Fridge / Star Wars: The Old Republic

CAUTION: Some spoilers are not marked. You Have Been Warned.

Fridge Logic:

• Nico Okaar wears a Stetson while piloting a star-ship. Cowboys didn't need to look up...
  • Maybe he takes it off normally.
  • Real-life hats like that only barely obscure your vision. Presumably he moves his neck like everyone else to look up.
• The use of Evil Brit accents for the Empire seems strange when Republic stalwarts like Bastila, Admiral Forn Dodonna, and many more in KOTOR use a British accent, taking place 300 years prior before this Empire was revealed. Passing off the British accent as being from Dromund Kaas is a blatant continuity error seeing as the British accent was established as Coruscanti in works preceding SWTOR. Sorry BioWare, you screwed up.
  • Or maybe this just adds an element of Fridge Horror (see below).
  • The canonical answer is by John Jackson Miller in Star Wars Legends. The humans of the Sith Empire are mostly descended from the Tapani, which is a group of Coruscanti-descended noblemen and aristocrats. Apparently, the accent hasn't shifted that much.
    • Which makes sense. In real life, colonists tend to cling to their original language more than the home country itself. For example, in the USA there are small population groups of Dutch origin that still speak a form of Dutch the way it was spoken back in the 17th century (Not the Amish. They actually speak something that's closer to German than to Dutch).
• Why does Nomen Karr fall to the dark side so easily? He had previously infiltrated the Sith, guess he remembered some old lessons too well.
  • He'd apparently been slipping for some time. In the same scene Jaesa says that he had consistently prevented her from using her abilities on him.
  • He states that he 'has walked the line between light and dark before', but all of Star Wars Canon and Legends makes it clear that that is just not possible. Nomen Karr had already fallen. The Sith Warrior just brings it out in the open.
• Each of the classes is mirrored by a similar class on the other faction. Sith Inquisitors vs. Jedi Consulars, Sith Warriors vs. Jedi Knights, Imperial Agents vs. Smugglers, and Bounty Hunters vs. Troopers. This implies that Palpatine's co-opting of the troopers was the final tipping point in the Sith conquering the galaxy.
• Not sure which category this would fall under, maybe all three? The actions and motivations of Vin Atrius, actually make perfect sense when you consider his "upbringing". He is a citizen of the Eternal Empire of Zakuul, the creation of the Sith Emperor/Vitiate/Valkorian. While his motives and views are indeed hypocritical, the reasoning behind them makes a very disturbing sort of sense. Valkorian "raised Zakuul up", for the purpose of being superior to everyone else in the galaxy, especially the Republic and the Sith Empire. He wants revenge on the Outlander and the Alliance, because they took away the superiority they are supposedly deserving of above all others. ALL of Zakuul is like that, because that is how Valkorion conditioned them all to be, even his own family. Vin is a literal product of Vitiate's conditioning and planning, just like all of Zakuul. Other than Arcaan and Vaylin, everyone else in Zakuul thought of Valkorion as the perfect God of their perfect society, even the Zakuulian defectors are there because they hate how Arcaan and Vaylin abuse everything, and a few like Koth and Senya, even know that Valkorion has possessed the Outlander and want him back. This was all part of Vitiate's agenda, crush the enemy Republic, sacrifice the imperfect Sith Empire, wipe them all out, and rule as a supreme "God" over his "perfect, unstoppable, Eternal Empire". Everyone thought that he was going to consume EVERYTHING, but that was never the case, once he attained his perfect godhood, he would just return to Zakuul. The fleet was his back-up plan to wipe out life in those areas and redo his ritual again, the same one the Knight had to stop in their storyline. The Outlander is the person who faces him on Ziost, and the one he promised he would save for last and make them watch everything they fought for perish. He returns to Zakuul, to both bait the Outlander, and unleash the Eternal Fleet, Arcaan's betrayal, a minor wrinkle in the plan, he possesses the Outlander and helps them, knowing full well, they can and will defeat Arcaan and Vaylin. Take the Throne and the Fleet from them, then he will take their body, and by extension everything else from them, and let them watch as he makes good on his promise back on Ziost, and destroys everything they fought for. It is equal parts brilliant and horrifying.

Fridge Horror:

• NR-02 on the Black Talon casually mentions among his functions are "manslaughter and calumniation." He expresses in Machine Monotone not to worry about any injuries among the crew of the ships, as their deaths would be statistically insignificant. If the players kill the captain for treason, they later return to the ship to find all but two of the crew dead, and those two suspiciously mute despite falling all over themselves trying to serve the party. In other words, he's a Killer Robot whose function is to cause slaughters for propaganda, has followed the party killing any survivors of their own crew, and may have executed nearly all other survivors while the party was away.
  • What's worse about NR-02 is that both he and Moff Kilran imply that he has actually been present on Black Talon for some time before the party's arrival. Furthermore, Kilran implies that droids like NR-02 are actually Killer Robot Sleeper Agents who have been stationed on Imperial vessels to pose as protocol droids, all the while screening for suitable individuals to recruit for Imperial Black Ops missions.
    • Going by the Bounty Contract Week event and the "Harmless Protocol Droid" D-3X, they also seem to have a chance of going rogue...
    • Protocol droids are ubiquitous, usually incapable of any combat functions, and dignitaries are always accompanied by them for translation and clerical work. What better cover for a spy or assassin? There's a reason HK-47 and his knockoffs tended to pass themselves off as protocol droids. That's how an HK-51 was able to almost single-handedly destroy all of Peragus Station in Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
• In a late-game Flashpoint, it is revealed that Revan, with the aid of the Republic, was building an unstoppable army of battle droids that were intended to stop the Sith Empire once and for all. And how does he plan to do that? By programming the droid army to hunt down and kill ANYONE with even the slightest Sith ancestral heritage in their genes. And according to HK-47, that accounts for about 97.8% of the entire Imperial population. That in itself is already horrifying but the more you think about it, the worst it gets. Since the droid army will also target light-sided Sith Lords, Imperial citizens that either want to reform the Empire or were simply born into it against their will, and worst of all even defectors to the Republic. Now consider this: When you are playing as a male republic Trooper, your love interest Elara Dorne, was a defector. Just think about this for a moment, Revan, the hero of the Knights of the Old Republic, is willing to kill your lover/wife and the children that the two of you are planning to have together in the name of 'saving lives'.
  • The same goes for a male Jedi Knight, since Kira was born from a Sith family.
    • Although it is questionable just how much the Jedi and Republic know of Revan's plans for the Foundry.
  • Worse, think of how much side-swapping goes on in that universe. You'd kill off a significant chunk of the Republic as well. Something tells me that Revan was deluding himself about "holding back" the Emperor, as something like that would suit the Emperor's grander plan to wipe out every other living thing in the galaxy.
    • Or, more likely, having the Emperor in his head for 300 years finally took its toll on Revan's mind, and may be why The Exile tells him he can no longer hold Vitiate back.
