I think our characters would realise that there must be a reason why these powerful people captured them instead of simply killing them - and that reason must be that they are going to use them for something. Depending on your dialogue choices, Arcann says a number of ambiguous and vaguely threatening things to you, such as 'we'll soon see what you're capable of' and 'you won't need to speak to answer my questions'. It's pretty clear that he has some kind of agenda concerning our character. To 'set someone up' means "to trick someone in order to make them do something, or in order to make someone seem guilty of something that they have not done" (the dictionary definition). That is what happens - we are set up as the scapegoat for Valkorion's murder by Arcann (and I don't think he just winged that on a whim; I think he at least considered that option beforehand). I'm not saying our characters would be able to guess all of that in advance, but my characters would definitely have expected to be used, deceived or exploited in some way by the time we're being led into that throne room. I imagine that they felt completely out of their depth and that they didn't expect to come out of that alive or unscathed. Yes! All my feels in that sentence 😊 Excellent observations! His character design is so richly detailed - there is just so much to look at and talk about. I have seen those early mask designs and it's interesting to see how carefully they considered how much of his face should be hidden. And the design of the mask itself is interesting; the jagged edges, the shape of the eye... To me, the eye always looked vaguely tear-shaped, which aligns with the inherent tragedy of his character. There's the same level of detail in his visible eye - you can see that faint ring of blue around the pupil; his true self hasn't been entirely eclipsed by the Dark Side. As with his face, there is just a sliver left, indicating the potential for redemption. I love how you described his cybernetics as the darkness consuming him! That's something @Siita and I have talked about a bunch of times. Also, it is noteworthy that DS Arcann's mask covers even more of his face and that the cybernetic arm is bulkier. Not only does it make him look even more intimidating, but it shows him becoming more machine/less human than before, as a result of Senya's death. I wish we knew what the script on his robes say. We've tried to translate it before, but to no avail (unlike Vaylin's, which can be translated when compared to the other Zakuulan letters you find around the Spire).

I suppose our character really has no other choice. I think our character does realise that he/she is being set up (at least, that's how I head-canon it - and also how I wrote it in my fanfic that covers those events!), but he/she came out there to kill Vitiate, knowing he is a threat to the whole universe, so it is a worthwhile sacrifice. I mean, what else could we do, if we don't accept his power? And our character doesn't know for certain that Arcann intends to conquer the Core Worlds or that he will turn out as tyrannical as he does. In our character's shoes, I would also have chosen to go with the lesser evil and kill Valkorion, even if it meant giving Arcann an excuse to invade with an unbeatable Fleet. Better that than Vitiate/Valkorion eating everyone 😄 I like to think that it would give our character pause to see how much more technologically advanced Zakuul is, though. It's a good dilemma and more could definitely have been made of it in the game's story! @Siita's video is an absolute masterpiece and shows the development of the relationship so beautifully! And the way the music underscores that development makes me tear up a little. Thanks for your interest in our podcast project, @cosmicchar! We're planning to launch pretty soon and will let everyone know where to find us 😊Planning to be on Youtube, yes! I played SWTOR from the start but took a long break while I went to uni. Like you, I got back into it as soon as I saw the Sacrifice trailer. That trailer is phenomenal and I could talk about it forever! I fell in love with Arcann instantly and that love has only grown since then. Such a complex, nuanced and tragic character with so much amazing symbolism attached to him (the mask, the arm, the scars, his whole look). I cannot wait to see what's in store for him in 7.3!

My vote will be for pre-Voss Arcann as a very unhealthy ISTJ-T and post-Voss as a healthy/healing ISTJ-A. I think it's a small T though and depending on the description (which vary a lot from website to website, I've noticed), he might be an ISFJ. My problem seeing him as an ISTJ (the Logistician) is that I don't think he's enough of a traditionalist. The ISFJ (The Defender) may be too much of an empath. ISFP (the Artist) strikes me as too spontaneous and I'm not sure Arcann has enough of a creative drive to qualify (although he does make the armour for us. That would also be a very appropriate ISFJ gift, though). In conclusion, I don't know for sure which type is exactly the right fit, but we seem to agree on a rough type which, to me, just confirms that Arcann's character design is rock solid 😊

Pre-Voss has to be an unhealthy type and post-Voss has to be healthy, I think. I think LS (post-Voss) Arcann is an Assertive type, for sure. Not 100% Assertive, of course, but enough to make the result swing that way. If he wasn't, I think he would respond worse to our character's cruel dialogue options, for one thing.

