View source for StarWars.com

{{Top|real}}
{{Website
|image=
|name=StarWars.com
|url=https://www.starwars.com
|slogan=
|type=Official news
|language=[[Wikipedia:English language|English]]
|registration=Optional (Paid subscription previously required for [[Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club|Hyperspace]] section)
|owner=[[Lucasfilm Ltd.]]<ref name="Oral History">{{SW|url=news/starwars-com-an-oral-history|text=StarWars.com: An Oral History}}</ref>
|creator=
|maintainer=[[Lucas Online]]<ref name="Oral History" />
|launch date=[[November]] [[1996]]<ref name="Oral History" />
|current status=Active
|article count=}}
'''StarWars.com''' is the official website for the ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise. Founded in [[November]] of [[1996]], it is run by [[Lucas Online]], the online entertainment arm of [[Lucasfilm Ltd.|Lucasfilm]].<ref name="Oral History" /> The site has undergone frequent redesigns throughout its history, often motivated by the current ''Star Wars'' film in production. The website's editorial team includes senior content writer [[Dan Brooks]] and [[Andi Gutierrez]].<ref name="About">{{SW|url=news/editorial-staff|text=About StarWars.com}}</ref>

==History==
===Origins===
[[File:StarWarsDotCom.png|thumb|right|Original logo of StarWars.com from 1996]]
StarWars.com was launched in [[1996]] to help market the upcoming [[1997]] release of the [[The Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition|Special Edition ''Star Wars'' Trilogy]]. It was the first official movie website to post video documentaries in anticipation of a theatrical release, with the multi-part "Anatomy of a Dewback" series. Prior to that Lucasfilm did not have an official ''Star Wars'' website, instead depending on the then&ndash;[[20th Century Studios|Twentieth Century Fox]]'s website.<ref name="Oral History">{{SW|url=news/starwars-com-an-oral-history|text=StarWars.com: An Oral History}}</ref>

===Prequel trilogy===
Following the release of the Special Edition Trilogy, StarWars.com focused its attention on [[Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace|Episode I]], providing news updates, behind-the-scenes features and the popular web documentary ("webdoc") series "Making Episode I," which was also known as "Lynne's Diaries" as installments were often introduced by Lucasfilm's Head of Public Relations, [[Lynne Hale]]. In [[1998]], when it first hosted the Episode I teaser trailer, StarWars.com broke download records.<ref name="Oral History" />

After the release of Episode I, StarWars.com diversified its content to include coverage of the [[Star Wars Legends|Expanded Universe]] and community activities. It adopted its multi-section model in the build-up to [[Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones|Episode II]]. During Episode II's production, StarWars.com posted weekly videos hosted by [[Ahmed Best]] from the set of production, entitled ''[[on location]]''. It also posted a photo or image hand-picked by [[George Lucas]] every week as a "George Lucas Select." It was during this period that StarWars.com supplemented its online coverage with a biweekly newsletter, the [[Homing Beacon (newsletter)|Homing Beacon]].<ref name="Oral History" />

On June 5, 2003, Starwars.com launched an ad-free, paid-access subscription service featuring exclusive content, [[Hyperspace: The Official Star Wars Fan Club|Hyperspace: The Official ''Star Wars'' Fan Club]]. On April 14, 2003, Lucasfilm entered the direct retail business for the first time with the opening of StarWarsShop.com.<ref name="Oral History" />

In 2004, with the transfer of the ''[[Star Wars Insider]]'' license from [[Paizo Publishing]] to [[IDG Entertainment]], the Official Fan Club ceased to be a licensed property and returned in-house to Lucasfilm, where it became part of StarWars.com Hyperspace.<ref>{{Cite_web|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20040504005653/en/IDG-Entertainment-Publish-Star-Wars-Insider-Team|title=IDG Entertainment to Publish Star Wars Insider; Will Team with Lucasfilm for Best Fan Club Package Ever|author=McCaman, David|date=2004-05-04|work=[[Wikipedia:Business Wire|Business Wire]]|archivedate=20200530115204}}</ref>

