In 2003, BioWare releasedKnights of the Old Republic, a role-playing game that ran on theDungeons and Dragons-esqueStar Wars Roleplaying Gamerules. Like many of BioWare’s other popular RPGs,KOTORincludes a gripping story, dynamic characters, and of course, romance options. The game was a resounding success, spawning a sequel, novels, an MMORPG, and a troubled-but-highly-anticipated remake. But more importantly,Knights of the Old Republicintroduced Revan to the world.
The shadow of the mysterious, absent Sith Lord hung over the game, and their legacy shaped theKnights of the Old Republicsetting. As the story progressed, players learned more about Revan, until they finally learned the truth of their identity in one of the most memorable scenes in gaming history. Though some of thebest Star Wars characterscame with later entries in the franchise, none have been able to compare to Revan - but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
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The Legacy of Knights of the Old Republic’s Sith Lord Revan
For nearly twenty years,Knights of the Old Republic’s Revanhas blown minds with one of the biggest plot twists in gaming - that this Sith Lord was actually the playable character. The reveal was cinematically perfect, as Revan’s mysterious defeat raised just enough questions to get players curious, and the character’s gaps in their memory allowed impeccable foreshadowing to be sprinkled throughoutKnights of the Old Republic.
As such, Revan’s shadow now looms over every otherStar Warsgame. Though it was a huge success,Knights of the Old Republic 2wasn’t quite as good as its predecessor.Star Warsgame series likeJedi Outcast andJedi: Fallen Orderreceived critical acclaim, but none could topKnights of the Old Republic’slegendary status. With such a perfect storytelling experience in Revan, other games in the franchise shouldn’t try to change that.
So far, any attemptStar Warshas made to recapture the essence of Darth Revan has failed.Revan’s story inThe Old Republicis featured in the Shadow of Revan and Onslaught expansions - though the former was widely considered to be one of the weaker stories in the MMORPG’s history. He almost appeared inThe Clone Warsanimated series, but apprehension and lore discrepancies lead to the scene being cut. Revan has become such a legendary name thatStar Warsdoesn’t use it often, but that shouldn’t prevent otherStar Warsgames from becoming legends of their own.
The Future of Revan in Star Wars
Interestingly enough, Revan fans can thank the controversialRise of Skywalkermoviefor bringing the legendary Sith Lord’s name back to canon. Each of the Sith Eternal legions fielded by Palpatine near the end of the film is named after an ancient Sith Lord, one of which being Darth Revan. Additionally, in theShadow of the Sithcompanion novel, several Sith Eternal cultists chant the names of Revan and other Sith Lords.
Unfortunately, the cultists are not forthcoming on what Revan actually did in canon lore. Though the name-drop could signal a return of the character, possibly in aKnights of the Old Republicremake, it actually only confirms thatStar Warsremembers the name as well.Rise of Skywalkermight have invoked Revan’s name as an easter egg, but even it was afraid to actually show what their story looks like inStar Warscanon.
It is possible Revan could show up in some media in the future. If rumors are to be believed,Star Wars: The Acolyte’s inspirationscould be drawn from the extended universe, making a good case for Revan’s return. That said, unless Revan’s theoretical return is executed perfectly, fans won’t be happy. Nevertheless, players can look forward to plenty ofStar Warscontent this year, and they may even discover a new legend comparable to Revan - or at least some good news about theKnights of the Old Republicremake.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis available for Mobile, PC, Switch, and Xbox.