Emotion bomb was a poor choice of words on my part. I think I got the expression from Sims 4 where the 'emotion bomb quirk' causes characters to explode in random fits of rage and sadness 😄I agree that Arcann does explode in the proper 'bomb' sense of having a timer or trigger. Having said that, I think it's worth noting that as LS he actually has extremely good self-control and emotional control. He's able to reject Valkorion's attempts at manipulation ("you have no son") and he responds calmly if our character chooses the cruellest dialogue options in conversations with him. The only time LS Arcann seems to lose some emotional control is in the romance - not in a negative sense, but in the sense that his feelings seem to 'spill over' with very little prompting (just saying 'I care about you' is enough to make him launch into a big, risky confession!). We also need to take his life experiences into account though. His behaviour in the romance is probably in large part due to being completely inexperienced and very starved for affection. Sensing is juxtaposed with Intuition (S-types vs N-types). I would place Arcann as a S-type because I'm guessing he processes information through his senses rather than through abstract ideas. I'm not 100% sure about this one though. An S-type would have a high degree of situational awareness and we did just talk about how he tends to lose his. S-types also prefer concrete tasks and actions as opposed to N-types who are idea-people that like theories and abstractions. With regard to that, I think Arcann seems like more of an S-type.

Yeah, okay, emotion bomb was probably the wrong word to use! But I still see his attack on Valkorion in the cinematic as something that has built up over a very long time. To me, it's that slow simmer coming to a boil and then finally just spilling over. We also see him losing his temper earlier in the cinematic when he smashes the comm with the Force after he and Thexan report to Valkorion. I think Arcann had a long cascade of moments like that, gradually losing more and more control specifically with regard to Valkorion until it just exploded in the attempt to kill him. When I wrote 'emotion bomb' I was thinking of characters like Vaylin or Kylo Ren. Vaylin kills for completely random reasons - for amusement or in a blind rage - but Arcann, at least, always has a rationale behind killing someone. Also in contrast to Arcann, I see Ren as that kind of DS character who lashes out at anyone who pisses him off or gets in his way, breaks random stuff with his lightsaber in temper tantrums, etc. I don't see Arcann as THAT kind of emotion bomb, at all. To me, Arcann is more of a predator, someone who does lose control when his particular emotional wound is ripped open, but not someone who just lashes out at everyone unthinkingly. Yes, he winged it to some degree on Asylum, but again only after Valkorion turned up and ruined his plans. He was trying to make a deal with Outlander before that (he was totally lying about letting our friends go and so on if we surrendered to him, of course, but he still had a plan - he wasn't just running in blind and attacking us). Even the way he kills Heskal seems like a planned attempt to intimidate us as much as possible. He doesn't just kill him, he poses him as we enter the room. So, I stand by thinking of him as a J-type over a P-type. I think he does tend to have a plan of action. P-types are also supposed to be really good at dealing with unforeseen problems and adapt quickly to change, because they're more flexible thinkers. When Arcann loses his situational awareness, I think it's because he completely loses his cool; the plan is ruined and he isn't quick to find a new strategy that actually works. Maybe we could look at some descriptions of IS-types and see which description we think fits best overall? Do you agree with the IS part? Again, I'm not an expert and I could be completely wrong! This is so much fun to talk about though 😊 MBTI is such a great tool for analysing the tiny details of his character. EDIT because I thought of something else: When we first meet Arcann in The Hunt, he very clearly has a plan. He studied our character and found out that we might be able to do what he couldn't do alone, and kill Valkorion for him (or distract Valkorion in order for Arcann to kill him, if you choose to accept Valky's power). He doesn't just 'wait to see what happens and wing it', as I think a P-type would. It all seems very premeditated. I get the impression he had already planned to use our character as a scapegoat for Valkorion's death, too.

