Reviews for the initial launch of the game in 2003 were mostly positive. The game was praised for its lush graphics (realistic character models, detailed architecture and lush environments),[36][37][38] liberal use of the movie soundtracks, massive world size, character customization, creative creature ecology, complex skill system, player economy interdependencies and its sandbox approach. Reviewers criticized the overwhelming complexity of the game, combat imbalances of the professions, bugginess and lack of quest content.[39]

The reviews for the first expansion, Jump to Lightspeed, praised the new space combat but criticized the ground game for its lack of sufficient improvement.[40] The reviews for the second expansion, Rage of the Wookiees, lauded the new quest content for current subscribers but lamented the combat gameplay updates and the continued bugginess of the game.[41]

Players who wished to play a Jedi character had to first unlock their Jedi slot by fulfilling an unknown list of criteria. The first player to unlock a 'Jedi slot' did so on November 7, 2003,[42] four months after the release of the game. Players criticized SOE for the substantial time commitment to unlock a Jedi, penalties for in-game death of a Jedi character which was permanent after three deaths, and monotonous game play required to acquire the Jedi character.[43] Developers responded by changing the penalty for death to skill loss in January 2004[44] and creating a quest system to unlock the character.[45][46]

Media outlets criticized the changes of the "Combat Upgrade"[47][48] while subscription cancellations rose.[49] After the New Game Enhancements were implemented in November 2005, sparking huge demonstrations in-game from the majority of players,[50] various media outlets criticized the reduced depth and complexity of the game,[51][52][53][54] but John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment, defended the decision claiming it necessary to revamp the game in order to reverse the deterioration they were seeing in the subscriber base.[55] SOE offered refunds on the Trials of Obi-Wan expansion due to it being released two days before the New Game Enhancement was announced.[56] The development team affirmed this was their desired direction for the game and that they would modify parameters to address player's concerns.[57] Features such as expertise trees were later added to the game to add complexity and differentiation to characters. After the announcement that SOE had acquired the game Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Smedley addressed that game's players about the perceived threat of major changes to the game: "We've learned a thing or two with our experiences with the NGE and don't plan on repeating mistakes from the past and not listening to the players."[58]

Subscriber numbers were originally expected to exceed 1,000,000.[59] In August 2005, SOE reported that they had sold 1,000,000 boxed copies of the game.[60] In early 2006, unconfirmed reports showed that only 10,363 subscribers were playing on a particular Friday night, but Smedley denied that subscriptions had fallen this low.[61]

In an online interview with the social media site reddit in July 2012, John Smedley admitted to "stupid decisions" regarding Star Wars Galaxies combat upgrade and new gaming enhancement policies,[62] and acknowledged player led emulator projects seeking to restore a free-to-play Galaxies circa April 2005, Publish 14.1, pre-Combat Upgrade, such as the SWGEmu project or the New Game Enhancements Upgrade, such as Project SWG