Lucas Arts and Sony Online Entertainment have announced the first expansion to their popular MMORPG Star Wars Galaxies, titled Stars Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed. The expansion takes places between the series' movie episodes IV and V (A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back for the uninitiated) and opens up ten space sectors to explore. Players can venture into those new levels onboard classic Stars Wars space crafts such as X-Wings or TIE fighters. Both can be used in real-time combat against enemies from other factions or ships controlled by the CPU. Ships similar to the infamous Millennium Falcon will also be added to the game as means of transportation, allowing users to explore the universe with friends onboard.

The total number of new missions will exceed 100, while players can try to master four newly added professions. Furthermore, the development team will add two new and entirely customizable species.

Stars Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed will be released sometime this fall.