This page, much like Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not and Wikia:What Wikia is not, attempts to define what is and is not proper use of this wiki. Hopefully, this will serve to help new users understand what we are trying to do here.
Wookieepedia does not belong to anyone
The following points come from Wikia:Ownership, which is an official policy of Wikia and also encompasses Wookieepedia:
- The site itself, and the Wikia trademarks, are owned by Wikia, Inc.. Star Wars, and its trademarks, are owned by Lucasfilm Ltd..
- The copyright of a particular edit is owned by the person who made that edit.
- The wikis are owned by the communities. No one user owns any wiki. Founders are those who requested a wiki be created, but ownership of that wiki resides with the community as a whole, not only with the founder. Similarly, no bureaucrat or administrator may claim proprietorship over the wiki.
What Wookieepedia is not
Wookieepedia is not Wikipedia
On Wikipedia, it is common for small, trivial articles like Denuhi-Eight or Myomaran to be deleted as trivial fancruft. Here, such articles are allowed. Any article that discusses a canonical character, place, or item in the Star Wars galaxy has a place here.
Also, some of our rules, policies and article standards differ greatly from those of Wikipedia; please see Category:Policies on Wookieepedia, Layout Guide and Manual of Style for more details.
Wookieepedia is not the official site
This means two things. First off, the information here is not official or definitive. Articles may be incomplete, inaccurate, or not up to date with the current state of the Star Wars canon. This means that the casual browser should not accept our articles as the final word. Though we will strive, as much as possible, to be the most accurate and complete online source for Star Wars information, we will not be as authoritative as the original sources.
Secondly, almost all webpages on this site refer to properties and stories which are the property of Lucasfilm and its licensees. We try to stay on the side of "fair use." Copying entire blocks of text from any StarWars.com website, Lucasfilm-licensed publication, or other copyrighted source is not allowed on this wiki.
Wookieepedia is not any of the Internet's other unofficial sites
Just as we cannot copy blocks of text directly from the StarWars.com Databank or an RPG sourcebook, we cannot copy text from other fansites.
Wookieepedia is not the place for fanfiction or roleplaying
The In-Universe part of the wiki is for canon information only. Any articles identified as fanon will be deleted. This includes both characters from fan fiction and player characters from roleplaying games (whether these are characters from in-person campaigns or from online roleplaying such as message boards, MUSHes, or Star Wars Galaxies).
The exceptions are those fan fictions that have made an impact on the fanbase or canon itself. Examples include the well-known fan film TROOPS, the unofficial Book of Imperial Shuttle Plans: Cygnus Spaceworks which has been mistaken for canon and appears to be the first mention of the canonical Cygnus Spaceworks, and the persistent fraud SuperShadow. Such articles are limited to a discussion of the fan fiction in question—separate articles on characters, locations, or other individual elements found only in fan fiction are not desired.
There is another wiki, the Star Wars Fanon Wiki, which accepts exclusively fan-made material. Though it is also hosted by Wikia, meaning that your username here is the same as your username there, it is a separate community with its own policies and practices. The Fanon wiki is a better place to post your fan-made materials.
In addition, roleplaying numbers and stats for canonical elements will be reverted and/or deleted (since quoting official statistics counts as copyright violation, while unofficial statistics are completely non-canonical.)
Wookieepedia is not an all-inclusive trivia site
Behind the scenes sections in articles should contain useful, pertinent information. The number of factoids and pieces of trivia related to Star Wars are boundless, but not necessarily encyclopedic or helpful. Be mindful of what information you add to these sections. For films and video games, the Internet Movie Database is probably a better place to submit trivia.
Wookieepedia is not a dictionary
Wookieepedia exists to catalog the Star Wars universe, but only within reason. We do not serve to list every item that has ever existed in Star Wars if a simple real-world dictionary definition would suffice. The Trash Compactor Archives are littered with examples of overzealous article creation, and while we generally appreciate such enthusiasm, articles with an obvious real-world equivalent should generally only be created if they fall into a few major categories:
- The item possesses a distinct otherworldly quality. For example, we have shirts on Earth, but our shirts don't go 'boop' and change color.
