Norri posted May 4, 12
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35th Anniversary, Author: Norri, Battle of Hoth, BioWare, Boba Fett, Death star, EA, Electronic Arts, George Lucas, LucasArts, Luke Skywalker, May the 4th be with you, May the fourth be with you, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars Day, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Merry 35th anniversary, Force fans!
Today marks Star Wars Day, an annual holiday for nerds who like nerdy things in a galaxy far, far away. Fortunately, this Star Wars Day has a little meat on its bones other than sleepovers and marathons. You guessed right: it's the release of the new Blu-ray collection of everyone's favorite saga! Some folks may not like the Blu-ray versions, but today marks a wonderfully prestigious little accomplishment for the universe. It's the 35th anniversary of Star Wars!While a lot of the hubbub is about the Blu-ray Discs being boxed and ready to buy throughout the world, Star Wars has had a more far-reaching impact to a lot of people. While nobody wants to hear prattling on about the cliches like that the movies transcend generational barriers and the "used future" concept is really cool and just as applicable now as it was over 30 years ago—they're all true. Star Wars is that timeless piece of awesomeness which has accompanied many throughout childhood, adolescence, and beyond. Which is exactly why there's such a thing as Star Wars Day. Star Wars is a great thing for a lot of people, and today it's a day to reflect on that. Certain reporters wear their Boba Fett hooded sweatshirts, somebody is quoting Yoda's famous "Do or do not" shtick, and there are still friends and couples who share movie nights with the original trilogy—plastic extendable lightsaber included! The Battle of Hoth still makes people tingle in anticipation, and when the Emperor is thrown down that reactor core and the second Death Star is blown up, the fan in all of us roots for the Rebel Alliance and their triumph. We're glad to be a part of the Star Wars experience! This day is for all of us who love the legacy of Star Wars, be it past, present, or the future. Whether we like the newer films, the older ones, or everything just as equally, we can all agree that this is a pretty darn good day. So, from everyone here at SWTOR-RP, let me wish you a jubilant Star Wars Day, and may the 4th be with you!
Jenos posted Apr 10, 12
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A New Hope, Author: Evannok, BioWare, Cantina, controversy, EA, Electronic Arts, Endor, Episode IV, Episode VI, Falcon, Force, Force ghost, Force Reflection, George Lucas, Google, Greedo, Han shot first, Han Solo, Hayden Christensen, Jabba, LucasArts, movies, Return of the Jedi, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sebastian Shaw, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
 The greatest question of our time: who shot first in that famous cantina scene? This is just one of those controversial things that have happened since the original trilogy was released. Greedo shooting first, the Jabba scene in A New Hope, replacing the Sebastian Shaw Force ghost with Hayden Christensen in Return of the Jedi, so on and so forth. Each addition was signed off on by George Lucas who purported that Greedo always shot first. Yet so many Star Wars fans were outraged by changes that they considered to be destroying the franchise. It still continues today. Just do a Google search for " Han shot first" (<-- done for you) and look at the result count ("Over 20,000!"). The thing we need to keep in mind is this: with all of these additions, do they add or subtract from the story? Is it good for continuity that Christensen is the ghost on Endor? Would Han shoot Greedo in cold blood? Did it make sense to have Jabba call out Han in the Falcon's hangar? Give us your thoughts.
Ganden posted Apr 8, 12
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, Canon, EA, Electronic Arts, Fanon, George Lucas, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, SWTOR-RP Wiki, The Chroma Incident, The Old Republic, TOR, Treaty of Coruscant, Wiki, Wiki article of the month
Are you familiar with the term "fanon?" As a roleplayer and probable Star Wars fanatic, you should have sound knowledge of the word and its alternatives. For the lesser informed—with absolutely no emphasis on the descriptive nature of the term "lesser"—fanon is a form of canon. Where canon is formed and derives from original sources, in the case of Star Wars being George Lucas and his authors and companies, fanon is the creation of lore from the fans.
With any form of canon, controversy soon follows. And as for controversy in roleplay, what better way to discuss it than in one of Sebaya's editions of The Darker Side of Life? For an insight into canon and its alternatives, be sure to check out Canon and You.
Rewinding back to fanon, there are ways in which you can make it work. A prime example of a successful attempt at fan-created canon is represented on the SWTOR-RP Wiki, and has been selected as this month's featured article.
Each month, the team at SWTOR-RP will be selecting an entry from our wiki to be displayed on the front page, as well as earning its own article, just like this one. If you've created an entry and it meets the wiki's guidelines, you may see your work splayed under the spotlight.
This month, the fanon-based entry tells the story of an incident in space during the era of The Old Republic (who would of guessed?). Following the Treaty of Coruscant, a mass passenger transport and luxury liner was destroyed. The event was dubbed as The Chroma Incident.
Be sure to view this month's featured article which can be found on our wiki's main page.
