After receiving it as an early birthday present from Ivan earlier, this month I discovered that DK Publishing’s Rogue One Ultimate Visual Guide (UVG) by Pablo Hidalgo which fills the Star Wars universe as seen in Rogue One with a multitude of world-building details, was also a treasure trove of lore which originated from West End Games.
West End Games (WEG) published the Star Wars roleplaying game series of books from 1987 until 1998 or thereabouts after which the licence went to Wizards of the Coast. In that decade or so, the game company had created and populated the Star Wars universe with hundreds (if not thousands) of worldbuilding details enough for gamemasters and players to play in the setting without having to create, for example, the Imperial DMV. Similarly, species, location and technology (and corporations that made these technologies) were named and fleshed out.
Which brings us to the Rogue One Ultimate Visual Guide. Pablo Hidalgo was a freelance writer for West End Games and an experienced Star Wars RPG gamemaster. Instead of reinventing the wheel, a lot of minutae created by WEG have been included in the Rogue One UVG, which means that at one point or another, these details have been used by a multitude of Star Wars RPG gamemasters and players in their own campaigns. See the Chandrila section below for an example of my own.
Here is a (incomplete) list of items featured in the UVG and created earlier in various WEG rulebooks, sourcebooks and periodicals according to their appearances in the UVG from front to back.
Pretormin Environmental
Who doesn’t need potable water out in the Outer Rim?
The corporation that built the GX-8 condenser unit installed at the Lah’mu homestead also built the WPR-60 water purification system. Source: Galladinium’s Fantastic Technology (1995).
Detonite and Baradium
So many detonite packs, so little time
Detonites are the plastic explosives of the Star Wars universe and baradium gives you more bang to the buck in thermal detonators. Sources: top – Imperial Sourcebook (1989), bottom – The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
Crozo Industrial Products
The walkie-talkie
It is important to note that Crozo does not solely manufacture hand comlinks, but also a host of computer and cybernetic products in the galaxy. Source: Cracken’s Rebel Field Guide (1991).
Class One & Class Two Imperial Penal References (ImPeRe)
It goes up to Class Five
Jyn Erso had two high level Imperial Penal Reference Classes slapped on her which would explain her incarceration in an Imperial Penal Colony. I wonder what her cellmate’s Oolin Musters ImPeRe violations were. Source: Galaxy Guide 6 Tramp Freighters (1990).
Wetyin and Starloft Continents at Yavin
Four, not Thirteen
Scout Lile Gorsek mapped the fourth moon of Yavin and named the continents Koos, Swivven, Wetyin and Starloft. Source: Galaxy Guide 2 Yavin and Bespin (1989).
Cantham House Meetings
Needs moar Breha
The Cantham House Meetings involving Mothma and Organa have been part of the origin of the Rebel Alliance lore since nearly the beginning of West End Games. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Chandrila
Hanna City or Nayli Spaceport?
Not only has Chandrila been identified as Mon Mothma’s homeworld by West End Games in their first roleplaying sourcebook, but I also ran a game session back in the late 80s where my rebel agents manage to avert a bioweapon attack there. Also time of writing, my current players (okay, just Ain and Irfan) are stuck in a cliffhanger and a deadly standoff there in an ongoing Star Wars D6 campaign. Source: The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
Telaris System
Telaris base floor plans plz thx lol
The Telaris System appears to be a secret location where the Alliance fleet especially Mon Calamari capital combat starships go to for planning and repairs. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Pendarr III
Draven is as shifty as Delan
General Draven and Kolor Delan are compatriots from the same planet. Source: Wanted by Cracken (1993).
Alliance Rank Badges
What about non-commissioned officers?
The rank badge symbology of the Alliance to Restore the Republic as was first laid out in a sourcebook in 1990 has been consistent in various stories and media throughout the decades. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Alliance Minister of Finance
It’s Anderson from Sherlock
The Alliance Minister of Finance is Senator Uwer Jebel. It seems like he has quite a stressful job in the shadow cabinet. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Alliance Minister of Industry
Needs moar Charon
The Alliance Minister of Industry is Senator Vasp Vaspar from the Taldot Sector. Taldot is also referred to in the West End Games adventure Otherspace II: Invasion which I do not possess. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Balamak System
Where is Quist in all of this?
Balamak was just an unattributed word thrown about in the back cover blurb of Tatooine Manhunt and not even repeated anywhere in the interior pages! But it’s good to learn that the Balamak system was eventually identified to be located in the Taldot Sector. Wonder if Senator Vaspar who seems to have been present at the Battle of Balamak knows Adar Tallon. Source: Tatooine Manhunt (1988).
Alliance Minister of Education
Taris is not from WEG though
Senator Tynnra Pamlo the Alliance Minister of Education is from Taris, but Taris does not originate from West End Games so we will talk about Lasan instead. The homeworld of one Garazeb Orrelios, Lasan was first mentioned in 1996 in WEG’s Star Wars Adventure Journal 11, I believe. I might be wrong, I do not have a number of the digest-sized Adventure Journal periodicals. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Fest System
Street Fighters of Fest should be in a movie
Cassian Andor is from the Fest system. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Albarrio Sector
In the barrio
The Albarrio sector was featured in the adventure module Riders of the Maelstrom. Source: Riders of the Maelstrom (1989). (Also the BlasTech A280 was identified in the Rebel Alliance Sourcebook.)
