Because Vitiate made the Empire in secret? He and his followers wouldn't have left any information behind about their new empire because they were escaping genocide at the hands of the Jedi. If they left any clues as to their whereabouts or even that they still existed, the Republic would track them down. They wandered through space for twenty years, making random hyperspace jumps, before they found Dromund Kaas because they didn't want to be followed. Dromund Kaas was chosen specifically because records of its location had been lost. On top of that, the Jedi pretty much destroyed all the Sith relics they could find. So even if they had left information behind, it almost certainly would have been lost, especially after 900 years.

Not once did Kreia say anything about the Sith Empire, aside from knowing that it exists. She doesn't even know if they're pureblood or not, just that they are "True" Sith, not merely Dark Jedi who take up the moniker. Really, she doesn't even know about them firsthand, just that Revan found something beyond known space, and that he went off to (presumably) to fight it. He never talked to anyone about what he saw. Likewise, Kreia knew from the holocrons at Trayus academy that Malachor and Korriban were on the edges of the old Sith Empire (the one wiped out in the Great Sith War). Putting two and two together, she came to the conclusion that there must be remnants of the Empire still out there. Even still, she always talked in conjecture. Which meant she didn't really have hard evidence that they were still around. And besides, knowing that there's a Sith Empire out there does not mean you know there's an omnicidal, nigh omnipotent God-Emperor who'd been planning revenge for nearly a millennium.

That's right, she wouldn't want to see everything be consumed and everyone lose their free will. But she didn't know about the Emperor, and therefore it would have been impossible for her to know about the Emperor's plans. And as I said, and as Kreia herself said, Nihilus wasn't capable of having any coherent thoughts because he was no longer a man; he was a hole in the Force and was a slave to his hunger. I'm pretty sure she even said that he was already dead, but that his body had yet to fall.

Pretty interesting stuff. If I remember correctly, Kreia was exiled for her unusual philosophical views and training methods. Her teachings weren't Dark Sided, per se, but she was definitely an advocate of skepticism, which could easily lead to her pupils falling to the Dark Side. Like in the case of Revan, and possibly a few other unnamed apprentices. It's also interesting to point out that Atris thought she had perished in the Mandalorian Wars. Which meant that she was exiled before the battle of Malachor. That leaves a large gap of time between the Mandalorian Wars and when she set foot in Trayus Academy, which was at some point after the conclusion of the Jedi Civil War. She could have visited Korriban, but I was under the impression that she only visited after falling to the Dark Side at Trayus Academy. The Sith she led were not her own creation. They were whatever remnants that survived the Jedi Civil War, as well as Sion (who'd been around since the war with Exar Kun) and Nihilus, who was born of Malachor. Kreia took them both as apprentices, until they exiled her sometime before the events of KOTOR2. She never visited Dromund Kaas, though. She always talked about how she didn't know where Revan had gone, or where the True Sith were, only that she knew they were out there somewhere, and she almost always spoke in hypotheticals. I don't know if she ever set foot inside the tombs, as when you visit Korriban, all the tombs had been covered up or otherwise ruined. But it's certainly possible that she did.

By leaking the location of the DS II, and by letting them think it wasn't operational yet, he created a brilliant trap. It would be their only opportunity to destroy it before it became functional. They had no choice to send every single ship they had into an all-out attack. Even if they knew it was a trap, they couldn't afford to ignore it. It was also the perfect opportunity to take Luke prisoner, and really, that's the main reason the Emperor did any of this. The rebellion was never his real concern. Anywaly, Palps made it look like the DS was unprotected, and then BAM! The entire Imperial fleet comes out from its hiding spot and corners the fleet, while the DS reveals itself to be fully operational. If not for the combined efforts of the Ewoks and Anakin, the entire rebellion would've been crushed in a single battle.

Light Side Empire is superior anyway. Patriotism/Idealism/Practicality > Pointless Evil every time. Though I do love my absolutely insane DS V Sorcerer.

