"Bantha Tracks" originally known as the Official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter, was a newsletter published from 1978 to 1987. It is currently a department of Star Wars Insider magazine that focuses on Star Wars fans. Pete Vilmur became the department's editor beginning with issue 157, succeeding Mary Franklin, the department's original editor dating back to 2002.
Release and reception
Its original incarnation, the Official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter, was distributed to members every two months; Bantha Tracks was distributed quarterly. The first two years of Bantha Tracks were edited and mainly written by Craig Miller, who was Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm from 1977 to 1980.
The name Bantha Tracks was decided in a contest from the Official Star Wars Fan Club Newsletter #2 which allowed fan club members to submit ideas for a less literal name. The winner was Preston Postle of Avon, Ohio, who suggested the name Bantha Tracks. Runner-up names included The Comlink and Inside Star Wars.
The original Bantha Tracks ran for 35 issues until its discontinuation in 1987.
In 2003, StarWars.com released all 35 issues online for Hyperspace members from June to December as Classic Bantha Tracks. And in 2004, they also introduced a new, biweekly, online publication known as Bantha Tracks Online, which remained in publication until at least August 2005.
Today, "Bantha Tracks" is a section in Star Wars Insider that displays fans' art and picture submissions.
Media
Issues
- Official Star Wars Fan Club 1
- Official Star Wars Fan Club 2
- Official Star Wars Fan Club 3
- Official Star Wars Fan Club 4
- Bantha Tracks 5
- Bantha Tracks 6
- Bantha Tracks 7
- Bantha Tracks 8
- Bantha Tracks 9
- Bantha Tracks 10
- Bantha Tracks 11
- Bantha Tracks 12
- Bantha Tracks 13
- Bantha Tracks 14
- Bantha Tracks 15
- Bantha Tracks 16
- Bantha Tracks 17
- Bantha Tracks 18
- Bantha Tracks 19
- Bantha Tracks 20
- Bantha Tracks 21
- Bantha Tracks 22
- Bantha Tracks 23
- Bantha Tracks 24
- Bantha Tracks 25
- Bantha Tracks 26
- Bantha Tracks 27
- Bantha Tracks 28
- Bantha Tracks 29
- Bantha Tracks 30
- Bantha Tracks 31
- Bantha Tracks 32
- Bantha Tracks 33
- Bantha Tracks 34
- Bantha Tracks 35
Sources
"Retracing Bantha Tracks" — Star Wars Insider 41
Return of Bantha Tracks on StarWars.com (original site is defunct)
"Lucasfilm: 50 Years of Innovation" — Star Wars Insider 207 (reprinted in Special Edition 2023)
Star Wars Insider to Launch Final Issue in 2026 on StarWars.com (backup link)
External links
Bantha Tracks Online on Hyperspace (content obsolete and backup link not available)
Classic Bantha Tracks on Hyperspace (content obsolete and backup link not available)
Archive of Bantha Tracks issues on JediTempleArchives.com (backup link archived on April 1, 2021)
