I’d love to see a movie about the formation of the Republic

For years, almost from the moment that Disney bought Star Wars, there has been speculation about an Old Republic movie, set during the ancient wars between the Jedi and the Sith Empire. I’m a big fan of that idea (especially since the main saga has been mined to death).

The Knight of the Old Republic (KOTOR) game is set during this time and it’s amazing. Its direct sequel is also great, and it’s MMO follow-up, The Old Republic, is still getting story updates. Making it the last source of pre-Disney Star Wars canon/legends.

But the movie adaptation of the Old Republic never materialised. There is a Jedi Order origin movie in the works, which I guess comes close. Though personally, I don’t think a movie about the Order’s founding is needed. The Jedi do have an established origin in Legends (offshoots of the Je’dai). But a movie risks demystifying the Jedi/making them less interesting.

Nothing they could show would be as cool as what audiences could imagine. (The Film Industry seems a little obsessed with ‘origin’ movie prequels. Sometimes they’re alright, but they’re usually bad.)

The most that should ever be done with the Jedi origins is a couple of lines told around a campfire, thousands of years after the event. I’m imagining an old Jedi Master mysteriously reminiscing about an ancient schism between the followers of the Light side and the followers of the Dark side.

But an Old Republic movie proper (about the ancient wars with the Sith rather than the Jedi Order’s origins) would be awesome. As demonstrated by the cinematic trailers they occasionally release for the Old Republic MMO.

And whilst there shouldn’t be a Jedi origins movie, I wouldn’t be opposed to a film about the origins of the Republic itself.

There have been a couple of Legends comics in this era. But I don’t think any film should be wedded to its continuity. There are a lot of interesting ideas you could explore in this era that the comics don’t touch on. Besides, ignoring comics is part and parcel of Star Wars media.

The Aesthetic

Since the film would be thousands of years before the main saga, it ought to shake up the Star Wars aesthetic a bit.

In the prequel trilogy, a huge amount of effort went into making the technology and ships seem like de-evolved versions of the original trilogy designs. The Arc-170 Starfighter in Revenge of the Sith, for instance, was designed to be a predecessor to the X-Wing.

It’s an awesome detail that creates a sense of in-universe progression. It’s not a stagnant Galaxy where technology is frozen in place, and only the politics changes. Instead, it’s a living world that’s constantly evolving in ways that often aren’t relevant to the story. Time is actually passing.

One of the few things I liked about the Acolyte, an otherwise flawed show, is that they continued this idea.

In the original trilogy, nearly every starfighter has a hyperdrive. But in the prequels, it’s quite rare. Not even Jedi star-fighters have built-in hyperdrives. Instead, they rely on detachable Hyperdrive Rings. The Acolyte, set 100 years before the prequels, took this idea further. In that show, even frigates and corvettes require an external hyperdrive engine.

It’s a detail that I love, and whilst they’re amazing games, it’s not something that Kotor or the Old Republic really do. There are a few design changes, like Mandalorian armour, but for the most part, the game’s technology and ships are fairly similar to the main saga, despite being set thousands of years earlier.

In an Old Republic movie, set during the founding of the Republic, they should take the idea to its ultimate conclusion, with massively downgraded technology. Perhaps only the largest capital ships have built in hyperdrives, and most people rely on hyperspace infrastructure (with stations and terminals that launch departing ships into hyperspace and pull arriving ships into normal space).

There’s a lot more you could do with the technology.

In some Legends comics, there are ‘proto-lightsabers’, which have to be tethered to a generator on the Jedi’s belt. I like this idea, but think they could go further with it. And in a way that could covertly explain some in-universe traditions and fighting styles.

The Jedi and Sith are not the only Star Wars groups that use swords and melee weapons. A lot of ancient Star Wars factions and societies do (though most of them don’t use laser swords). An Old Republic film could lean into this, enhancing the overall lore.

Star Wars does have an in-universe equivalent of bullets: slugs (fired from slug throwers). They’re sometimes said to be more dangerous than the strangely slow-moving blaster-bolts/lasers. Slugs are even depicted as a threat to the Jedi on occasion. The obvious question is: why aren’t slug throwers widely used?

I’m going to say it’s because of the otherwise ineffective armour.

In an Old Republic movie, slug throwers should be the dominant firearms. But their materials should be so tough that slugs are completely ineffective against even basic and cheap armour. Blasters can pierce it, but these should be depicted as massive and inaccurate (clumsy and arrogant), requiring multiple operators. The blasters should be closer to cannons than rifles.

