Star Wars Galaxies

Star Wars: Galaxies (SWG) is a Star Wars-themed MMORPG for Windows PCs, developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts Entertainment. The base game, titled Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided, was released on June 26, 2003 in the United States of America and on November 7, 2003 in Europe. The base game has been upgraded with 3 major expansions since. A localized version for the Japanese market was made in 2004, and was published by Electronic Arts Japan on December 23, 2004. Japanese acceptance of the game was low, and in November 2005 the servers were shutdown and existing accounts migrated to US servers. With several hundred thousand subscribers, it is one of the most popular MMORPGs in the United States.

Galaxies, like most MMORPGs has a monthly subscription service and various pricing plans depending on the length of the plan. Monthly, three-month, six-month and yearly plans are available.

Features
The basic "game world" consists of simulated planetary surfaces and associated structures. The twelve different planets are taken from the Star Wars movies and the expanded universe: Tatooine, Naboo, Corellia, Talus, Rori, Dantooine, Lok, Yavin IV, the forest moon of Endor, and Dathomir. In the "Rage of the Wookiees" expansion the planet Kashyyyk was added, and the latest installment "Trials of Obi-Wan" has added the planet Mustafar. Each of the twelve planets is represented by approximately 256 square kilometers (16 km x 16 km maps) of game space, with all established cities and locations compressed into that space.

Players of the game create characters to navigate through these environments. Characters in Star Wars Galaxies can be one of ten species, again taken from the films and the expanded universe: Human, Twi'lek, Zabrak, Wookiee, Trandoshan, Rodian, Mon Calamari, Bothan, Sullustan, or Ithorian. A character can be either male or female, and he or she belongs to one of nine iconic professions: Force Sensitive (Jedi), Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, Commando, Spy, Officer, Medic, Entertainer, or Trader. A character can also optionally advance in the Politician and Pilot professions, independent of his or her primary profession.

Additional features of the basic game include:
 * Single- and multi-passenger ground vehicles (landspeeders, speeder bikes, and swoops)
 * An almost completely player-run economy, wherein player characters are responsible for creating nearly every in-game item, from blasters to starships, all from raw materials collected by player characters and with other player characters as the only consumers. Recently, the developers have added more high-quality equipment to loot tables and as quest rewards, but player crafters remain an essential part of the economy.
 * An extensive set of emotes, moods, and associated animations, which affect not only an avatar's physical appearance but also the text used to describe a character's speech, and even the shape of the speech bubble displayed on-screen.
 * Standard MMORPG features such as player guilds, chat functionality, and other community features.
 * The ability for players to place bounties on opponents that defeat them in PvP battle. Player character bounty hunters can then pick up another character's "bounty mission" on the terminals and track the character down.  A bounty can be claimed at anytime, regardless of the target's PvP setting.  Up to three bounty hunters can be tracking a character at any given time.
 * An extensive avatar-creation system. Characters can hire Entertainers to change their appearance in-game, with even more options than those available at creation.  Every visual aspect of a character is thereby changeable at any time after character creation except species and gender.

Gameplay
In basic gameplay, the player uses his or her character's skills and special abilities to attack targets, complete quests, undertake missions, create useful in-game items, and/or entertain other players. The player's character will have opportunities to meet famous Star Wars characters, earn in-game fame and fortune (or infamy and notoriety), travel to iconic Star Wars locations, and obtain numerous items, artifacts, and 'trophies' that can enhance his or her character.

Ground Combat
Ground combat in Galaxies is in real-time. Unlike most MMORPGs, whether an attack hits is not solely based on the character's skill numbers. The player must aim a targeting reticule at a target and left-click the mouse to fire. Auto-aim and auto-fire features are available, creating a more traditional combat experience, but players eschewing those options are rewarded with an increased chance to do maximum damage. As characters gain levels(by gaining experience points, know as xp), they gain access to additional combat abilities, called "specials", which are "fired" by using the right mouse button. These specials usually have a cool-down period during which they can't be reused, but they are much more powerful or versatile than the basic left-click attack. Specials are also used to heal characters and enhance their other abilities as well as decrease an enemy's statistics. In addition to these specials, players gain the ability to use more powerful and varied type of weaponry as they climb the ranks in their chosen profession.

