Another chapter of Star Wars’ ancient history is about to be revealed. Drew Karpyshyn’s novel Star Wars: The Old Republic — Revan, due Nov. 15, is the long-awaited follow-up to the 2003 videogame Knights of the Old Republic.
Fans of KOTOR know that it’s one of the best stories ever set in that galaxy far, far away, with a midway twist worthy of “I am your father.” (Spoilers from here on out for those who haven’t played the game. But, seriously, play it!) Almost 4,000 years before the events of the movies, a rogue Jedi Knight named Revan and his apprentice Malak turned to the Dark Side following a war against the Mandalorians, when Boba Fett’s warrior ancestors tried to conquer the Republic. As Sith Lords, Darth Revan and Darth Malak decided they also wanted the Republic as their prize. But, as often happens, apprentice turned against master, and Revan was thought to have died at Malak’s hand. When playing KOTOR, you’re just an anonymous Republic soldier fighting Malak’s forces alongside a ragtag group of companions (sound familiar?) until it’s revealed that — gasp — you’re Darth Revan and you were rescued by a Jedi strike team after Malak’s betrayal! They wiped your memory in the hope that you could help the Republic turn back the chaos you yourself had unleashed, and, like the original Star Wars trilogy, the game becomes a poignant study in redemption and forgiveness.
Star Wars: The Old Republic — Revan picks up two years after Malak’s defeat, when the redeemed Revan is still trying to pick up the pieces of his old life and figure out what exactly made him turn to the Dark Side. All fans have known about Revan’s post-KOTOR life is that he took off for the Unknown Regions on the hunt for a dark threat to the Republic… and was never heard from again. Now his fate is about to be revealed, and EW’s got an exclusive excerpt from the novel, in which Revan meets in a seedy underworld cantina with one of his KOTOR companions, the Mandalorian mercenary Canderous Ordo, to discuss sinister visions he’s been having of a storm-covered planet crackling with Dark Side energy. Read the excerpt after the break. READ FULL STORY »
