Pablo Hidalgo

Pablo Hidalgo is a Chilean-born creative executive based in California, In 1987 he became a fan of the role-playing game (RPG) resources published by West End Games, the only official source of Star Wars content in the late 1980s, and took it upon himself to become knowledgeable of the universe to create better stories for the group of friends he was playing it with. He later used both content from the RPG and ideas he developed for his gaming sessions within official Star Wars media, such as the tracking device used by the Inquisitor and the name of a ship in Star Wars Rebels.

He submitted content for West End Games' Star Wars Adventure Journal in 1993. Although rejected because he was not a published author at the time, his correspondence with the company resulted in his being hired as a cartoonist for the magazine by Peter Schweighofer.

During his involvement, he collected the first large-scale database of Star Wars knowledge, parts of which he posted online in 1997 as the "Star Wars Index". He used his extensive knowledge to assist Steve Sansweet with fact-checking the Star Wars Encyclopedia, the first such work published shortly before the release of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He then served as internet content manager for Lucas Online, the division of Lucasfilm responsible for maintaining StarWars.com, where he published multiple comics until 2011. In addition, during this time Hidalgo was consulted to ensure continuity in various Star Wars media releases.

Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm After the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, Kathleen Kennedy created the Lucasfilm Story Group, a group of Star Wars experts tasked with maintaining the canon of the franchise after its partial reboot in 2014. While at Lucasfilm, Hidalgo was known for his extensive knowledge of Star Wars mythology and was added as a member of story group led by Kiri Hart, alongside "Keeper of the Holocron" Leland Chee. his extensive knowledge of Star Wars canon is used by multiple sources to confirm or deny rumors about certain characters, locations or events within the fictional universe. J. J. Abrams noted that during the production of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, he frequently consulted Hidalgo. In 2022, Hidalgo's official title at Lucasfilm was creative executive and "Star Wars Lore Advisor".

Partial bibliography Hidalgo is the author of several official reference and guide books about the Star Wars franchise as well as the G.I. Joe and Transformers franchises. Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels (with Steve Sansweet) (2005) G.I. Joe vs. Cobra: The Essential Guide, 1982-2008 (2009) Transformers Vault: The Complete Transformers Universe Showcasing Rare Collectibles and Memorabilia (2011) The Essential Reader's Companion (2012) Star Wars: A New Hero (2014) Star Wars Rebels: Head to Head (2014) Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary (2015) Star Wars Propaganda: A History of Persuasive Art in the Galaxy (2016) Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (2016) Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View (2017) Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary (2017) Solo: A Star Wars Story: The Official Guide (2018) Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious (2018) Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary (2019)