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Hyperspace Beacon: Life in the Force
"Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts," was the sage advice Qui-Gon Jinn gave to Anakin Skywalker just before the Boonta Eve podrace. On the surface, this appears to be a common statement heard from Jedi. After all, Obi-Wan did say something similar when training Luke Skywalker: "I suggest you try it again, Luke. This time, let go your conscious self and act on instinct." However, not all Jedi believed the same thing. Obi-Wan's statement in Revenge of the Sith seems to suggest that Sith are single-minded, in contrast to a Jedi's open-mind: "Only the Sith deal in absolutes." We roleplayers do not have all the answers to canon and character development, but there are many of us who study our character philosophy deeply. Despite this, our Jedi characters tend to come across as stiff and one-dimensional. By contrast, Sith characters seem to have personality and variety. Of course, there will always be the Sith who are all broody and who stand in the corner of a cantina being "evil." However, if a Jedi developed a personality other than that of a sage monk, he was automatically labeled a "gray Jedi" -- or even "dark Jedi" if his personality was extremely vivid. I would like to question this philosophy. Is there more than one way of thinking among the Jedi, like Obi-Wan suggested? Are the Sith absolute? And most importantly, are the Jedi in Star Wars: The Old Republic going to be as one-dimensional as the Council members of Episode I? Follow me after the break to read my thoughts, then please, comment to discuss this further. Spoiler Alert: I am going to talk about some specifics from the Decieved novel, but I will not give away the ending.
SWTOR devs answer your questions and release a preview for Deceived
It's Friday again. That means the community team at BioWare has been working frantically all week to give you a tidbit of Star Wars: The Old Republic that will leave you satisfied yet still aching for more. With the release of Jedi and Tython impressions earlier this week, it was going to be hard to top the plethora of information streaming from that event. However, the team has come very close. We start with the monthly Friday update in which developers answer player questions: Studio Insider. On top of the behind the scenes article about building Coruscant by World Designer Eric Young, Director of Production Dallas Dickinson answered 10 fan questions. The questions that stood out to this reporter were the PvP related questions, and the interesting one was a question about leveling with just PvP. Dickinson stated, "We're big fans of multiple gameplay paths -- we don't want to force you to do one thing to advance. That means you'll level up whether you're playing PvE or PvP." The teaser of information doesn't stop there. The Official Star Wars website released chapter two of Deceived, the novel by Paul S. Kemp, to the public. This portion of the book leads the reader through Darth Malgus' attack on the Jedi Temple as seen in the SWTOR trailer. If the book intrigues you, Massively was able to review an advanced copy of the book, and chapter one is also available for your personal review. It's an exciting SWTOR weekend!
Hands-on with SWTOR's next book: Deceived
The Star Wars universe probably has the richest and most collaborative lore of any fictional world. Literally, thousands of artists and authors have taken George Lucas' creation and turned it into the books, movies, paintings, comic books, and video games we know today. Paul S. Kemp, an author and corporate lawyer from Michigan, added his name to that list with his first Star Wars book, Crosscurrent. On March 22nd, 2011, Kemp's second Star Wars book will hit the shelves. Deceived will also be the second book to deal directly with the lore leading up to LucasArts' and BioWare's MMORPG (maybe you've heard of it): Star Wars: The Old Republic. The wildly popular Deceived trailer for SWTOR shows us how a Sith named Darth Malgus led the assault on the Jedi Temple during the Sacking of Coruscant. Darth Malgus and his Twi'lek companion rather quietly walk through the front doors of the temple to be surrounded immediately by Jedi who are rather uncertain about what to make of the situation until a stolen transport full of Sith warriors comes crashing through the main hall. A battle of light and dark ensues, which culminates with Maglus facing off with and killing Jedi Master Ven Zallow. As with everything Star Wars, we only get a piece of the actual story with the trailer. This four minute trailer is the spark which eventually turns into the forest fire. Deceived tells the immediate and personal effects of this battle on Darth Malgus, his Twi'lek companion, a Smuggler, and a Jedi Knight. The novel hardback will retail for $27 U.S. ($31 Canadian) when it releases, but Massively received an advanced copy of Deceived. Continue reading to scoop up our impressions of the latest in what looks to be a series of SWTOR-related novels. (Oh, there maybe a couple of spoilers to tease you in there, too.)
