It is official. They hate us... they hate us for our freedoms. Okay, they just hate continuity... or logic. Or common sense.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/922/922656p1.html
For over twenty thousand years the Galactic Republic has been the force for peace and civilization in a sometimes savage and hostile galaxy. Governed by a Galactic Senate and defended by the powerful Jedi Order, the hundreds of worlds and systems enjoyed thousands of years of relative peace and security. That is, until the appearance of the Sith Empire 1500 years ago.
Insane minimalism.
The Sith Empire had been growing for thousands of years, well beyond the sight of the Republic. It had originally been established by a group of exiled Dark Jedi, who had settled on the Sith world of Korriban. As their power and territory grew, the Dark Jedi began to integrate with the Sith until the two groups were virtually indistinguishable from each other. With a whole planet of Dark Force users at the center of their empire, the Sith expanded into new territories throughout the galaxy.
A whole planet of people who are known for being so self centered you can't have more than two cooperate at a time. Yes, we have... an evil mirror!
Eventually, the expansion of the Sith Empire brought them to the edges of the Galactic Republic and the Great Hyperspace War began. The Dark Lord of the Sith Naga Sadow led the Empire to victory after victory against the Republic. The Jedi soon turned the tide, however, and took the fight all the way back to Korriban where they utterly destroyed Sith civilization.
The Sith threatened the galaxy with a single world.
Sadow and many other Dark Lords went into hiding beyond the boundaries of known space. There, in secret, they began to rebuild their power and nurse their dreams of revenge. The Dark Lord, having prolonged his life with many dark rituals, personally directed the establishment of a new fleet and a powerful Imperial army. As his military forces were gathering strength, he started infiltrating systems in the Galactic Republic's Outer Rim, fomenting dissent among the people and making secret alliances with numerous crime bosses and warlords.
Cliche. A BAD cliche.
With his fleets ready and his fifth columnists in place in the Outer Rim, Sadow finally launched his attack. The Republic and the Jedi Order, who thought Sith power had been destroyed, were taken completely by surprise. In a very short time, the Sith captured dozens of worlds along the Outer Rim and crippled the Republic by destroying the shipyards in the Sluis sector and choking off the vital Rimma Trade Route.
More crazy minimalism.
The Republic and the Jedi fought back as best as they could, but world after world fell to the Sith advance. The long war waged across the frozen wastes of Ilum and the desert plains of Dathomir. The Sith Empire destroyed everything they came into contact with, even attacking the neutral planets like Manaan. There they destroyed the entire surface of the planet, forcing the Selkath to retreat to their underwater strongholds. The Sith Empire's onslaught seemed unstoppable.
Minimalism AND evil puppy kicking. Those crazy Sith, what will they do next?
But then, with the Republic reeling from dozens of defeats, Naga Sadow did something else that wasn't expected; he offered peace terms. The Republic had already lost thousands of Jedi and numerous worlds to the Sith so, rather than risk further losses, the Supreme Chancellor agreed to enter negotiations for a settlement. The Sith used the peace negotiations as a diversion for a strike on Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. Imperial Forces sacked the planet, destroying the Jedi Temple and killing six Jedi Masters.
Apparently all democratic governments in Star Wars are idiots.
With Coruscant held hostage, the Sith Lord again offered peace terms. But this time, they were even less favorable than before. He demanded that the Republic surrender key systems in the Outer Rim and withdraw their support for several allies, including their most faithful friends, the Bothans. Facing a supply crisis and a hostile occupation in the heart of the Republic, the Supreme Chancellor had no choice but to agree.
Plot hole? If you are in such a good position, why not force a surrender? Oh yeah, because you have spent the last couple of years committing atrocities! I'm sensing more chaotic stupid here.
Unfortunately the Treaty has created a crisis of confidence in the Republic, leading to the departure of many allies and political division among the Core Worlds. As the economy worsened and the Senate lost authority, chaos spread in the streets of the Republic's capital.
I can imagine how selling out your own population would do that.
In this moral predicament, the Republic distanced itself from the Jedi Order, prompting the Jedi to move their Council from Coruscant to the Jedi homeworld of Tython. Nevertheless, the Jedi remained committed to protecting the Republic and preserving order and balance in the galaxy. With the Jedi on Tython, the Republic began training their own elite Special Forces to serve as the front line of defense in the coming war with the Sith.
