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Hello, and welcome to the Wookieepedia Frequently Asked Questions page. Although we try to make our encyclopedia as user-friendly for our readers and editors as we can, Wookieepedia remains a complex system of technical and political processes that can be confusing for many people who are not familiar with how a wiki like Wookieepedia works. So, chances are, you have some questions, and that's great! We hope the following page will be able to quickly answer some of them for you. If you still don't see an answer to your question, please feel free to drop us a line in our Senate Hall forum or stop by our official Discord server for live assistance from our administrators and experienced Wookieepedia users.

General questions

What is Wookieepedia?

Blue Glass Arrow See also: Wookieepedia
Wookieepedia is a freely editable online encyclopedia about everything Star Wars, including the Star Wars universe and behind-the-scenes details.

Who owns Wookieepedia?

Wookieepedia is hosted by Fandom (formerly known as Wikia), a free wiki hosting service operated by Fandom, Inc., a for-profit organization founded by Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley. Fandom receives profit from advertisements on Wookieepedia. Fandom is responsible for technical issues with the site; it also sometimes provides legal advice and is our legal Designated Agent.
However, the Wookieepedia content, licensed under the CC-BY-SA, is not "owned" by anyone in the traditional sense. Anyone can reuse it elsewhere or even download the database dump and make a mirror or "fork."

When and why was Wookieepedia created?

Wookieepedia was started by Chad Barbry and Steven Greenwood in March 2005 as a project that would provide a more complete coverage of Star Wars than Wikipedia was allowed to by its notability policies. For example, almost every Star Wars character has a separate article on Wookieepedia, while on Wikipedia, minor characters are grouped into long "List of minor characters" articles.
Our first articles were forked from the English Wikipedia, although most articles have since been completely rewritten to the point that almost no Wikipedia material remains as of now.

Who is responsible for the Wookieepedia content?

You are! In fact, you can edit this very FAQ! However, note that since Wookieepedia is an unofficial, community-driven project, edited by hundreds of people unfamiliar with each other, we cannot possibly guarantee (and explicitly disclaim) any degree of accuracy and validity, although we do strive for both accuracy and verifiability — this means that everyone should be able to verify the facts mentioned in every article. This is why all in-universe articles have lists of appearances and sources, and why all articles are referenced.
You can find who contributed to a particular article by looking at its edit history, accessible through the drop-down menu in the top right of a page.

What keeps Wookieepedia from being destroyed?

Every Wookieepedia article contains an edit history (accessible from the "history" tab by default), which records all edits to the article since it was created. In case someone makes a bad edit (intentionally or not) by vandalizing the article or inserting fanon, anyone can revert (restore) the article to an earlier, better revision.

How can I contact the project?

The Senate Hall is the general place to ask questions about Wookieepedia or give feedback. You can also join our Discord server.

If your matter concerns the administration of Wookieepedia, please see Wookieepedia:Contact.

Legal questions

Is Wookieepedia copyrighted?

Yes, all contributions are copyrighted by the people who made them. This means that if you edit an article, you hold copyright for the edits you made, but not for edits made by other people contributing to the same article.
The Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license, which we use, leverages the legal institute of copyright to ensure that everyone will have the right to freely access, modify and redistribute licensed content, no matter what. Therefore, do not contribute if you do not want your edits to be in turn mercilessly edited by others.

Can I use Wookieepedia content on my site/elsewhere?

Yes! However, this only applies to the text, licensed under the CC-BY-SA, and a select few free images. Most of our images are copyrighted by Lucasfilm Ltd. and used under the fair use clause for identification purposes, and using them for other purposes or in countries where fair use conditions do not apply may be illegal.
If you use Wookieepedia articles elsewhere, all you are legally required to do (by the license) is to add a copyright notice saying that the article is copyrighted and licensed under the CC-BY-SA, and a link to the original Wookieepedia article. You can freely modify and redistribute the material, provided that you license your modifications under the CC-BY-SA as well. You cannot license it on other conditions or put it in the public domain, nor can you claim copyright for content you did not write yourself (everyone only holds copyright to the contributions they themselves made).

