Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicholds a rare honor as a cornerstone of classic video games, RPGs, andStar Warsstories. TheKotORseries is a hallmark of all three of these mediums and is still remembered fondly by many gamers today. Its sequel,Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords, remains one of the best sequels to aStar Warsgame, and, despite its many flaws due to a rushed release with cut content, its characters, themes, and writing remain some of the best in the franchise.
Unfortunately,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic’s overarching plot was abandoned nearly a decade after the events ofThe Sith Lords,ultimatelyleavingKotORunfinished.Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicwas created as a standalone game, but its success justified Obsidian Entertainment’s development of a sequel. It was inThe Sith Lordsthat the threads of a new, larger plot were introduced.
The Star Wars Story That Was Abandoned
InThe Sith Lords, it was established that Revan had left the known galaxy to confront an unknown threat and, atthe end ofThe Sith Lords, the Jedi Exile followed them, with the game ending on a cliffhanger. Rather than a thirdKnights of the Old Republicgame concluding this story and wrapping up the mystery in the Unknown Regions and the fates of Revan and the Jedi Exile, there was instead silence from LucasArts, who published theStar Warsgames at the time. Years later in 2011,Knights of the Old Republicwould once again be handled by BioWare.
Rather than a threequel toconclude the story of Revanand the Jedi Exile, the game would take place hundreds of years in the future, ensuring all the characters from the original games aside from one would be long dead. In addition, rather than a single-player game,Star Wars: The Old Republicwould be an MMORPG. To give fans—some of whom had been waiting nearly a decade—their closure, a tie-in novel was released. The novelStar Wars: Revanreceived mixed reviews as some claimed it ruined the characters they had come to know and love, and that the book merely served to establish a canon for the upcoming BioWare MMO.
Giving Fans the Conclusion to KotOR That They Deserve
Star Wars: The Old Republicis a great MMORPG with engaging storylines, fun dialogue, and memorable characters. However, it isn’t the conclusion to the story that manyKnights of the Old Republicfans were hoping for. Problems that some players had withStar Wars: The Old Republicas the conclusion toKotORwas that it took place in a period completely removed fromKotOR, where Revan andthe Jedi Exile Meetra Surik, Bastila, Canderous, Atton, and other beloved characters were long dead and forgotten.
Rather than a direct threequel,Star Wars: The Old Republicis merely another game set within the same world asKotOR. Although itwraps up Revan’s arcand ultimately solves the mystery posed earlier in the series, players never experience the events followingThe Sith Lords. Considering they’ve long been considered some of the best in the franchise on multiple levels, theKnights of the Old Republicgames deserve a worthy follow-up.
