The Entire Knights Of The Old Republic Timeline Explained
In 2003 "Star Wars" fans got their hands on BioWare's classic RPG "Knights of the Old Republic." The game was very well received when it was released and is still considered one of the best RPGs ever. The game ultimately received a traditional sequel, spawned an MMO, has been ported to just about every platform available to players. It's also receiving a remake from Aspyr, to the delight of fans. The games satisfied "Star Wars" fans and RPG fanatics alike, thanks to how deeply embedded "Knights of the Old Republic" is in a fascinating pre-movie era of the "Star Wars" setting.
The deep lore that the games are connected to, however, can make it difficult for players who aren't as ingrained with the world of "Star Wars" to fully understand everything. Comprehensive knowledge of "Knights of the Old Republic" requires fans to read multiple novels and comic book series before even jumping into the two lengthy RPGs. For potential players who want to visit the classic games before the remake is released, or who want to walk down memory lane, here is a full timeline of what fans need to know about the "Knights of the Old Republic" timeline.
The Discovery of the Sith Empire - 5000 BBY
The story of "Knights of the Old Republic" begins with the very first encounter between the Jedi and the Sith. Nearly everyone knows about the iconic and seemingly eternal conflict between the Jedi and the Sith, the two opposing sides of the mystic essence of the universe known as the Force. The struggle began around the year 5000 BBY, when the Sith lived in relative isolation until two orphans-turned-hyperspace-explorers named Jori and Gav Daragon crash-landed on the Sith funeral planet of Korriban, now known instead as Moraband, while trying to expand their trade routes.
The explorers happened to have very lucky timing, as they crashed during the funeral service for the Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos. This left the Sith in a tumultuous situation where both Darth Naga Sadow and Darth Ludo Kressh vied to ascend to the seat of power. This left the Sith Empire deeply conflicted and plagued by in-factions warring with one another for influence and control. As explored in the comic series, "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi – The Gold Age of the Sith," the two twins became pawns in the Sith battle until they were ultimately saved by it.
The Sith Empire Finds the Republic - 5000 BBY
The in-fighting in the Sith Empire was largely defined by the opposing visions of Sadow and Kressh. Sadow saw the prisoners as an opportunity to expand and solidify the Sith Empire by using the prisoners to find and conquer wherever they had come from. Kressh instead viewed the prisoners as precursors to an imminent invasion and wished to focus on defending their existing territory. To make sure that he had his way, as well as solidifying his claim as the new Dark Lord of the Sith, Sadow hatched a plan to crush Kressh and put his own vision for the Empire in motion.
Despite the Daragons being sentenced to death by a vote of Sith rulers, Sadow rescued them from their prison, killing any witnesses to cover his tracks and leaving a Republic blaster behind to pin the escape on Republic infiltrators. Despite these efforts, Kressh still suspected Sadow and led a fleet to attack his moon fortress where the twins were being kept. Sadow used the attack as an opportunity to send Jori back to the Republic with a tracker while also springing a trap to destroy Kressh's fleet of supporters, securing the throne for himself and presuming Kressh dead. This was the start of what became known as the Great Hyperspace War.
The Attack on Coruscant - 5000 BBY
With his grip on the Sith Empire secured, Naga Sadow enacted a plan to attack the Republic at its heart before it had the opportunity to react to Jori's news of what she had found. This led to a surprise attack on Coruscant that very nearly saw to the city-planet's complete destruction. The Sith forces quickly overwhelmed those of the Republic and Jedi, especially as Naga Sadow used a meditation sphere to channel his Sith magic to exaggerate the scale of the Sith army.
The tactic was extremely effective but was disrupted when Gav Daragon discovered the murder of his mentor Aarrba the Hutt at the hands of Sadow's warriors and fired on the meditation sphere. This broke Sadow's concentration, causing his projected forces to be disrupted and revealing the true size of the Sith army to the defenders of Coruscant. This helped rally the soldiers of the Republic, allowing them to launch a counter-attack that ultimately repelled the Sith Empire's forces and saved the planet.
The End of the Great Hyperspace War - 5000 BBY
The revelation that the forces of the Sith Empire were being exaggerated also helped bolster the Republic to launch counter-attacks on a number of other planets that Sadow had attacked simultaneously alongside Coruscant. As the Republic pushed towards the home systems of the Sith Empire, Sadow realized that the tides of war were turning against him, leading to him destroying an entire star system to try and cover his tracks during a frenzied retreat. This further infuriated Gav Daragon, who betrayed his master and gave the coordinates of Korriban to the nearby Republic forces that were pursuing Sadow.