Can I use Wookieepedia content on another wiki?

Yes, if the said wiki is itself licensed under the CC-BY-SA. This includes almost all of Fandom (with the exception of Memory Alpha, Uncyclopedia, and a small number of other wikis that are licensed under other incompatible licenses) and most Wikimedia Foundation projects, including Wikipedia. In this case, the aforementioned copyright notice goes to the talk page of the said article; the restrictions still apply.

Can I use content from other sites on Wookieepedia?

No. By default, every work is copyrighted and the author holds exclusive rights to it, unless they explicitly release all or some of them. You can insert CC-BY-SA or public domain text into articles verbatim, but not anything else. To report copyright violations, please leave a note on the Administrators' noticeboard.

Technical questions

What wiki software does Wookieepedia use?

Wookieepedia (and the rest of Fandom) uses MediaWiki, the same software as Wikipedia and other Wikimedia Foundation projects. Fandom also uses some third-party extensions, which are available to all hosted wikis. The exact details can be found at Special:Version.

Where should I report technical issues?

If they are indeed technical (like the site being down, or weird error messages) and not something within the users' control (like templates), you can report them in the Senate Hall or directly to Fandom.

Do I have to register?

While registration is optional, it is strongly recommended. You can view and edit pages as an anonymous user, but registration hides your IP address and gives you the ability to upload files, move (rename) pages, and edit so-called semi-protected pages (after a few days).
Most importantly, registration gives you an identity and makes you a full-fledged member of the Wookieepedia community. After you register and make your first edit, another user will usually greet you on your talk page and give links to some useful information pages. Registration is the first step in earning reputation and respect, and who knows, maybe one day you will be nominated for a Wookieepedian of the Month or an administrator!

What are namespaces?

Namespaces are large "storages" that group pages according to their function. Placing a page in a namespace causes the MediaWiki software to treat it in a special way. For example, this page is in the Wookieepedia namespace, according to its prefix (Wookieepedia:FAQ). Every namespace except Special (whose pages are generated by scripts on the fly, rather than being stored in the database) has an appropriate talk namespace, unless it is itself a talk namespace. For example, the talk page for the article named Star Wars (located in the default namespace, without any prefix) resides at Talk:Star Wars.

I don't like the ads. Can you change the placement/reduce the number/get rid of them?

The ads and their placement are forced on us by Fandom. Wookieepedia administrators have no control over the ads, so complaining in the Senate Hall is useless. If you really wish to complain, you can do so on the Community Central Forum or contact Fandom staff directly with your complaint via the form at Special:Contact, but be aware that Fandom staff will likely ignore you. The best solution is to register an account (if you haven't already done so) and disable ads using Special:Preferences.

Editing questions

See also Wookieepedia:Editing FAQ

What is the difference between red, blue and light blue links?

Blue links point to existing pages (like Main Page), red links point to nonexistent pages (like MediaWiki:Nonexistent), and light blue links are either external or interwiki links: in short, links that are supposed to point outside Wookieepedia.

What is the difference between "Appearances", "Sources", and "References"?

All official material is classified by Wookieepedia as either an "appearance" or a "source." "Appearances" are any material containing a plot. This can include everything from films and novels to short stories and comic books to roleplaying adventures and video games. "Sources" are reference material that provides canon information, but does not have a plot, such as Essential Guides, roleplaying rulebooks and sourcebooks, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia. A particular item is either an appearance or a source, never both, although sometimes a source may contain an appearance. For example, many roleplaying sourcebooks, which are sources, may include a short adventure at the end of the book; that adventure, taken by itself, would be an appearance.
"References" are completely separate from appearances and sources and refer to the list of citations at the end of an article. These citations refer to superscript numbers like [5] scattered through the prose and identify from what material the immediately preceding text comes. In most cases, material used as a reference must still be listed as an appearance or source as well; the only exception is when a reference does not qualify as either because it is not official material. Keep in mind that the word "source" is often casually used as a synonym for references (this is evident even in the name of the policy that describes how to use references), so don't let yourself get confused when this happens.

