"The Jedi are extinct, their fire has gone out of the universe. You, my friend, are all that's left of their religion." - Grand Moff Tarkin. Clearly, our Imperial friend here has never played Star Wars Galaxies...

Some, perhaps many of us are aware that the current events of Star Wars Galaxies are meant to be occuring shortly after the Battle of Yavin. And yet Jedi can be seen everywhere in the game, in major cities and starports, flaunting their lightsabers without fear of Imperial wrath.

This doesn't actually bother me any. Well at least not any more. Initially, I feared that the growing number of Jedi Knights appearing throughout galaxy around me -- in an era where they were supposedly extinct -- would ruin my sense of immersion within the game. I had always been a big "continuity nutter", believing that every new product bearing the Star Wars brand should automatically fit perfectly within the existing saga. When something didn't quite fit, I became disillusioned. In hindsight, that was me just being my little stubborn self.

I have since taken a great interest in exploring theories that allow the more unbelievable, sometimes outrageous aspects of the Expanded Universe (EU) to be justifiable, and gently nudged into the rest of the saga.

Star Wars Galaxies has provided ample opportunity to practice my new-found obsession. Many hours can be spent validating the existence of almost every out-of-place aspect in the game. While Galaxies draws on a lot of the film and EU material for the majority of its gaming content , it also has its own fair share of new elements to add to the saga.

One such new element - totally viable - is the secret Emperor's Retreat on Naboo. It's quite easy to believe that Palpatine once owned a secluded residence somewhere on Naboo, and that he may well have visited it on occasion during his reign as Emperor. Such an installation seems like an emergency hideout, equipped with the capabilities allowing the Emperor to temporarily rule the galaxy from afar. I'm looking forward to seeing the Retreat's first appearance in the EU, though I know it may never happen.

With the ever-increasing presence of Jedi on the servers of Star Wars Galaxies also came the "Jedi Village" of Aurilia on Dathomir. The thought of a hidden city possibly out there somewhere in the galaxy, harbouring Force-sensitives, Force-adepts and even Jedi knights is intruiging. Perhaps several Jedi survived the Purge and hid in Aurilia? Perhaps they were training their own children and began forging a new Jedi order? Perhaps they were discovered by the Empire and obliterated, which might explain why we have never heard about them?

The possibilities are exciting, and perhaps we'll be able to read about these events some time in the future.

As much as I would love to see aspects of Star Wars Galaxies to be included in canon, the announcement of the new expansion coming in November 2005 has lead me to believe that the chances of this happening is becoming considerably lower.

In this new expansion, the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi himself will be present on Mustafar, delivering Jedi training in the form of "missions" that promise huge rewards. Among these trophies includes a rare Mustafarian crystal that facilitates the creation of a special "lava lightsaber".

I don't like to be doubtful, but I am finding it difficult to imagine how to begin fitting such bizzare elements into the saga. If Obi-Wan's non-corporeal form was hanging around the physical galaxy, I would have expected that he would have spent the entire time training Luke. As for the lava lightsaber... some things are best ignored.

Has Star Wars Galaxies stepped over the line? Has it totally fouled its chances of ever becoming a serious part of the Star Wars saga, respected by authors and fans alike? Of course, authors and fans may choose to accept the better aspects of the game while ignoring the absurdities... but where will the game stand as a whole?

It's going to take one hell of a story (or ret-con) to explain the mess introduced by the upcoming expansion... will any author dare go anywhere near it? Some people may encourage us to simply ignore the existence of the game, however it does provide a wealth of viable new material which would be a real shame to ignore. Please Star Wars Galaxies, come back to Canon, there is so much potential for some great stories...

[EDIT]:
I recently posted a similar topic in the forums, and got a useful response from Tasty Taste. Thanks Tasty! Check it out:
Star Wars Galaxies: Is ANY of it recognised as canon?

[ANOTHER EDIT]:
Gah, my thread linked above was locked and removed. Luckily I saved Leland Chee's wise words on Wookieepedia. To quote Mr Chee:

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.