Space Combat
Space combat in Galaxies is similar to ground combat. Players must aim at their targets (often needing to "lead" their target in compensation for the target's movement) and click a button on the mouse or joystick to fire. Success in space combat is largely dependent on player skill, but not quite to the same extent as seen in previous Star Wars space-simulator games.

As characters advance in their piloting professions, they gain access to a variety of tactics, starship chassis, and starship components. Their ships can be completely customized with components looted from enemies or crafted by shipwrights. Available chassis include the X-Wing and Y-Wing for Rebels, TIE Fighters and TIE Interceptors for Imperials, and new Hutt and Black Sun ship designs for Freelancers. Characters who have mastered a piloting profession get access to PoB (Player on Board) ship designs such as the famed YT-1300. PoB ships allow characters to walk around the interiors (which can be decorated just like a building on the ground) and man additional shipboard stations such as laser turrets. Some high-end ships are obtainable only via difficult quests; such ships include the Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor (commonly called the JSF or "Jedi Starfighter") and the KSE Firespray (Made famous by the Fett ship Slave 1).

Development and release
With a Star Wars license and veteran designer Raph Koster at the helm, expectations among gamers ran high during the development of Galaxies. Many industry professionals expected that these forces would push the subscription numbers past the one million mark. As development wore on, the release date was pushed back, features were cut, and Sony canceled planned ports for the Xbox and PlayStation 2.

The game was released to mixed reviews. Galaxies was most criticized for numerous bugs and broken features that plagued the game. 

After release, the developers continued working on the features cut during the delay. In November 2003, two of those most anticipated features, creature mounts and player-created cities were enabled. Also, on November 7, 2003 it was announced that the first player had unlocked a Force-sensitive character slot needed to become a Jedi.

Story arcs

 * Cries of Alderaan
 * Secrets of the Syren
 * Legacy

Planets
A player may explore any of the following planets:
 * Corellia
 * Dantooine
 * Dathomir
 * Forest moon of Endor
 * Kashyyyk (requires Rage of the Wookiees, The Total Experience or The Complete Online Adventures)
 * Lok
 * Mustafar (requires Trials of Obi-Wan or The Complete Online Adventures)
 * Naboo
 * Rori
 * Talus
 * Tatooine
 * Yavin IV

Playable species
A player may create a male or female character of the following species:
 * Bothan
 * Human
 * Ithorian (previously required either Jump to Lightspeed or The Total Experience, but is now available to all subscribers)
 * Mon Calamari
 * Rodian
 * Sullustan (previously required either Jump to Lightspeed or The Total Experience, but is now available to all subscribers)
 * Trandoshan
 * Twi'lek
 * Wookiee
 * Zabrak

NPC species
There are also a number of other species that appear throughout the game as NPCs (non-player characters).
 * Aqualish
 * Arcona
 * Bith
 * Chadra-Fan
 * Chiss
 * Dantari
 * Devaronian
 * Drall
 * Dulok
 * Duros
 * Endor Marauder
 * Ewok
 * Gamorrean
 * Geonosian
 * Gotal
 * Gran
 * Gungan
 * Hutt
 * Ishi Tib
 * Jawa
 * Jinda
 * Klaatu
 * Kowakian monkey-lizard
 * Mustafarian
 * Nautolan
 * Neimoidian
 * Nikto
 * Quarren
 * Selkath
 * Selonian
 * Talz
 * Tusken Raider
 * Weequay
 * Whiphid

Professions

 * Jedi
 * Officer
 * Smuggler
 * Bounty Hunter
 * Commando
 * Trader
 * Medic
 * Entertainer
 * Spy

Pre-"New Game Enhancements" professions
A list of the professions available to characters before the New Game Enhancements were introduced.

