Star Wars: The Old Republic – The Review. Includes The Story, So Far.

The history of the conflict between the Sith and Jedi.

As I mentioned, this business of the Sith and the Jedi getting at one another has been going on for a long time – tens of thousands of years, actually – and there’s a rich and fairly detailed story behind all of it. I don’t think it’s necessary to go all the way back to the beginning but I think it’s important to mention some of the key events and players of the time period so you’ll have some reference points.

If you’re playing as a Sith, you’ll be hearing names like Exar Kun, Darth Malgus, Vindican, Marka Ragnos, Tulak Hord and Ajunta Pall. These were all dark lords of the Sith and their histories play a heavy part in the things you’ll be doing as an up and coming Sith. Conversely, if you’re playing as a Jedi, you may hear names like Memit Nadill, Ooroo, Satele Shan, Bastila Shan, Revan, Ngani Zho, and Kao Cen Darach. All of these people played large roles in the events leading up to and encompassing the time of The Old Republic.

The Force, The Jedi Order, The Republic and The Empire

The force was “discovered” by a group of philosophers and scientists, on the planet Tython in approximately the year 36,453 BBY. There isn’t much detail surrounding this discovery but we can assume that the discovery led those scholars and philosophers to begin delving into its powers and using their knowledge for their own purposes, be they good or evil.

In approximately 35,000 BBY, the “Infinite Empire” is formed by the Rakata people, users of the “dark side” of the force, who would use their power to enslave other peoples and planets for several millenia. During their conquest, they discovered the Sith people on the planet Korriban and were eventually driven out of that system.

In 30,000 BBY, the Infinite Empire builds the Star Forge – A machine capable of building an endless supply of ships, weapons and droids by harnessing the power of a star and combining it with the force – with the help of slaves from a dozen or more worlds.

Sometime around 25,793 BBY – nearly 10,000 years after the discovery of the force – a conflict erupted over the use of the force to gain power, This conflict resulted in the supposed destruction of the planet Tython. This would seem to be the first major conflict between the “Light” and “Dark” sides of the force.

10 years later, a group of peace-seeking scholars found a planet to settle on and formed the Jedi Order.

25,200 BBY sees a plague sweep through the galaxy which kills off so many Rakata that the Infinite Empire collapses in on itself.

Sometime around 25,053 BBY, The Galactic republic is formed in an effort to keep order after hyperdrive technology from the Rakatan people started being distributed, which led to several small wars between neighboring star systems and quite a bit of unrest in the galaxy. The Galactic Constitution is signed.

In the year 25,000 BBY, the Jedi form a school on Ossus and in 24,500 BBY, they swore fealty to the Galactic Republic after the First Great Schism occurred between Jedi of the light and dark sides.

In this conflict, a group known as the Legions of Lettow was formed by a Jedi named Xendor who did not belive in the Jedi teaching that power was achieved through meditation and, instead, believed emotion was the key to power. This would be the first emergence of what would become what we now refer to as “The Sith” (Though, in truth, the Sith are a race of people).

The conflict lasted less than a year and ended with the deaths of Xendor and his lover, along with the extermination of Xendor’s dark Jedi followers.

Over the next 10,000 years, not much of note occurs. Several new worlds are settled and some small scale wars are fought but there is no major “dark side” presence and history goes on with relatively few snags or hitches. In 15,500, the Jedi create the first lightsabers and, again, things are quiet for around the next 8,000 years, with another expansionist period, until what is referred to as the “Second Great Schism”.

In 7,003 BBY the second great schism (also known as the Hundred-Year Darkness) erupted when a group of Jedi who had been experimenting with the force discovered its ability to shape life and began creating new species to do their bidding, as well as looking into ways to extend their lives unnaturally, which was looked down upon by other Jedi due to the potential for abuse.

Note that, at this time, the “Sith” as a group – and the Empire – still do not exist. There are the normal folk and there are the Jedi, who have kept strict controls in place as to the accepted uses of the force.

The second great schism was led, on the dark side, by Jedi such as Ajunta Pall who tried to convince the Jedi to join them in their search for knowledge and their quest for freedom from mortality. The Jedi would not hear of it however, and exiled these dark Jedi. This act led directly to war between the two sects.

This war lasted for over a century and resulted in the deaths of countless Jedi on both sides of the conflict. In the end, the dark Jedi were utterly defeated, stripped of their weapons, armor and status and permanently exiled from the Jedi order.