As the long-awaited remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic draws closer, one of its most iconic characters has been officially introduced to Star Wars' current canon for the first time. Darth Revan, perhaps KOTOR's most famous contribution to the Star Wars franchise, was recently mentioned by name in the canon novel Shadow of the Sith. This development could hint at the remake of KOTOR taking its place in Star Wars canon as well, but it may also result in substantial changes.
[Warning: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.]
Knights of the Old Republic is a classic Star Wars role-playing game, and is widely regarded as offering some of Star Wars' best gaming moments. Unfortunately, it, along with the rest of the franchise's Expanded Universe, was dubbed non-canon in 2014. Thus, the events of the game's story and the original iterations of its characters could not be guaranteed to appear in subsequent official Star Wars properties without alteration. Among all the characters and historical events included in KOTOR, Darth Revan is certainly one of the most important, and fans have long been hopeful for their reintroduction to the franchise. Now, fans have gotten their wish, but it may not take the form they expected.
Shadow of the Sith takes place between the original Star Wars trilogy and the recent sequel trilogy, and features characters such as Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, Ben Solo, and Dathan, the father of Rey. At one point, Dathan is exploring the Sith citadel on Exegol when he comes across a group of Sith cultists chanting the names of ancient Sith Lords, including Darth Revan. At the very least, this means that someone bearing the name Revan existed at some point in Star Wars canon, and was also a well-known Sith Lord. However, no other information about this version of Revan has been confirmed, so how true their history will be to the original iteration remains to be seen.
KOTOR May Have To Adapt To Fit In Star Wars' New Canon
If the KOTOR remake is indeed canonized, the game's story may have to be sacrificed somewhat to the endeavor. It's been years since KOTOR was removed from Star Wars canon, and in that time, other stories have been told that contradict the game's world. Aside from the broader contradictions between canon and Legends lore, such as the nature of red lightsaber crystals and the names of planets like the Sith homeworld, KOTOR's timeline reflects a far more advanced society that is no longer ed by canon. KOTOR's timeline is complicated by The High Republic, a multimedia slate of Star Wars properties that began recently, specifically covering a period of time centuries prior to the Skywalker Saga. Though this era is several thousand years after the events of KOTOR, its version of the galaxy is shown to be in a developing state, with far less of the galaxy fully explored and lightsabers bearing more ancient appearances, such as crossguards being commonplace. This discrepancy could be explained by the cyclical nature of the galaxy's power struggle causing a setback in technology, but it also may necessitate altering KOTOR's place in the timeline.
In addition to KOTOR's timeline being subject to change, so too are its characters. Revan is an unknown quantity besides being a Sith at some point, due to their role in the game. A canon KOTOR could change practically anything about Revan's original character to better fit the new canon. Late in KOTOR's story, it's revealed that the player has been Revan the entire time, and that they had suffered amnesia as part of a plan by the Jedi Council to use them as a weapon against their former apprentice, now Sith Lord, Darth Malak. Since players are able to customize their character's gender and appearance, the official nature of Revan was subject of debate for a time, before it was eventually confirmed that Revan was male and that KOTOR's light side ending was canon at the time. The remake will likely still allow for player choice in those regards, but their canon natures could very well change.
A canonized Revan could learn from Thrawn's transition to canon, as shown in Star Wars: Rebels. Grand iral Thrawn was another beloved character from the Legends continuity, and his character remained largely unchanged by his new novelized adventures and his appearance in Rebels. Though his timeline has been altered and his story has been given more sympathetic context, the character's trademark cunning and brutality have persisted. Fans' reaction to the new Thrawn has been generally positive, proving that proper characterization should be the highest priority when bringing existing properties into the fold.
A Canon KOTOR May Have To Change, But Its Possibilities Are Worth It
Some of KOTOR's fundamental truths may take some work to integrate into Star Wars' updated canon timeline, but many of its aspects would not only the canon but improve it. In the sequel trilogy, Rey and Kylo Ren form a force dyad, a previously unmentioned term referring to beings connected through the Force. This idea is currently isolated, but KOTOR's Revan and Bastila could be a Force dyad as well, retroactively building the concept into the universe's history. In KOTOR, Revan and Bastila Shan, the Jedi whom Revan eventually marries in Legends, repeatedly share visions of important events taking place elsewhere in the galaxy while they sleep. This connection and the pair's romance, draw direct parallels to Rey and Kylo Ren, who could see and interact with each other across space. KOTOR's characters and their personalities are its most important aspect, above even its epic story, and they would best serve Star Wars' continuity as intact as possible.
While a canon remake of KOTOR could still be accompanied by some uncomfortable changes, it would also open the door for incredible possibilities that fans of the game have been clamoring for since its release. Revan and their companions could get expanded adventures in the form of comics, novels, or even a new Star Wars game in the KOTOR lineage focusing on its characters. Revan has been on the verge of entering canon at least once before, when they made an appearance in a deleted scene from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. If KOTOR is made canon, the door would be open for these characters to actually appear in other properties. In the wake of the Skywalker Saga, with Disney looking to explore other areas such as the High Republic, now is the perfect time for KOTOR's beloved cast to enter the Star Wars spotlight once again.