Basic professions

 * Artisan
 * Brawler
 * Entertainer
 * Marksman
 * Medic
 * Politician
 * Scout

Elite / hybrid professions

 * Architect
 * Armorsmith
 * Bio-Engineer
 * Bounty Hunter
 * Combat Medic
 * Carbineer
 * Chef
 * Creature Handler
 * Commando
 * Dancer
 * Doctor
 * Droid Engineer
 * Fencer
 * Image Designer
 * Merchant
 * Musician
 * Pikeman
 * Pistoleer
 * Ranger
 * Rifleman
 * Shipwright
 * Smuggler
 * Squad Leader
 * Swordsman
 * Tailor
 * Teras Kasi Artist
 * Weaponsmith

Pilot professions

 * Alliance Starfighter Pilot
 * Imperial Navy Pilot
 * Freelance Pilot

Force-sensitive professions

 * Combat Prowess
 * Crafting Mastery
 * Enhanced Reflexes
 * Heightened Senses

Force discipline professions

 * Force Defense
 * Force Enhancement
 * Force Healing
 * Lightsaber
 * Force Powers

Force powers

 * Force Choke
 * Force Lightning
 * Force Sense
 * Force Shockwave

Playable ships
Players are able to pilot, purchase and build the following ships (requires either Jump to Lightspeed, The Total Experience or Starter Kit):

Alliance ships

 * A-Wing
 * B-Wing
 * X-Wing
 * Y-Wing
 * YKL-37R Nova Courier
 * Z-95 Headhunter

Imperial ships

 * TIE Light Duty
 * TIE Fighter
 * TIE Advanced
 * TIE Interceptor
 * TIE Bomber
 * TIE Oppressor
 * TIE Aggressor
 * VT-49 Decimator

Privateer ships

 * Kihraxz Assault Fighter
 * Ixiyen-class fast attack craft
 * Rihkxyrk Attack Ship
 * Vaksai
 * M3-A Scyk fighter
 * G1-M4-C Dunelizard fighter
 * M12-L Kimogila Heavy Fighter
 * M22-T Krayt Gunship
 * YT-1300 light freighter

Exotic ships

 * Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter
 * Belbullab-22 starfighter
 * Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor
 * Personal Luxury Yacht 3000
 * Y-8 Mining Vessel
 * Firespray-class starship
 * YT-2400 light freighter

Jump to Lightspeed
(Boxed Expansion Pack)

Sony Online Entertainment released the first expansion Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed on October 27, 2004. This expansion finally allowed players to explore and battle in ten sectors of outer space, in more than twenty types of starships from the era between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, including familiar X-wings, TIE Fighters, and YT-1300s (same type as the Millennium Falcon), as well as new and never before seen ships created by the developers. It also added real-time space shooter elements to the game, which allowed for an interesting combination with the turn-based mode already featured in the ground-based. Jump to Lightspeed also added many space missions, four space-specific professions, and two new playable species.

Customers who pre-ordered the expansion received a limited-edition unarmed Flash Speeder as an untradeable player mount.

Jump to Lightspeed is now automatically included upon the installation of the game, regardless of which version. Prior to the release of the Starter Kit, Jump to Lightspeed was also available in The Total Experience compilation pack.

Episode III Rage of the Wookiees
The second expansion for Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees, was announced in March 2005 and released to coincide with the final Star Wars film, Revenge of the Sith. Major features included some Episode III content such as the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk.

Other features included new starfighters, resource mining in space, and cybernetic limbs for player characters. Customers who purchased the expansion also received a limited-edition Varactyl pet player mount from the digital download or a BARC Speeder if they purchased the box set.

Rage of the Wookiees is also available in the The Total Experience and The Complete Online Adventures compilation packs.

Trials of Obi-Wan
Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan was released through digital download on November 1st 2005, to coincide with the release of the Revenge of the Sith DVD.

The expansion introduces the new planet of Mustafar, where players are able to take missions delivered directly from the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. High-level quest rewards include the ability to find a fiery red crystal found only on the volcanic planet that creates a lava-like lightsaber. Trials of Obi-Wan includes more than 50 new quests, from rescue missions to the exploration of a crashed Republic cruiser. Many quests also revolve around the return of HK-47 from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Trials of Obi-Wan is also available in the The Complete Online Adventures compilation pack.

Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Collectors Edition
The Collectors Edition was released in a nicer Collectors box, an additional illustrated booklet (From Pencil to Pixel: The Art of Star Wars Galaxies), and exclusive in-game eye-wear not available with the standard version of the game.

The Total Experience
Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience released three weeks after Rage of the Wookiees collected the three major components of the game&mdash;An Empire Divided, Jump to Lightspeed and Rage of the Wookiees&mdash;into one convenient package. Customers who purchased this package received a limited-edition BARC Speeder as a player mount.


 * Compilation pack in Star Wars Galaxies series
 * Includes An Empire Divided, Jump to Lightspeed, and Rage of the Wookiees
 * Adventure through over 100 story-driven quests
 * Visit and discover points of interest and adventure zones
 * All-new combat system with new weapons, armor, effects, and more

Starter Kit
The Star Wars Galaxies Starter Kit is a retail boxed edition of the base Star Wars Galaxies game. It includes the NGE content and Jump to Lightspeed. Additionally the Starter Kit provides the player with instant intra-planet travel via an X-Wing or TIE Fighter.


 * All new design of the first 30 levels
 * Includes complete content from Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided and Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed
 * Customize your character's appearance -- body types, facial features, tattoos and more
 * Take on one of over nine iconic professions, including Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, Commando, or a Jedi
 * Inspired by all the George Lucas films, including all the trilogy and prequel movies

The Complete Online Adventures
Released on November 22, 2006, ''Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures features:


 * In addition to the unlimited exciting game play, The Complete Online Adventures includes a DVD of never-before released bonus features
 * A slide show of more than 800 pieces of Star Wars Galaxies concept art and screenshots, all set to more than an hour of beautifully orchestrated Star Wars Galaxies in-game music
 * Excerpts from the popular “From Pencil to Pixel” book that chronicles the art of Star Wars Galaxies
 * An exclusive in-game item for use while playing – a personal AT-RT vehicle as seen in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith™
 * Interviews with the Star Wars Galaxies producers, and all the cinematic trailers for the game

Pre-order:

Combat Upgrade
The Combat Upgrade of April 2005 and was a major revamping and rewriting of the entire Star Wars Galaxies combat, armor, and weapons system. A more "realistic" tone was set, whereas only certain characters in certain professions would use specific weapons and wear armor. In addition, the method of fighting in the game was redone with skill levels assigned to both players and game creatures. Under the new system, only a creature of equal skill could be attacked by a player, with lesser creatures rendering no experience if killed and the more powerful creatures deemed almost invincible to single player attacks.

