Despite being released 18 years ago, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords remains one of the best examples of storytelling in the Star Wars franchise. With its complex characters, plot, and ideas about the Force, KOTOR 2 remains a firm fan favorite. Unfortunately, more recent additions to the Star Wars universe have ruined the legacy that KOTOR 2, and its predecessor, Knights of the Old Republic, built.
Set almost 4,000 years before the main Star Wars saga, KOTOR 2 tells the story of the Exile, a former Jedi Knight, as they gather allies and strength to fight two of the most powerful Sith Lords in Star Wars. This is a vast oversimplification of an incredibly intricate storyline that delves into what it really means to be good or evil and the Exile's role within the universe. Choices made by the player throughout determined story points, the character's appearance, and even change entire planets. Finally, like all good RPGs, KOTOR 2 featured multiple endings based on those choices to really make players feel immersed in the world.
KOTOR 2 was officially de-canonized in 2014 when Disney renamed all Extended Universe content Legends. However, recent new additions to the Star Wars galaxy have gone further to undo established details and the legacy of the well-loved game. Although the changes to lore are significant, they are not insurmountable if Lucasfilm ever wanted to bring the KOTOR games into canon. In fact, the trends seen in newer content points to a larger problem within the current Star Wars canon.
Lore Changes Between Star Wars Canon And KOTOR 2
Addressing the lore issue for a moment brings up some key changes between KOTOR 2 and the new Star Wars canon. As KOTOR 2 is now part of the Legends continuity, some details established within both Knights of the Old Republic games have been changed or scrapped. Some of these are pretty significant and mean that adapting KOTOR into canon would be all the more difficult.
George Lucas himself retconned the existence of Force ghosts, the manifestation of a Force 's spirit after death, into the Jedi-only Force spirits, which are now canon. It is now impossible for a dark-side Force , such as a Sith, to become a Force spirit, as the process is directly linked to selflessness and sacrifice. This is shown in The Clone Wars season six episode "Sacrifice" when Yoda is confronted by what seems to be the Force ghost of Darth Bane. However, Yoda expresses that he knows this is just an illusion as Sith cannot be Force spirits. Sith, however, can imprint part of their consciousness onto objects, as shown in the 2017 Darth Vader comic series with Darth Momin, who communicates with Vadar via his ancient mask.
Another change comes in the form of lightsaber crystals, also known as kyber crystals, and how Sith get theirs to turn red. In KOTOR 2, the crystals came in a variety of colors which would then dictate the color of all the lightsaber blades. However, the new canon is that the kyber crystal must be corrupted, a process known as bleeding, in order to turn it red. This was first mentioned in E. K. Johnston's Ahsoka novel before being shown in the 2017 Darth Vader comic series.
One of the most significant changes has been made with the recent release of the High Republic novels and the 2014 Tarkin novel by Jame Luceno. Both Tarkin and the High Republic releases changed what was established lore concerning hyperspace travel and the Outer Rim. KOTOR 2 sees the player use hyperspace lanes to travel easily around Outer Rim worlds. However, with the newly established canon, that would be impossible.
In the High Republic novels, the Jedi are exploring and specifically mention that hyperspace beacons were still in use and that travel around the Outer Rim was dangerous as it was unmapped. However, much of KOTOR and KOTOR 2 takes place on Outer Rim worlds thousands of years before the High Republic claim they were still charting the territories. These technological and territorial changes are huge retcons to what had been accepted canon and alter a great deal of the Old Republic timeline and content.
Star Wars Legends Can Coexist With Canon
As KOTOR 2 takes place almost 4,000 years before any of the Star Wars movies and even the High Republic, some of the changes can be explained away due to that huge gap within the Star Wars canon timeline. 4,000 years is an incredibly long time, with the Earth's equivalent being the Bronze Age and the construction of Stonehenge. Could technology, star charts, and knowledge about the Force be forgotten in that time? Absolutely.
What has really left many annoyed is that beloved titles are no longer considered canon despite little to no conflict in lore. KOTOR and KOTOR 2 contributed an incredible amount to the lore of Star Wars, much of which should still be considered canon. Star War: The Old Republic still keeps the KOTOR universe alive, but the MMO still draws mixed feelings from fans, making it the less-than-ideal vessel to carry the KOTOR torch forward.
However, language matters and the word Legends is a clever choice on the part of Disney and Lucasfilm. Using the term Star Wars Legends for the KOTOR games leaves the interpretation of the content up to the fans. Did the events actually happen, or are they just a story? With both KOTOR games taking place so far removed from the main Star Wars content, even calling them Legends still allows them to be canon in a way.
Newer Star Wars Has Deeper Issues Regarding KOTOR 2
The real problem with Star Wars and its relationship with KOTOR 2 lies more with the storytelling than with details. Star Wars canon undermines the complexity and deconstruction of the philosophy surrounding the Force that really made KOTOR 2 stand out. KOTOR 2 wasn't afraid to tell complex stories, whereas more recent additions to Star Wars concerning Force s feel like a massive step back.
KOTOR 2 was a game that thoroughly deconstructed many core Star Wars ideas in a way that hasn't been matched since. KOTOR 2 used characters like Kreia to pull apart the concepts of the light and dark sides of the Force and showed players a different way of viewing both Jedi and Sith. It forced the player to ask deep questions about what it means to be a hero. KOTOR 2 truly dug into why the Jedi mattered and how they were more than just "the good guys" but were undoubtedly the heart of the Republic, without which the Republic would fall.
KOTOR 2 delved into some profound philosophical ideas about why Jedi mattered and how they inspired people, which isn't explored thoroughly in canon material now. Star Wars: The Last Jedi divided fan opinion with its take on the future of the Jedi, with Luke expressing that it was time for the Jedi Order to end once more. This was similar to KOTOR 2, which took the time to explore the idea of whom the Jedi essentially were and why - or if - they were relevant. However, this was utterly undone in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, where Force s were again reduced to "Jedi good, Sith bad."
This simplistic view undermines and devalues all the hard work done by teams like KOTOR 2's Obsidian Entertainment and the defunct lore created by such games. By ignoring KOTOR 2 and relegating it to Legends, rather than incorporating it into canon, future Star Wars content cannot benefit from the depth provided by its characters and story. This lessens the universe irreparably if the deeper questions are ignored in favor of more fan service cameos and action sequences.
KOTOR 2 is better than most and was a brilliant piece of storytelling that could serve as inspiration for more nuanced narratives for future Star Wars content. Modern Star Wars hasn't ruined KOTOR 2 due to details being changed or lore being rewritten. Knights of the Old Republic 2 feels ruined because its mark left on Star Wars feels as though it is utterly meaningless now, as its contributions to lore via philosophy are ignored.
