Real Life First Name: Michael
Forum Handle: Canary
Main Character Name: Canaryville  
Server: Valcyn
Player Association: 77th Wing Fighter/Bomber Squadron XO (Currently Unguilded)  

Where in the real life world do you live? I live in Midlothian, IL, which is a suburb southwest of Chicago.

How long have you played Star Wars Galaxies?   I have been playing around 1358 days according to my /getvet count.

What other MMOs have you played? None. 

What type of work do you do?   I’m a General Manager for a family flag and banner business that was started by my grandfather in 1936.

How long is your typical gaming session when playing Star Wars Galaxies? My typical gaming session lasts from 2 to 4 hours.

What does a typical Star Wars Galaxies day consist of for you? I’ll log onto the 77th Ventrilo server and then into the game.  After logging in, I’ll generally check mail and then see who’s on.  

Most of the week Admiral Alirc, Commander Jir, and I are planning what we will be doing for our weekly space PvP events that are held on Friday nights.  The 6th Imperial Wing and 77th Wing trade off writing a story arc that would encompass 3 to 4 bi-weekly events.  In what we loosely term as the off-week, we generally have straight up PvP in Deep Space.  With about 20 active pilots on both sides, it’s not uncommon for 77th Wing to create an active duty roster that we share through Google Docs.  This allows us to actually work on events during the week when we are not logged into game. 

In between everything else that’s happening, I’m either lending a hand to a fellow Alliance pilot in their mission, crafting, dancing at one of the Yivvits and MrBubble parties on Sunday nights, or keeping the Alliance shipping lanes of Deep Space free from Imperial aggression.

What was the race and profession of your very first character?   My first character was a Human medic.  I remember healing a persons wounds in the Mos Eisley hospital and to my surprise he paid me by giving me his Cowardly Gurrek.  I thought,”Wow… this is fantastic!”

What got you into gaming and what sort of games do you like the most? I first started playing Duke Nukem in 1996 with my 3 younger brothers and a few of their friends.  I enjoyed the Command & Conquer series, though I did not buy the latest release.  When Return To Castle Wolfenstein came out, my brothers, their friends, and I moved to something that was fast paced and quite fun.  I continued to play Wolf until my son brought over his copy of SWG and said I should take a look at it since he knew I enjoyed the Star Wars movies.  The rest is history… loosely speaking.

What other hobbies or activities do you take part in, other than playing Star Wars Galaxies? I enjoy snow-boarding in Colorado or Tahoe when I actually get the chance to do it.  I enjoy traveling with my wife and since we are season ticket holders for the Chicago Cubs, we use their road games as excuses/reasons to travel 3 to 4 times a year.  If family is considered an activity and hobby, then this is what keeps me going everyday. 

What is your highest character level in Star Wars Galaxies? Level 90.

What race and profession is your main character? My main character is a human Elder Shipwright.

What do you like the most about the profession you have chosen for your main character? Since I’ve always enjoyed math growing up, becoming a shipwright was a natural progression of my game enjoyment.   I get a great feeling of satisfaction by helping people with their ship load-outs or answering questions about parts they might of acquired or looted.   It has been said that pilots and shipwrights are obsessed with finding a way to shave 15 points off the mass of a part so they can fit in another better part.  I couldn’t agree more. 

What faction is your main character? My main character is a General in the Rebel Alliance.

What is your favorite player owned ship? My Nova named Zebra I.  It’s the de facto command ship of the 77th Wing.  The ship has its own officer’s meeting room, medical room, and jail cell along with prisoner uniforms.

What is your favorite ground vehicle? My favorite is the BARC Command Vehicle.

How did you choose your main character’s name? It’s kind of funny. I used to live in a part of Chicago neighborhood with my wife called Canaryville.  It’s where the Irish immigrants would live when they worked at the old Chicago Stockyards.  So when my son brought SWG over to my house for the first time, I just used that name for some reason.  I don’t think I’ve ever seriously considered deleting the toon to get a more iconic name. 

Which current professions in Star Wars Galaxies have you NOT played? I haven’t played bounty hunter, domestics trader, spy, smuggler, munitions trader, or Jedi.  I honestly don’t have a desire to ever be a Jedi.

What is your favorite expansion?  Hands down… Jump To Lightspeed!  

What is your favorite planet? Tatooine is my favorite.   I just enjoy the desert planet and can never see myself living somewhere else.  My home is in Mos Pax.

What is your favorite NPC? Admiral Ackbar is my favorite NPC.

Which expansion do you like the least? Trials of Obi-Wan because right after that NGE was implemented.   It was the lowest point of my playing days and I was on the verge of quitting if not for my friends within the 77th Wing.

Which planet do you like the least?  Kashyyyk.  I just don’t like the way the planet was created.  I would have preferred a more open planet to travel like all the rest of them.

Which NPC do you like the least? I like Darth Vader the least.

What is the most credits you have ever spent on purchasing a single item for one of your characters? Approximately 115 million for a pre-nerf level 6 reward engine.

Do you have an item you no longer use but keep around for nostalgic reasons? If so what is it and why do you keep it?    The item I keep around is my Two-Handed Cleaver from my swordsman days.  Though I never made Master Swordsman since I was leveling up being a creature handler, this item reminds me of the days when I truly enjoyed the ground portion of the game.

What do you like best about Star Wars Galaxies? The friendships that I’ve been able to create over the last few years.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have a chance to visit  our past Wing CO Admiral Grage VonSydow and his lovely wife in California, recently to Minnesota to visit Yivvits and MrBubble, and now this coming August to Canada to visit our current Wing CO Admiral Alirc Ec-Ecit and his family.  Mrs. Canaryville has enjoyed the side trips also, though I must make sure I bring Suzy Q’s.

What do you get out of playing Star Wars Galaxies? I get a chance to live the experience I only saw in the Star Wars movies.

Describe your best experience playing Star Wars Galaxies? There have been many, but my most nostalgic would be running around Endor with my old guild-mates from BOS in the fall of 2003.  There was no means of transportation back in those days.  When JTL launched, I just knew that space was where I wanted to be and what better way to be a space nut than being a shipwright.  I’ve had no regrets being a pilot and a shipwright, it’s been all that I wanted it to be and more.   I hope Chapter 8 continues the drive I have for space now!

Do you run or work for a Star Wars Galaxies Fan Site? No, I do not.