Thinking that he'd covered his path, Sadow then returned to Korriban, hoping that he could hide there and rebuild his army to renew the war effort against the Republic. However, when he arrived, he found that he had not killed Ludo Kressh in the assault on his fortress after all. In fact, Kressh had prepared an ambush. As the fleets of the two Sith battled one another, a fleet of the Republic's ships arrived as well, and quickly destroyed both in the chaos. Sadow managed to escape through trickery to Yavin 4 where he established a secret Sith temple, but for a time the Sith Empire was devastated and near extinction.
The Start of the Mandalorian Wars - 3976 BBY
It was many years until the Sith made another move against the Republic in what became known as the 16-year long Mandalorian Wars. The war began when the leader of the warrior people known as the Mandalorians, Mandalore the Ultimate, was approached by a Sith emissary on behalf of a secret Sith Lord. While the meeting was very fruitful for both involved parties, it turned out that the Sith emissary was secretly influencing Mandalore with dark Force powers to gain control over him.
This control was used to enact sweeping changes to Mandalorian culture to grow their numbers before pushing them to war with the Republic. The conflict began with the Mandalorians in the far reaches of the Outer Rim, far enough away that the Republic's sizable military could not respond to the attacks quickly enough. This allowed the Mandalorians to quickly gather resources and grow in size and power while also cultivating an environment ripe for secret agents of the Sith to begin infiltrating the Republic to influence its politics.
The End of the Mandalorian Wars - 3964 BBY
The wars were eventually ended when the Republic finally went on the offensive and pushed deep into the Mandalorian's territory, cutting off the movement of their troops and supplies. The plan was only possible when a Jedi Knight named Revan returned to the Republic after leaving with a group of Jedi known as the Revanchists. Revan then played a key role in the Republic's counter-offensive, pushing the Mandalorians further and further back and reclaiming the majority of the systems that the Republic had lost throughout the war.
This drove Mandalore to challenge Revan to a duel on his flagship once he realized that his forces would inevitably be defeated by the Rebpulic's imminent reinforcements. The duel was to be to the death and was very well fought by Mandalore despite him eventually falling to Revan's superior might and prowess. Just before Mandalore died, he revealed to Revan that he had been influenced by the Sith emissary and that his actions were not his own. This deeply troubled Revan, who also took Mandalore's helmet as a spoil of war, preventing a new Mandalorian leader from being crowned.
The Rise of Darth Revan - 3964 BBY
Following his defeat of Mandalore the Ultimate, Revan and his apprentice, Malak, decided to investigate the supposed Sith influence and traveled out into uncharted regions of space to do so. The duo found a hidden Sith Empire and began to investigate it, which ultimately allowed the Sith Emperor to warp their minds and convert them to the Dark Side of the force, establishing them as Darth Revan and Darth Malak. The two were then sent back to the Republic to start gathering information for a new invasion.
However, once the two got further away from the Sith Emperor they broke free of his influence and ventured out to find the Star Forge, an ancient automated shipyard that could produce a massive armada all on its own. The massive structure was built in close orbit of a star, which it drew energy from alongside pulling energy from the dark side of the Force. The two eventually found it and established their very own Sith Empire by using it to build a fleet of ships, armaments, and even soldiers. From there, Revan and Malak strove to destroy the Republic and the Jedi order to begin preparing the galaxy for the greater threat that they knew was coming from the Sith Emperor who had converted them.
The Jedi Civil War - 3959 BBY
While Revan's attempted invasion of the Republic went by many names, the Jedi Civil War is the most common. After Revan declared himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith and launched a sweeping campaign to conquer the galaxy, starting with the Republic. One of Revan and Malak's first targets was Korriban, where they quickly established a new Sith Academy to grow their order and military power. Their forces also expanded rapidly thanks to their ability to leverage their history with the Jedi to attract many to convert to their side throughout the conflict.
