Reddit reviews Star Wars: The Force Awakens The Visual Dictionary

There were 5 books released yesterday.

Books Released 12/18:

1. Before the Awakening - Amazon, Google Play
   
2. The Force Awakens Novelization - Amazon, Google Play
   
3. Force Awakens, The: Incredible Cross-Sections - Amazon
   
4. Force Awakens, The: Visual Dictionary - Amazon
   
5. Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Amazon
   
   If you want to catch up on the new Star Wars Canon check out my video explaining the new canon.
   

I pulled these images from the preview of the book on Amazon.

Hope this isn't a repost or anything. It has some interesting stuff, I'll probably order it soon.


EDIT I just found and made an album for the other book, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Incredible Cross-Sections.

Also on Amazon.

$12 USD on Amazon

He is on the Lucalsfilm story group and authored the Visual Dictionary for the film...

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

If anyone gets to pontificate it should be him.

I got this for Christmas and immediately starting tearing into it. These facts are just a small amount of the neat things you can find in it. I highly encourage you to buy it. Mine came from Amazon.

I read a review of the new movie where they said they didn't need the new movie to be good, but that they just wanted it to exist. The movie would introduce so many new devices, locations, creatures, and more. It being good would just be the cherry on top. This book is an example of all the extra goodies we are getting by this movie just existing.

Its the visual dictionary, I just bought it a few hours ago at Barnes and Noble

heres an amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

Here are some other reasons which explain more about Rey's talents and abilities:


From "Star Wars: The Force Awakens, "Star Wars The Force Awakens: Before the Awakening" and "Star Wars: Force Awakens Incredible Cross Sections"

• (Summary of Rey's chapter in "Before the Force"): Rey has friends on Jakku. She fixed a downed freighter and made it flyable. She even repaired/replaced it's hyperdrive and it worked. Her friends decide to steal it from her and use it to escape Jakku when they find out that Rey didn't want to leave because of her hopes of her family returning. Instead she wanted to sell it to Unkar for a lot of portions (she imagines hundreds of portions or more). Her friends end up taking the ship and leaving without her.
  
  
• Her speeder is capable of low-altitude flight and can even do barrel-rolls. So Rey does have some real flight experience from this. However, she has never flown "off-planet". As posted in a different thread by /u/twinspiritradio:
  
  
  • In the cross-section of her speeder, it says that when it's not carrying salvage, it can gain incredible speeds and perform such moves like barrel rolls.
    http://i.imgur.com/14XAgCt.jpg
    
    
• She also finds data chips which contain a flight simulator. She is so driven to master flight that she pushes herself and pushes herself. Starting out, she couldn't even take off without crashing. Through crazy determination and time there's nothing the flight simulator can't throw at her that she cannot do.
  
  
  • Source (from "Before the Awakening"): http://i.imgur.com/TmuySPQ.png
    
    
• She has been on-board the Millennium Falcon before. She used to sneak onto not only the Millennium Falcon, but all of Unkar's other ships he had docked and did this frequently. Who knows what she did on it, but it explains how she is so familiar with the Millennium Falcon and knows how to repair it.
  
  
  • Source (from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"): http://i.imgur.com/LmqarJF.png
    
    
    Other observations
    
    
• Rey has been stranded on Jakku for quite some time and has to scavenge as a means to eat. She scavenges for parts from downed Imperial wreckage. In doing so, she develops her technological know-how. To be able to know what will get her more "portions" she needed to know what was valuable. In order to learn how to get these parts, she had to learn how to properly remove them and where they were and possibly what they were used for. This is how she is so mechanically inclined, especially with Imperial/First Order technology.
  
  
• Rey knows how to defend herself because she's had to to survive on her own for so long. It's even demonstrated in the film and even blows Finn's mind when he sees it. So her skills with a lightsaber can easily be taken from this.
  
  
  What does all of this tell you?
  
  
  
• Just because she knows how to fly something doesn't make her the child of Han or Luke.
  
  
• Just because she is familiar with the Millennium Falcon doesn't mean she is Han's daughter.
  
  
• Just because she knows how to fix things and understands technology, doesn't make her a clone/descendant of Anakin.
  
  
• Just because she knows how to defend herself, doesn't mean she was ever trained as a Jedi/Padawan.
  
  
  What does it not tell you?
  
  
  
• Where her Force abilities come from or how she is able to understand and use it.
  
  
  Personal observations
  
  
  
• To me, all of this is more evidence that she is more likely a descendant of Obi-Wan than of a Skywalker/Solo. Why? Well, it shows that she is highly intelligent, focused, determined and patient. This doesn't describe a Skywalker or a Solo in the slightest. We know all too well how impatient and unfocused Anakin and Luke were. None of those things describe Han Solo at all either. Who does it describe? Obi-Wan Kenobi.
  
  
• You might say, well, Obi-Wan didn't like to fly. My response? Who cares what Obi-Wan did/didn't like? Vader chose the Dark Side, Luke didn't. Right there is a simple example of how a person can differ from their ancestors.
  
  
  Additional details
  
  
• Also from /u/kremshawthethird, which is from "Rey's Survival Guide": https://i.imgur.com/UN7c2gw.jpg It shows how the rebel helmet she has and the rebel forces "doll" have nothing to do with Luke Skywalker. It could however, show why she calls herself "Rey".
  
