The Essential Guide to Warfare The Essential Guide to Warfare is a third - generation written by Jason Fry and Paul R . Urquhart . It was first published by Del Rey in paperback format on April 3 , 2012 . Publisher ' s summary . THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE ULTIMATE INTERGALACTIC BATTLEFIELD " Like many a great epic , " Star Wars " is rooted in a rich history of armed conflict . Now , for the first time , the facts , figures , and fascinating backstories of major clashes and combatants in the vast " Star Wars " universe have been documented in one fully illustrated volume . Extensively researched and inventively written , " Star Wars : The Essential Guide to Warfare " combines action - filled narrative with encyclopedic knowledge that " " Encompassing all the " Star Wars " media , including the legendary films , the hit TV series " " , the bestselling books , comics , and videogames , and packed with original full - color artwork , " Star Wars : The Essential Guide to Warfare " is a conquering achievement " . Development . The book was first announced as The Essential Guide to the Star Wars Military by Karen Traviss on her website on August 5 , 2008 . Traviss later decided to end her " Star Wars " writing days with " " . Sue Rostoni confirmed in August 2009 that " The Essential Guide to the Star Wars Military " was to be written by a different author . In May 2010 , Rostoni released a publishing calendar that showed the newly retitled " Essential Guide to Warfare " with a June 2011 release date . In January 2011 , Rostoni announced that the release date had been pushed back to March 20 , 2012 ; however , in August 2011 , the date was again pushed back to May 22 , 2012 . In December 2011 , what would be the actual release date of April 3 , 2012 was announced . Before the book was finished , author Jason Fry had mentioned details from the ongoing drafts on TheForce . net ' s Literature discussion boards . " All plans are subject to change , and I routinely append ' as drafted ' to anything I say about works in progress , but some of the recurring features envisioned for WARFARE include soldier ' s [ " sic " ] stories ( which won ' t be all first - person — the one for the Zhell / Taung s conflict has a Gilgamesh feel ) ; portraits of great war leaders ; discussions of key technologies , ships , weapons and military units ; and lessons / overviews of key battles . " Specific topics in preview drafts included 13 new Ordnance / Regional Depot s , working out warship classification systems . Additional references to the Militarist s , the Iotran Guard , Corellian Engineering , the bounty hunter D ' harhan , the Hutts , the Mandalorians , the Waymancy Storm , the Judicial Forces , the Planetary Security Forces , the Republic Navy , the Grand Army of the Republic , Coruscant , Anaxes , Irmenu and Rendili StarDrive . An encounter between Quarsh Panaka and Leia at Hosk Station in 5 ABY . Info on war propagandists Ryloth Resa and the Byblos geneticist Ull Haber . The drafts also showed material being worked out for the Sector Ranger s . Marvel - related material was to be included , like Cinda Tarheel and Barlon Hightower being added to a key battle roster , and Admiral Giel ' s flagship ( with name and class ) . The drafts also had material related to the Dark Empire comic books , the Pius Dea Crusades , Celestial s vs . the Rakata and the war between the Taung and the Zhell on Coruscant . At Celebration V , the book was also announced to contain a duty roster of Red Squadron at the time of the Battle of Yavin , a similar roster for Rogue Squadron at the Battle of Hoth , profiles of key conflicts and military leaders , more information on the Rishi Maze and the Unknown Regions hyperspace barrier , and first - person " Soldier ' s Stories " accounts by frontline troops . Del Rey ' s preview gallery on Facebook included images depicting Dark trooper s , a World Devastator , a battle between Rakata and Killik s , a Rebel fleet battling an Imperial fleet , a Clone Wars - era Galactic Republic weapons factory , Tionese spaceships , Hutt warship sketches , a Wookiee Owool Interceptor sketch , an Imperial recruiting poster featuring Shea Hublin , a battle featuring Taung s , several pictures of the Millennium Falcon , one set during the Battle of Kashyyyk in 40 ABY , the title page spread showing the Battle of Coruscant in 19 BBY and an Imperial " Altor " - class replenishment ship refueling a dreadnaught and battlecruiser . In addition to the aforementioned ships , Lucasfilm Licensing also utilized some fanon artwork created by Ansel Hsiao when writing the guide . When approached by Lucasfilm Licensing to provide artwork for " The Essential Guide to Warfare , " Hsiao submitted his own designs in addition to new models , along with their names . These designs included the " Assertor " - class Star Dreadnought ( as well as the specific ship within that class , " Wrath " ) , the " Bellator " - class dreadnought , the " Allegiance " - class battlecruiser , the " Secutor " - class Star Destroyer , the " Procursator " - class Star Destroyer , the " Altor " - class replenishment ship , the " Vigil " - class corvette , and the Naval Station " Validusia " . In addition to the ships and images made by Hsiao , at least one Tommy Lee Edwards artwork also incorporated artwork by Hsiao , more specifically the image of Captain Firmus Piett and Admiral Kendal Ozzel observing a gathering fleet incorporated into the background Hsiao ' s artwork " Strategic Reserves . " The names were recorded in LFL ' s Holocron continuity database , according to the artist . Beginning in September 2013 , Fry and Del Rey editor Erich Schoeneweiss released a on the " Star Wars " Blog introducing sections that had been cut from the final publication .