Yeah, that's basically what I'm trying to convey. It'd be a small change in light of everything else in the game, but I think it would definitely add a lot of value for those who play to enjoy the story or who play casually.

I'm sure this is something people have thought about before, and I don't know if it's something that's already been addressed, but I feel it's worth suggesting anyways. If the whole idea of changing the way companions function way back when was to make them pseudo-alternatives for party members in flashpoints and heroic missions, wouldn't it be better for both story and player enjoyment if your companions filled party roles in solo flashpoints instead of one impersonal combat support droid? It'd be much more satisfying visually, would give players a greater appreciation for the characters around them, and it would be a nice callback to the party composition of KOTOR. Undoubtedly there's a very vocal portion of people who would gladly declare they don't care, who want to argue such a change would be too difficult to make, or that it would serve no purpose, but I've always been of the persuasion that we shouldn't limit ourselves to the vision of the naysayers. In fact, in writing about it now, I remember a time where people first suggested the CSD, and there was a bunch of people who claimed it would be too difficult to implement until it actually happened, but I digress. In any case, I'm sure there's a lot of people quietly playing to enjoy the stories who would much prefer to be surrounded by their companions in the game's most difficult sequences, rather than be temporarily provided with the CSD that they'll never interact with outside of those instances.

I'm not saying there wouldn't be a lot of work involved. I wouldn't expect it to be done all at once, nor would I expect it to be perfect. But my point is, why not put in the effort and reap the rewards? Making these species playable is not outside of the realm of possibilities, whatever you may believe or have been told. It'd certainly be a large and costly task, but one that would be worth the effort for significant returns in player appreciation and payout. With the changes that have been made to the game since KOTFE, most consistent players, subscribed or F2P, have gone through the same class and expansion stories at least twice and still keep coming back for more. Those players would absolutely eat up any new species that are added, as they already have with the Cathar, Togruta, and Nautolan. Not to mention it'll draw the attention of new players and bring back old players.

So, I've been playing this game since launch, coming back sporadically for a few months every year, and I think the one thing that's most lacking is PLAYER SPECIES OPTIONS. The additions of Cathar, Togruta, and Nautolan, while fantastic, don't feel like enough for a game that's been running for almost a decade, won't be adding any new classes, and is supposed to take place in an expansive universe filled with a colorful cast of aliens and otherworldly creatures. I thought they might capitalize on this when KOTFE came out, especially in light of changing the companion system. The purpose of many of the expansion's changes, as I understand them, was to maximize player choice in both playstyle and story. Unfortunately, new player species wasn't really included in that ideology. Arkanian, Bith, Bothan, Chagrian, Devaronian, Duros, Kel Dor, Mon Calamari, Nikto, Rodians, Selkath, Sullustans, Trandoshans, Weequay and more! Even more difficult races like Ithorians and Wookiees with little to no armor choices would be welcome! Of course the process isn't as simple as all that, but much more effort should be put into making this a reality. Even something like, and I can't believe I'm saying this, cosmetic alien armor sets in the CM would be great. There's a whole galaxy of recognizable alien species in Star Wars, many of which already exist in the game, that are just waiting to become playable! Not to mention that there is undoubtedly a great deal of praise, and reward, waiting for the studio and developers if they take action on this!