The second saddest Star Wars news of 2005, behind the passing of Star Wars: A New Hope pilot, Porkins (played by William Hootkins), might be the stories that Chris Kohler gleaned from the Star Wars Galaxies' community in a piece over at Wired. See, Hootkins actually lived for awhile (he was 58 at the time of his death), Galaxies wasn't afforded the same luxury.

Changes made to Galaxies turned the game on its head - and people fled in droves. A heartbreaking quote from the Wired piece: "People who we grew to know over the last couple of years are gone. Cities are ghost towns, guilds are gone. My galaxy is gone, my game is gone." That quote, from Carolyn Hocke, a web technician in a Wisconsin Hospital, sums up what is happening to the playerbase in the wake of these changes. They'll all come play WoW, now.

Star Wars Fans Flee Net Galaxy [Wired]
SWG Gets Jedirrific!
William Hootkins Remembered [StarWars.com]

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