Darth Hater

Lance Henriksen voices another entry focusing on The Great Hyperspace War in the Timeline section of the HoloNet as this Friday's Star Wars: The Old Republic update. The Great Hyperspace War tells of the explorers Gav and Jori Daragon, who stumbled upon the Sith Empire while looking for new hyperspace routes. Thought to be Republic spies, they were captured and imprisoned, but liberated during Naga Sadow's rise to power. As the new Sith Lord, he attacked Coruscant, leading his forces from a meditation chamber far from the battle. Ultimately, Naga Sadow was betrayed by his apprentice, and fled in exile to Yavin IV. The Republic razed Korriban, wiping away remnants of the Sith, leading them to flee to deep space and discovering Dromund Kaas, where the new Sith Emperor began to rebuild his Empire.

As always, yellow text and video embed after the jump...

BioWare does not disappoint in their post count for this week's DevTracker Highlights. Lead Writer Daniel Erickson talks vague narrative timelines and how the Sith don't see themselves as evil, but everyone else does. Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller dives into Flashpoints, weapon flourishes, the use of instancing on planets, misconceptions about base class and advanced class abilities, and the MMO design with concerns to testing and feedback. Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert explores how real world economics translates to in-game economies. All this and more continued after the jump.

This week's Star Wars: The Old Republic Friday Update puts fans during the time of the Rebirth of the Sith Empire. The Timeline explains the efforts the Sith Empire undertook to claim Dromund Kaas for the Emperor. It highlights a human Grand Moff by the name of Odile Vaiken, who undertook preparations for the Emperor's true plans for the Empire. In true form, the Timeline leaves you with a tease with a further explanation only to be had in the next Timeline -- The Great Hyperspace War. You can find the original post by Stephen Reid, video embed, and a working dissection after the jump.

The Timeline series is a wonderful source of information on the history preceding Star Wars: The Old Republic. Over the last year we carefully analyzed the first seven videos, breaking them down to learn as much as we can about the circumstances that shaped the galaxy. Continuing this series, we now take a closer look at the eighth, ninth, and tenth entry in this fan favorite.

Star Wars: The Old Republic unveiled the latest entry in the Timeline series today with a focus on Exar Kun's back story, and an allusion to Sith spirit possession:



The stories of Exar Kun's fall to the dark side and his campaign of destruction against the Republic have been told as warnings to Jedi Padawans for generations. After witnessing the return of the Sith Empire, Master Gnost-Dural has realized a new relevance to Exar Kun's role in history.

BTC 347 -- Decades before the outbreak of the Mandalorian Wars, a promising Jedi named Exar Kun began exploring the secrets of the Force. Despite the warnings of his Masters, Kun didn't hesitate to experiment with the dark powers of the ancient Sith. After being confronted by the spirit of the fallen Sith Lord Freedon Nadd, Exar Kun harnessed the power of the Sith Temples on Yavin 4 and embarked on a campaign to destroy the Republic and the Jedi Order. After aligning with the Krath Cult and fellow fallen Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, Exar Kun's armies managed to destroy the Jedi library on Ossus, but that was to be his final victory before being betrayed and defeated. Centuries later, the Jedi have learned that Exar Kun's campaign took place even while the ancient Sith Empire remained in exile on Dromund Kaas. Jedi Master Gnost-Dural now asks, if Exar Kun's rise to power was encouraged by the spirits of the ancient Sith, what might this suggest about their support for the resurrected Sith Empire?

Watch the latest Timeline holorecord, The Exar Kun War narrated by actor Lance Henriksen. You can also download a high resolution version of this video.

This week's Star Wars: The Old Republic update is the Jedi Civil War Timeline:

One of the greatest threats to the Republic preceding the Great War arose approximately three hundred years before when the Sith Lords Darth Revan and Darth Malak began the Jedi Civil War. Jedi Master Gnost-Durals historical investigation steps back to this era, and he examines new evidence which reshapes the Orders understanding of the events surrounding Revans fall and his ultimate fate.