New Game Enhancements (NGE)
On November 15, 2005 there was a complete overhaul of all game aspects, limiting the game to 9 professions from the old 32 professions. (bounty hunter, entertainer, smuggler, trader, medic, Jedi, officer, spy and commando). Though the NGE is not completely accepted by the majority of the veteran players, the small new fan base seems to enjoy it. It is also to be noted, that Jedi are now available to be played at the start. Angering many veterans who actually worked to attain Jedi status. Jedi are also no longer an Alpha class, but is now just like every other class in the game. Many veteran players were forced to respecialize (or "respec") their character to meet with the new professions. Sacrificing years of hardwork in such professions like "Creature Handler". SOE is desperately trying to head in the right direction, and regain lost subscribers. New patches have come out emphasizing on balance and individuality of each profession. These included: This was the first time they used 'Chapter' instead of a publish (insert #) and included the beginning of a large-scale PvP war over the city Restuss, on Rori, moon of Naboo. Players fought each other and did missions to collect Restuss Commendation badges, which could be exchanged later for their factions specialized armor and weapons. It also expanded the legacy quest series, a quest involving slaves on Corellia. It introduced 3 new badges. This chapter further moved the Battle of Restuss, turning the City of Restuss into a full-fledged war-zone, where rebels and imperials are set to Special-Forces upon nearing the grounds, and civilians are barred from approaching. New missions were introduced for both sides, and awarded more medals for each completion. It also brought forth another addition to the legacy quest, which involved helping a CorSec agent decide which side to take in the GCW. With this chapter also came the Expertise Tree. This chapter expanded upon the expertise system by adding skill trees for the Smuggler and Officer professions. Though there were no new additions to the Legacy Quest added during this update, a long-awaited Smuggling system was introduced to the game that functions along with the Smuggler expertise tree to give the character additional benefits. In addition to this new smuggling system, a revamp to the Galactic Civil War ranking system was implemented. This chapter expanded upon the expertise system by adding skill trees for the Commando, Spy, and Medic professions. Chapter gifts included a random holo pet. This chapter saw the completion of implementing expertise by introducing expertise trees to the Trader and Entertainer Professions. Traders were given a 'Reverse Engineering' system allowing them to upgrade crafted weapons, clothing and armor using Skill Enhancement Attachments gathered by 'reverse engineering' items that currently hold stat modifications. Player made camps also made a return in this chapter. The Build-A-Buff system was introduced to entertainers, allowing them to add or remove various modification to inspiration buffs, allowing them to perform custom inspirations based on the wants and needs of their clients. As part of their expertise tree, entertainers were also given a wide range of combat abilities which closely resemble the old Teras Kasi Artist profession. Combat levels were also granted to Trader and Entertainer professions. Chapter gifts were a custom, one-use camp site, and a painting entitled 'Camp Life'.
 * Publish 27&mdash;Focus on the Commando, Spy, and Jedi professions (as well as re-introducing Heavy Weapons and Traps into the game).
 * Publish 28&mdash;Reinstallment of the "Player Bounty" system (with changes) as well as changes in the PvP community.
 * Publish 29&mdash;New Targeting system, groundwork laid for the 'expertise system', promising future character customization comparable to the talent system in World of Warcraft.
 * Chapter 1: Battle of Restuss
 * Chapter 2: The Talus Incident
 * Chapter 3: Smugglers & Scoundrels
 * Chapter 4: Armed & Ready for Action
 * Chapter 5: An Entertaining Enterprise

Release and major update history

 * June 26, 2003: Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided (initial boxed release) and Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Collectors Edition
 * October 27, 2004: Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed (boxed expansion)
 * April 27, 2005: Combat Upgrade (free major online revamp)
 * May 5, 2005: Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees  (digital download expansion)
 * May 25, 2005: Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience (boxed compilation of An Empire Divided, Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees)
 * November 1, 2005: Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan (digital download expansion)
 * November 1, 2005: Star Wars Galaxies: Starter Kit (boxed compilation of An Empire Divided, Jump to Lightspeed, New Game Enhancements)
 * November 15, 2005: New Game Enhancements (free major online revamp)
 * November 22, 2006, Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures (boxed compilation of An Empire Divided, Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookiees, Trials of Obi-Wan and New Game Enhancements)

Spin-off


The Ruins of Dantooine is the first of what may become a series of spin-off novels to the game, written by Voronica Whitney-Robinson. The book is introduced at the official Star Wars site here, and the site takes a closer look at it here. The following is the plot summary from the book's inside front cover:


 * Enter the explosive universe of the exciting online game


 * STAR WARS GALAXIES:
 * AN EMPIRE DIVIDED!


 * It is a time of great turmoil. The oppressive Empire is close to seizing complete control of the galaxy. The ragtag guerrilla army of the Rebel Alliance fights on, striking wherever it can, but now something has come to light that could spell certain doom. Hidden in the Jedi ruins of Dantooine is a Holocron containing a list of high-level Rebel sympathizers. If that list were to fall into the hands of Darth Vader, the Rebel Alliance would lose its most valued support&mdash;and possibly the war itself.


 * As an Imperial bio-engineer who frequently visits other worlds, Dusque Mistflier is the perfect cover for a Rebel who needs to travel far and wide without arousing suspicion. And so she agrees to help Rebel spy Finn Darktrin in his quest to recover the crucial Holocron. Despite help from Han, Luke, and Leia, the mission is fraught with peril. And as their journey takes them into the fiery belly of the beast that is galactic civil war, Dusque and Finn will learn that the hardest part of all is figuring out whose side you're on and how far you're willing to go to win...

