SOE podcast #50 is now live and contains interviews that will be of special interest to EverQuest II and Star Wars Galaxies fans.

This is our milestone Podcast #50! Tune in for an interview about EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey, and an interview with Kelly “Valara” Knox, the SWG Community Manager. Timmy tells us about his Halloween. Ashlanne gets her gamer card back and more!

The EQII interview is with designers Kander and Ilucide. You can listen to it here.

In their weekly Friday Feature, the Star Wars Galaxies team has provided us with various statistics on characters across all realms to give us a feeling for what's currently popular in the game.

According to the statistics, the professions are generally male-dominated except for Entertainer, which is 70% female, and Trader - Domestics, which is 45% female. Tatooine is the most popular planet, followed by Naboo and Rori.

All data was collected Nov. 3. You can see it all here.

There's all sorts of fun events planned in the Star Wars Galaxies universe this weekend.

This months's Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game Promo Weekend will begin at 2 p.m. PST on Friday and go until 10 a.m. PST on Monday, Nov. 10. The Death Star Hologram will be a loot drop in the MMO. More information on the event can be found here.

Also, the Galactic Moon Festival has been extended until Nov. 11! You can continue to enjoy the event while you search for the Death Star Hologram.

Free character transfers will be available in Star Wars Galaxies early next year, and a long list of frequently asked questions have already been answered regarding the service.

The goal of this upcoming promotion is to address players' concerns about server populations with the most player-friendly option possible – by putting the power in the players' hands. This promotion gives players the opportunity to make their own choice by taking advantage of one server transfer per character at no charge.

According to the FAQ, there are no plans to close any servers at this time. Only characters moving from a Free Character Transfer galaxy to a target galaxy can move for free. Standard fees will still apply in any other type of move. Also, characters can only move for free once.

For the full FAQ, including a list of items that will and won't transfer, check here or keep reading below.

Fans of Star Wars Galaxies and EverQuest II will definitely want to listen to the newest SOE podcast, number 49, for interviews with designers from both games. GMs also share their favorite in-game Halloween moments. It can be found on SOE's podcasts page.

Tune in for our Halloween cast! This Podcast includes an interview from Niklas "Swede" Johansson, Game Designer for Star Wars Galaxies, another interview with EQII Designer Nathan "Kaitheel" McCall and Associate Game Designer Carlos "Gninja" Mora. In Quotes from the Underground, the GMs tell us about their favorite in-game Halloween Moments, hear about what the staff at SOE is up to for Halloween and listeners share their scariest in-game moments.

Today's "Friday Feature" post on the official Star Wars Galaxies Web site focuses on the secrets of Hoth in Chapter 11: The Battle of Echo Base.

The battle of Echo Base wages around you, but something else has caught the attention of you and your allies. Is there something else lurking in the shadows of Echo Base? There's more to Hoth than just the skirmish between the Rebels and Imperials! Find out more about new collections that are part of the encounter, and a valley hidden from view… until now.

The full post can be found here or below. Keep reading for information on special collections and Wampa Valley.

Game Update 5.12 is now live. The small patch fixes a handful of bugs regarding the Galactic Moon Festival, as well as some sound effects issues.

The full patch notes can be found here or after the jump.

All U.S. and European servers were taken down this morning for Game Update 5.11, a small update that fixed some minor bugs regarding the Galactic Moon Festival, which runs until Nov. 7.

• NPC responses to "Trick or Treat" should now only be heard by the player that said it, not other players in the area.
• You should no longer lose your costume when you use your ship to instantly travel to another planet.
• Regions that are permanently night for this event should actually stay that way now.

Game update 5.10 was applied this morning during extended maintenance, which included hardware maintenance.

We already discussed the patch when it hit the TCPrime test server earlier this month, but the patch notes can also be found after the jump. The patch's main addition is the Galactic Moon Festival, which starts today! Put on a costume and go trick-or-treating around the galaxy for fun prizes.

SWG is also celebrating Halloween by asking fans to carve Sith O' Lanterns. You don't have to focus on the Dark Side, but just carve a Star Wars-themed pumpkin and e-mail it to starwars@soe.sony.com by Oct. 29 to receive a special title and icon in the official forums. Full information can be found here.

We've been posting a lot about the upcoming Galactic Moon Festival, but the Star Wars Galaxies team has written a large feature about the upcoming Halloween event to get players excited.

When the crypt goes creak and the tombstones outside the cantina quake, you'll know it's time for the Galactic Moon Festival! Beginning Oct. 14, residents of Star Wars Galaxies can take a shuttle to Moenia and Mos Eisley and celebrate the Galactic Moon Festival in style … if you dare!

Also, minor updates to the festival have been announced on the TCPrime test server. Two players can now Trick or Treat at the same NPC at the same time. Also, the daily limit of the amount of Galactic Moon Coins you can acquire per day is now 600.

Keep reading below or check here for complete information on the Galactic Moon Festival.