Star Wars: Could a ‘Knights of the Old Republic’ Trilogy Finally Be Happening?

The news that Rian Johnson is set to oversee a new Star Wars Trilogy for Disney and Lucasfilm has set the fanbase into hyperdrive! Speculation and fact-digging are currently taking place all over the Internet, as we all try to get more information on what the plans for this next Star Wars trilogy could be.

Of all the topics at the top of discussion (is it the next sequel trilogy? A new prequel trilogy? Or set between the existing trilogies?), there’s been one potential possibility that has resurfaced, and it may be the one fans are hoping for the most:

Could Star Wars finally be giving us a Knights of the Old Republic movie trilogy?

What is KOTOR?

For those who don’t already know, Knights of the Old Republic is a division of the Star Wars saga that began as a Dark Horse comic book series in the ’90s, before becoming a widely-popular series of video games in the early 2000s (with the latest installment released in 2011). 

The story is set nearly 4,000 years before the events of A New Hope, when the galaxy is much different place, in which a Sith army is launching a campaign of destruction that has scattered The Jedi. The main thrust of the story followed Revan, the Dark Lord of the Sith, is captured and wounded in a raid by a Jedi Strike team, after being betrayed by his apprentice, Darth Malak. With Revan’s mind and body both severely wounded in the raid, the Jedi Council sees an opportunity to reprogram the Sith Lord as a Jedi Knight loyal to the Galactic Republic. 

In the first KOTOR game, Revan goes through a process of having his loyalty to the light side of the Force tested; as his suppressed evil memories start to resurface, Revan is forced into making a choice between light and dark, ending in a climatic confrontation with Darth Malak. 

A sequel game followed one of Revan’s former disciples from the Mandalorian Wars, who was exiled from the Jedi Order and cut off from his Force powers. The Exile eventually has to track down a deadly weapon he once used in the war, and face a similar light or dark side choice, to follow Revan down the path of light, or become the new Dark Lord of the Sith. 

Why KoToR Could Be a Great Movie Trilogy

The Knights of the Old Repubic games have been nominated for movie adaptation consistently, due to their deep and expansive mythos, and unique setting in the “ancient times” of the Star Wars Universe. 

The prospect of KoToR being a film trilogy is attractive in that it’s almost a reboot of the entire Star Wars concept – one that would be (blessedly?) free of the hangups and obligations of the Skywalker family saga. Even though the games have created some classic characters (like Revan, Malak, Darth Nihilus, or Bastila Shan), they would be open to looser adaptation (as would the entire concpet of the games) since the time period is such a separate and standalone era.

On a narrative front, the story of a Sith Lord (Revan) reprogrammed to unwittingly serve as a Jedi Knight and defender of The Republic is definitely a new angle for the movie franchise, offering a much deeper and complex exploration of concepts like good and evil, light and dark. It’s the sort of matured concept that Rian Johnson seems to be exploring in The Last Jedi, and would give a lead actor a great slow-burn character arc to explore. 

Finally, the KoToR era would thrill fans by introducing a whole new set gadgets, vehicles, weapons, and general design aesthetics that fans would love to pour over. 

Would you like to see a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic movie trilogy? Let us know @ComicbookNOW!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be in theaters on December 15th. 

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