  • In fact, this sort of death toll, is exactly what the Emperor needs to ascend to god-hood. Revan was playing right in the Emperor's hands.
• One of the planets that you will get to visit in the game is Belsavis, a nightmarish prison world that holds some of the worst and most dangerous criminals in the entire galaxy. In addition to the prison being staffed by corrupt and abusive guards, some of which are prisoners given honorary guard status, the entire world is filled with death traps leftover by the ancient Infinite Empire. Also, the prisoners held there live in appalling conditions. For example, in one of your missions, you are authorized to offer one of the prisoners improve living conditions in exchange for his cooperation, and said improvement is that he will now be allowed to take ONE bath per-week. And what is the worst part about this? Belsavis is controlled and run by the Republic! Now just imagine if the Republic treats their prisons like this, how much worse things are in the Empire. Being taken alive as a prisoner of war by the Imperials can easily be a Fate Worse than Death (especially if you're unlucky enough to be a race other than human).
  • The worst part of this is: the Republic is implied to be actually worse. Imperial Intelligence finds many documents showing that the Republic had been pitting various alien prisoners against each other in gladiatorial combat, not for punishment, but to find out and record the strengths and weaknesses of each race. When two Imperial scientists find out, one is horrified for ethical reasons. The other is also horrified, not because it's so heartless, but because he had come up with the idea years earlier but the Empire refused it, believing that such an act would yield no valuable data and is a waste of potential laborers. (A valid point as this experiment only shows which species makes for the best prison gang and there is no need to do experiments to determine that a Trandoshan could beat a Gand in a knife fight.)
  • This is actually confirmed Republic side, where a quest involves finding out the details of the games and the character either deciding to let the senator, the prison official, and their team of scientists continue or putting a lid on the whole thing.
    • Not to mention all the nasty creatures and Rakata technology they've been gleefully tinkering with.
    • The experiments aren't even scientifically valid. No control, no double-blind testing, just lots of dead aliens, over and over again. Nice going, Mengele.
  • Oh, and any children or grandchildren born to the prisoners is incarcerated for life as a maximum security inmate with no chance of parole, despite never having done a crime. This is to keep the prison top secret. The warden the Consular meets blows it off, saying in effect "they were born to scum, they're just more scum." Apparently, the Republic borrowed Taris's penal code.
  • Tellingly, Imperial players get to repeatedly call out the Republic for the things done on Belsavis, being both appalled and impressed that the Republic had the stomach to do such things.
  • Particularly damning is the Republic's decision to fake the death and imprison a highly popular Cathar prince, who was one of the leading voices amongst the Cathar who opposed the decision to join the Republic. After being broken out of stasis and finding out he's been trapped for 20 years, he vows to tell everyone what the Republic did to him, meaning if he and his supporters weren't pro-Imperial before, they definitely are now!
    • Maybe not. The Sith Empire are still allied with the Mandalorians, and the history between Cathar and the Mando'ade is ugly to say the least. We also have the usual Imperial stupidity and Fantastic Racism that will get in the way of anything that prince wants to do. Cathar are now, in game, a neutral faction (meaning that you can roll them for either Republic or Imperial characters).
    • The game has now established that while some Cathar still work with the republic, they're the exception, and that the Cathar are now overwhelmingly allied with the Empire.
  • Another eyebrow-raiser. Among the EliteMooks you can find on Belsalvis are fallen and/or mentally ill Jedi. You'd think The Order would have better ways to handle this. And considering how low the expectations of sanity are for Sith, the Empire would be drooling over the idea of recruiting a few.
  • One of the funny moments has an element of fridge horror. The Consular encounters a droid who runs the psychiatric ward. If they have Felix with them, Felix sighs and comments that he kinda figured he'd end up in the psych ward eventually. But then you factor that holocron forcibly downloaded into his head, the fact that no one in the Republic or the Jedi seems to be able to help him, and that it seems to only be a matter of time before it goes off? Yeah. He'd probably end up in the Belsalvis psych ward.
• A lot of the romance that you can pursue in the game falls under the category of Unequal Pairing. For the Force-sensitive classes, male characters are romancing their current or former apprentices. In the Imperial Agent, Republic Trooper (and keeping in mind the nature of the Jedi/Sith, those classes as well) storylines, the player character is a commanding officer romancing soldiers under his/her charge. Sith Lords belong in an elevated social caste compared to their non-Force-sensitive romanceable companions, a Twi'lek slave, a disgraced Imperial officer, and a space-pirate Republic defector. While this is all warm and fuzzy, an underlying power disparity always overshadows relationship. Worst of all, as demonstrated in this video of the Sith Warrior storyline stating at at 6:05, a ruthless enemy can easily exploit your relationship as a weakness against you. Imagine if someone threatens to murder your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wife unless your character does exactly as they say. Even if you have a super tough, unbreakable and Light-sided character, do you think they can actually live with watching their loved ones killed in front of them? Perhaps there is a good story reason to not pursue a romantic relationship with any of your party members after all...
  • It gets even worse when one looks at the way the relationship system works in this game. Or more specifically, the fact that gifts that fit a character's likes are more effective in many cases than actually gaining their affection through conversations. Not to mention that affection lost through conversations is usually very minute, and easily overwhelmed by the gifts you can give. Meaning you can screw with your companions all you want, making decisions you know they disapprove of, while keeping their affection high by giving them small trinkets.
  • There is also a lot of Unfortunate Implications in some of the romance that you can pursue. For Nadia/Consular and Mako/Bounty Hunter, you have been playing the role of their parental/brother substitute for a while now, which can make this very uncomfortable. While for Elara/Trooper, not only are you her superior officer, she also happens to be the only women on your ship...
  • It's probably not a coincidence that the Sadistic Choice in Knights of the Eternal Throne involves two love interest companions. If your Outlander is a female Bounty Hunter or a male Sith Warrior...
• After getting a Sith Pureblood character to level 50, you can play a Sith Pureblood Jedi. Ha-ha, very funny joke...except, especially with a Jedi Knight, a lot of the storyline of the Jedi classes is about what the Sith did to the Jedi during the war. So while characters don't actually treat your character any differently (in fact, they treat them as human...), you can imagine that your character might be hiding their heritage, or having to deal with people casually saying how terrible their race is (actually referencing the organization of the Sith Empire, but virtually no one ever adds "pureblood" when speaking about the species) and witnessing first hand just what their ancestors—possibly even their parents!—did to their adoptive society.
• Some players may find the ranking of 'Moff' in the Sith Empire to be odd, and incongruous with its later usage in the Republic. They might also have the same feeling about some of the Sith capital ships and starfighters, which seem very similar to later Star Destroyers and TIE fighters. Also, the emblem/crest of Vitiate's Empire looks remarkably similar to the crest/emblem used by the late Republic and Galactic Empire. Think about this-who in the late Republic era would have been very knowledgable of the old Sith Empire and been very interested in subverting the "true" Republic with Sith effects to make the transition as easy as possible? Palpatine, that's who. He was one of the Sith's greatest historians, and he put in as many small things as he could get away with. This is in Fridge Horror because it means that over the thousand years of the Ruusan Reformations, and possibly before, after the demise of the Sith Empire, the Republic just forgot everything about their enemy, allowing the enemy to subvert their military, their culture, their very political symbols. The Republic only had Moffs in their very early years, and they banished the term after Ruusan. Nobody thought to research the history of the term, or the history of the new intimidating emblem Palpatine gave the Republic right before he killed it. Imagine if a secret Nazi put the swastika on the American flag one hundred years from now. That's what Darth Sidious did, and nobody noticed a thing.