Expanded Universe references to Star Wars Galaxies

 * Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine (direct spinoff, contains numerous references)
 * The Story of General Grievous: Lord of War
 * N-K Necrosis
 * Myyydril Caverns
 * Bane's Heart
 * Treun Lorn
 * Doctor Kinesworthy
 * Underworld Appendix: Swoops, Spice, and Wretched Rogues
 * Crash n' Burn
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Rihkxyrk Attack Ship
 * Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic: Days of Fear
 * Bivoli tempari (in name of Little Bivoli)

A few words from Leland Chee regarding Star Wars Galaxies and canon
When Leland Chee was asked on the StarWars.com Message Boards if Star Wars Galaxies is generally ignored when it comes to canon, he replied with:


 * As far as the Holocron is concerned, I don't ignore anything. Licensing checks continuity in Galaxies like we would for any other game, book, or toy. As I do my continuity checks, the information gets entered into the database. I also incorporate anything from the Galaxies website and strategy guides.

When asked about player-created characters, ships, and events featured on the official Star Wars Galaxies website (such as Pilot's Showcase), Leland stated that such aspects of the game are:


 * Non-continuity since they exist only in a single galaxy/server.

Inconsistencies with Star Wars continuity
The developers of this game draw on as many aspects of the films and expanded universe as possible. This is good in many ways; however, in some cases, they just don't fit into the era.

Keeping in mind that the time frame of this game is meant to be shortly after the Battle of Yavin (0 ABY&mdash;1 ABY), there are some elements of the game that arguably should not be there. Also, other elements of the game are just not true to Star Wars.

Most players are not concerned by such issues; however, some players find it difficult to be immersed in the Star Wars universe while playing this game.


 * The opportunity to play as transcended Force ghost Jedi character. This option is only accessible by those players who attained Jedi status prior to the NGE.
 * Jedi can be seen in large numbers in many major cities, equipped with Jedi robes and ignited lightsabers. Also, Jedi are dominant combatants in the Galactic Civil War (see below).
 * Jedi can pursue dark and light side abilities through the expertise system (introduced after the NGE) and mix and match abilities of both sides as they like without penalty.
 * Players using non-human characters can earn military ranks in the Empire, resulting in Imperial Wookiee generals and the like.
 * The ability of players to craft and pilot ships, such as the Firespray, which were supposedly ceased in production years earlier.
 * The ability of players to craft and pilot ships such as the B-Wing and A-Wing, which supposedly have not been designed yet.
 * Chapter 5 introduced combat droids (droideka and battle droids) for regular use which are highly uncommon for this era.
 * CompForce Trooper NPCs are often aliens, such as Rodians. They are equipped with non-continuity clothing and armor (rather, standard overall from SWGs clothing stock).
 * The ability of players to craft and equip Mandalorian armor, which has come quite abundant as time has gone by.
 * Major characters always staying in the same spot, e.g. According to this game, Emperor Palpatine rules the Empire from his Naboo Retreat. This is due to the necessity to keep quest giving NPCs in one position. Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, on the other hand, frequently travel to major factional cities, such as Theed, Coronet, or Bestine to promote their faction in the area.
 * Many key and canonical characters are visible simultaneously throughout the Game Environment, as opposed to keeping them rare and in one location. This gives an illusion that such individuals had clone copies of themselves placed strategically throughout the Galaxy. Some notable examples, Luke Skywalker can be found excavating the ruinous remains of an Exar Kun Temple on Yavin IV, while he is at the same time visiting Coronet or Theed pitching recruitment propaganda for the Rebel Alliance. Darth Vader can be found on Kashyyyk, as well as at the Naboo Retreat, also while visiting various cities promoting Imperial propaganda. Princess Leia can also be found on Dantooine, Corellia and Dathomir, at the same time.
 * Cloning was outlawed during the Galactic Civil War, and so massive cloning centers on every planet would be breaking the laws of the Empire.
 * Clone Wars technology was released into the game with the launch of its second expansion titled Rage of the Wookiees, an Expansion released to capitalize on the Theatrical Release of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. The items released into the game environment proved to be vastly more popular then the current Galactic Civil War era technology, and as thus the Clone Wars gear also proved to be vastly superior to the current technology as well. These things included Clone Trooper Armor, the Aggressive ReConnaissance-170 starfighter which is often referred to as the ARC-170, and this Fighter is available to Rebel Aligned Pilots through a quest. Also the Eta-2 Actis-class light interceptor is available to Imperial Aligned Pilots through a quest and has become a vastly popular Fighter for the PvP Dog Fighting environment of the game. Also, several new Clone Wars era Rifles and Carbines and Vehicles, such as the BARC Speeder Bike, were released into the game, and are all are now vastly popular and used throughout the entire game environment.
 * The DVD release of Revenge of the Sith brought to the game its third and latest expansion titled "Trials of Obi-Wan". This expansion is set on the planet Mustafar and designed to capitalize on the DVD release of Episode III and its final fight sequence between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, which was set on the same planet. The expansion brought back the famed droid HK-47 whom players can kill for a quest. It also allows them to interact with the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi whom is lost on Mustafar and needs the aid of the players to help him "find his way back"... so he can go to Hoth and help Luke.
 * Many elements of the design are at odds with established elements. Such as the Emperor's Retreat, where the Emperor and Darth Vader reside in SWG, appears as a Nabooian villa in a lush green landscape, whereas usually gloom and darkness are dominant themes around these characters.