I'm loving this discussion on personality types! I'm by no means a professional or expert at this either, but I am huge C.G. Jung and Myers-briggs nerd, so I've read a couple of the books. For me, I think the most important take-away from reading the books as opposed to just taking the test is that the theory is much more complex than just 16 personality types. Each type has a set of cognitive functions that determine how information is absorbed, processed, and used to make decisions. So, if we're going to use the theory as Jung intended it, we should be looking at how Arcann makes decisions, for one thing. I think this is important, because it means that being 'introverted' vs. 'extroverted' isn't just about how social or outgoing someone is, but about whether their thinking, feeling, and sensing is focused inwards or outwards. For example, I think it's clear that Arcann uses introverted thinking. Introverted thinkers rely on inner logic whereas extroverted thinkers are all about gathering information/data. There are a number of cutscenes in KOTFE where we see Arcann quietly thinking while on the throne, sometimes to Vaylin's frustration (she tries several times to get him to jump into action). Introverted thinkers tend to be innovative and clever, less prone to doing things 'by the book'. That also fits Arcann, in my opinion. Similarly, feeling can be introverted or extroverted. Introverted feeling is directed inwards towards an inner sense of identity, values, etc. while extroverted feeling is directed outwards towards other people. I'm less sure about this, but I think Arcann might use extroverted feeling (which doesn't mean he isn't an introvert as a person - I absolutely think he is. All FJ types are extroverted feelers). Introverted feelers base decisions on their own gut instinct. Extroverted feelers look outside themselves and consider how their decisions impact others and how others will respond to the decision. Both pre- and post-redemption, Arcann seems to me to focus feeling outwards, towards others. He wants Valky's approval at first, and later he wants to do his duty by the Alliance and is greatly concerned with not letting the Commander down. The question is whether thinking or feeling is his dominant funciton. I'm not really sure myself. It's important to keep in mind, too, that no one is 100% one or the other. There are gradations. For example, I always test as an INTJ, but I'm only just a tiny bit more of a thinker than a feeler. Whereas another INTJ might be far more of a thinker than a feeler. So, in answer to @Siita's question: I cannot remember what result we got, but I'm also pretty sure it was either ISTJ or ISFJ. In this thread, we all seem to agree on the I as the first letter. It would also be interesting to look at the differences between S and N (sensing vs. intuitive cognitive function) and how they apply to Arcann, but I'll stop for now. I do want to say when it comes to Arcann being emotional that I definitely DON'T see him as impulsive in the sense that he just randomly explodes or makes decisions based on sudden whims of feeling. He's FAR from an 'emotion bomb', in my opinion. @Siita and I have talked about how we see his emotion as more a slow simmer coming gradually to a boil and THAT'S where it can erupt into something disastrous (like attacking Valky and ending up killing Thexan, or deciding to bomb 5 planets to dust). Oh, and of course we have to consider the fact that Arcann's MBTI type might change depending on whether we're talking Dark Side or Light Side. Jung made a point of saying that someone's personality is NOT set in stone and if the Shadow-self takes over (which is basically what happens in Star Wars when someone falls to the Dark Side), it can become the opposite of what it would otherwise be. LS Arcann strikes me as very stoic and someone with a very high degree of emotional control. Sorry for the massive nerdy rant 😄

Oh yes, I agree that he could absolutely learn something from Jedi techniques about achieving inner peace! I headcanon scenes like that myself for him and my JK, so I also agree that it would be very sweet to see something like it in game (if we had class-specific romance scenes) 🙂I also like to think that it would be a mutual learning experience, however, as in he would also have things to teach her, or be able to offer perspectives/techniques she wouldn't have considered before. I just love Force-users in Star Wars and find it really interesting to think about how they perceive the Force, so in general I would love to know more about Arcann's experiences and views on it. I remember watching Star Wars movies as a kid and desperately wanting to know what it meant when Luke was to told to 'reach out with his feelings', what it felt like to perceive things through the Force, etc. 😊 This is what I had in mind when I said that I believe Arcann would already be fairly practiced at meditation. In order to be as proficient with the Force as he is, I figure he must find it fairly easy to immerse himself in that cosmic/universal energy.

I've been wondering about that, too. I hope they'll return some day to experience everything they might have missed and then blow up this thread with joy 😄I also miss @Iheaca. She wrote awesome fanfic and posts 🙂 I don't really do Tumblr (I'm too old and I miss livejournal), but I sometimes have a feeling that the Arcann fandom (small as it probably is) has migrated over there? I agree. I don't think anything you said here contradicts anything I said previously... Of course free will exists and of course no one is entirely composed of good or evil. Someone with a good heart can make bad choices, or be consumed by darkness due to the things that happen to them, and need help to find their way back to their true selves - I think that was the case for Arcann. I would never suggest that anyone, or anything, is entirely good or bad. I think everyone is capable of both (studies on the psychology of evil indicate the same) and that is expressed very well through Arcann's story. Duality is something that is inherent to his character (as symbolised by the mask, among other things). It's that complexity that interests me, personally. I'm an INTJ. I also want to wade into the mess of his life - as well as scrutinise and analyse every single particle of it 😉 What Myers-Briggs type do you think Arcann is? I think we might actually have talked about it forever ago in this thread.

