Hello fellow Wookieepedians! Recently, we had the opportunity to chat with Brandon Wainerdi. This interview is the first installment in an interview miniseries with the authors of Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, to explore some of their insights on the project.

Many thanks to him for sitting down with us!

Q1: What was the first Star Wars film you remember watching?

A1: Funnily enough, I remember watching Return of the Jedi. My grandfather was babysitting me, he put in the VHS tape (the one with Yoda on it), and I still have the vivid memory of C-3PO and R2-D2 making their way to Jabba’s palace. Shortly after that, though, the Special Editions came out in theatres, and I was able to see all three of them back-to-back over those three months. The rest, as they say, is history.

Q2: What is your favorite medium of Star Wars media to consume?

A2: Since I was in middle school, really, I have always been a fan of the books, from the Expanded Universe to the new Canon, of which I’ve read (I think) every single one. I am especially a lover of the behind-the-scenes written works (whether the J.W. Rinzler “Making of” tomes or the more recent “Art of” books by Phil Szostak, Kristin Baver, fellow Encyclopedia author Amy Ratcliffe, and others). And, of course, the DK books (especially the Visual Dictionaries pioneered by Dr. David West Reynolds and Pablo Hidalgo) are rather perfect reads when I just want to escape into the GFFA.

Q3: What was your favorite entry to work on for the book?

A3: I was able to pen the tale of Pommet Warrick who is, of course, the son of Ewok hero, Wicket W. Warrick. I loved taking that small moment from The Rise of Skywalker and building it out as an entry (mentioning a certain “golden god”, as well).

Q4: What was the most surprising / interesting thing you learned about Star Wars lore while working on the book?

I did a lot of deep diving into Ochi of Bestoon to prepare his entry. His story is told across some really stellar pieces of Star Wars, including Adam Christopher’s Secret of the Sith and Greg Pak / Raffaele Ienco’s Darth Vader (2020) comic. It was really fun to re-read all of that, centering him as the “main” character, and really drew the three trilogies together for me even more so.

Q5: Were there any fun “Easter eggs” or pieces of lore you were able to include in the book?

A5: Some of my favorite components of the Star Wars lore come from the West End Games RPG sourcebooks. I have a pretty wide collection of them, and they are my pride and joy. When I was working on General Cracken’s entry, I was able to slip in mention of his “team of operatives”, which is a fun part of some of those books.

Q6: What do you hope readers will most get out of the book?

A6: As someone who grew up poring over the previous editions of this book, as well as all the other great non-fiction works that have been put out over the years, I am just hopeful that Star Wars fans of all ages feel more connected to the galaxy. No matter how much we know, we all can learn something new about Star Wars, and I think that’s part of the joy of being a Star Wars fan.

Q7: If people would like to keep in touch with you and your works, what social media platforms can they find you on?

A7: You can find me on Twitter and Instagram: @ActuallyBrandon, where I’ll post any of my upcoming projects and pieces. I also run a Star Wars podcast, Talking Bay 94, where I interview the cast, crew, and creators of the movies, shows, and official published works. You can listen anywhere you find your favorite podcasts, or follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @TalkingBay94.