More proof the Republic is run by idiots and... we had this plot line before?
Also, how are spec ops troopers going to be a replacement for Jedi?
Meanwhile, the Sith worked just as hard to ready themselves for the next round of fighting. Naga Sadow disappeared on an unknown mission, but he left behind a Dark Council to rule in his absence. Comprised of twelve Dark Lords, the Dark Council began to recruit Force-sensitive children and train them up to become Dark Jedi warriors.
It is nice when villains are considerate enough to label themselves.
Even the peaceful planet of Alderaan isn't safe from the hostilities that quickly spread throughout the galaxy.
Didn't Alderran become peaceful after the Clone Wars? Or is it cyclical phenomena?
Tython was lost for some time but, early during the war with the Sith Empire, the Jedi rediscovered it. After the Treaty of Coruscant, the Jedi have come back and started uncovering the mysteries of their past and grappling with an eldritch dark energy swirling around Tython's ancient ruins. They've also rebuilt the Jedi Temple here and begun training new Padawans to replace the thousands of Jedi who died fighting the Sith. As if they didn't already have enough to deal with, the Jedi are now coping with a recently arrived Twi'Lek pilgrim clan that has settled on the planet in violation of Republic law.
Korriban, like Tython, was lost for some time. The inhospitable planet bred strong people, and when the native Sith were subjugated and absorbed by Dark Jedi exiles, it became the center of a mighty empire. After the devastation of Korriban at the end of the Great Hyperspace War and the flight of the Sith from their homeworld, the red planet was forgotten. That is, until two Jedi veterans of the Mandalorian Wars happened to arrive while searching for a powerful weapon.
Now the Sith have reclaimed the planet and, like the Jedi on Tython, have set up their own training program. Set among the dusty tombs of generations of long-dead Dark Lords, the trials of the Sith Academy are deadly and unforgiving. Even those acolytes who pass the test must contend with the Sith notion of survival of the strongest in its most literal sense.
No comment.
Korriban is, from a dramatic standpoint at least, probably more compelling than Tython because it depicts the real lives of ordinary citizens living under this threatening and oppressive regime. There are real people here, with real homes and real jobs and the writers intend that you believe all of that, in spire of the scary and painful nature of the world. In fact, it's ultimately essential for you to believe in the real value of the ordinary subjects of the Empire if you're going to have a believable context for the seemingly evil things you'll be doing in the wider world.
So you have to be morally bankrupt to play the Sith. Good, at least they have maintained that.
It's important to note that a character's Light Side or Dark Side orientation is completely independent of their alliance with the Republic or the Empire and can even change during the course of the game. So it's possible to be a Light Side Jedi working within the Sith Empire, just as it's possible to be a Dark Side Jedi working within the Republic. In fact, the designers hope to highlight the notion of being a good person in a bad environment or a bad person in a good environment. The point is that the decision to commit good acts will be made more meaningful because of the near and present opportunity to be rewarded for committing evil.
The writers used Luke as an example to explain the balance they want to achieve. Yoda is so in touch with the spiritual side of the Force that he's distanced himself from the affairs of the world and other people's self-interested motives. The Emperor is at the other extreme, ruled solely by his passions and with no regard for the well-being or feelings of others. Luke walks the line between the two, being ruled by a combination of spiritual passivity and aggressive loyalty to his friends and their causes.
The trick is that Luke's ethics still permit his actions to be dictated by circumstances. The standard Jedi or Sith codes don't allow for this kind of situational flexibility, but that's exactly where the real drama and opportunity for roleplaying are. And in order for those variations in ethics to have meaning, there has to be equal opportunity to head down the right or wrong path.
Bastila from the original Knights of the Old Republic is a great example. She's an incredibly powerful companion who you need to have by your side in order to meet the challenges of the game. She's also a romantic love interest who, as a Jedi, you're supposed to resist. The challenge there is to stay true to the Jedi code in the face of a constant temptation. Or if you decide to go down the Sith path, to manipulate and exploit her in the face of her sincere devotion.
If you show unconditional love and follower here you end up becoming Sith Lord Revan again. Also, wasn't "no attachments" a latter addition?