Seconded! I'm helping a family member play KOTFE/KOTET for the first time and I hate that her experience is being diminished by this bug. Please fix it, Devs. Especially for the sake of new players seeing this content for the first time 🙏

But can't both things be true? Couldn't the ritual allow his innate goodness to shine through in order for him to make better choices down the road? I think maybe we're actually saying almost the same thing 🙂 I also enjoy these discussions! It's interesting to talk about how we even define goodness, too. It's not a simple thing to define what we mean by "good" or "evil" at all. And I'm just happy that people are posting in this thread and talking about Arcann 😊

Hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think maybe we're just missing each other's points a little bit because we're talking about similar but slightly different things? I think maybe Siita and I mean something different than you when we talk about goodness. I get the impression that while you're talking about morality, Siita and I are talking about the innate essence of his character? Because yes, the culture he grew up in and the lessons he was taught by it were obviously designed by Valkorion and much of it is clearly not healthy or morally sound. His morality as a Zakuulan Prince/Emperor is skewed, at best. Zakuul is a conquering, colonialist empire that exploits and subjugates other worlds (much like how Vitiate/Valkorion "devours" others). Empire unchecked is not something that most people would call "good". But I firmly believe that his true self (I don't know what else to call it without resorting to poetic terms like his soul, or his heart) was always good - it was just obscured by darkness for a while. And that, in my opinion, is what the Voss ritual cleansed in order for his own light to shine through. That doesn't mean that I don't think Arcann has character flaws that made him susceptible to Valkorion's manipulation. I think he is flawed and those flaws are part of what I love about him. As Senya puts in the letter we never got, "he always felt everything so strongly" ❤️ At the same time, I'm not sure I think that Arcann viewed himself as "good" in any sense of the word during his reign. While I don't think he would have called himself "evil", necessarily, I think he was well-aware that many of the things he did were cruel and tyrannical. I think he was just beyond caring at that point. He had the power he always wanted, yet nothing was the way he wanted it to be. He didn't have Thexan, he can't trust or rely upon Vaylin, he still isn't rid of Valkorion, etc. And he isn't kind to his own people. He lets Vaylin abuse the Knights and he exiles anyone who disagrees with him. I think he might have justified those things to himself as "necessary" or "inconsequential", but don't think he was delusional enough even then to truly believe those were "good" actions. There's a number of cutscenes in KOTFE where you see him brooding and sort of wallowing in grief and anger. To me, that indicates someone who is lost in their own darkness and unable to find their way out (Nahut-like), not someone who is on a mission that they misguidedly think is good. To be fair, I don't think anyone implied that anyone loves the character less because of different viewpoints. That was certainly never my intention. Any disagreements we have in this thread are usually just a question of nuance, as far as I can tell. It's only because we all care so much that we're getting into these debates at all 🙂