From what I recall, Dooku was considered a very skilled duelist, rivaling Yoda and Windu. To throw a non-Force-user out there, Grievous was definitely a skilled lightsaber duelist, seeing how many Jedi he could kill, and how many he could take on at once.

Revan achieved breaking people's wills through how terrible war is, and through subtle manipulation of echoes. He also used nexuses of the Dark Side to break the wills of Force Users, but he didn't really start doing that until after he had been captured by the Emperor. As far as I'm aware, we don't know how the Emperor was able to break the wills of the Sith on Nathema, we just know that he did. But manipulating and turning people is hardly unique to the Sith Emperor. The technique I was specifically referring to was the Sith ritual that gave him immortality, which is unique to only him. I doubt even the Hand know the details of the ritual. Nihilus and the Sith Emperor had wildly different goals, though they essentially had the same endpoint. To be accurate, Nihilus was physically incapable of having a goal, because he was essentially a walking corpse. All he cared about was satisfying his hunger. But, since he was a hole in the Force, he could never have his fill. If left unchecked, he would have consumed every living thing in the universe, and then he would starve to death, because there would be nothing left to feed on. The Sith Emperor, on the other hand, is himself essentially a Force nexus and very much has goals. If left unchecked, he would consume every living thing in the universe, but not because of hunger. He wanted to have unlimited power and to live forever. They are on opposite sides of the same spectrum. Both sides are death, but the Emperor would have been eternal and Nihilus would have been nothing.

Now that's an interesting theory.

The technique that created Malachor V was not the same technique that the Emperor used to become immortal. Revan's reason for using the Mass Shadow Generator at Malachor, and creating echoes, was as part of his "war of conversion" throughout the Mandalorian Wars to eliminate his enemies and people not loyal to him, and to corrupt the allies that were. Dxun, Malachor, Dantooine, Telos, and Nar Shadaa are all examples of worlds that created echoes fueled by war. It's just that Malachor was the most potent example due to to being an order of magnitude bloodiest and most sudden. I'm pretty sure that Malachor wasn't supposed to create a wound in the Force or people like Nihilus and the Exile who could feed on the Force. Kreia knew that feeding on the Force of others was a Sith technique, yes. She saw it as an incredibly dangerous technique that needed to be wiped out. However, the larger reason for this was that it would inevitably lead to the practitioner becoming like Nihilus, who would consume entire planets and still not be sated, and whose mind would eventually be consumed by hunger until only primal instinct remained. The Sith Emperor had to have used a different (but similar) technique, because he is very much still in control of his mind. One is a breach in the Force, the other is not. Nihilus was a Force of Nature, the Emperor was a Force of Will. Nihilus's method could only be learned through instinct, not taught. I'm not 100% positive, but I think the Emperor developed his method through his knowledge of Sith alchemy or magic. From the way Kreia talked of it, it's clear that she thought it was impossible to maintain one's faculties while wielding that ability, so the Emperor's method was obviously unknown to her.

She knew that the "True Sith" were lingering beyond the borders of known space, and that they would return, yes. However, even with all the knowledge she found at the Trayus Academy, there was no way she could have known about the Emperor or his plans. The Emperor was no fool, and kept that a closely guarded secret that only a handful of people (pun intended) knew about. She didn't even know where exactly the Sith Empire was (the information was locked in the Ebon Hawk's navicomputer). All she had were a few things she had learned from Revan and her own guesswork. She prepared the Exile as best she could, because she had no clue what lied beyond known space.

Men can be pretty, too, so I don't buy that . Someone actually drew some fanart a while ago involving a male slave dancer outfit, and it looked fantastic. Same goes for Ixum's shopped screens in the Skimp'd Male Gear thread. I'd love it if the devs put male versions of the slave/dancer outfits in the game, especially now that we have all those "relaxed" outfits in the Cartel Market.