• Addressing the accent entry above, in the late Republic, all the British accents are from Coruscant. In this game, which takes place several thousand years before the Prequel Trilogy, the accent belongs to the Empire, being Dromund Kaas, and the American accent belongs to the Republic. Now let's think for a moment; what would have happened if the Nazis won WWII? We would all be speaking German. What would happen if the Empire won the next war? They would all be speaking Dromund Kaas accent, which makes the original supposed Foregone Conclusion of the Republic winning seem very unlikely.
  • Not necessarily. Think of all the side-swapping that happens in that universe. Even Bastila in the first game had Jen Hale doing a Fake Brit, and she uses the exact same voice for Satele. Ditto with Greg Ellis voicing Mical, who spoke with a rather posh British accent (and he's an actual Brit). Taris used a lot of Fake Brit accents, especially in the Upper City. Alderaan's nobility seem all over the map, accent-wise.
  • Characters from the Republic in works set before SWTOR had British accents. The idea that the accent is from Dromund Kaas is entirely an invention of this game, to have all the Sith characters speak with stereotypical Evil Brit accents like in the Original Trilogy, where it was actually justified because the Empire was the Republic and had the same geographic origin.
• Realizing that Revan, the big badass of the first game was nothing more an an Unwitting Pawn of the Emperor all along, and that everything he did from discovering Malachor's ruins to the Foundry (with the exception of the first game) was nothing more than being the Emperor's patsy. He and Malak go charging in like idiots and get curb-stomped by Darth Vitiate. Vitiate sets them up to smash the Republic, and Revan does so with the intent to pull an appropriately-Sith Starscream later. But, Malak gets a lucky shot, Bastila drags a half-dead amnesiac from the wreck, and we get Game #1. After that, Revan's plagued by visions, and unwilling to trust the friends who backed him from the Endar Spire to the Star Forge, he goes running off half-cocked with no backup plan, drags the Exile into it (after Malachor, Kreia, and the stunt the Jedi Council pulled, the question is "Why?!"). Those Two Idiots don't even make a backup plan to warn the Republic, put their trust in Scourge, charge in. Exile ends up dead. Revan is the Emperor's favorite chew toy / prison bitch for the next 300 years, and because Those Two Idiots made no provision to warn the Republic, an unsuspecting Republic gets invaded and curb-stomped by what amounts to a tin-plated backwater. Now, I know what the apologists say, "But Revan tempered the Emperor! He convinced the Emperor to sign the Treaty of Coruscant!" Bantha crap. The Emperor does not give a gizka's left butt cheek about his own Empire. Darth Vitiate wants everything in the galaxy to die except himself. Alternately, he was too busy living the high life as God-Emperor of Zakuul with the Republic and the Empire an annoying loose end in the way of his good time. He wanted both destroyed. To that end, what is better? A curb-stomp battle where his Sith forces crush the Republic and then get restless (so they can start wondering what he's up to)? Or a long-running war of attrition that ensures mass slaughter and atrocities on both sides, and keeps his Darths busy fighting the Republic and each other so they won't bother him? (And he can continue bleeding the Republic dry while shamelessly embezzling from the war spoils to prop up Zakuul) So, the Republic breaks Revan out of Maelstrom. There's surprisingly little fallout because Malgus is right - The Emperor let him go. Revan had no more use, aside from getting the Foundry. And what is Revan using the Foundry for? An army of droids that will slaughter 98% of the galactic population. Yes, I said "galactic." The Flashpoint says "Imperial," but c'mon. Think of how much side-swapping happens in that universe - even your companion characters are proof of that. So army of killer droids to wipe out 98% of all life in the galaxy and a war of attrition to take care of anyone that's left...All the emperor had to do is sit back, feeding on all that death, well on his way to getting the galaxy for one he always wanted or wiping out both the Republic and Empire so they wouldn't interfere with his fun. And it's the Imperials that put Revan down like a rabid mutt. Nice Job Fixing It, Villain!
• One of the missions that you can do on Taris as a Republic character is to help a team of scientists secure the wreckage of the Endar Spire, since it was the last Republic warship that was in orbit before the fall of the planet, in hopes that the flight computer would have recored the entire bombardment, therefore enabling the Republic to finally develop a method to counter planetary orbital bombardment by an enemy fleet. However, by replaying Knights of the Old Republic again, you will realize that the ship was shot down days, if not an entire week before the destruction of the planet. Therefore, not only did the members of the science team that died before you arrived sacrificed themselves for absolutely nothing, the galaxy at large STILL have no defense against orbital bombardments (Indeed, as seen during the Yuuzhan Vong War, this continues to be the case more than 3000 years later).
  • This runs counter anyway to the Mon-Cal general's statement in the JK storyline, where he said planetary shields were implemented specifically so another Taris wouldn't happen (the energy shield on Hoth in Empire? It was in-movie stated to withstand any level of fleet bombardment). If anything, the Vong books were what was considered inconsistent.
    • The Vong have different standards for orbital bombardment than the Empire (either Empire).
    • The Vong moon drop trick requires them to be able to hold a substantial ground base for a substantial period of time. No ground-based defense works on it, because getting in position to do it also means they've beaten the army that would stop them from blowing up those defenses.
    • In any case, the Empire Strikes Back establishes that even relatively low-end shields can stop fleet bombardment.
    • Not really. Remember that Vader wanted to capture Luke alive. He couldn't just slag the planet. The actual phrase is "A clean bombardment is impossible through the shield." This implies that the shield made a low-intensity, surgical bombardment impossible. There is no indication that it could stop an all-out bombardment, like Taris. In any case, the Hoth shield only covered the base. The fleet could have bombarded the surrounding area, melting all the ice and causing earth-quakes.
• When playing as a Republic trooper, you start off with terrible equipment that basically amounts to a glorified flashlight and t-shirt when compared the type of gear that your enemies have at their disposal. Your rifle, especially, is so bad that you will most likely replace it with a better one as soon as you complete your first side quest. Then you look at its description... The gear that that you start off with are standard-issue equipment for the Republic military. Meaning while as a member of Havoc Squad, you are allowed to customize your own gear, the vast majority of the Republic military have to make due with their crappy rifles and ineffective armor while fighting planetary rebels, rakghouls, Imperial soldiers, Sith Lords, and worse. Is it really a surprise then on why almost every single other Republic military operation that you come across are at the verge of defeat before you come along?