Let's analyse it together! I hope other people want to join in. And yes, we are absolutely over-analysing a very minor detail, but that is what fans do, so let's just have fun with it 🙂 I think there's a lot there to suggest an informal and intimate conversation. They are sitting! I'm stupidly excited over that discovery 😄If this was a short debriefing about his mission, surely they would be standing. You would only sit down for a longer, more serious or more intimate conversation. Arcann must be telling the Commander something important here. Sitting side by side rather than face-to-face is probably the most common way to signal friendship/being on the same side. I've read somewhere that it's especially common for men to use this position to establish a sense of companionship as opposed to competition (women supposedly use a face-to-face orientation more often than men in friendly conversations). I have no idea if that's true, but I do think it's true that sitting opposite each other is much more common in formal settings like interviews, exams, briefings - all situations where there is a work relationship, an unequal power dynamic or where someone has to perform. The Commander is turning to Arcann in a way that indicates to me that Arcann is speaking in this scene, maybe revealing something significant he has discovered on his mission or maybe saying something personal? Looking over at someone you sit side-by-side with like that strikes me as something you would do if you're very engaged in the conversation, maybe taken aback by something the other person said, or if you were trying to make eye contact/read their facial expression. Their hands appear to be resting on their legs. That could just be a relaxed posture or maybe they are meditating? Are they sitting on the floor or are they sitting on something? I can't really tell. If it's the former, then that would also make me think of meditation. Hi and welcome to the thread! It's wonderful to see another Arcann fan in here 🙂 About the picture: I think they could be meditating! I would think however that Arcann is more than familiar with meditation techniques. He had no problem using the holocron to join us within our mind in the final chapter of KOTET. We also know that he trained with both Knights and Scions, and I assume that since both Sith, Jedi and Voss meditate as a way of connecting with the Force, Zakuul Force sensitives would as well. They could very well be examining/meditating on something he brought back from his mission in this scene, I think! About the healing: We know that the Voss healing ritual is said to cure the wounds of both the body and the mind. I don't think Arcann's redemption is less impactful if his mind was (at least partially) healed in the ritual. He carries severe trauma and guilt over so many things. In real life, people with such issues might use medication to help them get to a place where they can do the emotional labour to get better. I think something similar applies here. There has to be a certain level of physical and mental health before you can really put in the work. I think Arcann works very hard to be at peace with himself afterwards, for a long time (and probably will for the rest of his life, to be honest), but I also think the healing helped enable him to begin that journey. To me, the fact that his eyes turn blue shows that the healing ritual really did "cleanse" him of the corrupting influence of the Dark Side. I find it significant that he still isn't ready to join us though. He needs to reflect and work on himself alone first, like you said. When he joins us, it is 100% his own decision. I also really like that he makes a distinction between redemption and atonement. "I am beyond redemption. I can't change the past, but I can atone for it." He knows he can never balance the scales, no matter what he does. He knows the guilt will always be there. But he is still willing to do everything he can to be a better person. I have so much respect and admiration for him because of that. What an amazing character! ❤️

Please come celebrate with us in here when you've seen it! 🥳😄 I'm sure he hasn't been on Voss the whole time 🙂I'm guessing you meet up with him there or go there together later. In any case, it bodes well for his involvement in future story that he's on Voss with us! I was worried he would make his report in the briefing room on Odessen and then vanish from the story again. I would love that, too! I would also like to know more about how Senya is processing everything she's been through up until this point (which, to be honest, has been a lot). At the same time, I also think it would be good for Arcann to have more scenes completely independently of Senya, especially if whatever we're doing with him on Voss ties in with his redemption. Senya already played such a large part in his recovery, so I hope we see more of him acting on his own terms.

Yes, it's Voss for sure! I'm replaying all the story missions on Voss right now (because HYPE!!! 😉) and I'm noticing how many missions deal with Outsiders "making amends" for harming Voss. There's some wonderful potential here for that lore to tie in with a continued redemption arc for Arcann. I think there's a very good chance that it will. They emphasised several times in the stream that we'll be dealing with the damage that Vaylin and the Eternal Fleet did to the planet. Arcann will surely have something to say about that! I'm also extremely excited to hear what he discovered on his mission and to see how the consequence of our choice to send Sana-rae to assist him/not to send her plays out! It does seem like we won't actually see the planet he went to (I'm guessing we will reunite with him and Sana-Rae on Voss). I had hoped we would go there, but honestly, a new story on Voss sounds so good I don't even mind too much. I do hope we will get a name for the planet and a bit more info on it, though.

I hope everyone else is as OVERJOYED as I am after watching the livestream! 😄 @JakRoanin, seems like we got a lot of what we asked for! More Arcann, more Sana-Rae and more Voss! I haven't been this stoked for new content in ages 🥳

I'm excited for the livestream, too! They did say they'll talk about story, so perhaps we can hope for a mention/teaser about Arcann and Sana-Rae. I've seen a lot of people express positive interest in his mission both here and elsewhere (including on forums where there's usually a lot of hate for Arcann). I really hope they're aware that people would like to hear more about that part of the story. Arcann's romance is hands down my number 1 favourite, but I always hope that everyone gets more content with the characters they love, including Theron (maybe not Lana, I'll be honest - but only because she's had so much screentime). I felt terrible for Theron fans during the whole traitor arc and it hasn't seemed like we've seen much of him since. I'm only romancing him on one toon that I'm not terribly invested in (although I like him a lot as a friend), so I could be wrong about this, but it seems to me that he had significantly less screentime after his proposal. I do think there's a tendency for Bioware writers to consider a romance arc "finished" once the characters get married. I really hope this wouldn't be the case for Arcann, especially as I feel he could have so much character growth in a committed, long-term relationship. It's one of the reasons I'm not in a hurry to get a proposal from him. It does seem like Torian got some nice content lately, though, so I guess that bodes well for characters with kill options and spouses. And YES to more mails! It would be such a good way to keep us engaged with minimum resources between bigger story updates. If we don't see Arcann and/or Sana-Rae in the next update, I'll at the very least expect a bunch of letters from them both about their mission. I'm dying to know more about the unnamed planet we sent them to.

