It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee, not if you enjoy having your arms firmly rooted in their sockets. So if you’re on an intergalactic voyage, you’d like to know that you’re saying, "Thank you for your hospitality, dinner was delicious" not "I want to Force choke your delicious children." Luckily for us, Wu Kee Smith speaks Wookiee fluently and will show you the basics of the language so you can keep your life and limbs when exploring the galaxy.

via ThinkGeek.

Every course of study has a text book, and finally we can read the text students at the Jedi Temple have been reading for over a thousand generations. It’s been revised over and over by the Jedi Masters, annotated by Jedi (many times by hand, to the distress of the Jedi Librarians), and now can be bought in facsimile form. And in that form, it is called Star Wars: The Jedi Path – Jedi Training Manual.

via ThinkGeek :: Star Wars: The Jedi Path – Jedi Training Manual.

In 2009 Weta Workshop created a world so uncannily realistic that the special effects (in addition to an undeniably poignant plot) helped a low-budget film with an unknown cast become a blockbuster hit. Movie-goes, bloggers, and critics could not stop talking about Neill Blomkamp’s first feature film, District 9, the newest alien movie that has raised the bar for science fiction thrillers in the new century.

Weta Workshop’s artists created the special make-up effects, physical characteristics, alien weaponry, props, armor, custom vehicles and spaceships that were all stylized in a foreign yet familiar graphic language that defined the film’s distinctive alien aesthetic. This book illuminates the creative design process, detailing two years of interaction between Weta’s artists and director Neill Blomkamp in the form of hundreds of images of concept art from both the designers and director, stunning photographs of the props and sculptures, and insightful remarks from the artists themselves. Many of the images included in this book have never been seen before, including work cut or barely glimpsed in the finished film. Written by designer Daniel Falconer with a foreword by Neill Blomkamp and introduction by Richard Taylor (multi Academy Award winning special effects and make-up artist and head of Weta), The Art of District 9 offers an unrivalled, front row glimpse into the creative minds and hands that shaped this amazing film.

via Amazon.com: The Art of District 9: Weta Workshop (9780062064301): Daniel Falconer: Books.

The160-page high-end book, The Art of Tron: Legacy takes fans inside the art and design of the upcoming film Tron: Legacy. The book will showcase beautiful concept illustrations, set designs, character bios, images from the film, and an afterword by the film’s director, Joseph Kosinski. The landscape trim format, striking jacket image and a color treatment made specifically to bring the world of Tron to life, make this stunning addition to anyone’s collection.

via Amazon.com: The Art of Tron: Legacy (9781423131496): Justin Springer, Joseph Kosinski, Darren Gilford: Books.