The various factions and warriors subsequently depend on a variety of futuristic medieval weapons to beat the armour: Vibroblade swords, electrified spears and arrows, and plasma throwing crossbows. This would explain the in-universe ceremonial weapons and armour and could result in some really cool battle scenes.

The Jedi and Sith, meanwhile, will have proto-lightsabers.

I’m inclined to further devolve the proto-lightsabers, making them more sword-like. In addition to having an external power pack, the proto-lightsabers could have a partially metal blade that holds the laser in place. That is, instead of the blade being a laser held in place by the force, it could have a katana-shaped container/spine with a start point and a stop point.

This should certainly be the case for the vast legions of Sith warriors. The Jedi may still have regular lightsabers (albeit with power packs). It feels appropriate that the lightsaber is a very ancient weapon, discovered and used only by the Jedi.

But, still, regular lightsabers should be used sparingly. As should the Jedi.

The Story

For the story, they could do an inversion of the main saga.

In the prequels, the flawed Jedi Order are a major force in the galaxy, whilst the Sith are so rare that most people haven’t heard of them. The Jedi think they’re extinct. The main character, a young Jedi, slowly falls to the dark side and then builds the Galactic Empire, which, though secretly controlled by the Sith, is not overtly Sith.

The Old Republic movie could do the opposite. (Like poetry!)

When the film starts, the Sith Empire should be a major power in the Galaxy, dominating hundreds of planets and receiving tribute from others. The main character could be a Sith Warrior who gradually ‘falls’ to the light side.

The Jedi, meanwhile, should be obscure and weird nomadic warriors that the Sith believe are extinct. These Jedi nomads should also be free-spirited actors who go wherever the force leads them, they’ve not yet developed the strict rules, councils or marshal traditions that lead to their fall in the prequel trilogy.

If the film is a Republic origin story, moreover, it should start in the aftermath of a revolution.

Perhaps the Kingdom of Coruscant has just overthrown its king and formed a chaotic but free Coruscant Republic. A nearby Sith Lordship objects to this. (Later films could explore the larger Sith Empire, but the first film should keep it simple by just focusing on one Sith Manor/Lordship/Fief: a Sith Lord with a personal army of Sith Warriors, acolytes and priests.)

I’ve always gotten the impression that the Sith (sort of) care about peace and balance. But where the Jedi think that balance requires freedom and cooperation, the Sith believe people are too selfish and violent for that. They subsequently believe that balance requires domination and fear, forcing people to live ‘peacefully’.

(I don’t know if that’s canon, but it’s the impression I get.)

The nearby Sith Lord should therefore see the fledgling Republic, with all its post-revolutionary chaos, as a disturbance in the force and determine to ‘restore balance’ by conquering and subjugating Coruscant. The main character could be one of the Sith Lord’s students or family members.

The Sith Lord should initially be depicted as a benevolent medieval lord, so that the main character has a legitimate reason for thinking the Sith are good. The local Sith Priests or Monks can be an early sign of the Sith’s true nature.

The young Sith, already struggling with the light, will become involved in the expedition to crush Coruscant, sneaking along to have an adventure or prove their devotion to the dark side. The Sith army should conquer Coruscant easily. It’s not even a challenge for them.

The main character, horrified by the conquest, should end up joining the resistance and help some Republic warriors escape. They won’t give up their Sith leanings at this point, they should try to convince themselves (in some convoluted and unconvincing way) that the Republic is compatible with Sith teachings.

During their flight, however, they’ll encounter a Jedi nomad, thought to be a myth. The Jedi will, naturally, decide to help them save the fledgling Republic (the Force was probably guiding them towards Coruscant already). The Jedi nomads’ philosophy, moreover, will set the main character on a path to the light side.

Final Thoughts

This particular film would end with the liberation of Coruscant and the restoration of its fledgling Republic. In subsequent films, its successful defiance will draw the ire of the wider Sith Empire, which should, over the series, become overtly evil.

In some ways, this could be called generic, but that’s not always a bad thing. This is a very bare bones structure and would, in practice, have a lot more going on (the original Star Wars film also has a fairly generic story structure). It also allows for a classic Star Wars-style adventure whilst establishing an entirely new Star Wars setting.

Later films can up the stakes and complexity.

I could talk about this nonstop for hours. But I think I’ll leave it there. These are just preliminary ideas. In future posts, I may try to flesh them out, perhaps outlining an actual story.

-Dexter