Right before [[Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith|Episode III]] started principal photography, StarWars.com introduced a pay-service component to its coverage. For an annual subscription rate of $19.99, subscribers would have access to exclusive coverage, including daily Set Diaries from Australia, a live webcam broadcasting from the set, online chats, and exclusive archival content, such as the deleted Episode II scene "Jedi Attack on the Control Ship" and reprints of the original [[Bantha Tracks (newsletter)|Bantha Tracks]] newsletter.<ref name="Oral History" />

"Ask the Jedi Council" was a section in the official ''Star Wars'' website where selected members of the production crew answered questions raised by fans. The section was shut down in 2005 and replaced with a "Questions and Answers" section that includes all previous "Ask the Jedi Council" questions.<ref name="Ask the Jedi Council">{{SWArchive|url=community/askjc|text=Ask the Jedi Council|archivedate=20050401233255}}</ref>

===Beyond the prequels===
Following the [[prequel trilogy]], the StarWars.com team underwent some leadership changes. The site added and removed several features including an official blog and forums, provided content on the ''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars|The Clone Wars]]'' animated series, and went through various redesigns. In addition, the online store ceased centralized operations due to competition from vendors like Target and Walmart. With the advent of social media, StarWars.com also established a presence on several social media platforms including [[Wikipedia:Twitter|Twitter]], [[Wikipedia:Facebook|Facebook]], and [[Wikipedia:YouTube|YouTube]].<ref name="Oral History" />

In October [[2006]], StarWars.com was voted best ''Official Movie Site'' at Movies.com's first annual poll.<ref>{{Cite_web|url=http://movies.go.com/fanpoll/index?page=5|title=Movies.com Reader's Poll|nobackup=1}}</ref> In December 2006, the site recognized its ten-year milestone as item number 10 of its "Best of 2006."<ref>{{SWArchive|url=welcome/about/news/f20061222/indexp2.html|text=Star Wars: The Best of 2006|archivedate=20070721225944}}</ref> On [[April 30]], 2007, StarWars.com introduced the [[Visual Guides]], which ran for seven chapters before being discontinued indefinitely.<ref>{{SWArchive|url=eepisode-iv/explore/visualguides|text=Star Wars Episode IV: Visual Guides|archivedate=20071217113238}}</ref>

[[File:The_New_Official_Star_Wars_site.png|thumb|right|250px|A commonly seen graphic on the 2008&ndash;2011 incarnation of StarWars.com]]
On [[July 1]], [[2008]], StarWars.com was relaunched with a new [[Wikipedia:Adobe Flash|Flash]]-based design. However, much of the site's content was never converted to the newer format. Fan reaction to the new site was decidedly negative, with an outpouring of complaints on message boards regarding the new look, the vast amount of missing content (something the fans paid for with their Hyperspace subscriptions but no longer had access to), and the non-user-friendly navigation.<ref>{{SWBoards|url=thread.jspa?threadID=266188|thread=Site Redesign - Suggestions, Comments, Questions|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101019112857/http://forums.starwars.com/thread.jspa?threadID=266188}}</ref>

On [[September 13]], 2011, another massive overhaul of the website occurred, part of a wider-spanning streamlining of content. This included the discontinuation of the site forums, the end of the members-only Hyperspace, and later the closing of the site blog pages.<ref>{{SWArchive|url=|text=Home Page|archivedate=20110913054939}}</ref><ref>{{SWArchive|url=fans/news/hyperspace2010/index.html|text=Last Chance to Order the 2010 Hyperspace Member Kit!|archivedate=20110628191224}}</ref> The [[Databank (original)|Databank]] was converted into an on-site [[Encyclopedia (StarWars.com)|Encyclopedia]] in [[September]] [[2011]],<ref>{{SWArchive|url=explore/encyclopedia|text=Encyclopedia: Learn More About Characters, Technology, Locations and Groups|archivedate=20110921073404}}</ref> which included links to [[Wookieepedia]] articles for its subjects.<ref>{{SWArchive|url=explore/encyclopedia/characters/minabonteri|text=Mina Bonteri|archivedate=20110926045024}}</ref><ref>{{SWArchive|url=explore/encyclopedia/characters/jarjarbinks|text=Jar Jar Binks|archivedate=20110926034433}}</ref>

