I came across this topic while searching through the SWTOR forums. In it, the author talks about how BioWare is releasing a new type of Sith that has to make choices rather than just follow the “I am Sith, I must kill, enslave, conquer, blah blah blah.” The first time I’ve really seen this and, as the writer of the topic suggests, is with BioWare’s newest comic, Blood of the Empire. Teneb Kel is a Sith Inquisitor–or so he appears to be–sent on a mission of the utmost importance for the sake of the Emperor himself. Yet, if you read the comic like I do, you’ll notice that perhaps he is more human than you’d have otherwise assumed.

Like the thread says, he allows Magot to do whatever he really wants; he does something as harmless as feeding the rats. These are things that you might think a Jedi would do. A Jedi would allow Magot to enjoy himself for some time, gaining some peace and relaxation. He would throw some food at the rats because, hey, what’s a little food? But, a Sith is all about me. Me, me, me. I want more power. I want more people to fear me. Let’s destroy another planet. Every Sith is always about me and yet…Teneb Kel is not. He appears different.

Could this be a new type of Sith that is emerging? Could it be a Grey Sith? I remember when Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was released, there was all of this talk about how Qui-Gon Jinn was this Grey Jedi who, if he had followed all the rules put forth by the Jedi, would have been on the council. Yet, he was one of the most powerful Jedi ever. He didn’t follow the rules, but he was a dedicated warrior in pursuit of peace and prosperity in the Republic.

Perhaps Kel is the same thing. He is obviously devoted to the Sith Empire; that much is for certain. More importantly, he is obviously a Sith because he has no problem slaying the Governor of that planet when the Sith soldiers are fighting. Yet–and I say this with apprehension because the Sith have always been the purely hateful, evil warriors who, as a Jedi lover, want to see destroyed–he does nice things and treats Magot with a level of decency.

This contradicts everything that has been presented about the Sith and yet…It makes perfect sense. It’s so easy to hate the Sith as a Jedi when they are purely evil. They are bad. We are good. Yet, when you are looking at a more human Sith, one who actually has emotions and does things other than just kill, it suddenly becomes a little dicier. How do I adamantly oppose the Sith just because they are different? Instead of seeing it as Sith are evil and Jedi, perhaps it is a simple case of: I believe my team is right and your team is wrong on both sides.

BioWare is developing an incredibly detailed game that, when it is released, I know will be amazing. To do that, though, they need to create dynamic characters. A more humanized Sith is the right approach, that much is for certain. And, it’s going to be interesting to see how the Sith truly are once the game is released. In your opinion, is a humanized Sith a good thing or a bad thing? Should they just be purely evil? Are there Grey Sith? Feel free to leave a comment.

When it came to the development of the Sith Inquisitor, Rebecca had this to say:

I could tell you that the Sith Inquisitor is the Emperor Palpatine to the Sith Warrior’s Darth Vader, but that sells it short. The archetype is just inspiration. It’s not the destination, or the road we take to get there, but the guide. The Sith Inquisitor is Raistlin. The Sith Inquisitor is Lucifer. The Sith Inquisitor is Julius Caesar. The Sith Inquisitor is what you make him.

With the hopes of creating a class that was truly unique, but also very “inquisitor” like, they took bits and pieces from all the well known characters: Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress. In other words, they took everything they could from the movies and the cartoon that was released to try and develop a truly amazing Sith Inquisitor.

What Rebecca discusses is that, while gear can help make a character a lot, that isn’t what BioWare and LucasArts are all about when it comes to developing really interesting and in depth characters. In her own words:

Whereas the Sith Warrior class is all about the martial side of the Sith, the Inquisitor is about the darkest of dark side secrets; everything that’s weird and unsettling and dangerous about the Force. The Inquisitor is about power not (solely) through brute force and intimidation, but through manipulation, corruption, and knowledge.

And where that other Sith class starts in a position of privilege, born to lead and prepared from childhood for training at the Academy on Korriban, the Sith Inquisitor begins the game as a slave, plucked from obscurity and toil in a highly stratified, unforgiving Empire because of his Force-sensitivity and sent to become a Sith or die.

In other words, the character has to rise up and truly break their chains. The Sith Inquisitor is the one that, unlike any other Sith, truly breaks their chains when they have accepted the dark side of the Force entirely. Only through power…

While Rebecca does offer some incredible potential paths that the player can take, it is reiterated that the path that a player takes is entirely up to them. They can do whatever they want, damage the Empire however they want (if they choose) and kill whoever gets in their way if they need it. By rising up from a slave to a Sith Inquisitor, they truly achieve their freedom. As she says herself…You’ve won your freedom. Now what are you going to do?

Is the Sith Inquisitor the class for you or does this do little for you?