A saga 43 years in the making, the story of 
the Skywalker family has come to an end. Some of us were children when the first Star Wars premiered, now our children and their children have become fans. I never thought that I would be talking about Star Wars all these years later.
You can’t have Star Wars without the story, but the art and design of Star Wars is equally important, if not more so. All the fantastic worlds, starships and characters needed to be designed to give the movie its unique look. When Star Wars premiered science fiction fans were more accustomed to the shining cleanliness of Star Trek than the dirty, lived in look of a galaxy far, far away. The look of Star Wars influenced all the science fiction that followed.
Speaking of the look of Star Wars, The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is out now. Published by Abrams this book is the perfect companion to the movie. This 256 page book is filled with sketches, concept art and finished designs. The oversized tome measures 11.6 x 1.1 x 10.6 inches and is a great source of Star Wars information, even if you just want to know what the well-dressed rebel is wearing this year. I have always been a big fan of the Star Wars art books and The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker does not disappoint.
I know I don’t need to say this but if you haven’t seen Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker do not read any further or look at this art book…there will be spoilers. This has been and will be your only warning.
The Art of Star Wars: The Art of The Rise of Skywalker is broken down into 12 chapters. These chapters touch on areas such as costumes, props, creatures and sets, just to name a few. I was surprised that there wasn’t much on Exegol and the Emperor’s cloning facilities; important parts of the film. I would have loved to have seen the concept art of Snoke and his various body parts floating in a vat of goo. That image flashes by too fast on the big screen to get a good look (the movie is out today on home video so I will freeze frame that scene).
Despite the fact we don’t get to see the Emperor there is so much to see in this book. I know that this phrase has been said often (sometimes even by me) but there truly is something for everyone in here.
One of the things that I did like was how the themes of dark and light are handled in the book. When you get to the costume section of the book you will see it is broken down into Dark Side wardrobe and Light Side wardrobe. Even the cover of the book demonstrates that theme. Looking at the cover art, it could be interpreted as a representation of the battle between the Dark and Light sides of the Force with only a fine line to separate them.
Overall I really enjoyed The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. You don’t even have to be an art lover to appreciate this book; just have a love of Star Wars. I would recommend you add this one to your collection.
The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is written by Phil Szostack with forward written by Doug Chiang and is available now. This beautiful art book retails for $40.00 USD and should be available at your favorite book seller. May the Force be with you!
