Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.