January 2022 – Living History in the Star Wars Galaxy

Galactic Style Guide – Formalwear I

Welcome back to another installment of the Galactic Style Guide, the monthly series where we break down the ‘Star Wars aesthetic’ to help you create a more authentic ‘outer persona’! While quality reenacting and living history are geared more towards the ‘common’ experience, Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience is billing itself as a luxury cruise, and I’ve seen plenty of folks online asking, ‘What am I supposed to wear???’ With that in mind, I’ve combed my reference library and collected some examples of formal outfits to help get an idea of what ‘fancy dress’ looks like in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Since any discussion of in-universe formalwear is really a discussion of the clothing of the galactic upstrata, and since the Original Trilogy is—aside from Leia—generally not concerned with these kinds of characters, our best examples from top-tier sources come from the Prequel films (which were very much focused on galactic elites). One thing’s for sure: Trisha Biggar’s costume designs reveal a clear preference for robes, cloaks, and coats in late-Republic senators’ clothing:

**Late-Republic senators and aides**: Liana Merian, Agrippa Aldrete, ‘Unidentified Draped Senator’, Sei Taria, Silya Shessaun, Gem Sirrom, Terr Taneel, Chi Eekway, Fang Zar;
Mon Mothma, Bana Breema, Male-Dee, Giddean Danu, Bail Organa, Rep. Binks, Sheltay Retrac

More galactic whittling – CR70 corvette

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had any new Star Warsy whittlings to show off! I had planned to do some whittling along the Appalachian Trail last year (and found the perfect little neck-knife in a hiker box)…but unfortunately hiking 15-20 miles a day doesn’t leave time for much else besides eating and sleeping. I actually carved up this little consular ship last midwinter, and forgot I had been sitting on it for a whole year! Unlike the Republic cruiser I last whittled, this one was made out of poplar, so I was able to include a much higher level of detail:

It’s almost certainly Blockade Runner nostalgia, but I think this line of ships look so much better seen from an aft perspective.

Contrary to popular belief, while they look very similar, this is NOT the same model ship as the iconic ‘blockade runner’ of Episode IV!

persistent inaccuracies and more pictures below!

Is your studio apartment bigger than a slave hovel?

Happy new year and welcome to our first post of 2022! I apologize for the delay in new postings, but since getting off the Trail my wife and I moved to a new city, which is always stressful and takes priority from hobbies like running this blog. Since I’ve been thinking a lot about living spaces lately, I thought it would be a great time to share a great nugget I uncovered while doing some recent research.

art by Hans Jennsen (Inside the Worlds of *Episode I*)

Say what you will about the Prequels, but I always thought despite being slaves, Anakin and Shmi’s home in Mos Espa seemed downright cozy (it’s probably all the low ceilings, rounded corners, and warm, creamy colors – cob-style architecture for the win!). But can we know how big it really was?

Answer: yes, we can!