For those that have been following TOR Universe for a while know that one of the biggest things I am looking forward to in Star Wars: The Old Republic is the immense story. There is so much information that we have really not had the liberty of witnessing that every time something comes out, I suck it up. For example, when the Timeline video was released on Friday, I immediately had to watch it about five times. One of the least answered issues is about the Sith Empire, Revan and what all of this means for the game.
Fortunately, information has been popping up as development of the game has progressed that answers a few questions. The first main question is: what the heck is the Sith Empire and, more importantly, how does it gain so much power? The second question is: What about Revan? And finally, how does this all tie in together? So, we’ll start with the first question.
The Sith Empire and War on the Republic
As most people probably know, the Mandalorians invaded the Republic in 3,965 BBY. While there had been skirmishes before hand, they finally made their big invasion during this year. What was not known so much was why the Mandalorians decided to invade so soon after the whole Exar Kun era. The answer to that came from a mysterious Sith faction. In Knights of the Old Republic, Canderous Ordo said, “The Sith came to us with an offer: to fight a worthy enemy in a battle that would be remembered forever.” By playing on the emotions of the Mandalorians,the Emperor of the Sith was able to persuade the Neo-Crusaders to invade. And so they did.
However, what the Emperor didn’t realize was that they would fail miserably once Revan got involved. Revan was a fantastic General as most know; however, he was a bit of a maverick. He was more interested in learning as much about the force as possible and less about being a Jedi. This was the perfect opportunity for the Sith Emperor to gain his next asset. However, I will touch more on that when I get to the Revan section.
Through continuous manipulation, the Sith Empire was able to set the stages for an invasion. However, the big question that continues to pop up is: if the Sith Empire was so great, why did they not invade immediately? I’ll explain that in the next section.
Revan: Evil and Good
For the most part, people want to believe that Revan was this awesome character, strong and uncorrupted. Yeah, he was strong and yeah, he was awesome. But, that didn’t mean he was uncorrupted. Enter Revan or Darth Revan. When Revan and Malak joined the war against the Mandalorians, they fought valiantly. However, extensive war can have negative effects on anyone. Soon, they began to harness more dark side powers and used them. It was only through this that Revan was able to use a weapon as destructive as the Mass Shadow Generator.
With the war over now, Revan, Malak and the rest of his fleet went into the unknown regions because they had learned about there being a “true Sith” empire. There, Revan and Malak ran into the Emperor. Here is where things become dicey. Most people want to believe that Revan came back on his own free will to invade the galaxy. However, that’s not the case. They met with the Emperor of the Sith and he was able to convince Revan to become the vanguard for his big invasion. Revan and Malak agree, probably being bested by the Sith Emperor.
So, Revan and Malak invade. However, what we do know is that Sith are messed up and therefore, Revan and Malak see an opportunity to have the Republic to themselves. Why do all the work and then give it to the Sith? Now, this is where a lot of speculation begins to appear. Why, if Revan was acting as the vanguard for the Sith Empire, did he not destroy military planets?
The answer to that, I think, is in the nature of the Sith. Without the Emperor breathing over their shoulders, suddenly, Revan and Malak believed that they would be better at ruling the galaxy rather than the Emperor. But, they understood that the Sith Emperor was going to invade sooner or later, so they felt that if they took control of the galaxy and kept the military infrastructure of the Republic in order, they’d be able to hold off the invasion of the Sith Empire. In the end, though, they royally messed up and Malak tried to take over.
After Revan beats Malak, he goes off into the Unknown Regions to try and defeat the Sith Empire. Obviously since BioWare is releasing this game, Revan failed. However, it poses a question that I often wonder. In the Deceived film, the Sith that kills the Jedi says something about waiting three hundred years. Why would they have to wait three hundred years to invade after the Republic was tired from fighting the war with Exar Kun, then the war twenty years later with the Mandalorians and then finally, the war with Revan and Malak? This leads me to believe that when Revan went into the Unknown Regions after the Empire, he actually did a considerable amount of damage. His actual fate, though, I can’t predict. However, I imagine we will know at some point.
The Emperor
The final big argument that has popped up is who the Emperor can be. For whatever reason, people feel that it is Naga Sadow because the Emperor is known as a “Sith who escaped the Hyperspace War into the Unknown Regions.” Naga Sadow is known for escaping to Yavin 4, but was then destroyed there. So, I want to stamp out that little rumor about who the Emperor might be. It cannot be Naga Sadow and it definitely won’t be. Why would BioWare want to use an already well structured Sith when, in reality, they could just create their own.
Then I have heard rumors that it could be Darth Andeddu. This one seems more likely because Andeddu learned how to live for much longer by passing his spirit onto another body. However, this doesn’t fit because there is no evidence to suggest that Andeddu was around during the Hyperspace War. Therefore, I don’t think it is possible that Andeddu is the Sith Emperor. However, Drew Karpyshyn – one of the writers for The Old Republic – mentioned Andeddu in his latest Darth Bane novel. That could be a little hint.
In the end, though, I really feel that we have no idea who this Sith Emperor is. Chances are, he was a subordinate in the Hyperspace War who escaped and had grown in power and influence since then. BioWare will release their idea for the Emperor when they are comfortable and we will definitely mention it. However, for now, there’s a solid chance that the Emperor is no one we know.
Conclusion
The truth is, the Sith Empire is responsible for a lot of the manipulation that happened in the galaxy leading up to their invasion. They slowed the Republic down and made them weak by persuading the Mandalorians and Revan/Malak to invade. However, for whatever reason, the Emperor didn’t feel it was time to attack. If that was because of Revan, we won’t know until BioWare releases more information. For now, though, we can rest easy knowing these are facts. I got all my facts from a nice video on GameInformer.com. Check it out.