This is exactly what I hope to see! Especially the part about character development outside of the romance. I was interested in Arcann as a character long before the romance was announced. For me, the real hook is still his inner turmoil and the redemption arc. If we do get romance content, I hope they use that as an opportunity to give us more insight into how he has grown as a person, what he still struggles with, etc. I agree with you that friendship is probably just as new to Arcann as romance. It's a shame you miss out on some of his most vulnerable and meaningful conversations if you're not in a relationship with him (I'm thinking of the one before Echoes of Oblivion, in particular). Having said that, I do think Arcann has one of the sweetest, most respectful and poignant romances in the game and if all we get is pure fluff, I'll probably still love it. As for the proposal, I agree that it feels a bit early, but I'm not sure it actually is? Based on Charles Boyd's posts about the timeline, Arcann joined the Alliance in 23 ATC and we're now in year... 27 ATC? So he has potentially been in a relationship with our character for years, I suppose. We probably have to take timelines with a grain of salt at this point, though 🤷‍♀️ Seconded! I would love to know more about how Arcann and Senya think of different Force traditions. I feel like Arcann hasn't really had an opportunity to express much about his (changed?) views on destiny and prophecy. It would be awesome to see him speak to a Voss Mystic or, even better, a Scion about it. It would also be cool to see him return to Voss, as the place must hold a great deal of significance for him. I know other posters have expressed misgivings about Sana-Rae in the more recent cutscenes, but to me she comes across as very supportive of Arcann. I head-canon that the two of them have probably talked quite a bit about the healing ritual on Voss. Perhaps there is even a growing friendship or mentorship between them. She certainly seems to trust him and see him for who he is now.

Poor Arcann, reduced by your evil Sith to a broodmare! 😯Is that really her only reason for romancing him though? I mean, is she deaf and blind as well as heartless? 😉 I'm obviously just kidding and mean no offense 😊 Your headcanon for your character as Maul's ancestor is pretty cool and I can absolutely see a Sith obsessed with securing a powerful Force-sensitive legacy like that! I love Zabraks and am romancing him with one myself (a Light Side JK who loves him for his own sake, however. I don't see them ever having children, personally - although humans/Zabraks can interbreed according to canon, of course). It's interesting to think about the things that might come up between him and an alien partner. Zakuul was an almost exclusively human society until KOTFE/KOTET, and although I assume Arcann would be reasonably knowledgable about other species, I imagine some things may come up that he would want to learn more about. Cultural practices etc. I'm also obsessed with the fact that Zabraks have two hearts 💕 I wonder if other people have specific headcanons for the species that they romance him with?

Has everyone seen Dellums' tweet from yesterday? He's recording for Arcann again! 😍 I'm obviously overjoyed and I want to stay positive, but it's a little disconcerting to see him describe it as a "short gig" (if his other tweet from April 15 refers to the recording he's doing for SWTOR, which I assume it does). We've waited so long that it's going to be hard not to feel sad if all we get is a super short cutscene of Arcann and Sana-Rae returning to Odessen to report. I will still be happy just to see him, but I can't help hoping that the mission we sent him on will prove integral to the future story, somehow. Even if it IS really short, Arcann's dialogue has never once disappointed me. All of the content involving him is top-notch in my opinion and his story really is what has kept me around this long. So please, Devs, if you are by chance reading: give him the chance to shine and prove himself on his mission - he deserves it 🙏And I would still sell my soul for an official short story 😉

It's still vengeance for the wider galaxy, if they want him dead simply because they think he needs to pay for his crimes. What other motive could there be for a death penalty for Arcann? Unlike Vaylin, he doesn't need to die to keep the galaxy safe, since he no longer presents a threat to it (of course, some people might argue that he still does, in which case a trial like you suggested would be a really cool idea). Ultimately, this is the same argument people have about the death penalty in RL. We'll likely never agree on the topic in this thread (and we don't have to!), as it simply comes down to different perspectives on justice. Some would argue that the death penalty invariably confuses justice with vengeance. Others would argue that in the most extreme cases, the only way for the victims to feel a sense of justice is for the punishment to match the crime. I do agree with you that everything would be more fun if our player character generally received more pushback, not only with regard to Arcann but to many of our choices.

