Star Wars: The Old Republic is beloved by Star Wars fans for its storytelling, characters, and lore. However, when Disney acquired LucasFilm in 2012, much of Star Wars Expanded Universe was disregarded and has since been referred to as Star Wars Legends. Which is the polite way of saying it’s not canon. Sorry to open old wounds.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is something of an outlier, though. In 2022, the MMORPG is still going strong, and its most recent expansion was released earlier this year. Many fans have been left wondering how SWTOR fits into Star Wars in its current state or if it even does at all. Here’s everything we know about whether Star Wars: The Old Republic is Canon.
Is Star Wars The Old Republic Canon?
The short answer is no, it is not canon anymore. Star Wars: The Old Republic was first released in 2011, a year before Disney’s acquisition of LucasFilm. The MMORPG is a sequel to the beloved Knights of the Old Republic duology and set 300 years after the events of those games.
Despite Disney’s decision to largely erase the Expanded Universe from continuity, SWTOR has been able to continue telling the story of the war between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. As it stands, SWTOR has released a total of eight expansions which add up to 1600 hours of story content with new characters, weapons, and planets. That’s only the tip of the iceberg. The Legacy of the Sith expansion, which was released this year, is considered to be the first chapter of a new 10-year saga for the game.
So why has Disney allowed SWTOR to go on as long as it has? As you can imagine, it’s largely a financial decision. SWTOR has earned a reputation of being one of the most expensive games ever developed, and over the years, it’s continued to be financially lucrative. In 2019, SWTOR was close to making over a billion dollars in lifetime revenue. That’s not to mention the additional revenue that the game has earned through its various spin-offs in comics and novels.
Despite SWTOR’s continued success, it hasn’t stopped Disney from forging its own interpretation of the galactic history of Star Wars.
What Is The High Republic?
The High Republic is Disney’s answer to The Old Republic and is the canonical prequel to The Phantom Menace. This era of Star Wars history is set roughly 200 years before the Prequel Trilogy and shows the Jedi at the height of their power.
Disney has approached The High Republic with phases of storytelling across different platforms like comic books, audio dramas, and novels aimed at various age groups. The Acolyte, which is set to premiere on Disney+, is considered part of The High Republic era, as is Quantic Dream’s upcoming title Star Wars: Eclipse.
Will SWTOR Characters Ever Be Canon?
It’s very possible. It wouldn’t be the first time fan-favorite EU characters have made their way to canon. Grand Admiral Thrawn was a beloved EU antagonist who made his presence felt in Star Wars: Rebels and is set to return in Ahsoka.
There have also been some sneaky references to The Old Republic in canon with the introduction of Hammerhead Cruisers in Rebels, and we know that the Jedi and The Mandalorians definitely have a lot of bad blood between them. There were once even scrapped plans for the fan-favorite Sith Lord Darth Revan to make a cameo in The Clone Wars. The ball is really in Disney’s court, but nothing is outside the realm of possibility.
That’s everything we know about whether Star Wars: The Old Republic is canon. Be sure to check out the rest of our Star Wars coverage, including the patch notes for SWTOR’s latest update.
Featured Image Source: Bioware
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