The last few weeks have been filled with exciting news forStar Warsfans, ranging from new gameplay for the highly anticipatedStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, to the first trailer for the long-awaitedAhsokaDisney Plus series. One of the most unexpected developments for the franchise, however, came in the form of three new film announcements during theStar WarsCelebration event. These film projects will span distinct eras on theStar Warstimeline. One takes place 15 years afterThe Rise of Skywalker, another ties up the storylines of the Mandoverse, and the earliest film occurs during the dawn of the Jedi.
With this film announcement came a new timeline forStar Warscanon, which included an era that manyStar Warsfans are very familiar with. Between the Dawn of the Jedi andtheStar WarsHigh Republic, this new timeline featured the Old Republic, an era theStar Warsfranchise hasn’t thoroughly explored since Disney purchased the property and refreshed the canon. For many gamers, the Old Republic era is responsible for some of the best video games ever made, and the franchise’s recent acknowledgment of it creates countless opportunities to continue that legacy in the newStar Warscanon.
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The Old Republic is a Blank Slate for Game Developers
WhenStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicreleased some twenty years ago, much of its storytelling followed the events of a comic series that released a few years prior. Developer BioWare certainly had freedom to do what it wished after the events of the comics,but there was still a foundation thatKOTORwas somewhat limited to build upon. What BioWare built upon this foundation would become one of the greatest RPG experiences of all time, but current game developers would likely have all the freedom they could ask for in this rebooted Old Republic era.
Just about everyStar Warsvideo game from the last ten years has fit neatly somewhere in the preexisting timeline.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen OrderandSurvivortake place betweenRevenge of the SithandA New Hope,Star Wars Squadronsoccurs after the events ofReturn of the Jedi, and everything in between does little to experiment in uncharted territory for the franchise. In the case of this new Old Republic, Disney and Lucasfilm have done very little to build it out besides references to characters that were prominent parts of the old canon, like Darth Bane and Revan.
Disney and Lucasfilm Should Let Game Developers Use the Old Republic as a Playground
If the current creative forces behindStar Warsdon’t have plans to build the new canon’s Old Republic in films, TV shows, or books, then game developers should be given the keys to the era. Respawn Entertainment has already shown how a compelling original story can be created in an established time period, and there’s near-limitless potential for a similarly talented developer to explore the Old Republic. Whether it focuses on the Jedi, Sith, or provides a video game centered onStar Warsbounty hunters, the world-building and storytelling potential could make it a must-play game for anyStar Warsfan.
ManyStar Warsfans long for the days when the Old Republic was at its height. While there is some hope in the form oftheKOTORremake, there hasn’t been any original, canon storytelling for the era in about a decade. Considering it rose to prominence thanks to the originalKOTORgames, it seems only right that the executives behindStar Warslet game developers take the reins once again for this new approach to the Old Republic. Whether fans get a game that takes a bold new direction or harkens back toKOTOR, many will just be happy to explore a beloved aspect ofStar Warsonce again.
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