Movie Special | Star Wars for Beginners (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Star Wars for Beginners

It's easy enough to get up to speed with the new film itself: the storyline, trailers, cast and characters have all been extensively publicised, and the campaign hasn't finished yet, plus there are plenty of websites and books devoted to the series. For real film devotees, though, the ones who love lots of intricate detail, Mark Clark's comprehensive volume, Star Wars FAQ, will fill in every single knowledge gap, even for the newest of newcomers. Described as "everything left to know about the trilogy that changed the movies," it's full to bursting with chapters on parodies, quotes, gaffes, and awards, and that's just four out of a total of 38 topics. With all that minutiae, chances are it will also make Star Wars aficionados feel like they are in seventh heaven, let alone a galaxy far, far away.

Here are just a few juicy nuggets from the book, as a taster:

• No Star Wars actor - not even Harrison Ford - has appeared in more blockbusters than Warwick Davis. After his big screen debut as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, he went on to be in George Lucas' fantasy Willow, as well as having a recurring role in the Harry Potter series. He will also be in The Force Awakens, alongside returnees Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher, as well as newbies Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, and Adam Driver.

• The original Star Wars won a total of seven Oscars, making it the most decorated film in the entire series - assuming that The Force Awakens doesn't overtake it next year, of course. It won Art Direction, Costume Design, Sound, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Special Achievement (Sound Effects) and Music, for John Williams' soundtrack. However, it failed to score in any of the major categories where it was nominated. Instead, Woody Allen did the treble with Annie Hall - Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay.

• "May The Force be with you," Jedi-speak for "good luck" or "goodbye and good luck," quickly became Star Wars' catchphrase, and it's stayed that way, appearing in every film in the franchise and just about every book, comic, and videogame, as well as just about every piece of merchandise imaginable. The line is actually spoken four times in the original Star Wars, once in The Empire Strikes Back and once again in Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars FAQ is available from high street and online bookstores now.