The Sith Empire might have such fancy words as "Sith" and "Empire" in the name, but don't let that fool you; the two don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Although collectively known as the Sith Empire, a contingent of its citizens (particularly the kind that don't get to call themselves Sith) argue that the only thing making it a "Sith" Empire is the fact that the Sith are the ones in power. After all, the majority of the Empire's population is made up of non-force sensitives. In fact, some even harbour desires of removing the Sith from power.

We have already seen this play out, however. Following the death of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, the Galactic Empire fractured amongst itself. Moffs and other Imperial officers declared themselves warlords, exercising power over various sectors and fighting to claim the remnants of the Empire as their own. Without the immense presence and power of the Sith, would we see a similar fissure in this Empire as well?

Are the Sith necessary to the Empire's success? Does your character want to see them ousted? What would your character do if the common man ever became the ruling power? Let us know in the comments!

The Galactic Republic is comprised of numerous systems, each represented in the Galactic Senate. Because of cultural, economical, or even religious differences however, the senators don't always agree eye-to-eye, often leaving important policies bound up in red tape. Democracy may have its merits, but one doesn't need to look far to see that corruption thrives even in the heart of the Galactic City, and it isn't hard to think that maybe the politicians just aren't doing what they were elected to do.

Meanwhile the Empire has displayed the efficiency of authority through its Moffs and Governors, bringing swift and decisive action and establishing the rule of law on conquered worlds. It may seem oppressive, and that whole bit about the Sith hierarchy may muddy things up for those not trained in the Force, but there's no harm in allowing your blue-sided character to think "what if?"

Does your character believe in democracy? Does he or she turn a blind eye to the shortcomings of the Republic, or do they actively pursue change? Do they occassionally look at the Empire and wonder if they're fighting for the wrong side? Tell us in today's Force Reflection!

It comes as no surprise then that The Old Republic will feature a similar system, although the implementation may leave something to be desired. While everything is subject to change, and especially so in beta, there are some elements of the system that not everyone will agree with. Non-Force Sensitive classes such as the Smuggler and Bounty Hunter can be affected by this corruption as much as any Sith or Jedi. The corruption itself, while toggle-able, comes as an all-or-nothing feature in which once you've achieved a certain dark side rank, there's no picking and choosing to have "just the eyes" or "just the pale skin," even though many NPCs in the game display this diversity. This author in particular is a little miffed that, from his testing experience, it seems that all (human) characters at Dark V may end up with the same eye color, vein patterns, and skin tone as each other, further limiting the customization in an already limited system.

So what about you? Are you happy with corruption? Are you planning to use it? What changes would you like to see, or do you think are necessary? Let us know in the comments!

It's no secret that the Sith and the Jedi don't get along all that well. A millennia of invasions and foiled revenge schemes aside, there's a distinct ideological difference between the two. It isn't always easy to categorize religious and philosophical viewpoints into black and white, but these two groups wear those distinctions on their sleeves.

Although many of the differences between these two groups could be considered polar opposites, there isn't quite an equal and opposite reaction when it comes to how the Jedi view direct interactions with their black-clad counterparts. While the Sith in general wish for nothing less than the complete annihilation of the Jedi Order, there are many divergent opinions about how to accomplish this. Many Sith enjoy corrupting Jedi, turning them against their former allies. They have even developed a form of combat based around a similar premise.

Jedi on the other hand are much less tolerant of the Sith. Fully aware of the Dark Side's influence, interaction with artifacts or places strong in the Dark Side is considered extremely dangerous. Dealings with a Sith even more so. They have even gone so far as to establish a sect devoted to eliminating the Dark Side's presence throughout the Galaxy.

Given that Star Wars: The Old Republic will feature cross-faction communication in at least a local-chat capacity, it may not be possible to forever avoid the forked tongue of a Sith. In today's Force Reflection we ask our Jedi players to what extent will you fraternize with your enemy? To what degree will you safeguard yourself against the Dark Side? 

In the newest installment of the Choose Your Side series of videos, the Republic Trooper and Sith Inquisitor are sized up by members of the BioWare team. Writer Charles Boyd and Combat Designer Cameron Winston favor the big guns, while the more subtle Inquisitor is championed by Writing Director Daniel Erickson and Combat Designer Austin Peckenpaugh. Watch the video below and see for yourself as they discuss their favorite elements of each class and the hows and whys of who would win in a fight between Commander Cody and Darth Maul.

There's certainly some juicy tidbits in there for roleplayers as well, as the trooper is described as a "shoot first, ask questions later" sort of character who carries the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Meanwhile the inquisitor is "always thinking, always calculating," and can dish out enough lightning to power the entirety of Coruscant. Whether you plan on playing a one-man Michael Bay film or plotting elaborate schemes in the hopes of hearing your favorite Mon Calamari catchphrase, the clips shown should help make the wait just a little less bearable.

While the trooper in this installment appears to be a commando, the general theme of guns and ammo should suit anyone looking to take up a role in the Republic Military. Fans of the sorcerer may find themselves disappointed however, as this inquisitor seems to have taken the route of stealth and the double-bladed lightsaber. Still, there's plenty of lightning to go around and the developers spend a good deal of time discussing the importance (or unimportance!) of range between the two classes.

Take a look at the video and let us know where you're placing your bets in the comments below! BioWare is also encouraging players to shout out their favorites over Twitter with either the #CYSInquisitor or #CYSTrooper hashtags.

No matter what side of the conflict you’re on, Star Wars is rife with hierarchies. The Jedi Order ranges from Initiate to Grand Master. Criminal organizations have men at the bottom, the top, and everywhere in-between. Heck, someone even has to own the deed to Uncle Owen’s farm, right? Without leaders to make the rules and men and women given the power to enforce them, the galaxy would be in a state of perpetual chaos. Little Palpatine isn't fond of the notion.

Of course, not everyone is happy starting out doing the grunt work, and it’s only natural that we take some liberties when creating our characters. Some of us will assert our power through our guilds, justifying our position by our roles as leaders or officers. Others will slap the title of Lord next to their name and call it a day. Regardless of what we do however, roleplaying gives us the opportunity to live out our characters' lives and a part of that is achieving new things and earning our place in the grand galactic scheme. If characters never have any goals to aspire to (or never stumble along the way), it can make for some rather boring narrative.

So, is your character a Darth or an Acolyte? A Mercenary or the right-hand of Mandalore? Is placing your character high up in the hierarchy before the game starts even wise or fair? Let us know in the comments!

Ever since the launch date for Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced, the question on everyone's mind has been, "How soon is early access?" Yesterday, Stephen Reid posted on the official forums telling players that they would be receiving an update on Early Game Access "soon." Well soon is here as BioWare have revealed their Early Game Access Details.

Early Game Access is scheduled to begin December 15th, with players being added over the five days leading up to the release date. Players who have pre-ordered will be granted access to the game on a first-come, first-serve basis. The earlier you redeem your code, the more time you'll have to play before December 20th! If you haven't redeemed your code yet, what are you waiting for?