Star Wars Multiverse
Carmelo Esterrich (Author)
9781978815254
Paperback / softback, published 13 August 2021
176 pages
17.8 x 11.4 x 1.5 cm, 0.141 kg
"Things are never as simple as they seem. While the stories of Star Wars span multiple media forms, the universes of the franchise are vast and uncharted. In this insightful volume, Carmelo Esterrich mines the unique and multifaceted Star Wars multiverse in all its complexities, delving deeply into discussions of diversity, war, fandom, and gender across the galaxy. Whether discussing the Canon and the Legend, the Fan and the Creator, or the human and the alien (and the droid!), Esterrich proves that the force is strong with Star Wars. Don't be a nerf herder – get this book now!"
— Paul Booth, author of Board Games as Media
— Columbia College Chicago
— Eager to Know podcast (e2K)
— Eager to Know podcast (e2K)
— Columbia College Chicago
"Things are never as simple as they seem. While the stories of Star Wars span multiple media forms, the universes of the franchise are vast and uncharted. In this insightful volume, Carmelo Esterrich mines the unique and multifaceted Star Wars multiverse in all its complexities, delving deeply into discussions of diversity, war, fandom, and gender across the galaxy. Whether discussing the Canon and the Legend, the Fan and the Creator, or the human and the alien (and the droid!), Esterrich proves that the force is strong with Star Wars. Don't be a nerf herder – get this book now!"
— Paul Booth, author of Board Games as Media
Star Wars may have started out as a film about a Manichean battle between good and evil, but as countless filmmakers, novelists, animators, fan artists and even cosplayers have taken the opportunity to play in the fictional world George Lucas created, it has expanded into something far greater, resulting in a richly layered and diverse Star Wars multiverse.
Drawing from a full range of Star Wars media, including comics, children's books, fan films, and television shows like Clone Wars and The Mandalorian, Carmelo Esterrich explores how these stories set in a galaxy far far away reflect issues that hit closer to home. He examines what they have to say about political oppression, authoritarianism, colonialism, discrimination, xenophobia, and perpetual war. Yet he also investigates subtler ways in which the personal is political within the multiverse, including its articulations of gender and sexuality, its cultural hierarchies of language use, and its complex relationships between humans, droids and myriad species. This book demonstrates that the Star Wars multiverse is not just a stage for thrilling interstellar battles, but also an exciting space for interpretation and discovery.
Preface: Seriously, Star Wars
1 Navigating a Multiverse: Watching, Reading, Wearing Star Wars
2 Humans and Creatures + Droids: Hierarchies of Life
3 Imperial Desires: War, Order, Colonialism
4 Beyond Princesses and Flyboys: Gender and Sexuality in Star Wars
Conclusion: Star Wars, Seriously
Acknowledgments
Further Reading
Works Cited
Filmography
Index