• Did Kreia know about the Sith Emperor? She knew that Revan was looking for something dangerous out in Wild Space. Her plan to "kill" the Force may have been a desperate gamble to kill Vitiate, or at least prepare the Exile for joining Revan in battle. To bad that did shit all when the chips were down.
  • She must have known something. She was aware of the existence of the 'real Sith empire'. At the very least, she knew there was a significant military power waiting in the wings to exploit the Republic's weakness and her determination to get rid of the Force hints that she knew that the Emperor had ambitions beyond just conquering things.
• Okay, so The Shroud is really Z0-0M, the silly droid with a massive memory leak. But was it really the attempt to wipe HK-55's memory that caused her to glitch, or was she malfunctioning long before that? And are we really sure that was the "real" Shroud? Droids don't usually go rogue in such a spectacular way. SCORPIO was an AI built by an unknown party, and G0-T0 only turned to crime after a Zeroth Law Rebellion. Both required extreme circumstances to take the actions they did. So, was "The Shroud" a result of a malfunction? Or is Z0-0M just another proxy for The Shroud's operations?
• One that should send Jedi Consular fans screaming. An Outlander Consular gets to reunite with Felix Iresso. The poor man went on a reckless and ill-fated attempt to rescue the Consular, only to get captured by Zakuul's forces. He was taken to a "remote colony" and subjected to horrible experimentation...but he name drops the scientist who was doing those experiments. It's the same twisted lowlife who screwed up Vaylin, turning her from an already troubled Force Sensitive into the destructive Psychopathic Womanchild the Outlander has to put down. How in the ever loving hell is Felix even remotely sane after that?!
• The climax of the Smuggler's storyline has a big reveal that Darmas Palloran and Senator Dodonna are an Imperial spy and a traitor, respectively, which puts the light side resolutions to nearly all the prior planet storylines in a new, dangerous light. Did the Nebula Weapon shipment actually reach the Republic? Did Alila and Trick actually make it safely to the Jedi? Was the Sith operation smuggling Gormak warbeasts off Voss actually stopped? Alila does send you a letter saying she and Trick are safe with the Jedi at the end of Hoth, but how do we know that wasn't a fake letter the Voidwolf had fabricated?

Fridge Brilliance:

• On Manaan, jumping into the ocean will cause your character to immediately sink. There's also a plaque that states Manaan's rules, one of them being “No Swimming”. So, basically, if your character is drowning, they can't swim their way out of the ocean, because it would break the rules.
• Once you've completed the romance quest for a companion and married them, they will give you companion gifts, with a startling trend toward delivering things that should interest your character class, if not your specific character.
• The Sith Inquisitor's trainee group is comprised of nobodies including the ex-slave protagonist who don't seem to stand a chance of being Sith material, ideologically or physically. It seems a bunch of comedy at the time; what are these people doing as candidates for a Sith Lord's apprentice? Later dialog reveals what is going on - Lord Zash had a dream vision of an unlikely, unknown Sith Apprentice being the only one who could advance her personal plans by confronting a deadly ghost. She doesn't know who she wants, but she knows what she wants.
  • Can double as fridge horror considering that she's deliberately setting a lot of trainees up to fail. Then again, that's pretty much sop for the sith.
  • And the perfect Pureblood candidate favored by the instructor is definitely not it.
  • Also a headscratcher, if you play the character as a Pureblood Sith. How did such a person become a slave in the first place?
    • An important detail is that when Aloysius Kallig was assassinated by Tulak Hord, his family fled and went into hiding. Perhaps Kallig's child attempted a Kaggath against Tulak Hord, who is known to have been involved in and won a kaggath, and erased his opponent from history before enslaving them (a Kaggath can strike the loser from the annuls of history if the victor so chooses). The Sith species had slaves even before first contact, including other Sith. Add in the fact that Lt. Talos Drelik points out how Kallig was "pro-alien" and "one of the most powerful Sith Lords of his time...perhaps the most powerful," and Tulak Hord may well have enslaved them because of their relation to Kallig full stop.
• During the trooper's storyline, part of Elara's loyalty quest involves her being forced to put up with a Jerkass Obstructive Bureaucrat from Personnel Division that accuses her of being an Imperial spy who faked her defection, even though he has absolutely no evidence. But when you play though the other classes' storylines you will discover that the Imperials are excellent Spy Masters that managed to infiltrate every part of Republic society, even the senate and the Jedi Order for the past 1000 years. That realization suddenly puts the behavior of that officer in a different light, instead of him just being a racist jerk, he was merely being Properly Paranoid and the entire affair being a tragic case of a Knight Templar going after the wrong person due to himself being a victim of Wrong Genre Savvy.
  • Honestly, Easily Forgiven for defectors is such a common trope in Star Wars that the subversions are more notable. Now, originally, it was because the Rebellion couldn't afford to turn away help, but that nuance seems to have been forgotten by writers, and by now, it's just standard.
  • Another interpretation might be that Kalor was potentially a spy himself, trying to use his position in relation to Dorne to gain access to information regarding Havoc Squad's activities. This can't have been the first time that a defector was ever inserted into covert or spec ops (and if it was there should have been more fanfare about it). There should have been decisive limitations to Kalor's authority and involvement, if said involvement should not have been severed outright immediately once Dorne came under Garza's authority. Kalor therefore most likely knew what he was doing, and likely had ulterior motives.
  • Or he is an imperial spy himself. It seems strange that someone who is worried about a security issue would not understand the concept of 'need-to-know'. Instead, he demands access to highly classified information (the whereabouts and operations of a special forces team, to which he isn't entitled.
• It has been said that this game is more of a spin-off to the Knights of the Old Republic games, which is fair enough considering those were single player experiences and this is an MMO. But look at it as if it were a true sequel, making it the third game in the series. The first KOTOR was very A New Hope in feel and tone, infamous plot twist not withstanding, and all you need look at is the cinematic for the good ending to see proof of that since it was very much channelling the award ceremony of Episode IV. KOTOR II was unquestioningly Darker and Edgier, essentially being one huge deconstruction of everything Star Wars, and ending on a very somber note... just like Empire Strikes Back. So since The Old Republic is the third in the series... Think about it. Doesn't it make a lot of sense from a thematic point?
• Despite everything Tharan Cedrax has seen with both the Jedi Consular and Master Syo, he is very skeptical about the Force, and really dislikes it when the Consular quotes Jedi mysticism or uses Force Persuade. It may sound strange for him to be such a Flat-Earth Atheist. But think on this; his field of expertise is strange and unusual technology from lost or obscure civilizations. Many of these things probably found their way into Cargo Cults across the galaxy where the so-called "experts" were little more than silly priests of the Cargo Cults. Worse, the only people who know anything about the Force are a bunch of Jedi mystics spouting Ice Cream Koans as far as he can understand them, or Drunk on the Dark Side Sith, both of which will never let a Muggle like him within a meter of it to study it and figure out how it works. An entire field of fascinating scientific possibilities are being swung around in front of him and he can't do anything about it because he wasn't (un)fortunate enough to have a high midichlorian count.
