Knights of the Old Republic: The best Star Wars game that was ever released and that ever will be released.  Yes, I know.  You’re all tired of hearing me talk about how much I love KOTOR but that doesn’t stop it from being a great story and taking another look at it would give Lucasfilm a chance to help fix a few of the problems currently facing them.  I won’t repeat myself and go into how very Star Wars the story is and how great the characters are.  Instead, I’m here to pitch you an idea for the new canon.  Ready?  Here’s the pitch: Revamp both Knights of the Old Republic games for modern consoles and take advantage of the chance to update the graphics and to properly finish the second one, finally make that third KOTOR game, tell the lead up story as a television series on a major network (or even cable), and canonize both Revan and the Exile as women.

Let’s start from the top.  Knights of the Old Republic was fun.  Regardless of what you think of the second game, I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Star Wars fan who didn’t enjoy playing the first game.  It’s a well-liked and familiar property set in an era that’s almost definitely unaffected by the Story Group’s new overarching canon.  Bringing the games out of Legend and into official canon could quite possibly go a long way towards making some of those still upset about the canon change happier.  Also, imagine getting to play the games except created with modern technology.  The original games continue to have their charm but modern graphics paired with an awesome story?  (Just think about it, we’ll wait.)  This is also a great opportunity for Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords to be properly finished so we can finally play the droid factory planet without having to mod beyond belief.  A third game to round out the trilogy is a no brainer really.  It’s been ten years and portion of the fan base is still clamoring for KOTOR3.  It’s a license to print money.

A prequel (don’t look at me like that’s a dirty word) would be the best plot line for a tie-in show that would let the games stand alone and it would give the writers plenty to work with.  To tell the story, I’d imagine that perhaps three to four seasons of 10-13 episodes each would be ideal.  They could chronicle the attack of the Mandalorians, the refusal of the Jedi to answer, Revan and Malak going off and becoming heroes as they lead the fight back, their descent into darkness, and then rise of their Sith army.  It would ultimately culminate in Bastila’s mission that results in Revan’s capture and amnesia.  Is it ambitious for a television show?  Sure but we now live in a world where Game of Thrones is wildly successful and has a huge budget.  I could see Disney green-lighting it.

One of KOTOR’s greatest strengths was its characters and Lucasfilm would be wise to take advantage of them.  The supporting crew were all well-rounded with their own backgrounds and motivations and the protagonist was, well, entirely dependent on you.  The best thing though was how diverse the cast was in terms of race, gender, and species.  It’s something more properties should take a note of.  That said, it wasn’t perfect and this is where the game should take a hint from Saints Row IV.  Yes, that Saints Row IV.  In Saints Row, you play as the Boss who is a character you customize completely and your crew treats you the same way regardless of gender including romancing.  During a recent replay of KOTOR, I got frustrated that the game prevented me from being able to romance Bastila as female Revan.  I’d love to see a version of the game that isn’t quite so tied to turn of the century social rules especially since we’ve now seen what Bioware can do.

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that Star Wars continues to have a gender problem though.  We’ve discussed it ad nauseum here at Tosche Station from the lack of representation in merchandise to the painfully unequal casting announcements.  While I will always adore that KOTOR lets YOU decide what gender Revan is and even what they look like, I do thinking officially canonizing it would be a good thing but this time as a woman.  Same goes for the Exile.  John Jackson Miller’s Knights of the Old Republic comics did a pretty good job of skirting the issue of Revan’s gender but if Disney wanted to capitalize on this property and make a live action television show, they’d have to make a definitive call.  By making Revan and the Exile female in what would undoubtedly be a very popular storyline in the franchise, Disney would essentially be forced into giving them the respect that they (and the other female characters) deserve when it comes to merchandizing.  Even in this unfortunate Natasha-less, Gamora-less, and Hera-less world that we live in, I have a hard time seeing them be able to justify NOT making toys of the two main characters.  (Just imagine if they even canonized Revan as a woman of color…)

Three video games (revamped and finished for the modern world) and a TV show are really just the bare bones of the KOTOR initiative.  There’s an opportunity for tie-in novels and comics and toys galore but most importantly, it’s an opportunity to please Star Wars fans both new and existing, make strides towards putting more women in the leading roles, and play around in a part of the timeline that won’t interfere with the films at all.

Also I just really want more KOTOR.  And a TV show about Revan-the-Jedi-Master-Strategist as she defeats the Mandalorians.

Say it with me now: three video games and a TV show!