Canon

[The Doctor]

I've gotten to some reading about this game, and I've yet to see any firm information on what kind of stance this new MMO will take on canonisation.

 

The thing that made KotOR so amazing and unique was that it was the first game in which your actions had a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Your actions changed the course of the story, and in so doing made it feel more real - at least, for me. Making the story your own was my favourite part of the original "Duology", for lack of a better term.

 

This MMO, however, complicates the matter. There are, of course, only so many different outcomes each game can have. For example, in the first game, there can any one of __ outcomes:

 

• Revan redeems Bastila, defeats Darth Malak, and the Republic destroys the Star Forge.
  
• Revan is forced to destroy Bastila, then proceed to kill Malak before escaping the Star Forge as the Republic destroys it.
  
• Revan falls to the Dark Side once more, takes Bastila as his apprentice, and uses her Battle Meditation to defeat the Republic fleet and conquer the Galaxy.
  
• Revan murders Bastila for her betrayal, and proceeds to do the same to Malak before conquering the Republic himself.

 

And those are all assuming Revan was male. If Revan was a woman, there are just as many more options, plus the cut-content ending that results in Revan's redemption and death on the Star Forge with Carth Onasi. The Sith Lords offers just as many choices, particularly with all the restored cut content (that, admittedly, hasn't been released yet). Then there are the many combinations between the two - Lightside Revan is pursued into the Unknown Regions by a Darkside Exile, etc.

 

My thought is this: how is the MMO going to deal with the man personalised versions of canon that people will have grown? Are they just going to follow the officially canonised story (that is, a LSM Revan was pursued by a LSF Exile)? Or are they going to have different Server groups, each group following a different sort of canon? Or is it possible that they could simply leave the Revan and Exile's genders and alignments ambiguous, never really specifying anything about them?

 

Has anyone else given this any kind of thought? Or has it already been answered, and I've simply missed it somewhere?

[Alkonium]

Most likely they'll stick to the official canon. It'd be far too difficult and ineffective to make different server groups just for that, and they're too crucial to the story (Revan anyway) to just leave it ambiguous.

[Jeff]

I am guessing that there will not be a whole lot of mention of Revan or the Exile tbh. But if there is, I would think they would either use the canon versions, or give dialog options similar to TSL when you first meet Atton where you can establish Revan's gender and alignment.

[Sir Vougalot]

I think part of the reason why they've chosen to set this game a few hundred years after the events of the first two games is so that they won't need to address quite as many issues since time will have made many details irrelevant. A smart move, if you ask me. It was really all the could do with such a large game.

[Miltiades]

I think part of the reason why they've chosen to set this game a few hundred years after the events of the first two games is so that they won't need to address quite as many issues since time will have made many details irrelevant. A smart move, if you ask me. It was really all the could do with such a large game.

I agree.

 

If they do mention Revan and/or the Exile, they'll stick to canon, I think. They canonized both their gender and alignment for purposes like these. Revan has already been mentioned in Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, as a LSM.

[Sir Vougalot]

That wasn't what I meant. I meant that they will likely avoid as much of the numerous branches that the player may have taken in the previous games as possible by setting at such an arguably long time after those games.

[Miltiades]

That wasn't what I meant. I meant that they will likely avoid as much of the numerous branches that the player may have taken in the previous games as possible by setting at such an arguably long time after those games.

Yes, I know. My argument was independent of yours. Should've left out the "do". >.<

[Ztalker]

Why would a canon ending be needed?

 

It could very well be the Sith have taken a point about Revan as saviour and the Republic has too. That all records (except for statues and stuff) aren't there anymore. And maybe veteran K2 can find hints to the real ending...