Since its launch in 1996, StarWars.com has periodically undergone changes in order to reflect its growing and evolving audience, and to keep pace with the rapidly shifting nature of the online world. This new version of the site is the biggest re-haul since Star Wars' official online presence began, and it will continue to grow and evolve in the immediate future. This is just the start of things, but an important one.

A Renewed Focus on Visuals

During the making of Episodes I, II and III, StarWars.com was primarily a news site, reporting on the latest developments of the production of those movies. The news article was the principal unit of content on the site. Going forward, news will still be an important part of the site, but those stories will not be the only driver of updates. StarWars.com content will also be driven by epic visuals, engaging videos, and new worlds to explore.

The home page and many of the main section pages are now dominated by huge imagery that best showcase the epic scope and visual power of Star Wars. The Blu-ray release of The Complete Star Wars Saga, and the launch of Season 4 of The Clone Wars will be welcomed with large images, engaging slideshows, and high-definition video.

A growing Encyclopedia of Star Wars lore -- the characters, locations and other details of the movies and television shows -- has begun anew, with a focus on visuals. For those who want more detail, the site will endeavor to link to the best sources of supplemental information.

The most popular content on the site -- videos, images and online games -- have been given a bigger stage upon which to shine. Videos are now presented in higher quality, collected in the "Watch" section, but also found in characters and movie pages as well. Users can also now comment directly on videos.

Evolution Guided by Feedback

Many of these changes were guided by studying the popularity of past content and the interests expressed by visitors over the last few years. But as the site continues to evolve, it will continue to ask users what they want to see, and experiment with new types of content while always gauging reaction.

As the site restarts, much of its past content has been taken offline for now. That said, some of the best hits from years past may be periodically dusted off for new audiences to explore, and for original audiences to enjoy once more.

This is just the beginning of the new site, so keep checking back over the coming months as StarWars.com continues to evolve.