The latest Star Wars show on the block takes notes from a wide range of what the galaxy far, far away has to offer, including a 19-year-old RPG that remains one of the best Star Wars games you can play today.
Star Wars: The Acolyte is due to hit Disney+ early next month, taking place before The Phantom Menace at a time when the Jedi are doing grand, the Sith are not, and general peace is enjoyed – typically referred to as the High Republic Era. While it's a period not greatly explored by the Star Wars films or shows, you've got plenty of books and games that do.
One such is Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2, a banger of an RPG that's left its mark on showrunner Leslye Headland. Speaking to Den of Geek, the director reveals the Obsidian game was a reference for the show, especially its main villain, when it comes to the Sith. "Darth Traya really stuck out to me as an inspiration," Headland says.
When it comes to Star Wars, you've got what's canon and what's Legend. The former reflects what happened, whereas the latter can be treated as a fable. It sounds like The Acolyte pulls from both kinds of story, though Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 fall into the Legends category, so you likely won't find any hard references, perhaps just a distant Sith who isn't for the whole light vs. dark thing.
If you haven't played Knights of the Old Republic 2, what are you doing here? Jokes aside, it takes place following the events of KOTOR, though it features a new cast of characters. You play as an exile of the Jedi who severed their connection to the Force following an act of war that leads to your banishment. It's not totally ideal, though it does enough to protect them from the Sith as the Jedi near extinction afterward.
What really kicks the story into motion is coming across another Jedi exile, Kreia, who takes up the role of mentor before turning out to be Darth Traya. Not one for the divide of the light and the dark, she often poses questions that challenge the order of things—that, and her whole thing is obliterating the Force.
