The Essential Guide to Episode I was a planned trade paperback Essential Guide that would cover the events, characters, and background of Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. It was to be written by Dan Wallace, and at one point was renamed The Ultimate Guide to Episode I. The guide was canceled when it became clear that the market for Episode I related products was long over, and that Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith and Expanded Universe material such as the Clone Wars multimedia project and the New Jedi Order would contribute more material than could be covered in a single book. Thus the decision was made to relaunch the Essential Guide series, beginning with The New Essential Guide to Characters in 2002. That book, along with The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels, The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology, The New Essential Guide to Droids and The New Essential Guide to Alien Species are among the books that have included information planned for this book.