The weirdest subgenre of Star Wars stuff is nonfiction guides about Star Wars stuff. Though we rarely see actual, physical books in Star Wars canon, you could fill a small library with books about Star Wars. And among those books, the books pretending to be books that exist in-universe are particularly strange and delightful. Texts like The Book of Sith, The Jedi Path, The Bounty Hunter Code, and The Imperial Handbook were all “written” by multiple Star Wars characters and annotated by more.
But Star Wars’ next in-universe book is rebooting a subgenre within a subgenre. This book, The Star Wars Bestiary, is canonically written by a little-known society of people that pays attention to one of Star Wars’ greatest assets: its wide variety of creatures. Rather than having to assemble various information from trading cards, outdated non-canon books, and Wookieepedia, the new Bestiary will unite all the creatures in the Star Wars galaxy while giving legitimacy to a small band of misfits who write about them.
The Star Wars Bestiary, Volume 1: Creatures of the Galaxy is a compendium of some of Star Wars’ greatest creatures, lovingly documented and illustrated. Set to hit store shelves on November 5th, the book is written by S.T. Bende and illustrated by Iris Compiet, but in-universe, it’s the work of “creature cartographer” Ardis San Tekka.
Tekka travels the universe alongside her safari droid B8-T5 (nicknamed “Bait”), sketching alien species and observing their habits. It’s all part of her work with the Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts, an overlooked addition to Star Wars canon. The GSCE was created in 2021 to provide a framing device for Star Wars Galaxy of Creatures, a children’s miniseries available on YouTube. It follows SF-R3, a society member, as he learns how to brush a Rancor’s teeth, groom a Bantha, and otherwise care for critters.
These characters are almost certainly from the franchise’s underserved High Republic Era, since that’s when the Star Wars galaxy was decidedly more Star Trek-y. Things were relatively peaceful, and there was time for people to join groups like the GSCE as opposed to, say, the Rebel Alliance. But that’s not the group’s only appearance.
SF-R3 later appeared in Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures, a Disney+ series following Jedi younglings in the High Republic era, where he meets young Jedi Lys Solay, a creature enthusiast who documents animals alongside him. To date, this is the group’s most high-profile High Republic appearance, although they presumably still exist around the same time as The Acolyte.
The Beastiary could elevate a part of the Star Wars canon previously relegated to stories for younger fans and offer insights into what civilian life was like in a time of peace. Adult Star Wars fans can now enjoy the work of this intriguing in-universe group, because detailed facts about Porgs, Banthas, and Wampas isn’t just kids' stuff, it’s serious Star Wars business.
The Star Wars Bestiary, Volume 1: Creatures of the Galaxy will be released November 5th, 2024.
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