In few of the above cases, the developers provide a reasonable in-universe explanation as to how these elements exist, however it is unknown if other sources will accept them as canon.

The game seems to focus more on allowing its players to experience as many facets of Star Wars lore as possible, at the expense of major inconsistencies inside its own universe (e.g. mayor of Mos Eisley highlights the incident in the cantina when Obi Wan revealed himself as Jedi as something special, while Jedi are the main population).

The Jedi in Star Wars Galaxies
Unlike the historic chronology of Star Wars, where almost all Jedi are extinct by the time frame of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, the concept of Jedi in Star Wars Galaxies is modified to have several hundred, if not thousands of Jedi capable of playing in the game which is set in the period of time between Episode IV and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Under the first Jedi system, a player could only become a Jedi after mastering professions chosen randomly for you at character creation. When fewer Jedi entered the game than was anticipated, players were helped by finding several Holocrons which would tell a player which game professions to play and master. This resulted in several "career" players spending hours on end writing program macros and mastering almost every profession in the game. However after complaints from a large portion of the player base (especially those that weren't constant and devoted players and thus more unwilling to master multiple professions), Star Wars Galaxies was altered to a new Jedi system called the Jedi Trials.

Under the Jedi Trials, only after obtaining several various goals as a regular character was a character considered "glowing with the Force" and deemed worthy to train to become a Jedi. Several new tasks then became available to the player, which were revealed through various NPCs (Non-Player Characters). Such tasks included obtaining various skills, destroying certain creatures, and visiting several Jedi related locations.

Even with the Jedi revamp in place, many in the Star Wars Galaxies community have expressed feelings that eventually the game will become an "Army of Generals" where the number of Jedi playing in the game will be extremely high, thus making the game less interesting for those playing non-Jedi characters. It has not yet been announced by game programmers if yet another Jedi system will be enacted, although the method of obtaining Jedi skills was changed considerably under the "Combat Upgrade" system released in April 2005.

As of the NGE, anyone can become a Jedi by selecting the "profession" when creating their character. Arguments, however, come up proposing that Jedi, once the NGE was released to still be unbalanced, only this time with the odd against them. Many Jedi came into the NGE and saw that their former power was dramatically reduced. At this time the village is still inactive. Players that were still inside when this happened found only a few NPCs left. Some Players still wish to see the village reopened, only this time, as a sort of training center for the Jedi made to ensure the old prizes don't disappear from the game.

