A slew of information about Star Wars: Galaxies has become available. Most prominently, the developers have explained how the game's skill system will work. Following in the tradition of such games as Diablo II, the game will use skill points in order to allow for the distribution of skills. Rather than each skill costing a single point, however, skills will cost a varying number of points, and the number of points a player can acquire will be finite. The total number of skills won't necessarily depend entirely on these points, however. Instead, the skills a player chooses will in turn decide what other skills they can acquire. That said, the more advanced the skills, the higher their cost. And the more wide the range of professions a player chooses to follow, the more all future skills cost to gain. As a result, either specialization or gaining a wide variety of low-level skills will be the most efficient means of character advancement.

In addition to revealing this information, LucasArts has also divulged the identities of the sixth and seventh playable races in Star Wars: Galaxies. The sixth playable race will be the Trandoshans, a race of large, reptilian humanoids. With great strength and natural regenerative powers, the Trandoshans are feared throughout the galaxy, and make excellent warriors. Their warlike society has given them a reputation for toughness and brutality, and they are known for persecution of other species, especially Wookiees. A great importance on hunting and war exists in their culture. Below are pictures of Trandoshans:

The seventh race is slightly less warlike, although they are known throughout the galaxy as the preeminent spies. The Bothan species, drawn mostly from Expanded Universe sources, are famed for the Bothan spy ring, which is mentioned in passing in Return of the Jedi. Bothans are stocky humanoids with furry faces, and have high levels of physical and mental aptitude. In addition to their proficiency at spying, Bothans are useful as scouts and soldiers. They are at their best, however, when used in political situations, so players focusing on less action-oriented jobs may wish to use Bothans for this purpose. Still, they excel in other areas as well. Below is some concept art of the Bothans, courtesy of Sony Station(as are the pictures above):

There is now just one playable race remaining to be revealed. Star Wars: Galaxies is set for a release sometime in 2002.