Tazi posted Mar 31, 12
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Author: Tazi, EA, Electronic Arts, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, BioWare, Coleman Trebor, Force Sensitive, George Lucas, Jango Fett, Jedi Master, Palpatine, The Force, Yoda
This persuasive essay would do well to add more Mind Trick, Mr Fett
In the Star Wars universe, few are as powerful as the Force users. Jedi and Sith possess talents and abilities that make them terrible opponents to face. But they are not the only people that populate the galaxy. Strong and fearsome warriors that have no connection to the force are also doing battle in this massive galaxy. But are they on the same level? Can an experienced and skilled non-force user have any chance of defeating a force-user?
This question has posed a healthy level of debate about which is or isn’t as powerful as the other. The debate is healthy for roleplaying because it shows that people care about their characters (and others), are considering how their characters interact with others in the Star Wars universe, and finally, that a definitive answer isn’t necessarily the best thing for roleplaying. I would propose that for any story, it is uncertainty of outcome that drives it, and it is best to have an inconclusive answer. In roleplaying, when one player is an absolute, it leads everyone to that terrible (yet thankfully, usually unrealised) fear of god moding.
Sebaya Keto posted Mar 5, 12
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Author: Sebaya Keto, BioWare, Episode I, George Lucas, German, Guild Summit, Jar Jar Binks, Jita, Lord Ieldis, Purple Parallel, Qui-Gon Jinn, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Rubat Crystal, Scarlet Vornskyrs, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, Theubliet, TOR, Watto, Zeltron
200 nerds crammed into a small space; it sounds as crazy as it is. There's a surprising amount of RPers here, from several different servers, and even Europeans, though I don't speak German so that interview attempt didn't go too well...just kidding! Things have been going well so far and I've gotten a chance to talk to many RPers from all different sort of backgrounds—about what they expect from the Summit.
To be clear, nothing of any remote importance happened today. We were bussed over to a movie theatre and got to watch Episode I in 3-D which was surprisingly decent. I guess Lucas's policy of more SFX and less story is working out to a degree. We did have people yelling "Spacebar!" when Jar Jar Binks was talking though, and yelling "Darkside Choice!" when Qui-Gon Jinn was being denied the parts by Watto. One guy had his friends from the 501st Legion storm the place and surprise arrest his fiancée so he could propose to her in the nerdiest way possible. She said yes, and it was awesome. Shame I didn't get a picture in time!
Seriously though, that's about it for today. Most of the cool stuff including the RP panel happens tomorrow, so look for my coverage then about upcoming RP features, and a hands on report on Game Update 1.2. I did get to talk to some RPers and get a feel for their expectation as well though. Theubliet from Rubat Crystal's Scarlet Vornskyrs is here looking for RP features like chat bubbles, and near human races like Zeltrons, as well as ways to energize people to get into RP more. I spoke to Jita of Lord Ieldis's Purple Parallel as well; she's expressing concerns over the community on some of the less active RP servers, as well as the people running around with obvious non-RP names, and accents in names causing problems.
That's all for now. I'll have more for you all tomorrow, and until then, just picture hundreds of nerds drinking as much as possible in a small bar, and you've pretty much got the convention covered in your mind. Tomorrow will sure be interesting as everything begins bright and early. Follow my wall and I'll try to update news as fast as possible.
Tenebras posted Feb 21, 12
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A Long Time Ago, Author: Tenebras, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, folklore, George Lucas, Hero's Journey, Jedi Consular, Joseph Campbell, LucasArts, Monomyth, myth, mythology, role-play, roleplay, RP, Sith Warrior, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Twentieth Century-Fox fanfare.
A black backdrop, bejeweled with distant stars. And ten words:
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..... "
I saw Episode IV: A New Hope when I was all of six years old, and my stomach still tightens with eager anticipation at the sight of that simple proem. It always promises that what we are about to see isn’t just an ordinary shoot-’em-up between plastic models chroma keyed against a matte painting. Instead, the words betoken something vaster, something more potent: we are witnessing a capital-S Story set in a mythic world where the stakes go as high as they possibly can, and where Good and Evil clash on a grand, primal scale.
Sebaya Keto posted Feb 1, 12
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A New Hope, Ashara Zavros, Author: Sebaya Keto, BioWare, DSoL, Erotic Roleplay, ERP, Family Guy, Galactic Civil War, George Lucas, Goldshire, Lando Calrissian, Lord Zash, Oola, Princess Leia, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sith Inquisitor, Sith Warrior, Star Wars, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Darker Side of Life, The Old Republic, The Phantom Menace, Togruta, TOR, Twi'lek, Vette, World of Warcraft
One thing many people point out about the original Star Wars movies is the lack of women. In the article on racism, I retold the joke from Family Guy about Lando being the only black man in the galaxy, but minorities aren't the only under-represented group. Most of the women we see in the original trilogy are Twi'leks dancing in Jabba's palace, and none of them are Imperials. Princess Leia is the obvious exception to this, but think about it for just a moment. If you're male especially, and the first thing you see when thinking of Princess Leia isn't her in a metal bikini, you're probably lying to yourself.
