By Jeff Johncox
THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT (NORMAN, Okla.)
Sat, May 17 2008
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Few things inspire fanaticism like “Star Wars.”
Even George Lucas admits he had no idea his little independent film would start a franchise, and even a lifestyle for some of its more die-hard fans.
While the six films and the Cartoon Network “Clone Wars” series have been major hits, it’s the expanded universe (affectionately referred to as the “EU” in “Star Wars” circles) that provides the most depth, creativity and some of the best stories.
The novels have been huge successes and the comics are no exception.
Then there are the video games.
I mention all these things because it’s important to understand one thing: All of the comics, books, TV shows, movies and video games are part of the “Star Wars” universe’s official continuity.
Now, as Dark Horse gets going on its boldest move in the comics yet, a four-title crossover that spans more than 4,000 years in the “Star Wars” universe, we take a look at what got us here and how “Knights of the Old Republic” gives us a glimpse at an exciting time way back when.
A long time ago, in … well, you know the rest …
When Dark Horse picked up the franchise in the early 1990s, the label decided to take one line from the “Star Wars” films and expand upon it exponentially.
Alec Guinness’ character, Obi Wan Kenobi, says, “For thousands of generations, the Jedi kept peace in the galaxy.”
In came Kevin Anderson and Tom Veich, who wrote the “Tales of the Jedi” books for Dark Horse, featuring the Old Republic and the Sith War.
The Old Republic took a backseat for a while, while the prequels started production and became the latest string of “Star Wars” hits.
Then, in 2003, BioWare created “Knights of the Old Republic,” a role-playing video game that borrowed its title from the first trade-paperback of the old “Tales” series.
In the game, you’re an unknown Republic soldier. You and another Republic soldier, Carth Onasi, have to rescue a lost Jedi on the Sith-controlled world of Taris. Your actions and responses to quests determine whether you follow the path of good or evil, become a light Jedi or dark.
And it’s widely considered the best “Star Wars” game of all time, and it’s definitely the best-reviewed.
At Dark Horse, they continued the “Star Wars” line with “Empire” and “Republic,” telling stories that took place around the time of the prequels.
Once those ended …
“Randy Stradely of Dark Horse approached me almost exactly three years ago,” “Knights of the Old Republic” comic writer John Jackson Miller said. “Dark Horse wanted to try something new, and by something new, I mean they wanted something old — and in came the Old Republic.”
The label restarted the “Star Wars” franchise after “Empire” and “Republic” ended their runs. “Legacy” takes place over a century after “Return of the Jedi,” the last Star Wars film. “Rebellion” takes place between “A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back.” “Dark Times” takes place between “Revenge of the Sith” and “A New Hope,” and “Knights of the Old Republic” takes place a few years before the BioWare game, 3,963 years before “A New Hope.”
Working so far in the “Star Wars” universe’s past appeals to Miller, who got the gig after writing an issue of “Empire.”
“It’s wide open,” he said of the time period. “Specifically in the sense that if you’re writing in the movie timeline, it’s so crowded with all these things that we’ve already seen or that have already been written. So, in continuity terms, you have to be very specific about what day your story takes place in.
“In the Old Republic, there are years and years of space to tell stories in.”
It’s as if the Old Republic is the “Old West” of “Star Wars.” There are familiar places and familiar names, but totally different characters and stories to be told.
The video game was so popular, though, because it played out like the first “Star Wars” film. It’s about totally different types of characters, thrown together through different circumstances. And the interaction and dialogue is as witty and fun as the films.
So, when Miller started writing the comic, he wanted to take that same feel into the graphic medium.
“We wanted to create a series that captured the fun and camaraderie of the first three movies,” he said. “We wanted to capture those feelings; the way the characters interacted.”
Fans love the game, and they are protective of it’s place in the universe’s continuity. Lucasfilm has made the light-side storyline and a male main character the official continuity of the game with the rest of the universe.
In KOTOR 2, the game’s sequel, a female main character and the light-side storyline are official in continuity.
“It lets us explore the back-story of the first video game, things that happened in the Mandalorian War, other things that were just back-story in the game,” Miller said. “We get to enjoy this really interesting period right from the start.”
Our protagonist in this journey is Zayne Carrick, a loser of a Jedi padawan that has trouble doing anything remotely right.
“If Zayne’s not the worst Jedi student around, he’s pretty close,” Miller said. “We’d seen so many of these super-talented Jedi in the films. Luke didn’t need much training, Anakin was the chosen one. They were naturals. These guys were blowing the curve for the rest of the class. Zayne is at the other end of it.”
Zayne returns to the Jedi tower on Taris with a con-man prisoner, Gryph, a rodent-like Snivvian who had been eluding Carrick. But when Zayne walks in to tell his master he’s caught Gryph, he finds his fellow padawans dead at their masters’ feet.
So, Zayne runs. Now he’s wanted by the Jedi, wanted by the Republic and he’s got a different enemy gunning for him in almost every issue.
But he’s also got friends, different people he’s grouped with on his journey.
“There’s a lot of humor in our series,” Miller said. “A lot of it is dark humor, because things just aren’t going well for our characters.
“These characters are like the ones in ‘Star Wars,’ they do not want to be together, but they’re thrown together by fate. They don’t even really like each other.”
That’s part of what makes the whole thing so much fun to read. There’s always a good amount of action in “Knights of the Old Republic,” and it’s not a video-game rip-off or re-telling of the game’s story. It’s got its own identity.
There are certain cameos by some of the video game’s characters, including Carth Onasi.
“We try not to put them in as cameos where it’s not meaningful,” Miller said. “We try to do things that add to the understanding of those characters.”
And this is where it gets tricky again. It’s a chore to make sure everything works in the “Star Wars” continuity line. It’s like the Butterfly Effect theory, where one thing can affect something else years down the line.
“We have an interesting dynamic where the video gamers know things that will happen later on,” Miller said. “All our characters do have connection going forward. They also have connections going backward to ‘Tales of the Jedi.’ Not all things are easy to see.
“If you’re one of the game players, you have both an advantage and a handicap. You know the future, but you almost know too much, because I can send out red herrings.”
Next week: Continuing our discussion of “Knights of the Old Republic” with writer John Jackson Miller, this time we’ll talk about the big crossover event, “Vector,” and what we might be able to expect in the future of the series.
Jeff Johncox writes for The Norman (Okla.) Transcript.
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