  • Another reason why the Jedi Mind Trick earns nasty amounts of disapproval from him, even when you're using it to avert violence (which is something he normally would approve of)? You are not only swinging around abilities he can't analyze or understand, but you are taking away another sentient being's capacity for reason by imposing your will on them, not by presenting a rational argument for your position. Seeing how highly Tharan values logic and reason, this would be absolutely horrifying to him.
  • Notably, the only time you can use a mind trick and gain affection from him, the target is too strong-willed and it fails.
• Lt. Iresso and a pal of his were briefly captured by the Imperials, had a holocron forcibly downloaded into their heads, and all but let go without explanation. Iresso questions why they did this to him, a no-name, Force-insensitive Republic grunt. No, Felix. They did this to you because you were a no-name, Force-insensitive Republic grunt. A Force-sensitive would be sent over to the Inquisitors to be converted to the ranks of the Sith. A Republic officer of any value would be interrogated, ransomed, or both. And considering how useful the Children of the Emperor are for causing the Republic trouble, the Sith would want to find new and better ways to make sleeper agents that did not need Darth Vitiate's personal attention. A no-name grunt that keeps getting shuffled from command to command would make an excellent Manchurian Agent.
• One of the common complains that fans of the classic Knights of the Old Republic have towards this game is that your can't really feel like The Chosen One when you know in a meta level that there are thousands of other people running around doing the same thing as you. Also, due to the game being a MMO instead of a single player RPG, there is a limit to the level of impact that your choices can have in affecting the overall storyline (no matter what you do, the character's story remain largely the same, and you can't affect the story in a large way). Then it hit me. That is EXACTLY the entire point! The Great Galactic War is meant to be a historical period in the Star Wars Expanded Universe in which both the Jedi/Republic and the Sith/Empire are at the height of their power militarily. In any other historical period, a single Player Character can win the war for their side. However, after decades of continuous war, in this point of history the entire universe has become a such a World of Badass to the point that everyone keeps getting in each other's way! Therefore, your character and crew might try their utmost to win the war for your faction, but at that very moment, someone else on the other side is doing something else to balance out the impact that your actions have caused, resulting in war dragging on, with everything remaining happily screwed. Because that's the way we like it, and the only way for the game to continue without an ending.
  • Pretty much spelled out on Taris and Balmorra, where one factions Class/Planet story as the player making great strides in fixing the planet's problems and making it great for their faction, then the other faction (later) comes in and undoes it all. Status Quo Is God as a game mechanic, basically.
• Fans that are familiar with the Expanded Universe will realize that the Titans of Industry mission was essentially this war's version of the Battle of Fresia. The only difference is that this time, it is the Republic doing the nationalization, and the Empire offering sanctuary to the defecting executives and engineers in exchange for their services. Seems like history has a sense of humor...
• At the end of Black Talon, you catch up with a badly wounded defector. The Dark Side option is killing the old man outright. The "Light Side" option is allowing him to be captured and drug away by the authorities where it's implied he'll be patched up enough to be tortured horribly for all of his secrets and then be executed. Why would that be Light Side for an Imperial? Well, first of all you are playing the bad guys. Even the nicest options on Imperial side fall under the category of Noble Demon, and the Empire is still a racist, fascist, corrupt-to-the-bone cesspit led by a Ax-Crazy theocratic cabal. Your "light side" action is showing loyalty to your Empire by making an example of the traitor and destroying the Empire's enemies with his information. The Dark Side action of shooting him outright puts your immediate anger over the Empire's needs.
  • A similar event occurs in the Warrior's story on multiple occasions. Sparing the Jedi that you have defeated counts as Light, despite the fact that they will be handed over to Darth Baras for debriefing.
• When the Hope cinematic trailer was first released, a lot of people complained about how silly it was that both Jace Malcom and Darth Malgus survived relatively unharmed from having a grenade explode at point-blank range to the face. However, when you actually play as a Trooper, you will quickly discover that this is a very clever case of gameplay and story integration. Since unless you vastly outclass your opponent, it is very rare that you can kill, or even significantly injure him/her with just a single sticky or plasma grenade. And considering that both of them are level 50 champions when you meet them, this is just a realistic portrayal (gameplay wise) of what happens when two veteran players fight each other in a PVP match.
• A very clever ploy done by the devs: the Senator that sponsors the PC Smuggler in their later chapters (whom you can flirt your way into a casual relationship with, as a male smuggler) is named Senator Dodonna. She shares this last name with General Dodonna, the commander of Yavin IV during the Death Star's attack and Admiral Dodonna from the first Knights of the Old Republic. The general is one of the most famous and trusted commanders of the Rebellion (in the EU he's even more important, having had a hand in designing the A-Wing), the Admiral was your party's backup in blowing up the Star Forge. The former is a traitor being manipulated by an Imperial Intelligence agent and one of the most bloodthirsty Imperial Admirals in the galaxy. A very nice way of catching well-studied Star Wars fans off guard.
• Inquisitor companion Khem Val favors the Cultural Artifacts gift category, which comes across as somewhat strange for how he's otherwise characterized. The thing is, however...most of the items in that gift category are ancient. And Khem Val is very much a Fish out of Temporal Water. These cultural artifacts? They're some of the only things he still has to remind him of his own era.
  • Alternately, some of them aren't that old; he could be using them to catch up on events, sort of like taking Captain America to see, well, Star Wars.
  • An alternative explanation: Despite his appearance Khem is not a dumb brute. He may genuinely appreciate art and be happy that someone sees him as more than a fighting machine.
• A "fridge funny" comes during the Republic side Rishi quest. Lana and Theron decided the best idea to make the locals leave you alone was to spread the rumor that you're a cannibalistic pirate gang. One of the Too Dumb to Live locals who challenges you and dies is a Rodian. Now, remember that any class (of either faction) can recruit Treek. And Treek mentioned she wanted to cook and eat Rodian at one point...
• In the Sith Inquisitor storyline on Alderaan, the player has the option to refuse the pleas for help from a representative in stopping a Jedi/Republic attack against the Empire's most important allies on the planet, gaining Dark Side points in the process. The result: several important Imperial allies are killed and the Empire loses a lot of its footing and support on Alderaan. The decision, however, could also count as Light Side decision, because let's face it, the Empire wants to rule the galaxy with an iron fist, using the their Alderaanian allies to create a Pro-Sith Empire government to rule the system, or simply annex the planet into its borders. By refusing to stop the attack, you not only damage the Empire's footing and place their plans for Alderaan in jeopardy, but you give the Republic a major victory over the Empire, increase their resolve, and practically guarantee their final victory in the war for control of the planet, thereby freeing another world from the tyranny of the Sith Empire.
  • The problem with this theory is that the 'make a sacrifice for an overall goal' is not a Light Side mentality, and regardless of how you play the character, the Sith Inquisitor is loyal to the Empire regardless of alignment. Refusing to help them is only ever done out of selfishness.
