Some of the most beloved Star Wars games to ever be released are the Knights of the Old Republic games. These games for the original Xbox introduced fans to a new era of the Star Wars galaxy, many years before the conflict between the Empire and Rebellion that people watched in movie theaters. What made this time of Star Wars so interesting was how much it felt familiar to longtime fans, but it had more than enough new things to discover and follow that felt refreshing and interesting. Despite having a few critically acclaimed games that explored this era, including an MMO that is still played today, not many Star Wars games were set during this timeframe in a galaxy far, far away. It was always a time that felt largely ignored by most Star Wars video games that were developed across multiple platforms.
This is why I find myself missing The Old Republic in a way that makes me want to see more new games set during the era. For as much as people got to see from the Jedi and the Sith during the Old Republic era, I feel so much of it is still unexplored and untapped for new stories. That doesn’t necessarily mean I want to see more role-playing games set during that period of Star Wars, as there can be many genres of games that work with the setting. However, I don’t think The Old Republic should be so isolated and forgotten by everyone due to the lack of games set in it. Here’s why it’s time we saw more Star Wars video games set in the Old Republic and what can be done to make them fun to play.
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Jedi and Sith war events
There is much conflict in it
Source: Lucasfilm Games
The biggest part of The Old Republic that is referenced so much throughout many Star Wars stories is the ongoing conflict between the Jedi Order and the Sith. This is one of the foundational aspects of Star Wars, which was even alluded to in the first movie of the original trilogy. But what the Old Republic era does is show the battles between Jedi and Sith on a much grander scale, where both factions were at such heights of their power and influence in the galaxy. The era itself is set 4,000 years before the first Star Wars movie, leaving so many years open for great stories and events to take place.
Yet at the same time, many of the bigger events referenced in supplemental material about The Old Republic have gone unadapted and overlooked in video games. Figures like Darth Bane have yet to appear in any major game developed to date, despite having such importance to the lore of the Sith. Those are the kinds of stories and characters I would love to see in a game, especially if I get to control them. Other key events that took place within the era have also only ever been referenced lightly, but never seen in video games, could be great entry points for new stories, such as events like The Great Hyperspace War or The Mandalorian Wars. These events involved the Jedi and the Sith at odds for various reasons, but they are the big factions that influence their outcomes. If more games were set during some of these instances within the Old Republic, it could give them even greater importance and offer a perspective on them that I and many other fans have not yet gotten.
Another side of the Old Republic
Everything else going on
Although the Republic and Sith factions dominated many of the larger events during this era of Star Wars, there were also numerous other developments throughout the galaxythat didn’t involve force users. Many factions exist in the Star Wars galaxy, often being part of the shadier side of the planets we see throughout the franchise. But even beyond that, other people and races of aliens are present as the bigger conflicts are happening in the foreground of the time period. These are the kinds of stories that I have seen focused on more within recent Star Wars stories, with projects like The Mandalorian and games like Star Wars Outlaws. But the same approach has not really been done within The Old Republic’s timeframe, and I don’t see why not.
The beauty of offshoot stories like these is that they still build up the larger conflicts by keeping the focus far away from them, showcasing the scope of the galaxy and how many characters are living within it. That doesn’t mean bounty hunters or small-time heroes can’t have feelings or thoughts about the bigger stuff, but they aren’t always going to be directly involved with them. It’s a level of detail that would make exploring the Old Republic era more interesting, since the galactic conflict stretches across many locations. Even concepts like The Force don’t necessarily need to be limited to involving the Jedi and Sith factions, since The Force itself influences nearly every facet of the universe, including characters who aren’t Jedi or Sith.
The excitement people love
What everyone wants in Star Wars games
But more than anything else, the Old Republic era had something that people have loved about the Star Wars franchise since its inception: the excitement of being in it. What made Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic so interesting was not just the intricate RPG elements of the game, but the fact that there were so many new aspects being introduced to Star Wars for the first time. The battles were bigger, the characters were unique and different, and the locations were strange yet somewhat familiar. All of which made being in the Star Wars galaxy exciting once again. This continued with the sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords, as well as the Old Republic MMO game on PC.
We often take for granted having the ability to wield a lightsaber, use the Force, join a bounty hunter faction, or simply make our way in the galaxy at our leisure. And it’s not until those kinds of things are taken away or absent for a long time that anyone can really start to miss them and wonder why nothing is being done about it. Whenever we got to see the Jedi and Sith battle one another with lightsabers, or Republic and Sith army ships engage in dogfights in space, it was filled with excitement and suspense. It made Star Wars feel exactly how we know it should feel, which is something Star Wars projects of late have forgotten. The action and wonder of The Old Republic are elements that Star Wars games should revisit and capitalize on, as they’ll lead to more enjoyable experiences that players will want to explore further.
A long time ago…
I love playing games set in the Star Wars galaxy and experiencing the stories that are part of it. It’s a universe that video games have long explored in ways that have become classic and made fans like me nostalgic. But for as much as I love Star Wars games that are in a post-saga era, or in the age of the prequels, I find myself yearning for a return to The Old Republic more often. It’s an era of Star Wars that people love and have wanted to see more of, especially when classics like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic are remastered for modern consoles. As more games are developed and continue the ongoing legacy of the Star Wars franchise, the need to go back to this timeframe will grow. People want to experience that same level of excitement once again, and the best way to do that for Star Wars is to go back to The Old Republic once again.
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