Quote:
BTC 303 Three hundred years before the Sacking of Coruscant, two prominent Jedi Knights pursued enemy forces into Deep Space at the conclusion of the Mandalorian Wars. When the two Jedi, Revan and Malak, returned to Republic space, they had fallen to the dark side. As Sith Lords, Revan and Malak began searching the galaxy for a powerful ancient artifact known as the Star Forge. During their dark campaign, however, Malaks ambitions grew and eventually drove him to betray Revan, sparking the bloody Jedi Civil War. Though Revan was ultimately redeemed and restored peace to the galaxy, he disappeared afterward in search of a great darkness in Deep Space. Through his investigation, Master Gnost-Dural now confirms that this great darkness is the Sith Empire the Jedi Order battles today.

Watch the latest Timeline holorecord, The Jedi Civil War, narrated by actor Lance Henriksen.

You can also download a high resolution version of this video.

Highlights after the jump.

Sean Dahlberg's twitter page contains an interesting tidbit of what could be a possible timeline video for tomorrow's update:

Ever wonder why the heroes of the Mandalorian War turned to the dark side? Find out tomorrow

This brings up the possibility that Revan could be related to the update. If you look at the Timeline page, the next in the series states:

A fallen Jedi Knight named Revan redeemed himself by defeating Darth Malak in his efforts to take control of the galaxy.

It is looking to be an eventful Friday for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

While not officially announced as a playable planet in Star Wars: The Old Republic, Geonosis sits with Dantooine and Yavin IV on the list of possible additions. A promising candidate, Geonosis is mentioned in multiple forms of marketing: including the Timeline, Biography section, and even the Threat of Peace. Geonosis is an iconic location with an important role in the films and continued development in books. A closer look at Geonosis reveals some interesting possibilities.

We here at Darth Hater are known for our careful inspection and analysis of any media released regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic. One of the major subjects in our never ending search for clues are the Timeline videos in the HoloNet section of the official website. Keeping with the examination we presented last month, we dove into the recently released seventh episode Peace for the Republic? to see what we could find.

After taking a closer look at Dantooine, we decided to examine other planets and locations we may see revealed in future Star Wars: The Old Republic updates. While Yavin 4 is not as prominent in the older marketing, it played a key role in the Peace for the Republic timeline. More than a simple overview, the video revealed some very interesting details about the events on Yavin 4 leading up to The Old Republic. However, it did not cover the moons entire backstory. The history of Yavin 4 is weaved heavily throughout Star Wars lore, and the sequence of events that unfolded in the most recent timeline are all the more interesting when placed in the proper context.

More yellow text appeared on the Developer Tracker today from both Daniel Erickson and Rob Chestney about "Peace for the Republic?", the latest Star Wars: The Old Republic HoloNet Timeline entry.

First, Rob Chestney explained how the events portrayed in Obsidian's Knights of the Old Republic 2 are relevant to Star Wars: The Old Republic, but were not covered withing the Timeline series:

Hey Folks, always nice to see the healthy debate sparked by the Timeline pieces. I love Star Wars history and particularly anything relating to KotOR. Even though KotOR 2 was developed by another developer, lots of folks at BioWare played and enjoyed it, including myself. If you look closely within the game, you will find several references to events or characters from KotOR 2, and we absolutely treat it as canon. I will also say that there have been discussions about the final fate of the Exile, who was indeed a woman according to the canon.

Today's update is the seventh entry in the Timeline series, entitled "Peace for the Republic?"

The centuries immediately preceding the Great War were thought to be one of the most peaceful eras in Republic history. As he dives deeper into the galaxys history, Master Gnost-Dural discovers new evidence that suggests the dark influence of the Sith Empire was seeping into the Republic even then. Gnost-Durals latest report isolates one historical incident which suggests there was a Sith Lord pulling strings within the ranks of the Jedi decades before the war even began.

BTC 103 - More than a century before the Sacking of Coruscant, two Jedi scholars embarked on a journey which became one of most inexplicable mysteries of its time. Young Jedi Knight Eison Gynt joined his Master in a mission to investigate the Ancient Sith Temple of Yavin 4. On Yavin, the pair was attacked by the native Massassi and driven into the Tomb of Naga Sadow where a powerful force of darkness emerged. Gynts Master returned to Coruscant wounded and half-insane, remorseful that young Eison Gynt had been killed in the chaos. Years later, however, Gynt returned from Yavin on his own and attacked his former Master. Gynt was killed and all assumed that he had been tainted by the darkness on Yavin 4 and returned to Coruscant for revenge. Nonetheless, the truth, as Master Gnost-Dural has discovered, may have been far more sinister.

