The Knights of the Old Republic: Plot Summery/Analysis Part III

Welcome back! You had enough yet? Too bad, because we haven't even made it to the first game yet!!!... I will promise, however, that I will try to fit both the first and second Knights of the Old Republic games into this one blog entry in as short a blog as possible. Soooooo, here we go!

Last time I described the events of the Mandalorian War and left off with Revan taking his fleet to the Unknown Regions. So what did Revan find in the Unknown Regions and why did he go there in the first place?... Well you'll just have to wait until the last blog to get that answer. Anywho, Revan and his buddy Alek disappear for a good long while at the end of the war and suddenly reappear a year later with an enormous Sith fleet. Uh oh. The Jedi hero that single-handedly stopped the Mandalorians from wiping out the Republic has returned and he's here to take what's his... the galaxy.

... Wait what? Why did Revan turn on the Republic? I mean, he was a valiant hero who had already technically fell to the dark side before he finished the war. And where the hell did he acquire a fleet that could match the power of the Republic? The latter will be answered in this self-same blog, but the former... you might have to wait until Part V.

Anyway, so there it is. The newly dubbed "Darth" Revan and his Sith apprentice Darth Malek (formerly Alek) are wreaking havoc on the Republic. Well eventually a young and brash Jedi Knight by the name of Bastila Shan leads a strike team to defeat Revan in an attempt to stop the war. They succeed... to a certain degree. Bastila's team boards the ship and does battle with the Dark lord himself, but with little hope for victory. Fortunately for the Jedi (not so much for Revan) Malek sees this as the perfect opportunity to strike at his master and usurp the title of Dark Lord of the Sith. Unconscious and on the verge of death, Bastila uses the force to stabilize Revan and prevent his death creating a force bond with Revan. Bastila returns Revan to the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine where they decide to use the force to brainwash the Sith Lord (which I might add, is a horribly unethical thing to do... Bioware doesn't paint a very good picture of the Jedi Order and their methods).

Revan forgets everything relevant to his former life and assumes the identity of a Republic soldier who serves on Bastila's ship. You see, after the defeat of Revan, Bastila had become a primary target for Malek due to her Battle Meditation ability that was vital to the Republic's war efforts. Malek tracks her down and attacks her ship while in orbit over the planet Taris. Revan meets up with a Reublic soldier named Carth Onasi (God I hate that character) and they save Bastila from the clutches of the Sith present on the planet. Knowing Bastila would be of better use if Malek could turn her to the dark side, he waits for a bit in hopes that his agents could track her down and capture her. When the trio of mismatched adventurers (and some other friends) are about to make their escape from the planet Malek orders his fleet to destroy the planet in an attempt to destroy Bastila. (He was hardcore... destroying billions so he could kill one). The planet is destroyed in vain as Revan and Bastila escape just in time in their newly acquire ship, the Ebon Hawk.

Bastila senses the power of the Force regrowing within Revan and takes him the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine. The masters decide to train him (retrain!) and after an incredibly short time he begins to manifest his old power. During this time he and Bastila (due to their bond) have a vision of an ancient ruin on Dantooine's surface. The Jedi tell Revan that they are having these visions because the force is effectively guiding them in their efforts to defeat the Sith, when in reality, Revan is actually having bits of his memory restored, including his defeat by the hands of Malek.

They are sent to investigate the old ruins and discover a Star Map tens-of-thousands of years old. After another vision of similar star maps spread throughout the galaxy the council sends them on a mission to collect the data from the remaining four so that they can learn where Malek is getting all his power (fleets mainly) from.

Okay, okay... HOLD ON! Why is Revan remembering this stuff? When did this all happen? Where the hell did he get that damn fleet from?

Remember the Rakata from Part I? Yeah, that was important. Right around the time Revan leaves to the Unknown Regions he makes a stop on the ancient Sith world Korriban, where he discovers the first Star Map. Him and Malek travel the galaxy collecting the data from the Star Maps until they have a complete map of the ancient Infinite Empire, once ruled by the Rakata. The complete map points them to the location of the Rakata home world, Lehon, as well as the location of the ancient Rakata construct, the Star Forge, an interstellar factory that harnesses the power of the darkside and the power of Lehon's star to create entire fleets in incredibly short periods of time. Revan visits what is left of the Rakata people and after taking advantage of their generosity, takes control over the Star Forge. Thus, Revan creates a Sith fleet and wages war on the Republic.