SWTOR finds a companion for the Jedi knight
In SWTOR's Deceived trailer, there was an odd shot of the Jedi leader giving a signal to an astromech droid. Per usual, the writers at BioWare do not put anything into their trailers without a specific reason. This past Friday, that little droid was revealed to be a companion for the Jedi knight class, named T7-O1 (tee seven - oh one). This little bot calls back to both T3-M4 of Knights of the Old Republic and, of course, R2-D2 of the Star Wars movies. In fact, his attitude is very similar to R2-D2's. According to the companion page on SWTOR's official site, he considers his owners to be more like partners and less like masters. T7-O1 was activated over two centuries before the Treaty of Coruscant and has yet to be memory-wiped in that whole time. He remembers every organic he has ever worked with, from the petty smugglers, to Senator Oodora of Manaan, to Captain Nico Okarr, and to Jedi Master Ven Zallow, whom we witnessed being killed by Darth Malgus in the previously mentioned trailer. For your Jedi knight character, you can expect this droid to be an invaluable source of information. His surveillance, cartography, and data-slicing skills are unmatched. BioWare has not revealed where your Jedi knight will meet T7-O1, just like every other companion mentioned for this game, but rest assured, he's waiting for you somewhere in that galaxy far, far away.
The Old Republic cracks open the files on the galaxy's most notorious figures
Sometimes it feels as though the Sith and Jedi get boiled down to two primary emotions: scowly and smug. It kind of makes it hard to root for one side or the other when that's all there is. Happily, Team BioWare's decided to graduate past these stereotypes as they flesh out the complex leaders in the struggle for intergalactic domination. Three new biographies have been posted on The Old Republic's website, representing the three main factions of the game: Darth Malgus for the Sith, Mandalore for the Independents, and General Garza for the Republic. You may remember Darth Malgus as the seething bad guy from the Deceived trailer, and it turns out that he's now the star of his own book as well: Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived. The novel -- which just received a first look over at StarWars.com -- promises to reveal insights into just why Malgus led the assault to sack the Jedi temple on Coruscant. More exciting than these biographies are the introduction of a brand-new section of TOR's Holonet: Inhabitants! This page covers droids, creatures and humanoids that players will encounter on a regular basis in the game, and currently has six records to choose from: the Gundark, the AR-34 Enforcer Droid, Gormak, Trandoshan, Salky Hounds, and the X2-C3 Imperial Astromech. Each of the records is accompanied by a description and a trio of screen shots to enjoy. It's a lot to absorb in one sitting, so head on over to The Old Republic to check out these new Biographies and Inhabitants!
SWTOR's Comic-Con agenda
Those attending Comic-Con 2009 will have a chance to get up close and personal with some of the developers of the upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic, and the team has now filled in the details of their visit: Their panel will be called "Behind the Scenes: The making of Star Wars: The Old Republic", taking place in room 7AB on Friday the 24th of July, from 1:00PM to 2:00PM. This will feature the most SWTOR devs of the show. Signed "Threat of Peace" comics will be given away from Thursday through Saturday at the Lucasfilm booth (booth #2913) and Dark Horse Comics (booth 2615). The "Deceived" cinematic trailer will be shown at the Lucasfilm booth (booth #2913) on Saturday and Sunday, at 11am, 1pm, 3pm, and 5pm. The Star Wars Spectacular special event, hosted by Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira from G4, will happen on Friday the 24th of July at 5:15PM to 6:15PM in Hall H. The show is about everything Star Wars, so it won't be entirely SWTOR, but it will definitely be included. Comic-Con International goes from the 23rd of July through to the 26th. Although the show is currently sold out (and no passes will be sold at the door), you can find more information about the event at the official website.
