From the Eyes of a Jedi
An Analysis of the Debate
Concerning Star Wars Galaxies and the Existence of Jedi
By Chris”
Spare” Higgins
Since the New Game Enhancements went live, there has been a
colossal debate concerning the existence of Jedi in the current time
line of Star Wars Galaxies. One side involved in the argument contends
that Jedi were hunted to extinction long before the events in SWG and
shouldn’t be so prominent in the current game. The
individuals on the flip-side of the debate voice the notion that while
there was no mention of other Jedi in the original trilogy (Episodes
4-6), it is inferred that they are in hiding and do have a place in
Star Wars Galaxies.
alt="Should a Jedi Be in this Shot"
title="Should a Jedi Be in this Shot" name="photo_j"
border="0" height="113" width="150">
Should a Jedi be a part of this picture?
As an example of my credibility on the subject, I should note
that I have played a Jedi in SWG since September 2004, when I unlocked
my Jedi character slot. For those that aren’t familiar with
the history of SWG, this was pre-Combat Upgrades and was typically
looked on as quite the accomplishment. That said, I’ve had
experience with the pre-CU and post-CU Jedi, and how they’ve
been interpreted in SWG throughout the years.
Let’s take a look at some of the details included in
the original trilogy movies, which make up the majority of the content
in Star Wars Galaxies. The opening for Star Wars: A New Hope
rolls by and we are quickly introduced to Darth Vader who, at the
outset, is merely a very imposing and sinister villain. As
the story unfolds, Obi-Wan Kenobi enters the fray, explains the basics
of the Force, and divulges that Darth Vader killed Anakin Skywalker and
uses the Dark Side of the Force. Now we see one Jedi, one
Sith, and one potential Jedi. Empire Strikes Back joins the
mix, and we now have a new Jedi and Sith in the jumble: Yoda, a Jedi
Master in exile, and the Emperor, Darth Vader’s master. Both
parties want Luke for their own agenda. Return of the Jedi
comes along and now Luke is a Jedi. In the flow of the movie
it turns out Leia is Luke’s twin sister which there is
another potential Jedi running around.
Based on the movies alone, there were a lot of Jedi and
potential Jedi running about for a group that was supposed to be
extinct. They kept popping up out of nowhere! Given
all this potential Jedi and Sith action going on, its safe to assume
that the other weaker Jedi who survived the purge were out teaching or
just hiding.
alt="The Emperor" title="The Emperor" name="photo_j"
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The Emperor is one example of a Force-sensitive
character in the current SWG timeline.
The expanded universe from the original trilogy timeline is
also a torrent of activity for Jedi-type characters. Mara
Jade, the Emperor’s Hand was a fully trained Sith under
Emperor Palpatine’s command. While not as important as Darth
Vader, she did a lot of dirty work for the Emperor before Luke even
knew of his own importance in the scheme of things. She was
eventually given the mission of killing Luke, which would not have been
an easy thing to do. There are the stories of Darth Vader
taking an apprentice to try to overthrow the Emperor prior to Luke
becoming a Jedi. We could also include the Nightsisters on Dathomir,
which was pretty much a whole planet of Force wielding evil witches
along with their good counterparts the Singing Mountain Clan.
After reading some more into the lore of the Star Wars
Universe, we see that Jedi were hunted even during the
movies. It’s just by the time the Tantive IV
screams across the screen the Jedi who thought - "Hey I am a tough
guy!" – had already become one with the Force.
Thus, the Jedi who remained realized if they revealed themselves too
often the Empire would dispatch the inquisitors to dispose of
you. Many would have just put down the lightsaber and entered
a life of solitude while waiting for their opportunity to fight
back. Finally, many of Luke’s expanded universe
adventures involve old masters who are in exile and his attempts to
bring them back so they could help establish the new Jedi Academy.
Now that we know Jedi were everywhere in the movie timeline,
we can dive head first into the argument. Should Jedi be in
SWG with the current time line?
Yes, Jedi has a place in SWG. However, there are
some problems with the current system that, if corrected, would make
more sense for the timeline.
First and foremost no Jedi in their right mind would go
tearing through any public place wielding a lightsaber or wearing the
robes of the Jedi. If the Empire caught wind of a rebel Jedi,
Darth Vader would be on the first Lambda-Class Shuttle to find this
golden child. Jedi should not just be a profession; it should
be the alpha class of the game. Not necessarily a
“win” button, more a class that stands out above
all the rest.
alt="Jedi Force Lightning" title="Jedi Force Lightning"
name="photo_j" border="0" height="113" width="150">
Jedi should not be caught in encounters like this one.
The problem that occurs when this is the basis for the Jedi is
that with these new powers, a whole slew of problems start to
emerge. There shouldn’t be a reversion to the days
where four Bounty Hunters could not take out a single Jedi.
Instead, when a player Bounty Hunter takes a mission and finds his
mark, a group of NPC Stormtroopers or Imperial Jedi Hunters appears to
help you take out this rogue Jedi. Jedi should always find
themselves against impossible odds in this time line. Even a
Dark Jedi who aligns themselves with the Empire should have enemies
like other Dark and Light Jedi chasing them down from all corners of
the universe.
Another idea with merit is in the past Jedi had a visibility
factor and after you generated enough visibility you went up on the
Bounty Hunter terminals. Instead of player bounty hunters
coming after a Jedi when they generated enough visibility, why not send
a group of Jedi hunters to take you out. You could start off
small, maybe three NPC’s, and each wave gets worse. If you
defeat all the waves Darth Vader himself appears in a little one on one
action with your Jedi. Of course you would lose this battle
but you could get some sort of badge or title - “Has Dueled
Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith".
With all the updates and changes, the sense of fear and
accomplishment has been removed from SWG. When I had my
pre-NGE Jedi, I remember getting stopped by a random patrol of
Stormtroopers in the wild and thinking, “OMG! I hope they
don’t pop my covert status!” They did and I did not
even think of staying and fighting. Your survival instincts
kicked in and you ran because you knew you would live to fight another
day.
If SOE could find a way to reintegrate the accomplishment of
becoming a Jedi and the fear of being found out and hunted down, they
would have the perfect system on their hands. The Jedi need to be
massaged and tweaked a bit, if they are truly going to fit into the
gameplay of SWG.
Agree with the editorial?
Disagree? Let us know by posting on the forums or
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Hammer staff!
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