Her dying monologue makes it pretty explicit that she was intent on dying. She had planned her death well in advance, and it was central to her plan. If she really wanted to kill the Force, then she needed to die along with the Exile. If she wanted to mold the Exile in to the perfect Jedi, the training required that she die by the Exile's hand. She viewed mercy as the ultimate insult, and redemption as the ultimate betrayal of one's self. To become the Entity, she would've had to survive death and become one with the Force (or use some other ritual to become a Force ghost). To me, that very notion is absurd. She hated the Force, but wielded it like one would wield a poison. It was merely a means to an end (namely, the Exile). And with her death at Malachor, her end was already achieved. She did not fear death, and becoming one with the Force would be a cruel irony, as far as her character was concerned, as she would be forever part of the one thing she hated most. She just... can't be the Force Entity, even if everything that came out of the Entity's mouth was a trick. Besides, if she really were Kreia, she wouldn't have lied like that. She was far more fond of half-truths, which were far more effective and cruel.

The reason Kreia despised the Force was not that it manipulated people. What she despised was that it manipulated people into playing a pointless game of Light and Dark that never ended, no matter how many billions of sentients were sacrificed. She loved the exile because she was the only one truly immune to the Force's will, and could (if her plan worked) finally put an end to the game. Of course, this was quite possibly an elaborate ruse in order to mold the Exile into the perfect Jedi (at least from Kreia's perspective), so that she could go into the Unknown Regions to follow Revan and defeat the reformed Sith Empire. Regardless of what her plans were, she still despised the Force, and if she knew what kind of abomination the Emperor truly was, she would hate him with her entire being, since the Emperor represents the aspect of the Force she hates the most: the uncaring manipulator who would sacrifice every living being in the galaxy (or even universe) for its own ends. She could have changed in 300 years, if her essence had managed to survive her death, but there's no way she did that much of a 180. Also, I honestly can't believe that she survived her death at Malachor. Generally speaking, the only people who become Force ghosts are Jedi Masters who are at peace with the universe, or Dark Jedi / Sith who have unfinished business. Kreia, I felt, was neither of those. Her sole raison d'etre was the Exile, and only through her death would the Exile's training be complete. On top of that, she struck me as the type who would rather die than willingly become One With the Force. As I see it, the Dark Side Entity has to be someone other than Kreia, or else her entire character would have been butchered.

I think the post you were referring to was talking more about the opinion that Bioware should make romance options not restricted by gender. Gender is the only thing in the game that affects what options a player character has in terms of romance (aside from class). Nothing was said about making all NPCs romanceable, only that those that are should be romanceable regardless of the PC's gender. Personally, I'd prefer Bioware to strike some sort of balance between "equal-opportunity" romances, as it were, and exclusive romances. For example, I'd support Quinn and Jaesa being made bi while having Pierce and Vette remain straight (totally arbitrary example). I feel like an ideal SWTOR [Flirt] breakdown would be 1/3 SGR-only, 1/3 OGR-only, and 1/3 bi. On to your other question, I feel that species has nothing to do with it, as none of the romances change depending on what race you chose (except for maybe one instance in the IA story). And I always felt that the reason you couldn't romance most of the "non-human" companions had more to do with the characters themselves, not their species. Wanting your Fem!Consular to romance Qyzen or HK-51 is fine, but isn't really relevant to this thread. Make a new thread about it if you want. Though I imagine romancing HK would be a lot like licking a lamppost in winter. Not exactly the most appealing thought I can think of. And asexuals can just not choose a [Flirt] option and be fine. Children, on the other hand... this game is rated T for a reason.

Sorry, I just couldn't help but imagine the Senator addressing a delegation from Makeb

The movies don't really give a good cross-section of the Star Wars universe, at least sexuality-wise. As far as I recall, the only characters that explicitly displayed their romantic inclinations in the movies were Anakin, Padme, Han, Leia, Shimi, her husband, Owen, Beru, and Luke. Nine isn't a lot, and they can all be charted on a single family tree. They're also (as far as I recall) all human. Does this mean that non-humans don't engage in romance, just because they're not shown doing so in the movies? No. Same thing should apply to homosexuality. There are TONS of things in the EU that aren't shown in the movies. It wouldn't be a plot hole (as it has more to do with world building), just a discrepancy. And there's a difference between the movies not showing something and George Lucas stating that something categorically doesn't exist. Where did they all go? They might not have gone anywhere. Maybe people in the Star Wars universe just like to avoid PDA.