  
• And from /u/jlsm511's post on /r/starwarsleaks: http://imgur.com/a/1BVvH
  This sample from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary": discusses the helmet and doll briefly as well.
  **
  
  Edit: Added links to sources.*

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

I just ordered one!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary

This is from Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary being sold on amazon if anyone is interested https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465438165/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_CNvEwbH4B27ZG

I believe it's from the Star Wars Force Awakens Visual Dictionary: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

If you're more into world-building than story, I think you'd really enjoy some of the reference books. I'm especially thinking of the visual dictionaries which expand on the characters, planets, and tech from the movies. There's also the Galactic Maps and Complete Locations books too, which really are world building books.

The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary

Rogue One Visual Dictionary

The Last Jedi Visual Dictionary

Star Wars Galactic Maps

Star Wars Complete Locations

If you are looking for something comprehensive send her a link to Wookieepedia instead. It's far more complete than any printed encyclopedia, contains both canon and Legends information and it's constantly being updated when new things are released. It's a lore geek's best friend.

As far as the gift goes, you could still get her that Visual Encyclopedia because it's got lots of really nice pictures. Alternatively, Ultimate Star Wars, The Complete Visual Dictionary, The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary, Rogue One Visual Dictionary and the Character Encyclopedia are all good books that have a lot of great info in them. You could also go with the Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, although it's no longer complete and much of the information is no longer canon.

Whatever you pick, make sure it's from the heart and I'm sure she'll like it.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

It's the visual dictionary.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165/

Right here.

TFA Visual Dictionary

I definitely like Kylo more than Rey. I'm super HAPPY with the entire cast including Rey. But my heart has always been with the bad guys. I knew I was going to love Kylo the most the moment I saw him. In fact the moment I saw him I looked at my boyfriend and said "You're costuming that." like he didn't have an option, I'm making him a Kylo and he's going to be mine and that's that!

But I LOVE the point you brought up that this movie really makes you sympathize with the bad guys and I loved that. You feel for Finn who is freaked out by the power and cruelty of the first order and you actually feel for Kylo who is struggling between light and dark. Watching the promos and getting hyped, I never imagined I would feel for Kylo. I assumed I'd sit there and think he was amazing but I didn't think I'd connect with him, it was actually kind of nice! I'm circle jerking, I know, I can't help it.

Here's a list of shit you need to pick up:

The visual dictionary

The Art of Star Wars the Force Awakens

And you mentioned having a book with layouts of the death star and such so you may like Incredible Cross Sections.

And from what EVERYONE I know has been telling me, The Force Awakens novelization is a must read if you want juicy little details that weren't made crystal clear in the movie!

Also, if you are not reading the comics. STOP. RIGHT. NOW. AND. READ. THEM!!

In order of priority:

Darth Vader

Star Wars

Princess Leia

Shattered Empire

And read Kanan if you're a Rebels fan. I HAVE the comic I just haven't read that one yet!

But no seriously that Darth Vader comic. The stuff that happens. UGH. NERDGASM. After reading them and re-watching the movies in preparation for TFA I fell in love with the originals all over again. It was like that fresh awesome new love I had for them the first time! So good!

Here you go. :)

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165

ok, so the Visial Dictonary (amazon-link: http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1451500664&sr=1-17&keywords=star+wars+vii+in+books) is officially canon too, because it was released after A New Dawn? There is more background info on the movies characters.
What about the older Visiual Dictonaries?

I don't own it but I do see Kylo's page is a preview page on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165


(I can't zoom in enough to read well on my phone ATM)

I would say DK books, like this or this. They are informative and have cool facts, but aren't super in-depth like the Complete Encyclopedia.

There's a good shot of it in the amazon preview of the Star Wars visual dictionary. They're totally different.

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Awakens-Visual-Dictionary/dp/1465438165/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=51FABhmaBoL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR134%2C160_&refRID=1NYMGJ7KGWY0FM9Y286C

One of the main points of confusion for me was the planets they blew up. Hux waxes on about destroying the New Republic and then proceeds to obliterate a handful of planets that seem to be political seat of power for it. Having seen the previous movies you would think that mean they blew away Coruscant which was where the Galatic Senate was located and had been for a millennium. If that was the case, i was surprised that it seems to generate little reaction.

But that wasn't the case. The blew up a planet called Hosnian Prime because the New Republic rotated the location on the new Galactic Sentate based on elections.

You wouldn't know this unless you bought Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary or were bugged enough like me to Google it until I found some answers.

Amazon link for those that want it: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary https://www.amazon.com/dp/1465438165/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_z8bEwb2E3GYCY

If you want some blanks filled in, try the Force Awakens novelization. I haven't read it myself, but I've heard from a lot of people that there's some information in there that wasn't in the movie, as well as further developed character relationships.

I also suggest The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary. After seeing the movie the first couple of times, I had a ton of questions. This book answered a great deal of them.

It sucks that the comic isn't good. I wasn't expecting much, simply because it was a 4-issue mini-series. That seemed really short, so I basically expected them to speed through the plot, rather than adding to it.

I had really hoped that Disney would take this opportunity to really streamline the Star Wars universe, and keep everything consistent and in-continuity across the board. I'd hoped they'd put people in charge who really cared about the quality of the stories they were telling and the products they were releasing. But that hasn't really been the case. Between low quality releases and completely ignoring The Old Republic, I haven't been terribly happy with the new expanded universe.

Are you looking for novels or just books?

For novels I would say Aftermath

I also recommend The Force Awakens Visual Dictionary

One damn Google search and I found one of the three canon books of it that came out.

Learn to Google fu, mate.