Revan was extremely successful throughout the war, in part thanks to the experience he had gained as a military strategist through his role in the Mandalorian Wars. The conflict brought the Republic to the brink of complete annihilation. It was only stopped when the Jedi laid an ambush for Revan that was helped along by Darth Malak, who wanted Revan out of the way so that he could venture deeper into the Star Forge. The ambush caught Revan completely off guard and left him in a comatose state, upon which he was then collected by the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and taken into custody.
The Knights of the Old Republic - 3956 BBY
Just a few years later sees the start of the first "Knights of the Old Republic" game at the tail end of the Jedi Civil War. There are many branches of the plot that can be played out in the game depending on the decisions made by the player, but the canonical version of the story occurs when the main character is a male who aligns with the light side of the Force. The game begins with a Republic soldier waking up in the midst of a battle on their ship, the Endar Spire.
The soldier is confused and lost on how they got there, but is eventually able to escape by teaming up with fellow soldier Carth Onasi. After escaping the conflict, Carth and the soldier go to the nearby planet of Taris, where they strive to rescue the captured Bastila Shan, who was taken from their ship. To do so, the group ventures into the crime-ridden lower city of Taris that has been placed under lockdown by Sith authorities.
The Ways of the Force - 3956 BBY
Eventually, the soldier and Carth discover that Bastila is being offered as a prize to whoever wins an upcoming swoop race being held by the gang who captured her. To help them win the race, they team up with a Twi'lek named Mission Vao who agrees to help them if they help her rescue a Wookie named Zaalbar. Luckily, Zaalbar is being kept in the base of a local gang known as the Vulkar, where a prototype accelerator for a swoop is being kept that ensures their victory in the next day's race. The group wins the race and helps Bastila escape capture, which leads to her joining their group.
The five of them then steal a ship named the Ebon Hawk and leave the planet. Once on the ship, Bastila reveals to the soldier that he is Force sensitive, and so the group heads to the planet Dantooine. The planet houses an enclave of Jedi in hiding, which subjects the Soldier to various tests to determine his connection with the Force. The soldier passes the tests, and during his final test he finds one of a collection of five star maps that lead to the Star Forge. With his test passed, he is accepted by Bastile as her Padawan and the group leaves to find the other star maps.
Tatooine and Kashyyyk - 3956 BBY
The Padawan and their group first goes to the iconic desert planet of Tatooine, where the Padawan has a vision indicating that a star map could be found there. While there the Padawan gets hired to resolve a conflict between the Czerka mining company and a local tribe of Sand People who keep interfering with its operations. The Padawan is able to negotiate a trade deal with the Sand People, who then lead him to the cave where the star map is located.
The group then journeys to Kashyyyk, the home planet of the Wookies. Upon landing on the planet, it is revealed that Zaalbar had been exiled from the planet years earlier by their father Freyyr. The Padawan resolves the situation by discovering that Freyyr was driven mad and defeating him in combat. Afterward, the group tracks down an ancient computer that grants them access to the star map after scanning the Padawan's brain and claiming that he is the only one allowed to access it.
Manaan and the Leviathan - 3956 BBY
After leaving Kashyyk, a vision leads the Ebon Hawk to Manaan, an oceanic planet that is home to a medicinal substance known as kolto. The Padawan arranges help retrieving the star map from the ocean floor after assisting a Republican ambassador with retrieving a probe droid that got taken into the Sith embassy. On the floor of the ocean, however, the Padawan discovers that the scientists stationed there have been driven mad by a creature known as a firaxan shark. However, the Padawan is able to poison the shark to get by it and retrieve the star map.
As the Ebon Hawk leaves Manaan, it is captured and pulled into a ship named the Leviathan that is run by Admiral Saul Karath, a former mentor of Carth's. Before being entirely pulled into the ship, the Padawan is able to let one party member go to infiltrate the ship and save them after their capture. Karath summons Darth Malak to the ship, who eventually arrives and reveals to the padawan that they are actually Darth Revan after having his memory wiped by the Jedi, which is widely regarded as one of the best twists in all of "Star Wars." Bastila then duels with Darth Malak herself to allow Revan and the rest of his companions to escape the ship and continue their hunt for the star maps.
The Final Star Map - 3956 BBY
The last star map is located on Korriban, and sees Revan returning to the planet years after he was dethroned as the Dark Lord of the Sith. As the planet is also home to the Sith Academy, Revan quickly surmises that obtaining the star map would be much easier to do for a student of the academy that didn't have to directly fight their way in. So, Revan attempts to enroll in the academy, but can only do so by beating out all of the other hopeful students through martial and mental feats.
