Available now in Germany is the latest issue of Star Wars Das Offizielle Magazin, the official magazine of the German Star Wars Fan Club.

Kicking off Star Wars 30th anniversary is the first of a four-part series that looks back at the period before Episode IV hit movie theaters (1972-1977) featuring rare storyboards, photos, and little-known facts from those early pre-release days. Next, the aliens of Episode III are examined in a special feature, and the models of Kashyyyk get some attention in the first of a three-part series. Harking back to some model work from the classic trilogy, the Endor chase scene from Return of the Jedi is revisited in an article called "The Need for Speed", and the quintessential Star Wars parody Spaceballs celebrates its nineteenth anniversary. Finally, Karen Traviss delivers the first part of a new story called "Odds".

Fan Club members get some added content in the supplemental Journal of the Whills, including a comic update featuring stories and characters of the Knights of the Old Republic, Legacy, Rebellion and more. Costume-savvy fans put together the ultimate Rebel costume in "Mission: Endor Rebel Soldier", and a report from the German Fan Club's 2006 Easter meeting is posted. Finally, the "Diary of an Episode III Guide" plots out the activities of the 'Imperial Zentrum Weser-Ems' during the premiere of Episode III in Germany. As always, there are letters from readers, fan artwork, merchandise news, fandom reports, and more.

Issue #44 is already on its way to subscribers and on German newsstands. For more information about the German Fan Club, click here.