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Hyperspace Beacon: Enter the Mandalorians
Welcome, fans of Star Wars and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Some would say you cannot be a true Star Wars fan unless you are a fan of Mandalorians. Followers of these space-Spartans bury themselves deep in the warrior culture. The bearers of the iconic T-shaped visor have inspired costume after costume, scores of fan sites, collections of comic books, and bunches of books. The author of many of those books, Karen Traviss, created a whole independent language called Mando'a. The Mandalorians' history starts with a species called the Taung, who were renowned throughout the galaxy for their amazing conquests and advanced war technology. Calling themselves Mandalorians after their leader, Mandalore the First, these crusaders conquered all of what would be known as the Mandalore Sector, assimilating the native species into the culture of war and honor. The depth of the Mandalorian culture cannot be covered in one article, but I would like to take a few key figures from the culture, study them, and contemplate their role in shaping Star Wars: The Old Republic. Let us explore this together after the break. Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur!
Hyperspace Beacon: Return of the Jedi
"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic, before the dark times, before the Empire," Obi-wan Kenobi explained to a young Luke Skywalker and the audience for the first time in Star Wars: A New Hope. This started the never-ending quest of finding out what exactly it means to master the seemingly limitless power of the Force. On that life-transforming statement, we begin in this week's Hyperspace Beacon. The Jedi Knight places Star Wars beyond every other science fiction story in world. The mix of science and mysticism takes us to a place that challenges not only our mind but our spiritual beliefs as well. The Jedi Order asks us to, "unlearn what you have learned," and to, "do or do not. There is no try." Then, as if to defy greater logic, they brandish a sword made completely of light. Let us take a few moments to rediscover these lightsaber-wielding wizards, find out a little of how they came to be, examine what differences arose over the thousands of years they existed, and investigate what you can expect from the Jedi in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Hyperspace Beacon: Empires strike back
Welcome, space traveler to another addition of the Hyperspace Beacon. Gear yourself up, and you may want to take out a notepad. We are delving deep into Star Wars lore this week. This will set the stage for future additions of the Hyperspace Beacon. I hope to not only answer some of your questions but also bring more questions to mind. Sith Empires have always played a huge role in Star Wars history. In fact, with few exceptions, any time there was a major threat to the galaxy it came in the form of a Sith Empire. Sith Empires can be traced back as far as one hundred thousand years before the destruction of the first Death Star with the first Sith'ari, Adas. Adas was the first to unite the red-skinned Sith race under one banner. But these first Sith were not Force-wielders in the same vein as the Dark Jedi who followed them. Following the break I will share how the Great Sith Empires came to be, the wars that surround them, how they are tied to the Empire in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and some of my speculation on what will be revealed in the game.
