The Star Wars franchise used to be a lot more expansive than it is today. What was once the Expanded Universe that was comprised of dozens upon dozens of games, novels, and comic books was removed from canon and turned into “Legends” stories shortly after Disney purchased Lucasfilm back in 2012. A lot fans were torn up by the decision, because it meant that Star Wars lore that reached hundreds of years before and after the movies took place was suddenly erased, along with the many beloved characters within it.
One section of the former Expanded Universe that a lot of fans were sad to see made non-canon was the Old Republic era, set thousands of years before the events of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. This time period showed the Jedi and Sith at their strongest and most violent, as the two groups had numerous years-long wars. One particular aspect of the Old Republic era that is still popular with some fans is the Knights of the Old Republic series, and the character at the center of them all, Revan. The mere mention of Revan is enough to elicit strong reactions from a lot of Star Wars fans, and it’s a testament to how beloved the KOTOR series has remained since the first game released in 2003.
When Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic released in 2003, it ushered in a new era of Star Wars video games that provided a true RPG experience. What proved to be the most captivating part of the game was its central plot, which centers around the adventures of the player’s character and the hunt for Darth Malak, the game’s main antagonist. The content of the overall story is more or less what someone would expect from a Star Wars narrative, as the player learns the ways of the Force with a vast array of supporting characters at their side.
The most memorable part of KOTOR comes from its big twist, the reveal that the player are an amnesiac Darth Revan. According to testimony from both Malak and the player’s Jedi companion Bastila Shan, Revan was betrayed by Malak in an intense battle with the Jedi, and when Revan was found by the Jedi, they brought him back to the Jedi Temple and had his mind wiped so he could be used to find Malak. As the game progresses from this point, more of Revan’s past is revealed, and the story concludes with the player having to decide whether they will remain a Jedi or give into their past life and reclaim their title as Dark Lord of the Sith.
For KOTOR‘s sequel, Revan’s story took a backseat to the story of the new “Jedi Exile” character that players took control of. Nevertheless, elements of Revan’s lingered on, primarily through the other characters within the story. Kreia, who is later revealed to be Darth Kraya, was Revan’s master before the events of the first KOTOR. Her history with the dark side of the Force is directly tied to Revan’s past actions, showing how influential Revan still is even though he doesn’t appear as a main character.
Revan’s influence on the story is pretty thin aside from his connection to Kreia, as he’s mostly relegated to name drops from characters that appeared in the first game. It’s revealed later in The Sith Lords that after the events of KOTOR, Revan was called to the Unknown Regions of the galaxy by some mysterious force. The Jedi Exile also experiences a number of visions of Revan throughout the game, and if players reach the light side ending, it concludes with the Exile going out into the Unknown Regions to find him.
The Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG brought back Revan’s character in a pretty big way, making him the focus of multiple expansions. Much like how Revan shifts between the light side and the dark side of the Force in the earlier Knights of the Old Republic narratives, he shifts between the two in SWTOR as well. It is revealed in Revan’s first appearance in the game that he has been held prisoner by the then Emperor for hundreds of years, but he ultimately frees himself and takes control of The Foundry, a military installation similar to Darth Malak’s Star Forge.
In later SWTOR DLC, Revan’s dark side tendencies reveal themselves as he returns with the intention of destroying both the Republic and the Empire. He is later defeated by the player’s character and his spirit is split in half, one side becoming one with the Force and the other being kept alive by pure hatred. Revan is eventually made whole again later in the game’s story, warning the player that the Emperor must not be allowed to carry out his plans.
With how legendary Revan’s name has become in the Star Wars fanbase, it’s surprising that the Disney hasn’t jumped on an opportunity to bring him back into the canon. The character nearly made an appearance in The Clone Wars animated show, but his scene was ultimately cut, and there was a mention of his name among the Sith Trooper legions in The Rise of Skywalker but that could only be discovered through visual dictionaries. Now, with the new High Republic publishing initiative taking place before the movies but well after his time, his future is uncertain.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, and Star Wars: The Old Republic are available now on PC.
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