Star Wars is over thirty years old now though. Back in those dark ages, having Leia running around as a heroine at all was edgy, right? This is 2012 now but because Star Wars fans are mostly made up of cannon nazis, every aspect of the original movies must be somehow interpreted in roleplay. For instance, back in Star Wars Galaxies, the Empire was considered sexist, and to have a female Imperial character was considered taboo. That was just a year ago before it shut down. Are we, and BioWare in creating The Old Republic still beholden to the inhibitions of movie audiences thirty years ago?
Join me in this week's The Darker Side of Life as we dig through examples members of the community have dug up about sexism in roleplay and the storylines created by BioWare for The Old Republic. Does sexism still exist in TOR roleplay? And more importantly, who is perpetuating it? Has BioWare created stories or female characters that could be considered demeaning, or are we doing it to ourselves through our roleplay? Read on to find out!
Ganden posted Jan 24, 12
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, George Lucas, LucasArts, Original Trilogy, Prequels, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars Saga, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Which is better: the prequels or sequels of Star Wars? This is by far one of the greatest Star Wars debate topics of all time. Do episodes I, II, and III stay true to the name of Star Wars, or do the sequel episodes, consisting of episodes IV, V and VI, trump the prequels and bring the story to life?
Though majority of people would back the original trilogy, those opinions would largely be from those who grew up in the 70s and 80s, seeing the extraordinary work of George Lucas for the first time on the big screen. But how do the younger generations feel about the Star Wars films? For some people, the new-age special effects and expanded horizons of an already large fantasy world may just be what they desire.
There are many factors which may influence a person's decision as to which trilogy they prefer. Originality of the story is one, as is the level of special effects, the diversity of the characters, and the abilities of the actors to convince the audience. When you apply these factors to your decision, which trilogy do they favour?
Flicking back through the Force Reflections we've published in the past, it was shocking to see that the big question had never been asked. Now it is time to bring the great debate to SWTOR-RP. Today's question is: do you prefer the prequels or original trilogy? Be sure to explain your answers in the comments section.
Ganden posted Oct 11, 11
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, George Lucas, Huttball, LucasArts, Roleplay, Sport, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, The Phantom Menace, TOR, Wookieepedia
We all enjoy a bit of sport from time to time, whether it be football, tennis, swashbuckling, or ping pong. Die hard fans exist for every sport, with prime examples being those from the South American footballing nations that start riots when their teams begin to lose. It is hard to find dedication like that these days. But these sports provide us with much needed entertainment and an escape from our daily grind. Tickets are easily purchased to go and view your local sport, allowing you to yell out obscenities to the referee with a beer in one hand, and a hotdog in the other.
In Star Wars, sports are not uncommon. We've seen some of the leisure activities that exist in the fantasy world on the big screen, such as the dangerous pod races depicted in The Phantom Menace. Just like sports in real life, fans can get quite passionate about pod racing. Bets are placed on some of the racers, some wagers so high that they see the inevitable release of slaves that turn out to be the galaxy's darkest villains. Other sports exist, with one in particular that we'll see in The Old Republic. Of course, we're referring to Huttball. For other sports from the Star Wars universe, check out Wookieepedia's coverage here.
For today's Force Reflection, tell us which sport from the Star Wars universe you like most, whether it be BioWare's rendition of sports from the Lucas fantasy world, or something more streamline seen in the movies. Post your thoughts in the comments section.
Sebaya Keto posted Oct 5, 11
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Author: Sebaya Keto, BioWare, Carrie Fisher, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, George Lucas, Han Solo, LucasArts, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Underwear
This may seem like an odd question, but some might remember good old George Lucas explaining to Carrie Fisher that there is no underwear in space. While that might make for a more alluring metal bikini, something that we'd see much of at any Star Wars convention, it could also get quite uncomfortable. Even with all the technology in the Star Wars universe, have they really overcome the need for underpants? Surely there would have to be some sort of apparel to cover the bits of Humans and Gungans alike. Is free-balling a Star Wars character's favourite past time?
With The Old Republic slowly approaching launch, we're slowing getting down to the finer details for our characters. We're getting so fine, that we're actually going to ask you about underwear. What does your character wear on a normal day? How about in battle? Do they have a lucky pair of underpants they save for emergencies? Maybe Han Solo has a special brown pair he keeps for those daring asteroid field maneuvers. It's not something we often think about... actually, it is probably something we've never thought about, but sometimes it is the little things in life that can make all the difference. And yes, by those little things, we mean undies! Post your thoughts in the comments section, if you dare!
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