Where can I discuss pages?

Each page has a built-in discussion (talk) page, which can be accessed via the "discussion" tab. While discussing articles, please limit your posts to the article content, not the article subject. For example, the Talk:Luke Skywalker page should not be used to find out who thinks that Luke Skywalker was the greatest Jedi ever, but discussions whether (and how) it should be expanded, whether a certain image should be replaced or a section reworded are perfectly acceptable. For discussions about the Star Wars universe, refer to discussion boards, like Wookieepedia's Discussions or TheForce.net boards.

Somebody reverted my edits, what should I do?

Generally, not revert to your version in turn. This can start a revert war (also known as edit war), which is seen as disruptive because it prevents other contributors from improving the same article. Instead, question yourself whether the revert was justified, look at the edit history for the reason given, and try to settle the case on the talk page.

What is a minor edit?

A minor edit is an edit that it is so non-noteworthy that users monitoring the article can usually skip it. Examples are spelling and grammar corrections, corrections of formatting and template usage. Addition and omission of content, as well as factual corrections, are not minor edits and should not be marked as such.
If you accidentally marked a non-minor edit as a minor one, make a dummy edit (an edit that affects the source wikitext but not the output, like changing one space to two or vice versa), mark it as non-minor, and explain the problem.

What is a semi-protected page?

Semi-protected pages are pages that can only be edited by registered users that have been registered for 4 days or longer. It is done to prevent pages from being vandalized by anonymous or very new users. Like full protection, it is only used in extreme cases. If full protection is a last resort measure, semi-protection can be thought of as a "penultimate resort".

What is a fully protected page?

A fully protected page is one which can only be edited by administrators. Very few articles should be in this state: it is primarily reserved for frequently used templates, where vandalism or misguided good-faith edits can cause problems on multiple articles. It may also be used temporarily to forestall edit disputes.

Community/political questions

Can I become an administrator?

Administrators hold much power but also have much responsibility. There are a number of prerequisites for becoming an administrator, and whether or not a nomination succeeds largely depends on what other users think of you. Read the Requests for user rights page for details.

Who defines the policies?

The policies are determined by consensus: proposed new policies and changes are not approved until a decision that suits everyone or almost everyone is found. The role of a "policy forge" is largely assumed by the Consensus track. A discussion may start as a simple vote or even a simple suggestion or question, but usually, the end result is neither of the originally proposed options (in case of a vote), but rather some kind of fusion of different ideas. The process is often painful, but necessary.

How can I contact an administrator?

Just as you would contact any other user: by leaving a message on their talk page. If you have no preference for a specific administrator, you can use the Administrators' noticeboard. Alternatively, you can join Discord; at least one administrator is usually present there at any given time. Discord is best used for reporting action that must be stopped immediately, such as mass blanking or mass move vandalism. In case of vandalism, you can also leave a message on Wookieepedia:Vandalism in progress.

I saw this term on Wookieepedia. What does _____ mean?

If you encounter a word, acronym, or phrase used on Wookieepedia that isn't clear to you (i.e. "revert", "fanon", or "redirect"), look it up in our glossary and it's probably there. You can also ask our administrators.

Canon questions

Why are canon subjects marked as Legends?

First, some quick background: On April 25, 2014, Lucasfilm declared the Star Wars Expanded Universe to be non-canon, organized under the new Star Wars Legends banner. In other words, to put it as simply as possible, only the six Star Wars episodic films, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and television series, Star Wars Rebels, and all new projects going forward, including the upcoming sequel trilogy, are now considered official canon.
However, many canon article subjects are still marked as Legends on Wookieepedia. In order for Wookieepedia to continue to document Star Wars Legends material properly, we have decided to split certain canon subjects into two articles. For example, Luke Skywalker now has two pages, one for canon and one for Legends. The canon article covers Luke's appearances in official Star Wars canon, while the Legends page covers all of his appearances from non-canon Legends stories. To help you easily distinguish and navigate between these two pages, you will find two tabs in the upper-left corner of both articles, one reading Canon and one reading Legends. In addition, either a CANON or LEGENDS banner will be present in the page's upper right-hand corner.
We are currently in the process of converting all applicable canon subjects to this format. This is expansive and time-consuming, so it's very possible that you may still find a canon subject marked only as Legends with no canon article. In that case, it simply means the subject's canon article has not yet been created.