  • Republic Light Side/Dark Side actions often boil down to "Will I do the moral thing, or the one that's most expedient?" Imperial Light Side/Dark Side actions usually boil down to "Am I going to put my country and people first, or my own whims?" We see this aptly on the Black Talon when the Dark Side action is executing a traitor because he ticked you off, and the Light Side action is sending that traitor to get enough medical care so he can be "interrogated" (tortured horribly) and then executed.
• The female Warrior romance with Quinn includes the only time in the entire history of Star Wars where someone reacts appropriately to being romanced by a Sith: with abject terror. Quinn can actually quote statistics for what happens to normal Imperials who sleep with Sith, and desperately attempts to avoid admitting he finds you attractive. There's an air of resignation about much of what he says after you're actually in a relationship, as if he doesn't expect to survive it. The whole deal with him and Baras is enough reason for the Sith Warrior to kill him. It's not like he need to add to the "reasons to kill him" list.
  • Gets even more Fridge Brilliance when you consider why he's the only to react like this. Vette? To start the romance, the male Warrior has to take her collar off, which he has literally no reason to do unless he's kinder than most Sith. Ashara? Barring whatever he did on Taris, the male Inquisitor is nicer to her than he is anyone else by default. Andronikos and Pierce? They live for the thrill of danger, and there's nothing more dangerous than bedding a Sith. Jaesa? To romance her, she has to be Dark, which means she's insane and madly in lust with the male Warrior. Quinn, by contrast, is a very professional man who's served in the military a long time—he's probably seen or at least heard of what happens to those a Sith takes interest in.
  • Additionally, the male Warrior/Inquisitor tend to be nicer when they [Flirt] with their paramours, and the female Warrior/Inquisitor tend to be more aggressive. That works for Andronikos and Pierce, but it probably did not reassure Quinn at all.
• I was quite disappointed to not seeing anyone resembling an Imperial Agent in the trailer, but then I understood why. They're secret agents. Of course you won't see them like that in the trailer. They were most likely manipulating people or planning to make the trailer happen.
  • Ascended Fridge Brilliance: When recruiting Jorgan in Fallen Empire, he's able to identify every other class. If your Outlander is the Agent, he goes "You, I don't recognize." And after explaining, he states "Well, now I have a face to go with the nightmares."
• As a Proud Warrior Race Guy, you would probably expect Qyzen Fess to gain large amounts of influence from gifts in the Trophy category, but he doesn't because he's only interested in trophies he's earned from hunting.
• Felix Iresso's career has been stalled due to the holocron time bomb in his head, and his Mildly Military approach rankles more conventional officers (like Aric Jorgan). So why does he get to stay with the Consular (and, if the consular is female, get away with possibly marrying her)? Simple, his actions on Hoth got the attention of the Rift Alliance, who probably were all too happy to keep him around. The Republic military probably wanted to appoint a liaison officer, preferably someone who looked good on paper but was expendable in case something went sour. And by the time things progress with Lady Consular for it to be an issue for the Jedi Order, the Rift Alliance (particularly Senator Grell As in Nadia Grell, who is both the most promising telekinetic in a generation and who doesn't buy the Order's stance on love at all) probably threatened a diplomatic incident if they didn't look the other way on their Republic liaison officer and the Consular!
  • This also explains why he was abandoned by the Republic and written off as MIA. Saresh probably didn't want or need the Rift Alliance's support with the Empire on the ropes. The Jedi Order probably wasn't thrilled with Felix either - a close friendship would be bad enough, but a marriage would be even worse. Grandmaster Satele maybe had a hand in it, since a female Consular and Felix are very similar to her own past relationship with Jace Malcolm, which she views as an indiscretion. Without the Consular to put their foot down, both of them probably breathed a sigh of relief leaving him to rot.
• A number of players were not too thrilled about the Jedi Knight being forced to fight the Sith Emperor with T7-01, who originally was not exactly a powerful companion. However, think about it this way: who tagged along with (and ultimately sacrificed himself for) Revan and the Exile as they fought the Emperor? None other than T3-M4, who was one of, if not THE, most loyal companion for both of them! His destruction by the Emperor's hands infuriated many longtime KOTOR fans. Storywise, the Jedi Knight taking on the Emperor with T7 is the most poetic and appropriate path. A powerful Jedi and his loyal astromech droid taking on an Omnicidal Maniac marks profound book ends. T7 essentially gets to help you avenge the death of T3, who could be seen as the droid equivalent of his ancestor. Suck on that, Vitiate! And the icing on the cake is that original gameplay problem has more or less been solved with the Knights of the Fallen Empire expansion. Play your Jedi Knight as a decent person, and you will easily get a ton of influence with T7, making him MUCH more powerful. Thus, this moment gets even sweeter.
  • Another approach: Kira's an Emperor's Child, thus vulnerable. Scourge is too much of a coward to actually do the dirty work, and he'll do to the Knight what he did to Revan and Exile if he needed an exit strategy. Doc and/or Rusk are captured and roughed up, so they're in no shape to fight. And Mister All-powerful Villain is just arrogant enough to ignore the harmless-looking, goofy astromech droid.
  • It also explains why he's the first original Companion character to show up in Knights of the Fallen Empire. The little guy was itching for a rematch. He also, amusingly, seems to consider himself part of the Jedi Order, and may actually have a good argument for it, despite being a droid.
  • They actually explain WHY T7 is the companion you have to take with you. The Sith Emperor can overwhelm minds and turn people into puppets. The Jedi Knight threw off his influence and is now more or less immune but none of your other organic companions are, not even Kira who despite throwing him out of her mind is likely vulnerable at close range. You have to take T7 because as a droid the Emperor CAN'T take over his mind.
• After seeing Treek in action, the Curb-Stomp Battle the Ewoks gave the Empire in Return of the Jedi makes a surprising amount of sense. Think about how she effortlessly tosses several humans aside in her intro, about how effective her crude artillery is, how she cheerfully killed the crew of a starship to get off Endor's moon, how she could hold her own fighting with Mandalorians, and her admission that she'd like to eat several sentient species. And she's just one Ewok hunter (albeit a very gifted one). The Heroes of Yavin managed to recruit a whole village worth of Ewoks. Mix this with the Imps' usual Fantastic Racism preventing them from being bright enough to recruit the vicious little teddy bears, and it's almost as though the Republic remnant Trolled them off Endor.
• Many people take issue with Revan's portrayal as a Well-Intentioned Extremist. But think about it: his "redemption" wasn't natural, but forced by way of brainwashing. In KotOR after The Reveal he may vaguely remember that he was Revan, but his memories and personality haven't returned yet, he acts good because that's his programmed personality. But by the time of TOR's events he's back to his real self - just like he was before being brainwashed.
  • Well, that, and being the Emperor's Chew Toy for a few centuries, and being his Unwitting Pawn before that, as well as being Kreia's Padawan...yeah, the guy never had a chance. He was set up well before that first game to be running someone else's agenda and thinking it was his own. Chances are, he never was acting on his own will at any point in his life.
