What's The Story?

What's The Story? was an exclusive feature on the Star Wars fan club website, Star Wars Hyperspace. It gave Hyperspace members a chance to leave their mark on the Star Wars Expanded Universe by allowing them to provide the backstory for certain aspects of the saga; usually obscure background characters or vehicles from the films. Winning entries became official Star Wars lore: published in the Databank and added to the Holocron continuity database. This feature was launched June 24, 2005 and concluded on January 4, 2008, as first hinted by Pablo Hidalgo of Lucas Online. The feature began with the backstory for Tannon Praji, a character from the (then) recently released Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and, somewhat appropriately, the final entry was Bane Malar, a character from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, chronologically the final Star Wars film.

In October 2008, new stories from What's The Story? authors began to be published on Hyperspace. As of December 2009, Edward M. Erdelac, Nathan O'Keefe, Adrick Tolliver, James McFadden, Gregory Walker, and John Hazlett have authored Hyperspace articles.

The process

 * The submission form was regularly updated presenting a new subject for fans to write about, originally weekly, then in a fortnightly period and finally on the first Friday of every month. Entries were be based on the information and criteria given, and all had to be under 2000 characters in length.
 * Every submission received was read by a panel of judges, with the best marked as finalists. Pablo Hidalgo then selected the winning entry, or merged several entries and edited them into the final product. The Databank was updated with five or six winners at a time or, sometimes, individually.

Later EU appearances and references
A list of What's The Story? aspects that have since appeared in new Expanded Universe material.

Direct references

 * UT-AT, in Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic, Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Barrow Oicunn, in Underworld Appendix: Swoops, Spice, and Wretched Rogues and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Grizz Frix, in Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Corla Metonae, in Star Wars Insider 90
 * Nem Bees, in The New Essential Guide to Alien Species and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Pax and Trax Bonkik, as Hasbro action figures, and in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * 3B6-RA-7 in the StarWars.com Visual Guides
 * Wol Cabasshite in Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Clone shadow trooper in Echoes of the Jedi
 * Krayt's Honor in Starships of the Galaxy and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Bane Malar as a Hasbro action figure, and in Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Galactic Hunters
 * XJ-2 airspeeder in Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game: Champions of the Force and Star Wars Galaxies
 * Tannon Praji in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
 * Rango Tel in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Magaloof in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Janu Godalhi in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd
 * Swilla Corey in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Romeo Treblanc in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Kalyn Farnmir in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Yavid in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Leektar in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, as a Hasbro action figure and in Star Wars Miniatures: Imperial Entanglements (as "Ewok Scout")
 * Melee in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Acros-Krik in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Diva Shaliqua in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Tzizvvt in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * E-3PO in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Bal'demnic in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji and The Essential Atlas
 * BesGas Three in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Silya Shessaun in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Ottegru Grey in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
 * Wam Lufba in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * DC0052 speeder in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Dusty Duck in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Cane Adiss in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Braha'tok-class gunship in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Cebann Veekan in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Nar Hida in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Y'bith in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Myhr Rho in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Antidar Williams in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Rolo droid in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Eddicus-class planetary shuttle in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Augara Jowil in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Lushros Dofine in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Pello Scrambas in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Mini-Huvicko/Yuzabi Dowser binary hydromech droid in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Tian Chyler in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Willrow Hood in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Niai Fieso in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Janus Greejatus in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Theomet Danlé in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Oakie Dokes in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Seib Nod in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Slyther Bushforb in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Teckla Minnau in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

References within other WTS entries

 * Romeo Treblanc, in and
 * Tannon Praji, in and
 * Rango Tel, in
 * Ottegru Grey, in
 * Cebann Veekan, in
 * Tian Chyler, in
 * Wam Lufba, in

Entries reprinted in Star Wars Insider

 * Tzizvvt and E-3PO in Star Wars Insider 89
 * Dusty Duck and Utapau Shadow Trooper in Star Wars Insider 100

Indirect references

 * Onnelly Praji, daughter of Tannon Praji, in Evasive Action: Recruitment and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
 * Ongree species information from the Acros-Krik databank entry in The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
 * Tusus Comestibles, connected to Belo Tusus, in
 * Luptoom in
 * A'roFilter, mentioned in
 * Acceptance in Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
 * Hamadryas in Sacrifice, The Force Unleashed novel, Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Doovo Bonkik, sharing the surname of Pax and Trax Bonkik, in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
 * Ensolica in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
 * Tash Metonae, sharing the surname of Corla Metonae, in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji
 * Aneesa Dym in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
 * Almak and Leffingite in The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji

Cut references

 * Bal'demnic; Abel G. Peña mentioned Bal'demnic in Underworld Appendix: Swoops, Spice, and Wretched Rogues, but Lucasfilm cut the reference.

Minor elements introduced
Other elements introduced (or first identified) into continuity through What's The Story? include:
 * A'roFilter
 * Almak
 * Aneesa Dym
 * Bak'rofsen system
 * Beezar Pert
 * Belo Tusus
 * Braha'tok
 * Brotherhood of Cognizance
 * Bryyn Woolery
 * Chesea
 * coolth suit
 * 84-U hunting rifle
 * Noslo-19 rifle
 * Daystar Craft
 * DC0040
 * DC-19 "Stealth" carbine
 * Diva
 * Dornean Braha'ket Fleetworks Conglomerate
 * Eminence
 * Enso
 * Ensolica
 * The Eye of the Beyonder
 * Hamadryas
 * Honorary Elder
 * Imperial Entertainers Guild
 * Ingoda
 * Kon'me
 * Layn Wynest
 * Leffingite
 * Luptoom
 * Musikagung
 * Naftrat Odarr
 * New Nozho
 * Org Banelli
 * parental collective
 * Plasma leech
 * Pontifex
 * Prospector's Riot
 * Qel-Droma
 * Red Bush Grove
 * Tash Scambras
 * Scri Oscuro
 * Set
 * Siqo Vass
 * Sisterhood of the Beatific Countenance
 * Spanner
 * Sono-class thrust pod
 * symponik
 * Symponik Nabooalla
 * Symponika Crunchen-Grand
 * TechSpan I
 * Torktarak
 * Trax Bonkik
 * Tusus Comestibles
 * Vekka Lodik
 * Veré
 * Veterned
 * Wol Cabassh
 * Yarlubb River
 * Yuvernian

What's The Story legacy
Beginning in October 2008, new articles and stories authored by What's The Story? writers have been published on Hyperspace.
 * Fists of Ion (October 2008) by Edward M. Erdelac
 * Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Praji (February 2009) by Nathan O'Keefe
 * Death in the Slave Pits of Lorrd (June 2009) by Adrick Tolliver
 * The Forgotten War: The Nagai and the Tofs (November 2009) by James McFadden
 * Dining at Dex's (December 2009) by Gregory Walker
 * The Written Word (March 2010) by John Hazlett