Ending of event support for Star Wars Galaxies marks era's close

Very soon the Star Wars Galaxies community will be marking the end of an era. Jason 'Pex' Ryan, the game's event support coordinator, will be moving on to the position of Community Manager for Sony Online's in-development Free Realms. Like the departure of Guild Wars' Gaile Grey, Pex's departure marks a momentous change in SWG's community backdrop. Toiling hard in-game since the early days of Galaxies' live service, Mr. Ryan has always been the puppeteer behind characters like Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader. His portrayal of these and other characters in the game lead to one of the most unique systems available in any MMO today: the Storyteller system of player-placeable objects and characters.

The announcement of his departure this past week has met with a strong response from the community. Tributes to the man's work have sprung up, remembrances of events that he's run. Others reflect on the numerous event reports that he's put together over the years, a catalog of player-driven events. Others wonder about the ultimate impact that live event support's closure will have on the game. Some forward-thinking players are thinking about this development in regard to next month's momentous anniversary: Star Wars Galaxies turns 5 years old in June. Regardless of the future of the game, Pex moves on to bigger and better things having left a visible impact on the player community. Indeed, his pioneering work in this area may ultimately leave a lasting mark on the genre itself.
Good luck, Mr. Ryan, and best wishes on success with Free Realms.