With the #KOTORWarChat about to start at 2 EST today on Twitter and the first issue of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – War coming out tomorrow, I thought I would work up a quick primer on the series for new readers. The title is new-reader-friendly already, but here are the quick points:
When’s it set? It’s 3,962 years before Star Wars Episode IV. This is a period where the Republic has, until recently, been robust and unchallenged; the Sith aren’t on the scene. But the Mandalorians, the armor-wearing nomads who established the Boba Fett tradition, are on the move, and have now taken on the Republic itself.
Who’s Zayne Carrick? Zayne is nineteen years old, and was once a Jedi student. He wasn’t talented in the traditional ways and would have had trouble making the grade — but then a long series of events resulted in his breaking out on his own, helping the helpless along the way. He made a lot of friends and a few enemies: you can read more about them on my individual pages for the issues — and of course in the books themselves. Follow the links from my shop to find copies, all nine volumes are still available.
What’s happened to him now? He’s been drafted by his homeworld to fight the Mandalorians — which is rough, because Zayne doesn’t believe in killing. That becomes a major element of Knights of the Old Republic – War.
What happened to Zayne’s friends from the original series? The draft board only wanted Zayne! Seriously, we’ll find out as we go along.
What’s it got to do with the video game and online RPG? The comics are set several years before the first Bioware video game, and a couple hundred years before The Old Republic. But it’s all part of the same history, and there are connections here and there.
Why have I seen two covers for the first issue? Because there are two! The more common cover is the Benjamin Carré one with the fire on the cover (an actual scene from the issue). The other one is also available from your retailer, and from Things from Another World — follow the image link at the bottom of their menu page.
Where do I find the series? At your local comics shop — find it here — or from Things From Another World. Enjoy!
See you in the shop tomorrow — and on Twitter.