Anyway, Revan journeys across the galaxy, finding the star maps (again) and picking up some valuable allies along the way. Eventually they are ambushed by the Sith ship, Leviathan under the command of Admiral Saul Karath, a once proud Republic soldier who betrayed his people (and Carth) when the Sith showed up. He ordered the destruction of Carth's home world Telos IV (along with Carth's family). After a large battle that ensues inside the ship, Carth gets vengeance for his family and the trio (Revan and Bastila) head back to the Ebon Hawk to make their escape. Darth Malek shows up and reveals to Revan that he is, in fact, the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Revan (one of the best twists in video game history. At this point in the game the player should have no clue that the player character is actually Revan.) After a short battle Revan is forced to leave Bastila behind as she holds Malek off for their escape.

One sec... need to catch my breath... almost done here....

Revan, now aware of what he once was (and realizes that he is slowly recovering his memory), obtains the final star map and discover the location of the Star Forge. They travel to the Rakata system and crash land on Lehon thanks to an electromagnetic field produced by the Star Forge that disables unidentified ships once it gets within proximity (presumed to be a defense that protected the Rakata millenia ago from their former slaves' attacks). Revan runs into savage Rakata warriors and discovers the Elder council, who remembers him and are not too happy about his deception the last time they met. Revan fixes that problem by doing them a solid when he defeates the savage Black Rakata and saves some of the Ancients that had been kidnapped.

During this time Darth Malek is attempting to turn Bastila to the dark side. He eventually succeeds and sends her to defend the magnetic field control on the peak of the Temple of the Ancients on Lehon. Revan learns that he needs to disable the field and the Elders assist him in gaining access into the Temple. Revan, along with the assistance of his friends Jolee Bindo and Juhani, fight their way through Dark Jedi and ancient Rakata droids and eventually reach the control field guarded by Bastila.

Bastila attempts to appeal to Revan's former personality and the love they feel for each other (love that had been developing throughout the course of the adventure) to steer Revan back down the dark path. Revan refuses and combats his love forcing her to retreat to the Star Forge. Revan disables the magnetic field and Carth sends a warning to the Republic fleets urging them to come to Lehon now and take down the Star Forge once and for all. With the Republic not too far behind the Ebon Hawk boards the Star Forge and Revan leads a strike team deep into the heart of the ancient super weapon. When the Republic arrives they find themselves in a bit of a pickle. Bastila was using her Battle Meditation against the Republic.

Revan confronts Bastila once more attempting to turn her away from her dark path. Se attempts to fight him and stop his influence but her heart is not in it... she can't bring herself to strike down her love. Bastila concedes and agrees to use her battle meditation to aid the Republic in the battle while Revan goes to settle the score with his former apprentice, Malek.

The two meet in the heart of the construct. Darth Malek reprimands Revan for his ignorance claiming that he was too afraid to utilize the Forge's full potential and dedemonstrates its immense power over the dark side of the force. This is where a clear difference in their (Revan's goals when he was still a Sith) goals is explained. Malek wanted absolute power and control over the galaxy and would do whatever was necessary, ruthless slaughter or otherwise, to achieve that goal. Revan's attacks on the Republic were strategic and well devised, maximizing military victory and minimizing damage to the Republic's infrastructure. Revan didn't want to weaken the galaxy... he wanted to strengthen it. For what reason you ask? Well if you are asking that question than you are already on the right track.

Anyway Revan kicks his ass and in what is probably one of the most classic Star Wars displays of dramatic irony Malek mutters, "What would have happened had our positions been reversed? What if fate had decreed I would be captured by the Jedi? Could I have returned to the light, as you did? If you had not led me down the dark path in the first place, what destiny would I have found?"

Revan is declared the "Prodigal Knight" by the Jedi Order and the Republic is saved... for now. Shortly after the destruction of the Star Forge and the defeat of Malek, Revan disappears leaving his friends behind and the Ebon Hawk in the care of his two droids: T3-M4 and HK-47. No one knows where he left to for sure... no one but his former master Kreia...

Well I didn't get through Kotor II because well... there was a whole lot more important facts to go over in KOTOR I than I had thought, so I am extending this blog series to five parts. See you next time!

To Be Continued in Part IV...