Why do Legends articles have content from canon stories?

If you open up Luke Skywalker's Legends article, you will notice that it still documents content from canon stories, such as the original film trilogy. This is not a mistake! Because Star Wars Legends stories are designed to directly tie in with the official Star Wars canon, they simply cannot be properly told without the frame of reference that the official canon provides. Luke Skywalker's Star Wars Legends history would be incomplete were it not told in conjunction with his appearances in the Star Wars films. Therefore, Wookieepedia has decided to apply Star Wars Episodes I–VI and Star Wars: The Clone Wars to both canon and Legends articles (note that this is merely our internal system and not reflective of Lucasfilm's official approach). For a more detailed explanation of how this works, please see Wookieepedia's Canon policy.

Why are some characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars marked as Legends if Clone Wars is canon?

As explained in the previous two sections, many canon subjects now have both canon and Legends articles. This is done to allow Wookieepedia to properly document Star Wars Legends stories alongside the official Star Wars canon. By far, this decision has affected Star Wars: The Clone Wars the most, given the size of its project—a feature film and six television seasons, plus additional spinoff material.
To understand the canon status of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and how Wookieepedia documents its material, one must make this critical distinction: Lucasfilm considers the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and television series to be canon but does not consider its spinoff material, such as comics and video games, to be canon. With this in mind, it becomes easier to see why Clone Wars subjects have both canon and Legends articles. For example, Ahsoka Tano's canon article covers only her appearances in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars film and television series, while Ahsoka's Legends article covers all of her appearances from non-canon Clone Wars spinoff material.
If you come across a Star Wars: The Clone Wars subject that only has a Legends article and no canon article, it simply means that subject's canon article has not yet been created. Please feel free to help us fill it in!

If Star Wars Legends is non-canon, why even have it on Wookieepedia?

In the aftermath of Lucasfilm's decision to declare the Star Wars Expanded Universe non-canon, some people expected Wookieepedia to simply begin deleting all of its Expanded Universe articles. Obviously, that didn't happen. Doing so would not allow us to serve our purpose as a Star Wars encyclopedia. Although Star Wars Legends stories are now non-canon, they nevertheless remain part of Lucasfilm's collection of officially licensed narrative material. Star Wars fans will continue to read and enjoy these stories, so we will continue to document them. Similarly, despite the personal feelings of many Star Wars fans regarding Lucasfilm's decision, Wookieepedia will also continue to document the stories of the official Star Wars canon. We would not be the best Star Wars encyclopedia in the world if we didn't.

Other questions

What are those small symbols in the upper-right corner of many articles?

These are era symbols, and most of them are used to denote the publishing eras in which the article subject appears. You can think of them as our counterparts to the Databank episode indicators. See List of publishing eras for an explanation of the meaning behind each symbol. Eras symbols are only used for articles on Legends media.
In addition, nine of these symbols are not official era symbols endorsed by LFL, and have no meaning outside Wookieepedia:
Symbol What is depicted Meaning
Premium-Era-real Earth Real-world article
Premium-FeaturedIcon Star Featured article
Premium-DefeaturedIcon Broken star Featured article stripped of Featured status
Premium-GoodIcon Checkmark (tick) Good article
Premium-FormerGAicon Crossed out checkmark (tick) Good article stripped of Good status
Premium-ComprehensiveArticle Circle Comprehensive article
Premium-FormerCAIcon Incomplete circle Comprehensive article stripped of Comprehensive status
Premium-Era-Sprotect Gray padlock Semi-protected pages
Premium-Era-Fprotect Red padlock Fully protected pages
Premium-Era-Mprotect Green padlock Move protected pages
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