- The item's distinct lack of an otherworldly quality creates a unique incongruity. For example, in a universe with bacta and laser scalpels, why does a child have braces? And in a galaxy full of blasters, it's interesting when one lands on a planet dominated by swords.
Outside of such areas, items with real-world equivalents will normally be deleted upon creation via the speedy deletion process unless a compelling argument can rapidly be presented for their preservation.
Wookieepedia is not a free host or webpage provider
While registered users can create their own user page, this page is not a place for unlimited free storage of files. In other words, your user page should only contain information relevant to your work on this wiki. If you wish to put up a weblog, post your fanfiction, or advertise your business, neither your user page nor any other Wookieepedia or Wikia page is the proper place to do so. You can find out more about your user page here.
(On the other hand, users have historically included a few personal images for their user page. The policy on this is to be found here.)
Wookieepedia is not censored
Wookieepedia's content and other pages are not censored, though users must remain mindful of our no personal attacks policy when posting comments.
Wookieepedia is not Wikia
Wookieepedia is hosted by Wikia, but Wookieepedia is not Wikia, Wookieepedia is not any other wiki, and Wookieepedia is certainly not "a Wikia." Wookieepedia is a wiki that found a home on Wikia long ago, before Wikia decided to focus more on social networking and advertising than on hosting wikis, and unlike other sites hosted on Wikia, Wookieepedia retains its original focus: building an encyclopedia.
To this end, Wookieepedia does not, as a general rule, want fancy gadgets and pretty toys and goofy trim. Wookieepedia just wants a reliable site with a host that does not meddle in its affairs. We would hope that Wikia respects the will of our community as reflected by the site feature policy and consensus policy. Any Wikia staff who also hold elected positions at Wookieepedia must obey Wookieepedia policy and consensus above Wikia policy and mandates. Failure to do so will result in removal of all special user rights and privileges.
Users who are unfamiliar with Wookieepedia may not appreciate our rules at first, but we advise you to remember the old adage, "don't knock it 'til you try it." We think we've done pretty well so far. We also advise everyone to consult the consensus and voting eligibility policies before attempting to change the system.
What the Wookieepedia community is not
Wookieepedia is not a battleground
There are many controversies in Star Wars fandom. Some of these controversial questions have either been answered by Lucasfilm (in the Holocron continuity database or otherwise), or have been left unanswered. This is not the place for arguing with other fans about which retcons were unneeded, what canonical Expanded Universe works should be completely ignored, or how much you hated or loved a particular character.
In addition, when discussing articles with other users, it is important to be civil and respectful.
Wookieepedia is not a general-purpose message board
Article talk pages, user talk pages, and the Senate Hall forum will attract discussion and conversation: that's what they're there for. However, these discussions should stay focused on issues relevant to Wookieepedia, such as "When was this character born?", "Where did this image come from?", and the like. General Star Wars questions such as "Who was the most powerful Dark Lord of the Sith?" or "Which movie did you like better, Empire or Jedi?" are best left for a forum such as the Jedi Council Forums. The Knowledge Bank on Wookieepedia may also be used for specific questions or discussions not related to improving particular articles, subject to the rules listed on that page.
What Wookieepedia user pages are not
Your user page is not your primary contribution to this wiki
Your user page and any associated sub pages are meant to give some information about yourself, and to help organize your contributions to Wookieepedia. For example, you may wish to include a list of the Star Wars reference books you own, list some articles you worked on that you're proud of, or mention the articles and projects you intend to work on. You might also want to give personal information like your user name on Star Wars message boards, your favorite characters, what languages you speak, or a link to your personal page on another site. See our user page policy for more information on proper use of user pages.
Your user page should not be thought of as a personal homepage (as mentioned above, Wookieepedia is not a free host or webpage provider.) In particular, writing a long imaginary biography of your persona in the Star Wars galaxy, or putting up a "collection" of dozens of userboxes or images, is not particularly helpful to Wookieepedia. Your user page should help you contribute to writing and editing articles for this project—it is not a substitute for improving the articles on this wiki.
See also
- Wookieepedia:General disclaimer
- Wookieepedia:Copyrights