t's touted as "the definitive insider's guide" to the Star Wars universe. And, like most things from George Lucas's prodigious empire, it lives up to its billing. This two-CD package contains virtually everything there is to know about the Star Wars films, novels, comics, collectibles, games, radio programs and just about every other manifestation of Lucas's enduring myth. The information--thousands of entries, including many full-screen or letterboxed video inserts--is packaged attractively and is easy to navigate.
The CD-ROM opens with a stereophonic suite of John Williams' classic Star Wars score playing over scenes from the original three films. From there, viewers go to a home screen divided into the main sections: characters, technology, locations, events, Episode 1 preview, scene-by-scene, behind-the-scenes, expanded universe and glossary. The home screen is backed by more of Williams' famous music as well as full-motion clips from the special editions of the films.
Each main section is introduced with a video insert and music, which can be disabled if desired. From there, viewers can go three or four levels
deep into the CD-ROM's information trove. Key entries contain text, still images, sound or video, 3-D graphic images that can be manipulated, and even a 300-question trivia game. Trivia questions are introduced by a variety of characters, from R2D2 to the Emperor himself.
The depth and breadth of the information is boggling. In the section on Princess Leia, there is text about the evolution of the character through the various drafts of the original Star Wars script, interviews, storyboard sketches, video clips from the films, even the source of her "sticky bun" hairdo (it's based on Native American styles). And that's just one entry.
Charming to the last
Delightful surprises abound in Star Wars: Behind the Magic. There's an interactive 3-D tour of the Millennium Falcon. There's a fashion show featuring Princess Leia that's set to sleazy Eurotrash music. And there's a "Weapons Test Bay," a 3-D shooting gallery where users can test weapons--from an Ewok rock to the Death Star's ray--on a hapless Imperial Storm Trooper. The trooper's hilarious reactions to the various weapons must be seen to be appreciated.
Besides being fun, Star Wars: Behind the Magic is indispensable to any true Star Wars scholar. It contains invaluable interviews with many of the original trilogy's creators, including long monologues from George Lucas himself. It also has detailed information on the evolution of the films. And there are timelines that take the Star Wars myth from the darkest recess of pre-history through the time of the three original films and beyond, encompassing the sprawling narrative in all its incarnations.
Most impressive, Star Wars: Behind the Magic contains a scene-by-scene breakdown of the three original films. Viewers can read the shooting script; hear comments from cast and crew; read notes, drafts and treatments; view storyboards and concept sketches; see behind-the-scenes images from the set; and learn about source material (from Akira Kurosawa to Leni Riefenstahl to Joseph Campbell). Critics can parse the different versions of the story: original film, radio drama and special edition. And there's a video clip of "lost scenes" cut from the original film.
And it doesn't stop there. There's more, including black-and-white video of screen tests from the 1970s that shows a young Harrison Ford feeding lines to newcomers Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher. There's even a comprehensive preview of the much-anticipated Star Wars: Episode 1, for those who can't wait until the movie opens in 1999.