1) No one's arguing for more SGR than OGR. 2) That would never happen. 3) . . . like, ever.

You think the romances are a joke? That's fine. I can understand that. Not everyone cares for the same things. As for myself, I'm a sucker for characterization, so I enjoyed the Cytharat side-story. I thought it was well done. I don't care that it was mostly just a few subtle [Flirt]s. To me, it added another level of emotional investment in the game. It made me feel like the characters are a little more alive. The romances aren't a major part of the story, but they can certainly give it a bit more flavor (and spice). If you don't like the romances, you don't have to choose [Flirt]s. I don't see why it's a big deal. I don't like PvP or Ops that much, but I don't go around arguing against their inclusion.

This has got to be the greatest pack yet! Thana Vesh, KotOR Sith Trooper, Covert Energy Gloves, Relaxed Uniform, Silver-Blue crystals! Man, I'm gonna have to get so many items! Keep up the good work!

The plot arc with him seemed cut short, so I really like the idea of him being a companion. As for implementation, it wouldn't seem too much harder to employ than HK, though pubs would probably need someone for their side. But that's digressing.

So, this is vaguely off topic for the current discussion, but while I was trying to get my (male) Inquisitor up to 50 over the weekend, I had a chat with Talos. He gave me a rather generous compliment, telling me how much he's learned from me and how awesome I am. One of the wheel's spokes read "Are you flirting with me?" so I clicked it, only for my Inquisitor to say "Sorry, but you're not my type," resulting in Talos stammering, saying that wasn't what he meant. I had been hoping that they had somehow smuggled SGR into the game, but alas, it was not meant to be. IMO, I don't know why he wasn't a love interest to begin with. He gives off a rather strong vibe of hero-worship, and is totally adorable. I seriously hope they make an update where he can be romanceable, because it would totally be in his character. He strikes me as an example of a character who could very well be hero-sexual, but hasn't been able to work up the nerve to address it, but could be fleshed out with post-50 content. Generally speaking, I don't see the problem with hero-sexual NPCs. They already show that to a degree, where characters will compliment you regardless of your appearance (though it currently depends on your gonads). I mean, IRL, there are tons of instances where people who normally swing one way or another would make an exception for someone famous of the non-preferred gender. The PCs seem like they could be that sort of celebrity, as they'd be one of the most celebrated people in the galaxy.

I hope that's the case. It'd make me feel a lot better about how it's being implemented. That said, if there's no OGR in the expansion, I'd be rather upset, even if I never choose OGR options anyway.

*cough* I'm sorry, what? I get that it can be difficult to find a way to implement SGR [Flirt]s that feel like they're part of the story and not just feel like inclusiveness for inclusiveness' sake, but it, at the very best, appears lazy. This has been in development for how long? SGRs had been promised before launch, and you make it so that not all player characters can even have the option when it finally was included? Is that what you call good writing? *takes a breath* Now that I've got that out of my system, I'll try to be more level headed. I'm glad SGRs (even if not SGRAs) were added. I am. It just leaves me... underwhelmed. Severely underwhelmed, because of all the uptalk it was given. In response to "how else would you have done it (and make it work)?" I can't say. There are countless different directions they could have gone to make it satisfactory. Two "main" quest-givers perhaps for each faction's questline. Or maybe split them up between a main quest-line and a bonus quest-line. Or a quest-giver and a plot-relevant NPC. They could have done a lot of cool things with it. Of course, this is said having not played the expansion myself. My two cents. Happy it's in, but disappointed in how it was implemented.

Well, technically speaking, there's already a toggle of sorts: the dialogue wheel. If you don't want to engage in a certain option, be they [Flirt]s, [shock him]s, [Kill him]s, or any other sort of action, you have the choice whether to do them or not. If you want your character to do the option, click the option. If you don't, then don't click it. It really is that simple. If you can't handle an option being presented, what are you playing an RPG for?