Watch the latest Timeline holorecord, Peace for the Republic?, narrated by actor Lance Henriksen.

You can also download a high resolution version of this video.


There are several interesting references to note in this edition of the timeline. The Sith temples of Yavin IV feature predominantly and Naga Sadow is also a key player in this timeline entry. There is also intriguing artwork of the Star Forge in the parting shot.

Here at Darth Hater we are constantly examining any media released for Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Holonet, in particular, quickly became one of our most valued resources in this endeavor. Framed by the ever important fourth pillar, each new release on the official site slowly increases our knowledge of the people and places we will encounter when players finally get their hands on the game. In light of the recent addition of a biographies section, we thought it might be a good idea to look back over the Holonet and find all the people we have been introduced to over the past year and a half.

Note: This article will be updated over time as we include new items to the dissection.

There have been six Star Wars: The Old Republic timeline videos produced and presented by BioWare and LucasArts to date. Each one reveals more about the history leading up to the story we will see in Star Wars: The Old Republic. With an analysis of the timeline videos, both individually and as a whole, an idea of the greater story begins to appear. Note: ATC (After the Treaty of Coruscant) / BTC (Before the Treaty of Coruscant)

Here at Darth Hater we love to pry into the nuts and bolts of every piece of information released about Star Wars: The Old Republic. This hunger for information leads us to learn a great deal about the history and lore of the Star Wars Universe as a whole, and we love nothing more then to share that with you. To continue that trend, here is a closer look at one of the more interesting planets mentioned in the recent Onslaught of the Sith Empire Timeline video: Sluis Van.

Today's update is the latest timeline entry, Onslaught of the Empire:

A new holorecord in the Jedi Archive tells the story of the Sith Empire's surprise attack at the start of the Great War over 28 years before the Sacking of Coruscant. Master Gnost-Dural notes the brilliance of the Imperial military's carefully orchestrated assault which put the Republic at a disadvantage for the duration of the conflict.

BTC 28 Centuries after being driven into exile, the Sith Empire returned from deep space to launch the most calculated military assault in Republic history. Strategically revealing its attack in a menacing manner, the Sith struck fear into the hearts of the Republic's defenders even while orchestrating surprise attacks at carefully targeted locations across the galaxy. When the Republic fleet rushed to respond, they discovered the Sith had established puppet governments on several planets in the Outer Rim. Surrounded by enemies and traitors, the Republic fleet was forced to scatter, allowing the Sith Empire to sweep through most of the Outer Rim without further challenge. The Empire's initial victories put the Republic at a disadvantage for the duration of the Great War.

Watch the sixth Timeline holorecord, Onslaught of the Sith Empire, narrated by actor Lance Henriksen.

NOTE: All download options will be available later today.

We noticed a few more planets mentioned, specifically in the Tingel Arm sector: Belkadan, Sernpidal, and Ruuria. A green planet is shown, referred to as located in the Sluis sector of the Outer Rim. We think this is Sluis Van (find credit: bigbaldpapa).

Everyone following Star Wars: The Old Republic has all heard about this planet, now it is time to dive deeper into the lore. I will start with the obvious, Bothawui is the home of the Bothans and the capital of the Bothan sector. We first heard about the Bothan species in Return of the Jedi when many spies died to bring the Rebellion leaked news about the second Death Star. It is this spy network that interests us, because the Bothans have been spies since the Republic has been a republic.

During the Battle of Bothawui timeline video, Bioware mentioned that the Sith had taken the Seswenna Sector in the Outer Rim. Although nothing has been confirmed as to whether any planets in this sector will be in-game, let's explore the lore behind this sector and see if we can pick out a few important planets.

As many or all of you have seen, the most recent timeline from the SWTOR community fansite went into detail about the Sith Empire's intelligence agents, and their role in the Mandalorian attacks. The intelligence agents are described as "Just as deadly as their Sith superiors", and their efforts lead to the creation of a new Mandalore. This manipulated Mandalore became a puppet of the Sith Empire. The video highlights the influence and power of these agents. The previous timeline video "The Mandalorian blockade is broken" followed a similar pattern. The Smuggler class was revealed around 2 weeks after it came out, and the video itself showed the importance of smugglers to the Republic's survival.