you take another story you like and make a similar series of maps and notes. If you have children or grandchildren, this could be a fun project to do together. You might consider Alice in Wonderland as a first subject. Or if you have a friend who loves Star Wars, you could expand on Episode I or any of the other stories in the same way.

May the Force be with you . . . always!

I have all the other DK "Guides" to Star Wars. I love the way those (and this) book is written... with an archelogical view point that treats the Star Wars universe as if it were "real".

This installment (Incredible Locations) shows you cross sections of various EP I building and places and is quite interesting. It is especially helpful if you run Star Wars Role Playing games like I do (as you can show your players detailed "blue prints and layouts" of buildings).

This book also has various tidbits of information about Star Wars and EP I that I have NEVER read anywhere else. I just hope that DK will release classic trilogy versions (Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi).

Buy with confidence if you are a Star Wars fan - You'll enjoy just browsing through that galaxy far, far away.

This is a great visual aid if you wonder how everything is made and works in the world of Star Wars.

An excellent book! I have all of the titles in this series and plan to purchase Inside the Worlds of the Classic Star Wars as soon as it comes out. I think that they could have gone a little bit more in depth with this book, but you're talking to a Star Wars freak who could never get enough. I also think that The Attack of the Clones edition could have been longer, but overall, a wonderfull book of detailed maps and explanitory paragraphs.

An indepth review of the Episode 1 locations which are quite impressive, such as the Mos Espa arena and the Theed royal palace. An extention of the Pictorial Directory and Cross Sections, this book really explains alot of how why and where things happened in this first chapter of this tail.

Finally, a cross-sections that gives the audience a look inside the buildings of Star Wars! Why they waited so long to release it is anyone guess, but the wait is over. If you've read my reviews for the other cross-sections books then you know how much I love cross-sections. That said, Inside The Worlds Of Episode 1 breathes new life into The Phantom Menace. Particular favorites of mine include Otoh Gunga, Watto's junkshop, the Galactic Senate building, and the Jedi Temple. Not only does the book talk about particular locations in the movie, but also the very planets that the movie is set on: Naboo, Tatooine, and Coruscant. Inside The Worlds Of Episode 1 is full of wonderful illustrations and is packed with amazing information. Indeed, it's the chosen one...of cross-sections books, that is.

Think of this book as The Ultimate Phantom Menace. This book is designed for the person who can never get enough of Episode I. As a sincere Star Wars fan, I found the book extended my understanding of the story in useful ways that will expand my enjoyment of the next time I see the film. Those who play games based on Episode I will also benefit.

The material begins by locating the key planets within the galaxy on a star chart including Naboo, Tatooine, Coruscant, Alderaan, and Corellia. This orientation is helpful for all of the Star Wars stories.

There are detailed maps with explanatory notes for locating key moments on Naboo, Tatooine, and Coruscant. For example, you can see where the Gungans live versus where Queen Amidala's palace is located. This gives you an overview. Then there are more detailed maps for specific areas like Theed (the capital city of Naboo), Otoh Gunda (the Gungan capital), and Mos Espa (the town where Anakin lives on Tatooine). These maps also explain key aspects of the technology involved, how the geology affects the technology and the story, and the connection of the place to how the characters are physically constrained in their choices. I found the Gungan material to be the most interesting.

At the next level of detail, you get the keys to the action. My favorite was the entire course for the Pod race, along with notes about where each key incident occurred. You also get cutaway drawings of the Glalactic Senate, the Jedi Temple, a fold-out four pages of the Mos Espa arena where the Pod race began and ended, the Theed hangar, the site of the battle in the Generator on Naboo between Darth Maul and Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin's hovel, and Watto's junkshop.

Many of these details will be new to you.

My only complaint was that the book seemed to also contain a fair amount of extraneous material that added nothing to my current understanding. The wonderful maps and cutaways were interspaced with familiar stills from the film that seemed to play no role other than adding completeness. An example was the canal system in Theed. Perhaps the author and illustrators needed to be given encouragement to add more new material to these sections. I found myself quickly skipping over these parts wondering why they were included.

After you finish this book, I suggest that you also think about what other stories you love. Then consider making yourself a similar set of maps that make those stories more detailed and real for you. This can be a wonderful thing to do with your children or grandchildren . . . or friends. Perhaps Alice in Wonderland would make an interesting place to start.

Get all the joy you can by using your imagination!