===Disney purchase===
Following [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s acquisition of Lucasfilm in October 2012, StarWars.com was redesigned and relaunched on [[July 1]], [[2014]] to make it mobile friendly. The Encyclopedia was also replaced by an expanded and rebooted [[Databank (website)|Databank]]. The first official ''Star Wars'' app was released on [[July 8]], [[2015]].<ref name="Oral History" />

StarWars.com has published a range of online, social, and video content including the weekly variety show ''[[The Star Wars Show]]'', "TheStarWars.com 10" lists, the ''[[Star Wars Rebels]]'' wrap-up show ''[[Rebels Recon]]'' (which stopped airing when the show ended), and livestreams from the ''Star Wars'' movie premieres and the various [[Celebration]]s.<ref name="Oral History" />

==Features==
The site is divided into a number of sections, including "News + Blog," "Video + Behind the Scenes featurettes," "Star Wars Movies," "Star Wars Series," "Video Games and Immersive Entertainment," "Fans, Fans Sites, and Blogs," and the Databank.<ref name="News + Blog">{{SW|url=news|text=News + Blog}}</ref><ref name="Video">{{SW|url=video|text=Videos + Behind the Scenes featurettes}}</ref><ref name="Films">{{SW|url=films|text=Star Wars Movies}}</ref><ref name="Star Wars Series">{{SW|url=series|text=Star Wars Series}}</ref><ref name="Interactive">{{SW|url=interactive|text=Star Wars Video Games and Immersive Entertainment}}</ref><ref name="Community">{{SW|url=community|text=Fans, Fans Sites, and Blogs}}</ref><ref name="Databank">{{SW|url=databank|text=Databank}}</ref>

Other former features on StarWars.com included the questions-and-answers section "Ask the Jedi Council," weekly image gallery "[[Communications Disruption]]," "[[Homing Beacon (newsletter)|Homing Beacon]]," "[[Star Wars: Blogs]]," and "[[StarWars.com Message Boards]]."<ref name="Ask the Jedi Council" /><ref name="Communications Disruption">{{SWArchive|url=community/fun/caption|text=Star Wars: Community&#124;Photo Captions|archivedate=20080415123226}}</ref><ref name="Homing Beacon">{{SWArchive|url=welcome/about/news/news20000128.html|text=Homing Beacon Secured|archivedate=20060208101212}}</ref><ref name="Star Wars Blogs">{{SWArchive|subdomain=blogs|url=|text=Blogs|archivedate=20050519015140}}</ref><ref name="Message Boards">{{SWBoards|url=ann.jspa?annID=3|thread=Announcement: Regarding the Future of StarWars.com Forums|user=[[Pablo Hidalgo|Pabawan]]|date=May 3, 2011|time=11:27 AM|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517215506/http://forums.starwars.com/ann.jspa?annID=3}}</ref> In addition, the website contained content specific to the [[Star Wars saga]] films including "[[Episode I Snapshot]]," "[[Episode II Select]]," "[[Image Attack]]," "[[Art of Revenge]]," "[[Sith Snapshots]]," "[[Episode IV Classic Moments]]," "[[Episode V Classic Moments]]," and "[[Episode VI Classic Moments]]."<ref name="Episode I Snapshot">{{SWArchive|url=episode-i/fun/snapshot/archive.html|text=Episode I Snapshots Archive|archivedate=20071219004929}}</ref><ref name="Episode II Select">{{SWArchive|url=episode-ii/select/|text=Episode II Select Archive|archivedate=20040606221357}}</ref><ref name="Image Attack">{{SWArchive|url=episode-ii/explore/attack/archive.html|text=Image Attack Archive|archivedate=20050828165108}}</ref><ref name="Art of Revenge">{{SWArchive|url=episode-iii/bts/artofrev|text=Art of Revenge|archivedate=20040824054756}}</ref><ref name="Sith Snapshots">{{SWArchive|url=episode-iii/explore/sithsnap/archive.html|text=''Sith'' Snapshots Archive|archivedate=20071014071206}}</ref><ref name="Episode IV Classic Moments">{{SWArchive|url=episode-iv/explore/classic/archive.html|text=Episode IV Classic Moments Archive|archivedate=20080522150855}}</ref><ref name="Episode V Classic Moments">{{SWArchive|url=episode-v/explore/classic/archive.html|text=Episode V Classic Moments Archive|archivedate=20080522161347}}</ref><ref name="Episode VI Classic Moments">{{SWArchive|url=episode-vi/explore/classic/archive.html|text=Episode VI Classic Moments Archive|archivedate=20080605014822}}</ref>

