With only a week to go before Christmas and movie theatres selling out for The Last Jedi, some might be wondering what they could buy for that Star Wars fan in your family? TIME magazine recently released a commemorative magazine, Star Wars: 40 Years of the Force. It seems like every magazine has a Star Wars story, but few have devoted every page to the history of and the future of this movie series.
Divided into six sections and at 94 pages in length, this hardbound magazine covers everything you need to know about Star Wars. From an introduction that attempts to explain why the Force has such an unshakeable hold on the world, to episode guides detailing what you need to know about each movie, spotlights on George Lucas which includes an excerpt from Brian Jay Jones’ excellent biography George Lucas: A Life and a highlight of J.J. Abrams and his work on The Force Awakens, this magazine attempts to give you as much knowledge as possible for fans and newbies in short concise bits.
There’s more to this magazine then just a recount of what Star Wars is. It also includes the original reviews from TIME for the Star Wars movies from Episodes I-VII in the Skywalker world, as well as detailed looks at the cultural impact that Star Wars has made.
The magazine highlights the impact that Star Wars had on the world and how it portrayed its characters. Carrie Fisher is given her credit and respect for playing a princess who was not just a damsel in distress. She may have been captured but Leia was the one who grabbed the blaster and ordered Han and Luke into the garbage chute to escape attacking Storm Troopers. Princess Leia was one of the first princess characters that showed the power and strength of a female character in a sci-fi world.
Though the magazine only focuses on the Skywalker stories, Star Wars: 40 Years of the Force does look at Rogue One and how the film was the first in the Star Wars saga to feature so many characters of diverse cultural backgrounds. Star Wars can tell great stories, and in a galaxy far far away, it’s finally showing that not every character is Caucasian.
From film to immersive reality, the magazine goes into a sneak peak look at what will come to the Disney Parks in the future. The information is not new — the concept art has been seen before at D23 and everywhere on the internet — but with the magazine, at least you get to have your own copy of the future Star Wars sites.
If you have a Star Wars fan in the family and you are out shopping for them while they are at The Last Jedi, I suggest you pick up a copy of Star Wars: 40 Years of the Force, they will love it.