A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a civil war rages between forces of the resolute Rebel Alliance and the formidable Galactic Empire as a result of galactic-wide trade disputes. The plans to a space station being built buy the Empire, called a "Death Star", is stolen by the resourceful Rebels. This Death Star possess the capability to destroy entire planets, but with its blueprints in hand, the Rebel Alliance is able to pinpoint a structural weakness and destroy the unfinished planet killer. This action will not go unpunished and the Empire will Strike Back!

Star Wars Galaxies is a sci-fi MMORPG initially released as Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided. This MMOG's world consists of ten different planets, each one a 16 km x 16 km map and borrowed from the known fictional Star Wars universe with a timeline set between the Episode IV: A New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back movies. Star Wars Galaxies features content both mentioned and not mentioned in various Star Wars media. During character creation, players may choose from ten different species and nine different primary professions.

As with many MMOs, players of Star Wars Galaxies can use their character?s skills and special abilities to attack targets, complete quests/missions, craft useful items, and/or entertain other players. During their adventures throughout the galaxy, characters will have the opportunity to meet famous Star Wars NPCs, travel in their own landspeeders, speeder bikes or swoops, control economies, earn fame and fortune (or infamy and notoriety), obtain rare items, artifacts and trinkets, and build, own and decorate their own structures, including houses, cantinas and guild halls. These structures can even be organized into entire cities run by players. There have been three expansions since Star Wars Galaxies? initial release (Jump to Lightspeed, Rage of the Wookies, and Trials of Obi-Wan), all of which have added additional features to the main game.