Lullaby
Lullaby for a Sleeping Child
Among the Alliance intelligence agents slang is the word “lullaby” for those who are dire and desperate. Perhaps we will see other Alliance military slang (as featured in Galaxy Guide 9 Fragments from the Rim and Rules of Engagement) in later books. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
KX-9 Laser Cannons
X-wing tools of the trade
Taim & Bak KX-9 cannons (and many of the X-wing’s other systems and subsystems) were first mentioned in the spectacular four page technical document in The Star Wars Sourcebook. Also of note, “Taim and Bak” sounds like the Malay word tembak. I believe I will write another blog post about the many transliteration (and/or bastardisation) of Malay words that appear in that book. Source: The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
X-Wing Fighter
All the way from the Fresia system
I thought the model number stopped at T-65, as per the Star Wars novelisation. Then I learned that it goes on for a bit: T-65C-A2. However the stats as listed in the Star Wars Sourcebook is for the T-65B. I wonder why. Also, I wish my car had two of these 4L4 Fusial Thrust engines. Source: The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
Anomids
There should be a space sign language sourcebook
Anomids are a sapient species without vocal cords. Although Sylvanie Phest is veiled and masked, she should resemble the alien as illustrated by Mike Vilardi above Source: Riders of the Maelstrom (1989), but the image above is from Galaxy Guide 12 Aliens — Enemies and Allies (1995).
Imperial Peace-Keeping Certificates
Bounty hunting license
Tam Posla is labelled to be carrying an IPKC on Jedha which legally makes him a bounty hunter. Irfan’s current player character Jax Hunt also has an IPKC, by the way. Source: Galaxy Guide 9 Fragments From The Rim (1993).
Gigorans
Are they gee, gye, jee or jye-gorans?
Gigorans look different from their original appearance back in 1994. Perhaps there are species variations across the galaxy. Source: Star Wars Adventure Journal 4 (1994) image from Alien Encounters (1998).
The Ghorman Massacre
An Imperial injustice
The Ghorman Massacre was one of the first pivotal incidents that began the mobilisation of people and resources to form the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Brentaal & Kuat System Engineering
Something to hang on the wall
Galen Erso has a lot of awards! Brentaal is a major system in the Core Worlds and Kuat System Engineering built the Firespray patrol ship, one of which that was modified extensively to become Boba Fett’s Slave I. Source: Top – Star Wars Adventure Journal 7 (1995), bottom – The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook (1993).
Nordoxicon Unlimited
Corporate matters
Nordoxicon manufactured a lot of shipboard technology, including the Millennium Falcon‘s anti-concussion field generator. Source: The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
Telgorn Corporation
We build robust transports
Telgorn Corp manufactured the Zeta-class cargo shuttle, piloted by Bodhi Rook in Rogue One. Telgorn also made the Gamma-class assault shuttle which carries 40 easily-deployed Imperial spacetroopers. Source: Imperial Sourcebook (1989).
SpecForce Wilderness Fighters
I bet they fight well in the jungles of Bukit Engku Busu
Alliance Special Forces (SpecForce) divisions are legion. A number of my second generation Strikeforce Enteague player characters were former SpecForce troops. In Rogue One, Corporal Mefran is a Wilderness Fighter. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
SpecForce Pathfinders
Melshi should have his own movie
Sgt Melshi is a SpecForce Pathfinder. He’s also my favourite rebel in Rogue One. Lucasfilm needs to fast track a Sgt Melshi and Extraction Team Bravo prequel movie quickly. Source: Rebel Alliance Sourcebook (1990).
Tierfon Outpost
See also: FFG’s Stronghold of Resistance
Tierfon Outpost has quite a sizeable write-up and a floor plan in The Star Wars Sourcebook. Fantasy Flight Games elaborated more about the starfighter outpost (with a full-colour floor plan) in their 2015 supplement Strongholds of Resistance. Source: The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
Yelsain System
Minos Cluster represent
I was surprised to catch a Minos Cluster reference in the UVG! Go Tree-dwellers! Source: Galaxy Guide 6 Tramp Freighters (1989).
Atrisia
Atrisia appeared in this flavour text
Atrisia has a very long and distinguished history. Source: Imperial Sourcebook (1989).
Fresia System
WOTC once created the map of Coromon Island
Fresia was identified as the location of the Incom Corporation’s manufacturing base in (of all things) an in-universe product poster of the X-wing fighter. Fresia was later given its own section – including a map of Coromon Island – in Wizards of the Coast’s Coruscant and the Core Worlds (2003). Source: Star Wars The Roleplaying Game (1987).
IX4 Laser Cannons
Deadly Y-Wing shooters
The Y-wing’s nose cannons have always been identified its Star Wars Sourcebook write-up. Source: The Star Wars Sourcebook (1987).
In conclusion, there are probably more details in the UVG that went over my head and/or I do not have the actual book to take a photo. Details like the HCVw A9 turbo tank appear to be a different variant from the HAVw A5 (in the Imperial Sourcebook) and HAVw A6 (in the Revenge of the Sith film) so I decided not to feature it in this article. Also, there was not enough time for me to check to ensure I got all the WEG references therein.
Here’s hoping someone will release a full list with images at some point.
There’s always a little bit of truth in Legends.
– Some Fulcrum agent.
Great to see your complete list in one place! I will make a fuss out of it!
You have a blog! Awesome! Thanks for compiling these! I tried to read all of tweets about these but I am not very savvy at navigating Twitter. So cool!