  • This is directly addressed in his own expansion: his personality was fractured into a light half and a dark half, and at different parts of the story in the core game he's either been driven completely insane or it's actually the dark-side force ghost possessing his corpse.
  • In any case, whether you believe he was good er evil at heart, Revan was always someone who took things to an extreme.
• When the Imperial Agent's Trigger Phrase is said, and a command is given, why would the devs bother giving the player the choice of dialogue if all options only lead to the Agent complying? Because it's a way for the players to see what it is like to have the choices right in front of them, but be unable to make choices... just like the Imperial Agent.
• The Sith Empire has the infrastructure of a third world country, has an economy based on slave labor when droids are readily available, and the political structure is unstable at best. All it knows how to do is wage war. The Eternal Empire has excellent infrastructure and masses of droid labor to take over menial tasks while the people live in luxury and contentment. But then you realize Vitiate was embezzling from the Sith Empire and its spoils of war to fund the Eternal Empire as Valkorion (never really caring about the Sith one), and the Sith Empire's lack of development makes a lot of sense.
• It can be a Moment of Funny when you re-spec a companion that defaulted to a damage dealer or tank (like Qyzen Fess) to a heal spec, but the brilliance kicks in when you realize that, without the Player Character, they've had to adapt to different roles to survive the events that took place while your character was stuck in carbonite.
• If you know anything about the Cathar species (or remember dealing with Juhani), then a lot about Jorgan makes perfect sense. Cathar tend to be very intense people who are loyal to a fault. Havoc's betrayal probably hit him even harder than it would have hit a human. It also explains how sweet he can be to a female Trooper who romances him; Cathar mate for life, and don't do divorce or remarriage.
  • With a Consular Outlander, a returned Felix Iresso states that it was the Outlander's people who freed him from a Zakuul prison. Assuming Jorgan survives up to that point, how much you want to bet it was Jorgan who led the rescue effort, since Felix was one of his subordinates before the game's events, and still thought of Felix as one of his men?
• Another brilliant bit for the Trooper party. Elara being incredibly well-versed in Republic rules and regulations, and being a stickler for following them? First of all, the Imperial mentality is heavy on law and order. Just see the creepy shininess of Kaas City compared with the chaos of Coruscant. Being from an Imperial military family, she would have been hearing rules and regs from the time she could talk. Secondly, when she defected, she would have had an uphill battle to prove herself, so learning all the Republic rules and regulations and following them to the letter is the best way she knows how to prove herself. Also, as a former Imperial, she is more vulnerable than the average soldier and more likely to be suspected and/or prosecuted if anything goes wrong. So, it is wise to make sure every action she takes is legally justified. A solid knowledge of the regulations is a great help in that regard.
• Koth's oddball outlook makes a lot of sense when you think about Zakuul culture. Valkorian was a villain with amazing PR, and the Eternal Empire had a standard of living above even the Republic Core worlds. Before the Outlander, he hasn't been exposed to any of his ruler's misdeeds, and has never seen the devastation Vitiate's manipulation brought to the Republic and Sith Empire. As far as he knows, Valkorion always has been the very picture of enlightened despot, and the whole Omnicidal Maniac idea seems incredible. Senya can't really believe the whole idea that Valkorian was a monster, either. After all, who wants to believe they were the once-happy mistress of a Humanoid Abomination, much less bore their children? Furthermore, if you take him to the Scions, it's implied that the Scions had heavy influence over the place he grew up with, and the Scions are all about obeying destiny.
• For those who remember Jade Empire: Valkorion accomplished what Sun Li was trying to accomplish - a perfectly ordered, peaceful Empire and the powers of a deity...that needs to be draining life from everywhere else in order to keep running.
• The name of Z0-0M, HK-55's companion in his bonus chapter, is a Stealth Pun. The villain of that chapter is the Shroud, the person behind the macrobinoculars quest chain in Rise of the Hutt Cartel. What do you do in-game when you find something with the macrobinoculars? You zoom in. It's also a nice Mythology Gag aimed at Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords' "Goto"/G0-T0, another conveniently named droid party member who was actually The Man Behind the Man.
  • On a related note, G0-T0 learned how to be a mobster by watching holofilms and playing the part accordingly. Wanna bet that The Shroud watched a bunch of spy-based holovids and built that ridiculous base of theirs accordingly? Another layer of brilliance Of course that crazy base wouldn't be accessible by organics - it wasn't designed by or for an organic.
• Why is getting into a romance/sisterhood bond with Ranna Tao'Ven a Dark Side option for the Jedi Knight? Because this early in the story, he/she is just a Padawan. Making such a deep emotional attachment before their training is finished is definitely giving into their emotions. And the last/next time that happens, this will/did not go well.
  • To say nothing about what trying to make a hook-up with a cute twi'lek before the Prologue is even finished says about the Player.
• A combo plate of Brilliance, Horror, and "Curse you, BioWare!" Valkorion gives the Outlander a Sadistic Choice as to whether you save Torian or Vette - the one you don't choose is killed. But why these two, of all the Ragtag Bunch of Misfits? Simple. One more Player Punch to the Knights of the Old Republic players. Think about who they resemble. Vette has the same appearance, skill set, voice actress, and attitude as a grown-up Mission Vao. Torian's sense of honor, dedication to the Mandalorian ideals, and amicable demeanor can make him resemble a younger Canderous Ordo. If the Outlander is pretty much the second coming of Revan, then it makes sense that Valky would single out the party members who most resemble Revan's crew just to be a bigger jerk. It's also a way of addressing the criticism as to Revan and Exile leaving behind all their allies, save the droids, and not telling them about Vitiate.
  • Further driving home the point. On a Dark Side run of Knights of the Old Republic, you'll be forced to kill Mission in order to leave the final planet. If you skip ahead to Ossus on an Imperial character that is not a Sith Warrior, it's assumed that Vette was the one killed.
• Likewise, the party assembled that eventually takes out Revan? In some ways, a Dark Reprise of Revan's own team, particularly the ones Revan left behind. Satele? Pretty much an aged up Bastila. Theron takes Carth's position. Jakarro has a bruiser role like Zaalbar. There's the future Mandalore along for a good scrap. Lana and Marr are inverses of Jolee and Juhani. A Knight with T7, a Warrior with Vette, or anyone else with HK-51 more or less completes the lineup.
• One that extends to the now-canonical films. Take a good look at Taris. A prosperous, albeit corrupt, city planet got reduced to what you see here; a polluted, rakghoul-infested swamp where even the Hope Spot Light-Side option you took in the first game deteriorated into Shoot the Shaggy Dog - the survivors picked off by disease, rakghouls, starvation, and toxic waste. Republic efforts to clean up and resettle turned into a money pit, and the Imperials invade and Shoot the Shaggy Dog again by running off the Republic forces and colonists. Little wonder the Tarisian Senator was the loudest voice in the room stating that rebellion against Palpatine was hopeless.
  • Alternative explanation: Taris' anti-alien bias never went away and even in Palpatine's time they actually preferred his pro-human policies.
