Now that the Skywalker Saga has finally come to an end with 2019’sStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Disney and Lucasfilm arehard at work on Project Luminous, a multimedia project that spans books and comics and is said to play an integral role in setting up the next era ofStar Wars. Disney has previously confirmed the next saga of films are going to be set during the “High Republic” era of the Old Republic, an era ofStar Warsthat spans thousands of years and has only been explored through a series of video games and books that are no longer considered canon -Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Many may be looking back at thestories of theStar Wars: Knight of the Old Republicgames, exploring what happened during that era ofStar Wars Legendsin hopes of painting a picture of where the future of the franchise could go. While very little is currently known about Disney’s plans for the future of the franchise, moving away from the heavily saturated stories and characters of the Skywalker Saga and going somewhere entirely new could mean something great for the future ofStar Warsfilms, novels, comics, and most importantly, the future ofStar Warsvideo games.
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The Next Era of Films
Back in May 2019, rumors began to circulate that Disney was developing a newStar Warsfilm set during the Old Republic era, a rumor that has since been confirmed by President of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy. These plans have reportedly expanded from a single film to the next full saga of films with Disney taking cues from how the Marvel Cinematic Universe works and putting an end to trilogies in the franchise. The new saga of films and media will take place 400 years before the Skywalker Saga, toward the end of the Old Republic in an era calledthe “High Republic Era,“and is said to feature a much younger Yoda, as well as the inception of the Sith’s infamous “Rule of Two” which was implemented by Darth Bane and inspired by Darth Revan.
Knights of the Old Republic
The Old Republic era spans thousands of years, from the creation of the Galactic Republic to its eventual fall and the formation of the Empire in the prequel trilogy. For reference, the High Republic Era is 400 years before the Skywalker Saga, theOld Republic MMOis 3600 years before the Skywalker Saga, and theKnights of the Old Republicgames are set 4000 yearsbefore the events of the Skywalker Saga. That’s a significant amount of time that Disney and EA now have to play around with, from video games that tie directly into the new films to the rise of Sith Lords like Darth Bane, or a reboot/sequel toKnights of the Old Republic.
What it Means for Games
Project Luminous is said to start witha newStar Warsvideo gamebefore expanding to books, comics, and eventually, the next saga of films. One of the main reasons that fans are so enamored by the Old Republic era comes down to the amount of freedom that BioWare with creating the originalKnights of the Old Republic. The team was given the license to work with an IP as big asStar Warsand were allowed to go wherever it wanted without being tied to any of the existing continuity.KotORand its sequel introduced unique and fascinating characters like Darth Revan, Jedi Master Kreia and the assassin-droid HK-47 while adding new locations such as Dantooine, exploring conflicts like the Mandalorian Wars, and delving further into the origins of the Sith.
The Return of KotOR?
Fans begged LucasArts for years to make athird game in theStar Wars: Battlefrontseries before EA obtained the publishing rights to Star Wars games and rebooted it entirely.Knights of the Old Republicis in a similar position with the first game coming from BioWare, the second fromThe Outer Worldsdeveloper Obsidian Entertainment, and the third being an MMO set hundreds of years later. While a completeResident Evil 2orFinal Fantasy VIIstyle remake of both KotOR games would be fantastic, now is also a great time for EA to finally release the long-awaited sequel or alternatively, reboot the series and explore new stories and characters that could bring fan-favorites like Revan into Disney’s current continuity.
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Knowing Disney, it’ll likely want to start fresh with its own games and continuity that could be inspired byLegendsstories without being tied to them, similar toStar Wars: The Force Awakens. If EA were to remakeKnights of the Old Republicfrom theground up for PS5and Xbox Series X, fans and newcomers alike would be in for a treat in revisiting one of the greatest RPGs ever made. However, EA is likely to proceed with a reboot rather than a remake, alongsideStar Wars: Battlefront 3, a sequel toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and brand new games and stories that tie-in to characters in the next saga of films.
Regardless, the fact that Disney is making a firm stance on putting an end to the Skywalker Saga and taking a universe as rich and expansive asStar Warsin all-new directions is something that longtime fans and people that have never watched the series can be excited about - a fresh start. BioWare was handed the reins toStar Warson a silver platter with no strings attached, and when a creator with that much talent is allowed to do what it does best without limitations like DICE had withStar Wars: Battlefront(2015) and the original trilogy, it managed to create something truly special. The premise alone of the newStar Warsfilms means great things for the future of the film series, books, comics, and of course, video games.