Unfortunately, a recent announcement was made that due to the changes in the code of the game, the Village will never be returned to its former state.

Trivia

 * The game references and features elements from The Star Wars Holiday Special, such as Lumpy's stuffed bantha, and the customs of Life Day, when the viewer visits Kashyyyk. The red Life Day robes the Wookiees in the special wore are also available during special events in the game.
 * The game also references the other two Star Wars spin-off films, in that the player may encounter the Gorax species from Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, and the base of the Sanyassan Marauders, as seen in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
 * The game references characters from the Expanded Universe, such as Grand Admiral Thrawn and Mara Jade from the Thrawn trilogy, and HK-47 from the Knights of the Old Republic series of games.
 * Gavyn Sykes, the playable character from Star Wars: Episode 1: Battle for Naboo makes an appearance.
 * All of the names of the galaxies (servers) in Star Wars Galaxies are references to starships or vehicles in the Expanded Universe.
 * Star Wars Galaxies: The Ruins of Dantooine is a novel based in part on places and events in the game. It was authored by Voronica Whitney-Robinson and Haden Blackman, the LucasArts producer of the game.
 * Like many other MMORPGs, the game design of Galaxies includes realistic social institutions such as a dynamic player economy and other real-life social phenomena like a complicated division of labor. According to Star Wars Galaxies and the Division of Labor, the division of labor in Star Wars Galaxies produces in-game results similar to those in real life. Galaxies' original game design socialized players to specialize their characters by mastering one or two professions, and to join guilds, in which players relate to one another primarily in terms of their professions (I am the weaponsmith, so I make weapons for the guild) &mdash; just as in real life, players are tied to one another by organic social solidarity.

Awards

 * E³ 2002 Game Critics Awards: Best Online Multiplayer
 * E³ 2001 Game Critics Awards: Best PC Game, Best Online Multiplayer

Official sites

 * SOE Official Star Wars Galaxies Website
 * LucasArts Official Star Wars Galaxies Website
 * Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan Mini-Site
 * SWG fanfilms at Atomfilms.com

StarWars.com articles

 * "Explore Star Wars Galaxies"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies Gets Bigger"
 * "Galaxies Preview Video"
 * "Galaxies Beta Testing"
 * "Celebrate 20 Years of LucasArts"
 * "LucasArts Round Up"
 * "LucasArts Unveils Dantooine"
 * "Galaxies to Release June 26"
 * "A Closer Look: The Ruins of Dantooine"
 * "Homing Beacon #96 - Exploring the Ruins of Dantooine"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies Game Cards"
 * "Jedi invade Galaxies"
 * "Explore The Ruins of Dantooine"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed"
 * "Galaxies comes to the Real World"
 * "Galaxies: 14-Day Free Trial"
 * "Latest from LucasArts: New Worlds, Species and Villains"
 * "Return to Galaxies for Free"
 * "Fly in Luxury Style in Star Wars Galaxies: Jump To Lightspeed"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed In Stores Today!"
 * "Try Galaxies for Free with Star Wars Insider #79"
 * "Episode III Previews in Rage of the Wookiees"
 * "New Creatures and Mounts for Galaxies"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience -- In Stores Now"
 * "Growing Galaxies: The Trials of Obi-Wan set for Nov. 1st"
 * "Exclusive Skiff with Trials of Obi-Wan Pre-Order"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies: The Starter Kit - Everything you Need"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies Starter Kit Trailer"
 * "Star Wars Galaxies Community Summit 2006"
 * "Now Available: Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Adventures"

Fan sites

 * Star Wars Galaxies Center
 * Star Wars Galaxies Crafting
 * Star Wars Galaxies on Allakhazam.com
 * Star Wars Galaxies Stratics
 * Star Wars Galaxies Warcry
 * Star Wars Galaxies Wiki
 * Star Wars Galaxies OGaming
 * Star Wars Galaxies Emulation
 * Star Wars Galaxies The Galaxy Report
 * Fan listing of exact locations of "points of interest"
 * True Galaxies

Other

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Star Wars Galaxies