Doing so is not easy, as the students are encouraged to bully one another and partake in acts of violence to prove themselves. Through a number of hardships, Revan manages to win the prestige contest and gains access to the tomb of Naga Sadow, which contains the star map. With the map completed, Revan fights his way out of the Sith Academy, sends the coordinates of the Star Forge to the Republic, and heads there with his group.
The Star Forge - 3956 BBY
After a short diversion where the Ebon Hawk crashes on an alien planet, Revan meets up with the Republic fleet attacking the Star Forge shortly after their assault began. There, he teams up with the Jedi Mastar Vandar Tokare to infiltrate the Star Forge and takedown Darth Malak. Tokare also informs Revan that Bastile has defected to the dark side of the Force and is helping Darth Malak protect the space station. After making their way through waves of Malak's forces, Revan eventually gets separated from his group in Bastile's chambers and has to face her on his own. Using their surviving Force bond, and the love they built over the course of their journey, Revan is able to convert Bastile back to the light side.
Once Bastile rejoins the light side she promises to stay in her chambers and aide the Republic fleet using a battle meditation similar to the one Sadow used years ago when attacking Coruscant. Revan then heads deeper into the Star Forge to confront his old apprentice Malak, who absorbs the energy of captured Jedi to strengthen himself throughout the fight. However, Revan still manages to defeat Malak, who voices regret over falling to the dark side just before he dies. Revan and the Republic fleet then manage to escape the explosion of the Star Forge with Revan receiving the title of Prodigal Knight from the Jedi Order for his efforts.
Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords - 3951 BBY
The canonical story of "Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords" sees players again aligning themselves with the light side of the Force This time, players are Meetra Surikon, on a quest following the canonical story of the first game. The game begins a few years after the first with the Ebon Hawk arriving at a mining facility known as Peragus with an entirely new crew of characters. Two of those crew members are unconscious at the time of arrival, Surik and the Jedi Kreia. After arriving, the two wake up and find the station to be filled with the corpses of the miners that worked there, seemingly killed by the station's security system turning against them.
They eventually meet and recruit a smuggler on the station by the name of Atton Rand, who assists them in navigating the convoluted layout of Peragus. After defeating the assassin droid who claims to be behind the station's collapse, a Republic cruiser named the Harbinger arrives chasing after Surik. The group boards it only to discover that it has been taken over by a Sith named Darth Sion. Kreia distracts the Sith long enough for Atton and Surik to free the Ebon Hawk from the landing bay at the cost of losing her hand in the duel. During the escape, Surik discovers that she has built a Force bond with Kreia, and the three end up escaping the ship safely but destroying the entire star system in the process.
Telos and the Hidden Academy - 3951 BBY
The Ebon Hawk then makes its way to a space station known as Citadel Station, which orbits the war-ravaged planet of Telos. The group is immediately apprehended by the station's security force for their suspected activity in the destruction of Peragus. The group is able to escape captivity with the help of Chodo Habat, an emissary in charge of the Republic's efforts to rebuild Telos. Habat gives them access to the surface of Telos in exchange for their help dealing with the Czerka Corporation that has been interfering with his work. There, Surik runs into Bao-Dur, an engineer that worked under her when she was a Revanchist during the Mandalorian Wars. Bao-Dur joins the group and leads them to a shuttle to take them to the polar regions of the planet.
Their shuttle eventually gets shot down by a few assassin droids, but lands on a plateau that happens to be directly above a hidden Jedi academy. Once the group has made their way into the academy, they discover that it is run by a Jedi Master responsible for Surik's expulsion from the Jedi Order named Atris. Because of the forgiveness Surik shows Atris regarding her expulsion, the Jedi agree to allow Surik to help find four lost Jedi Masters while also learning why her connection to the Force was severed many years ago.
The Search for the Jedi - 3951 BBY
The first Jedi Master that Surik ventures out to find is on the moon Nar Shaddaa that orbits the planet of Nal Hutta. The moon is dominated by a cityscape that is ridden with crime and Surik has to cross the criminal organization known as the Exchange to try and track down Zez-Kai Ell. She and her companions are eventually captured by the leader of the Exchange, Goto, who imprisons them on its space yacht. The group eventually escapes and finds Zez-Kai Ell and sends him to the former Jedi Enclave hidden on the planet of Dantooine.