===Social media accounts===
StarWars.com also operates several social media accounts including Facebook,<ref name="Facebook">{{FacebookCite|starwars||Star Wars}}</ref> [[Wikipedia:Instagram|Instagram]],<ref name="Instagram">{{InstagramCite|starwars||Star Wars}}</ref> [[Wikipedia:Tumblr|Tumblr]],<ref name="Tumblr">{{Tumblr|starwars||Star Wars}}</ref> Twitter,<ref name="Twitter">{{Twitter|starwars||Star Wars}}</ref> and YouTube.<ref name="SWYoutube">{{Youtube|channel=user/starwars|channelname=Star Wars}}</ref>

===Star Wars Kids===
StarWars.com had a segment of the website aimed at younger fans called Star Wars Kids. It contained games, quizzes, news, arts and crafts, recipes, and other activities. Beginning in summer 2008, the section focused heavily on ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars''.<ref>{{SWArchive|url=kids|text=Star Wars Kids|archivedate=20080701034744}}</ref> Following the Disney purchase of Lucasfilm, it was replaced by a separate website called [[StarWarsKids.com]].<ref name="StarWarsKids.com">{{Disney|subdomain=lol|url=star-wars|text=Star Wars Kids &#124; Disney|archivedate=20200618172010}}</ref>

===Cargo Bay===
Between [[2002]] and [[2013]],<ref name="CB Wayback>Internet Archive's [https://web.archive.org/web/20020501000000*/http://cargobay.starwars.com Wayback Machine] shows that the Cargo Bay was online, at least, from April 2002 to September 2013</ref> StarWars.com featured its own collector database, the Cargo Bay. It was organized between several categories of products: Apparel, Audio, Books, Games, Miscellaneous, Print, Toys, and Video. Each product was detailed on its own page, and users could browse through a dedicated search engine, with advanced search options for Hyperspace subscribers. The Cargo Bay also allowed users to create two lists: one for items they possessed, and the other as a wish list.<ref name="CB">{{SWArchive|subdomain=cargobay|url=|text=Welcome to the Official Collector Database|archivedate=20020421093349}}</ref><ref name="CB Help">{{SWArchive|subdomain=cargobay|url=help.jsp|text=Help|archivedate=20070826094901}}</ref>

==Awards and accolades==
On [[April 25]], [[2017]], StarWars.com won four Webby Awards for best website, best event and live webcast, and best mobile site and app.<ref name="2017 Webbies">{{SW|url=news/starwars-com-team-wins-four-webby-awards|text=The StarWars.com Team wins four Webby Awards!}}</ref>

On [[April 23]], [[2019]], StarWars.com won five Webby Awards including the Webby Award, the "People's Voice Award in Social: Television & Film," the "Webby Award for Video: Variety," the "People's Voice Winner in Video: Events & Live streams" for their livestream of ''[[Solo: A Star Wars Story]]'', and the "People's Voice Award for Website in the Movie & Film category," the last of which they had held for three years in a row.<ref name="2019 Webbies">{{SW|url=news/star-wars-2019-webby-award-winners|text=The StarWars.com Team Wins Five 2019 Webby Awards}}</ref>

On [[May 6]], [[2019]], StarWars.com's team won an Emmy Award for ''The Star Wars Show'' segment "Arrested Development: Star Wars with Ron Howard!" in the Outstanding Daytime Promotional Announcement – Topical category.<ref name="2019 Emmy">{{SW|url=news/emmy-arrested-development-star-wars-mashup|text=StarWars.com Team wins Emmy for Arrested Development/Star Wars Mashup}}</ref>