What do you think, though? Leave a comment and let me know any theories that you have about what the heck was going on while the Emperor was growing his power.
February 8, 2010
#1
Finally someone who agrees with me on the unknown sith lord arguemento
February 8, 2010
#2
Yeah, man. I don’t really understand how people are trying to make conclusions. Sure, there are some bits and pieces to back up different claims, but why would BioWare want to go the easy route and use a character someone else created? It just doesn’t make sense, ya know?
August 16, 2010
#3
I agree completely with Jacob about The mystery Sith Emperor part. I think BioWare would be most succesfull if they’d make a whole new but charismatic Sith Lord. And a good background story (that fits into timeline and makes sense). Nice and clear article, keep up the good work Jacob!
August 16, 2010
#4
Thanks for the comment. A new, charismatic Sith Lord is going to be ideal. We’ve seen in the comics who the Emperor is–a young man–but I don’t think that’s him. Chances are, that’s just a vessel to carry the Emperor.
January 3, 2011
#5
REMEMBER THE TRUE SITH ARE THE RED SKIN SITH. THERE IS MENTION OF A SMALL GROUP OF THEM THAT SURVIVED THEIR RACE EXSTINCTION. MY GUESS IS THE EMPEROR IS ONE OF THE SURVIVERS OF THE TRUE RED SKIN SITH RACE. THEY FLED TO THE OUTER RIM AND NEVER RETURNED TO KNOWN SPACE BUT INSTEAD SENT OTHERS IN THIER PLACE LIKE REVAN AND MALAK. TO WEAKEN THE REPUBLIC SO THEY COULD RETURN ONE DAY ONCE THEY HAD AMASSED A BIG ENOUGH FORCE. I WANT TO POINT THIS OUT TO THOSE THAT DONT KNOW THIS. THERE ARE NO TRUE SITH ANYMORE EXCEPT FOR THE FEW THAT SURVIVED THE EXSTINCTION OF THE TRUE SITH RACE. THE FEW TRUE SITH ARE THE ONES THAT MOVED AWAY FROM THE MAIN SITH RACE TO DO THEIR OWN THING BUT THEY RETURNED AFTER THEIR RACE DIED OUT. SO AS THE ONLY TRUE SITH LEFT THEY TOOK UP THE REINS AND FORMED A NEW SITH EMPIER RACE FULL OF NON SITH BUT CALLED THEMSELFS SITH TO KEEP THE SITH NAME ALIVE THE EMPEROR OF THE OLD REPUBLIC MAY ACTUALLY BE A TRUE SITH BUT HIS SITH LORDS ARE NOT. FOR EXAMPLE DARTH MALGUS DARTH ANGRAL AND DARTH BARAS ARE NOT TRUE SITH. ONLY THE SITH DARK COUNCIL ARE TRUE RED SKIN SITH THEY DONT FIGHT THEMSELFS BECAUSE THEY DONT WANT TO DIE AND THIER RACE BE COMPLETLEY WIPED OUT. EMPEROR PALPATINE AND DARTH VADER ARE NOT TRUE SITH ITS ONLY THIER RELIGON. SO I HOPE THAT WHEN THE EMPEROR OF THE OLD REPUBLIC SHOWS HIMSELF HE WILL BE A TRUE RED SKIN SITH. I THINK I MIGHT ASK IF I CAN WRITE SOME OF THIS AT BIOWARE I MEAN GET A JOB THERE WRITING FOR THE OLD REPUBLIC.
May 26, 2011
#6
Yeah, I don’t think Bioware will hire you when you type in all caps.
May 23, 2011
#7
Good point about Revan being the vanguard for the Sith.
July 12, 2011
#8
Good post, can’t wait for SWTOR, but I’m one of those KOTOR fanboys who think Revan is invincible and incorruptible
I think he knew he would turn to the dark side but sacrificed himself so he could defeat the mandalorians and save the republic. But with the discovery of the true sith during the war he began conquering the galaxy because he had already ‘fallen’ to the dark side and he wanted to prepare the galaxy for their return. So he manipulated the entire jedi civil war so that the republic will be stronger and better prepared, leaving infrastructure intact etc. Here’s a link to official content hinting that perhaps Revan never ‘fell’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44GeQp6ZFtc
He wasn’t the typical ‘kill everything and leave a bloody trail of destruction’ sith. He may even have engineered his return to the light… Oh woe to me thats probably not true. The novel is going to srsly nerf revan
Oh well. NEED SWTOR NOW!
July 12, 2011
#9
Yeah, the novel is probably going to really upset you. But, I think that it’s also going to prove very interesting. I don’t know if he is truly all powerful and able to handle everything; even a fall to the Dark Side to be engineered that way. But, hey, you never know, right?
October 26, 2011
#10
I think the Revan novel will give us a satisfactory ending for Revan. I’d argue story throughout KOTOR and KOTOR II presents the most nuanced, badass character yet presented in Star Wars media. He’s the only Jedi who seemed to thoughtfully fall to the dark side; recognizing that the Republic would never survive an invasion from the True Sith Empire, he commandeers the Star Forge and carefully invades, preserving key infastructure, both of which were designed to steel the galaxy for the coming invasion of the True Sith. Other Jedi who have fallen to the dark side seem short-sighted and irrational. Anakin being the best example: he gladly starts murdering his former allies, including a genocide of children, for the vague promise of cheating his wife’s death. He was easily cornered at Mustafar and crippled because he failed to a battle lesson (high-ground) Obi-Wan had taught him in the past.
Simply put, Revan rules, and I hope he gets the send off he deserves in the upcoming Novel.