Surik and her companions then chase after Jedi Master Kavar, who was last seen on the planet Onderon. After being attacked by security forces, Surik is forced to land on the planet's moon of Dxun, where she discovers a secret camp of Mandalorians led by Canderous Ordo, who aims to reunite the various Mandalorian clans. After winning their allegiance, Surik goes to Onderon's capital of Iziz, which is locked in a political coup. She manages to briefly meet with Master Kavar, but quickly has to leave when she is ambushed by forces of the hopeful usurper General Vaklu.
Dantooine and a Return to Onderon - 3951 BBY
The Ebon Hawk then heads to Dantooine, a planet still recovering from the damage it sustained during the Jedi Civil War. This has left its people deeply distrustful of the Jedi or anyone wielding a lightsaber, forcing Surik to hide her true identity. Regardless, she manages to track down and rescue the Jedi Master Vrook Lamar who has been taken captive by a local band of mercenaries. This garners the ire of the mercenaries who attack the nearby village, which Surik and Lamar are able to protect, regaining the favor of the people towards the Jedi.
Afterward, Surik receives a transmission from the Mandalorians on Dxun saying that Master Kavar has requested her return to the system. Surik and her group travel back to the system and help not only crush the Sith that aligned themselves with General Vaklu's cause but also defend the reigning Queen and quell the coup. This ends the civil war, allowing Master Kavar to leave the Queen's side and travel to Dantooine. Just before the group leaves, however, Kreia revives one of the Sith soldiers and sends them to deliver a message to Darth Nihilus, telling him to go to Telos IV.
Korriban and Surik's Connection to the Force - 3951 BBY
The search for the final Jedi Master takes Surik to Korriban, where the former Sith Academy has fallen to ruin. While exploring she discovers the body of the last Jedi, Lonna Vash. She is then attacked by the Sith Darth Sion, with who she struggles to match up to. After a short while, Kreia tells her to flee the battle as she cannot win. She escapes Darth Sion and eventually explores the tomb of Ludo Kressh.
Inside the tomb, she gains a better understanding of the Force and regains her connection. Kreia then reveals that she was one Revan's master and that he has left for unknown regions of space to face an unseen threat. Surik also discovers that her connection to the Force was severed on her own accord after she played a role in creating a wound in the Force by killing countless people at once.
The Reveal of Darth Traya and the Battle of Telos - 3951 BBY
Surik then returns to the Jedi Masters and fails to convince them to unite against the threat of the Sith, and they say that they plan to sever her connection to the Force yet again. In response to this, Kreia appears and absorbs the Force and life force of the Jedi Masters, killing them almost immediately. Kreia is then taken to Atris for her actions, where she reveals to Atris that she had once been a Sith named Darth Traya. This causes Atris to once again fall to her persona of Darth Traya, after which Kreia leaves.
Shortly afterward, Surik discovers that her Force bond with Kreia has become so strong that if either one of them dies the other will as well. She then battles with Darth Traya but spares her life, which lets Atris once again rescind her from the Dark Side of the Force and allow herself to be judged by the Jedi Council. Atris also informs Surik of the Sith attack on Telos IV, and Surik rushes there and helps turn the tide of the battle alongside the Mandalorians. There, Surik battles Darth Nihilus and defeats him once and for all, claiming his mask as a trophy afterward.
Trayus Academy and the Defeat of Darth Sion - 3951 BBY
Surik then follows Kreia to Malachor V, where she is attacked by an army of Sith led by Darth Sion. It is revealed that Darth Sion used his connection to the Force to achieve immortality, but Surik manages to defeat him by convincing him to let go of the pain of his life and release his hold on life, letting himself calmly die. Kreia's role in everything after falling to the dark side is then revealed, and Surik has to face her in combat as well.
Surik attempts to spare Kreia's life after defeating her, but Kreia refuses the option of redemption and forces Surik to keep fighting until she is killed. Just before she dies, Kreia sees a vision and tells Surik about what she sees. She witnesses the future of Surik and all of her companions, the impact her actions have had on the galaxy, and that Revan is trying to stop an evil entity known as the "True Sith." Kreia then dies and Surik embarks with the Ebon Hawk and its crew to find Revan in the uncharted regions of space.