Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Andor.Ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm and announced a restructuring of the Star Wars canon, fans have been desperate to see a film or television series set within the Old Republic era. The older Expanded Universe content had developed an extensive history of the ancient Jedi and Sith that spanned thousands of years before the events of the Skywalker saga. News about the future of the critically acclaimed Knights of the Old Republicgaming franchise has stalled; it was recently reported that the upcoming next-generation remake of the games has been delayed.
However, this week’s episode of Andor, “Aldhani,” dropped a surprising Easter Egg that relates to the Knights of the Old Republic lore. Cassian (Diego Luna) is skeptical about Luthen Rael’s (Stellan Skarsgard) planned heist into the heart of the Empire. In order to convince Cassian to join this risky endeavor, Luthen hands him a rare kyber necklace, saying that the precious stone “celebrates the uprising against the Rakatan invaders.”
Although this is likely nothing more than a passing mention, it’s the first reference to the Knights of the Old Republic franchise in the Disney era and is likely to please long-time fans who appreciate seeing this era of the franchise recognized.
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When Does 'Knights of the Old Republic' Take Place?
The Old Republic era of the Star Wars franchise is fairly dense, and it began before the prequels even hit theaters. The Tales of the Jedi comics that began in 1993 told a story over 3,000 years before the events of the primary saga, and followed the “Dark Jedi” Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma as they started an uprising against the Jedi Order. The Knights of the Old Republic game from 2003 takes place several generations later, where the Sith have reemerged in the form of the fallen Jedi Darth Revan and Darth Malak.
Revan and Malak fell to the dark side after pursuing the Mandalorians against the orders of the Jedi Council. Malak is the primary antagonist of the first game, and attempts to create a powerful super weapon called the Star Forge. The 2004 sequel, Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, takes place five years later. The Sith Lord Darth Nihilus has initiated a Jedi purge that virtually wipes the light side from the galaxy, and an exiled Jedi must rise up to save the Order from decimation.
Although a third installment was canceled, the 2011 MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic picked up with the story 300 years later. In this era, the Jedi Order and Sith Empire are in a Cold War as they vie for control of the galaxy. Players are able to assume the identity of the Jedi, Sith, soldiers, smugglers, and bounty hunters that have adventures throughout the galaxy. Additionally, the popular Dark Horse comic book series Knights of the Old Republic began in 2006. The comic takes place eight years before the original games and follows a spurned Jedi Padawan who is blamed for a massacre and must clear his name.
Who Are the Rakatan Invaders?
In the older Expanded Universe content, the Rakata are an amphibious species that comes from the planet Lehon. The Rakatan are even older than anything else in the Knights of the Old Republic franchise; they first developed hyperspace technology through the power of the force 30,000 years before the era of Darth Revan. Characterized by their brutality, the Rakatan created an “Infinite Empire” that decimated other species.
Ultimately, the Rakatan invaders and their Infinite Empire collapsed after the power of the Star Forge weapon drove them into a civil war. In the Knights of the Old Republic games, Revan and Malak travel to the Temple of the Ancients to find the remnants of the Rakata species. Although Revan promises to destroy the Star Forge, he betrays the Elders’ trust and uses the weapon for himself. 2,000 years after Darth Revan’s time, the new Sith Lord Darth Bane travels to the remnants of Lehon to find that the Rakata are all but extinct.
The Future of 'Knights of the Old Republic'
Although The Old Republic MMORPG is still active and adding new expansion packs, news on any films set within the Knights of the Old Republic era has stalled. In 2019, Kathleen Kennedy announced at Celebration Chicago that a film was in development. Shutter Island screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis was later tapped to write the first installment in a trilogy, but there have been no recent updates.
Currently, the Star Wars Expanded Universe has been dominated by the multimedia project The High Republic. This sub-franchise consists of several ongoing novel series, young adult books, comic storylines, and even an upcoming audio drama. The High Republic era takes place approximately 350 years before the Skywalker Saga, when the galaxy is in a state of peace and the Sith are virtually extinct. The “space Vikings” known as the Nihil disrupt this order, provoking the response of the Jedi. Lesley Hedland’s upcoming Disney+ series The Acolyte is set during the same era.
Andor premieres new episodes weekly every Wednesday on Disney+.