• One for the Bounty Hunter's arc: One of your first tasks in the Great Hunt is to obtain a ship to leave Dromund Kaas...by stealing it. The Great Hunt is organized by Mandalorians, so obtaining your way off-world via spoils of battle is to be expected. However, the brilliance kicks in when you remember this; how did the party escape Taris in the first game? Yup, by marching right into a hanger, killing Davik, and stealing the ship! And who was the mastermind of that plan? None other than the future Mandalore the Preserver!
• Another brilliant piece of meta. Why are Jedi Shadows a possible tank class, despite Consulars being Squishy Wizards in most lore? Think about who was grandmaster of the rebuilt Jedi after Meetra Surik left on her ill-advised (and equally ill-fated) attempt on the Emperor. Mical the Disciple is a very classic Consular in mentality, but started as a Soldier (tank) class. It's doubly fitting as Mical was a Republic Intelligence agent, and the Jedi Shadows are the intelligence/black ops wing of the Jedi Order.
• Another for the Consular. When Master O'a is building the holocron, he mentions that the Consular may one day be known as the Hierophant of the Jal Shey. The Jal Shey are a Force using sect that are independent of Jedi or Sith, but focus more on diplomacy and study the Force from a more intellectual and science based perspective. The diplomacy part is the Consular's wheelhouse, but approaching the Force from a scientific and intellectual perspective? Well, it's entirely plausible that Dr. Cedrax (who hates mysticism, but clearly can't argue with what the Force can do) is going to be a scientist and write down his observations and perhaps conduct some ethical experiments with the Consular, Nadia or even (if they live) Masters Syo and Yuon, creating a detailed scientific analysis of what he learns about the Force. Such a compendium would annoy Jedi and infuriate Sith..but the Jal Shey perspective would embrace such a document with enthusiasm and see the Consular as an honorary Jal Shay for being willing to allow scientific study of their abilities. And that's assuming an Outlander Consular doesn't choose to walk away from Jedi and Sith and take the Jal Shey as a third option that allows them to continue their diplomatic work.
• A Bounty Hunter one. Gault's Shipper on Deck tendencies toward a female hunter and Torian make a lot of sense when you see Hylo Visz. Visz, like the female Hunter is a brassy, tough fighter. Gault, despite himself, is probably reminded of his happier times with her.
• At the conclusion of War on Iokath, the Outlander has a discussion with Lana and Theron about what steps they'll take to uncover the traitor they've learned is operating from within the Alliance. Lana suggests putting every member of the Alliance under surveillance, but Theron objects to the idea of invading everyone's privacy for the sake of catching one mole - it would look like any other choice between Light and Dark Side actions being argued by your resident Republic and Empire representatives, if it weren't for the fact that Knights of the Fallen Empire established that Theron himself already monitors the communications and private conversations of everyone in the Alliance. What makes this brilliant instead of just out of character is that the very next flashpoint reveals that Theron is the traitor... and two flashpoints after that, in The Nathema Conspiracy, the Outlander can learn that this very conversation was being monitored and recorded by GEMINI 16 for the Order of Zildrog.
• Saresh's betrayal in KOTET comes as a surprise, until you remember where you first met her when playing Republic side. She was the governor of Taris and somehow used that to put herself into the Chancellor's seat. However, the player could see for him/her self that Taris under her leadership was a complete mess. Civilians were marginalized, officers were corrupt, soldiers were deserting. Meanwhile, Saresh was sitting in her office, letting others do all the work, all the while making speeches about how everyone had to work hard to build the future. She did not care what happened to Taris, as long as she could use it to pad her CV. That same selfishness continues throughout the game.
• A bit of brilliance for the Smuggler storyline: at first glance the first act's plot - a galaxy spanning treasure hunt - might seem a little out of place in the larger Star Wars universe, and largely disconnected from the overarching plot of Republic Vs Empire. But remember that the Smuggler is an Expy of Han Solo, who was played by Harrison Ford. Who else is Harrison famous for playing?
• Something on Republic armor:
  • The armor of the Republic trooper sports many similarities to Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders. Considering how badly the Mandalorians had previously trounced the Republic, it appears they were taken as model for the Republic's special forces, up to their armor, in the same way the Kaminoans would later design the Clone Trooper Phase I armor on Jango Fett's Supercommando armor.
  • In the Prequel Trilogy, Senate Guards wear helmets quite similar to those of Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders, with the elite Senate Commandos wearing armor rather close to the same model. Likely, it's based on the Troopers' own armor, itself based on Mandalorian Neo-Crusader armor.
• In the female Sith Inquisitor's Romance Arc with Andronikos Revel, he gains approval if the Inquisitor flirts or even sleeps with other men. Note the importance he puts on his own personal freedom: despite being a Muggle in a relationship with a Sith Lord, he makes absolutely clear that he's willing to walk if she treats him as anything other than an equal who is with her voluntarily. Likely, he in turn likes that she doesn't feel tied down by him. Andronikos Revel is many things, but a hypocrite he is not.
• Why does the Sith Empire encounter such extreme resistance on pretty much every Republic world they conquer? We're never told exactly why, but it's a safe bet that it's directly related to the fact that every example of Imperial governance we see or hear about during the game is oppressive, tyrannical and very quick to start killing civilians over minor infractions. Putting aside the vindictive nature of the Sith, this is a side effect of the Empire's entire civilization being a theocracy, complete with a God-Emperor, that's entire purpose has been to prepare for a cataclymic war with the Republic and the Jedi: Imperials have no concept of how to fairly rule over anyone, and on the other side Republic citizens who end up losing aren't going to just submit to people like that because they come from a civilization that is fair.

Fridge Humor:

• The entire concept of the Star Cabal. The concept of the Star Cabal was to control the Galaxy and eliminate the influence of Force users (Sith or Jedi) after the Great Hyperspace War, and they think they have at least partially succeeded. However, when you've played all characters, as well as KotOR and KoTOR 2, you know that, in reality, the Sith Emperor has manipulated the Mandalorians into attacking the Republic. The Republic, in turn, begged the Jedi for help. This led to Revan's (a Jedi's) revolt, resulting in the defeat of the Mandalorians and the rise of Revan as a Sith. This dragged the Jedi into a war, which decimated both the Republic and the Jedi Order, opening the door for the Sith to conquer half the galaxy. then they manipulate events on Corellia in order to achieve a war of attrition to maximize casualties. But that is exactly what the Emperor wants! And yet the Star Cabal think they've accomplished something. Their naivety is hilarious.
  • Consider also what the later expansions mean for the Star Cabal and its plans. Even if they'd "won", a few years later the Eternal Empire would have come along (seemingly out of nowhere) and flipped the table they spent so much time setting up.
  • Another hilarious facet of how out of their depth the Star Cabal is that despite their hatred of Force Users they have completely failed to account for them in all their plans. There are padawans that can Suss out their members and motives using their force abilities, as we see from Jaesa, to say nothing of experienced Masters and Sith Lords who no doubt deal with complex plans and organizations every other day.

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