On [[May 19]], [[2020]], StarWars.com and Lucasfilm won five Webby Awards. The Star Wars App won both the Webby Award and the "People's Voice Award in Apps, Mobile, and Voice: Entertainment." StarWars.com's social media channels won the Webby Award and the "People's Voice Award in Social: Television & Film," Finally, ''The Star Wars Show'' won the "People's Voice Award in Video: Series."<ref name="2020 Webbies">{{SW|url=news/the-starwars-com-team-wins-five-2020-webby-awards|text=The StarWars.com Team wins Five 2020 Webby Awards!}}</ref>

On [[May 26]], [[2021]], StarWars.com won ten Telly Awards. ''Our Star Wars Stories'' won the Gold non-broadcast general award for diversity and inclusion, the Silver branded content general award for remote production, and the Bronze branded content general aware for diversity and inclusion. ''[[Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge]]'' won the Silver non-broadcast general award for children's audience and the Bronze branded content general award for children. ''The Star Wars Show'' won the Silver non-broadcast general award for entertainment, the Silver branded content general award for entertainment, the bronze non-broadcast general live events award for its coverage of ''The Star Wars Show Live! Celebration Chicago 2019'', the bronze branded content general live experiences award for its coverage of ''The Star Wars Show Live! Celebration Chicago 2019'', and the bronze branded content craft for the ''Star Wars: The Animals Strike Back''.<ref name="2021 Telly Awards">{{SW|url=news/telly-awards|text=The StarWars.com Team wins 10 Telly Awards!}}</ref>

==References in ''Star Wars'' lore==
[[In-universe|Within the ''Star Wars'' universe]], starwars.com was the [[HoloNet/Legends|HoloNet]] address of an extensive list of historical resources.<ref>"Introduction to Students of History," ''[[The New Essential Chronology]]'' (page xv)</ref> In the ''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' theatrical film, [[Aurebesh]] billboards outside [[Ziro Desilijic Tiure|Ziro's]] club read "WWW STARWARS COM."<ref>{{SWArchive|url=kids/read/cwspotter20080822.html?page=11|text=Checklist: 10 Things to Spot in ''The Clone Wars''|archivedate=20080827013657}}</ref>

==Sources==
{{Mediacat|imagecat=Images from StarWars.com}}
*{{GalaxyCite|10|Cyber Notes|Cyber Notes: Catching the Special Edition on the Net}}
*{{InsiderCite|32|Star News}}
*{{SWArchive|url=welcome/about/news/f20061222/indexp2.html|text=Star Wars: The Best of 2006: 10. A Decade of Starwars.com|archivedate=20070721225118}}
*{{SWArchive|url=the_movies/saga/fifteenth_online_anniversary/index.html|text=''Star Wars'' Online: 15 Years Old Today|archivedate=20110913132814}}
*{{SW|url=news/starwars-com-an-oral-history|text=StarWars.com: An Oral History}}
*{{SW|url=news/star-wars-2019-webby-award-winners|text=The StarWars.com Team Wins Five 2019 Webby Awards}}
*{{SW|url=news/emmy-arrested-development-star-wars-mashup|text=StarWars.com Team wins Emmy for ''Arrested Development''/''Star Wars'' Mashup}}
*{{SW|url=news/star-wars-best-of-2020|text=''Star Wars'': Best of 2020}}
*{{SW|url=news/star-wars-the-high-republic-new-trailer-panel-news|text=''Star Wars: The High Republic'': New Trailer Revealed and More|archiveurl=https://archive.vn/sQPkB}}
*{{InsiderCite|200|200 Reasons Why We Love Star Wars|200 Reasons Why We Love ''Star Wars''}}
*{{SW|url=news/telly-awards|text=The StarWars.com Team Wins 10 Telly Awards!}}
*{{InsiderCite|204|Launchpad}}
*{{SW|url=news/krrsantan-star-wars-tales-1-cover|text=Marvel Unleashes the Cover for ''Krrsantan: Star Wars Tales'' #1 &ndash; Exclusive Reveal}}

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{SW|url=|text=Main Page|archiveurl=https://archive.ph/0ERuw}}
*{{Blog|DarthVader|35|The history of starwars.com|Meditation Chamber|Anakin Skywalker|archivedate=20061115035156}}

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[[Category:StarWars.com| ]]