Action, adventure, a Jedi craves not these things, but a gamer does. Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) already has a deep reaching lore from the Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR) games and what could get you ready for the SWTOR beta more than a lore primer?

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Malak and Revan (KOTOR)

Malak existed 300 years before the setting of SWTOR. He was once a Jedi Knight responsible for repelling Mandalorian attacks on the outer rim systems of the Republic. He first appeared in the first KotOR video game. Malak was an aggressive fighter and though his former masters were hesitant to release him onto the battlefield because of this, the war with the Mandalorians left them little choice.

Revan, a brilliant Jedi tactician was responsible for convincing the Jedi Order to intervene in the Mandalorian War. With the help of Malak, Revan managed to push the Mandalorian assault back. However, as the two Jedi pursued the Mandalorians into uncharted space, contact with them was lost. It was later revealed that the two Jedi had fallen to the dark side of the force with Darth Revan acting as the master and Darth Malak as the apprentice.

The two new Sith Lords soon returned with a massive army and laid siege to the Republic. Revan and Malak’s forces were so great that some Jedi Knights and Republic soldiers turned on their allies and joined with the new Sith Lords. In an act of desperation, the Jedi Council set a trap for Malak and Revan. Malak, the opportunist, used the situation to rid himself of Revan and usurp control of the Sith army by firing on his master’s ship. Revan lost his memory as a result of the attack and was captured by a strike team.

With Revan’s memory lost, the Jedi Council was able to rebuild his personality in a way loyal to the Republic. The council then used Revan to track down Malek’s secret weapon, the Star Forge, a station of Rakatan design capable of building ships at an alarmingly fast rate. Once Revan had located the Star Forge, the Republic launched a full scale assault on the station, destroying it and eventually defeating Darth Malak.

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After the battle, Revan began to regain more of his lost memories, recalling a more dangerous faction of the Sith. He set out on a solitary quest against what he believed to be known as the “True” Sith. To this day he is believed to have never returned.

The Galactic Republic

The Galactic Republic has been a beacon of hope and civility for more than 20,000 years. Governed by the Galactic Senate and defended by the Jedi Order, the senate has representatives from hundreds of star systems and planets in the known galaxy.

When the Sith returned, the Jedi and the Republic were caught off guard and the capital city of Coruscant was sacked. The Republic was forced to sign the Treaty of Coruscant, which required them to withdraw support for many of their allies.

Since the treaty’s signing, the Republic has been plagued by bickering and in-fighting. Some blame the senate for the imperial conquest, others blame the Jedi. Republic resources are in short supply and allocated accordingly. The shortage of resources has only added to the friction within the Republic.

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The Sith Empire

The Sith are pretty much the galactic bad guys. The origins of the Sith are still shrouded in mystery, but they didn’t really come into power until the Dark Jedi arrived on their home planet of Korriban. The Dark Jedi asserted control over the Sith and eventually married within the group. Generations later, the Sith became something entirely different. The once normal people of the Sith began wielding dark powers of the force.

The Sith eventually launched a campaign against the Galactic Republic led by the Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow. However, the Jedi were able to defeat and push back the Sith assault. Later, the Jedi destroyed the Sith civilization on Korriban, but not before the Sith Lord secretly fled into deep space. With several of his most trusted Dark Lords, the Sith began rebuilding their numbers, planning one day to return and extract their revenge on the Galactic Republic and Jedi Order.

Over the next thousand years, the Sith Lord undertook dark rituals to extend his life. The Sith eventually amassed a great fleet of ships and began sowing seeds of dissention among the outer rim planets. Deals were made with criminals and warlords in secret and when all the pieces were in place, the Sith launched a major offensive, capturing several outer rim star systems.

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Jedi Order

The Jedi Order has served the Galactic Republic as peacekeepers and diplomats for thousands of years. After the Sith assault, thousands of Jedi were slain and during the sacking of Coruscant, six Jedi Masters were killed. The Sith's success has damaged the Republic’s faith the Jedi, despite thousands of years of loyal service.

After their temple was destroyed on Coruscant, the Jedi returned to their homeworld of Tython to seek guidance from the force. However, Tython has seen a resurgence of strange force energies and the arrival of the Twi’lek pilgrim clans planning to settle on the planet despite Republic law forbidding it. From this turmoil, the Jedi continue to train young Padawans in the ways of the force to defend the Galactic Republic.

Treaty of Coruscant

The Treaty of Coruscant was in a way a forced peace agreement signed between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. During the Great Galactic War, thousands of Jedi and Sith were killed and countless planets were left in ruins. To the Galactic Republic’s surprise, the Sith Emperor sent an offer of peace. The Galactic Republic was forced to consider the offer even against an urged caution by the Jedi Order, but the Republic’s war efforts were hindered as their trade route from the outer rim and the core worlds still recovered from the Mandalorian blockade.

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The most powerful Jedi accompanied the diplomats of the Galactic Republic to the meeting between the two sides on Alderaan to discuss peace. However, the peace accord was simply a trick to lure the strongest Jedi away. In one foul strike, the Sith launched a surprise attack on Coruscant, destroying the Jedi Temple and capturing the Senate Tower. With Coruscant under Sith control, the Galactic Republic had no choice but to sign the treaty under harsh terms. Jedi and Republic soldiers withdrew from the battlefield, leaving the galaxy split between the two sides.

Sacking of Coruscant

Coruscant is the capital world of the Galactic Republic. Representatives from all over the galaxy meet here to decide law and make decisions affecting the Republic.

When the Sith Emperor made an offer of peace, leaders from the Republic met with Sith representatives on the planet of Alderaan, but the meeting was a deceptive trap set by the Sith, one the Republic learned all too late. While representatives were away on Alderaan, the Sith launched a massive attack on the planet of Coruscant. The Sith bombarded the planet from space and sacked the Jedi Temple, slaying many Jedi and six Jedi Masters. The Sith then captured the Galactic Senate and held the whole planet hostage.

With Coruscant under Sith control, the Galactic Senate had no choice but to sign the Treaty of Coruscant. The treaty terms forced the Republic to abandon support for long-time allies and outlying worlds.

The peace treaty between the Sith Empire and Galactic Republic is strained at best. This presents an excellent setting for the high tension atmosphere that SWTOR will embody. At any moment things could get too heated and you could end up with a full scale war. While BioWare hasn’t released a lot of key details, some of the lore hints that we could see an escalation of things from both a PvE and PvP perspective. Who will you align yourself with?

Lore Resources


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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Stacy "Martuk" Jones was a long-time news editor and community manager for many of our previous game sites, such as Age of Conan. Stacy has since moved on to become a masked super hero, battling demons in another dimension.

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