I agree. Even LS characters who are not Jedi could easily justify keeping him alive because, like @JakRoaninsaid, at least that way he can do some good now whereas an execution serves no purpose at all except for vengeance. The whole thing comes down to punishment philosophies: retribution vs. rehabilitation, etc. For LS Jedi, there really is no question at all that the only choice regarding Arcann (or anyone like him) is rehabilitation. Jedi are not upholders of justice first and foremost - they are protectors of life and believers in redemption. I think it has to be kept in mind that Arcann is far from the only person in this universe who has committed genocide (still the wrong word for what he did imo, but that's semantics), war crimes and other atrocities. If you apply the philosphy of retribution to him, you'd have to do it to everyone else, too. That means a lot of executions/lifetime imprisonment on all sides, most notably for DS player characters. I also think it makes a crucial difference that Arcann actively wants to atone. It would be different matter for characters who had committed atrocities and showed no remorse and no interest in redemption (like Vaylin). As for Arcann himself, I'm sure he doesn't think of his role in the Alliance as a free pass. There is hardly a single conversation with him where he doesn't express remorse, dedication to atoning for his crimes, etc. It's clear that he means to spend the rest of his life atoning - and I think it's also clear that he's aware that he can likely never balance the scales. That's something he will have to live with. I do think what @Stradlinsaid about DS choices where you keep him alive for selfish reasons would have been really interesting and added a lot of nuance. I would also love to see other characters react strongly to seeing him with you, including reactions of rage and fear. But it should by no means be a DS choice to keep him alive by default.

OMG thank you so much! 😊🥰 I'm sure there are many talented writers out there who would knock this out of the park! In fact, I propose we have a fanfic prompt challenge! I've created a new topic for this in the fanfic subforum: https://forums.swtor.com/topic/927753-fanfic-challenge-prompt-arcanns-mission/ I'll create a collection on Ao3 for entries too, if people are interested. I hope lots of you will participate! Let's show the devs how much we want to know what he's up to - and maybe even give them a few ideas for an official short story 😉

Calling all Arcann fans! Are you dying to find out what on earth Arcann has been up to since the mission we sent him on ages ago in "Whispers of the Force"? @Siitaand I definitely are - and we would love to propose a fanfic challenge prompt to explore our headcanons for his current adventures! Prompt: Arcann's Quest Write a oneshot or short story about Arcann's mission on the as-of-yet-unnamed planet in Wild Space where Darth Nul's relic was first discovered. You are encouraged to draw upon the information given in the story updates "Whispers in the Force" and "Digging Deeper", but canon divergence is absolutely fine! Please post your entry in this thread wrapped in spoiler tags. We will also create a collection for entries on Ao3 if there's enough interest for this. I hope lots of Arcann fans will want to participate. Perhaps the Devs will take notice and bestow an official short story upon us - one can dream! 🥰

Please Devs, make this happen! I would sign legally binding documents to stay subscribed for the rest of my life in return for such a thing! In all seriousness, a short story to cover this gap in storytelling would make perfect sense. It would remind the player what he's doing and work as an appetizer for the continued story of Darth Nul. It would also be the PERFECT opportunity for an introspective piece to give redeemed Arcann some much-needed character development. Due to the nature of the game (having so many companion characters and subplots) there's been little opportunity to fully explore the immense changes in his character. I would think a short story covering this would be a dream job for anyone on the writing team! I would LOVE to read about how being on a planet strong in the dark side of the Force might affect him! There's an opportunity here to really show how far he's come in terms of how he deals with that vs. his concern about going to Nathema when he was "newly redeemed". I'm sure he's much more secure in himself now, has better coping mechanisms, etc., but an unstable planet would most likely still bring back some of those old, difficult feelings. So would his sense of having failed us on his mission, I think. This is a pretty big responsibility he's been entrusted with and I wonder if his old sense of needing to prove himself might trouble him (especially if the player denies his request for assistance in the most recent cutscene - asking for it in the first place is a big step for Arcann!). In redemption arcs it's usually considered a good thing if the former villain goes off on an extended solitary journey, as it gives him the chance to act independently of the hero(es) and thus truly prove himself. I really hope we get to see this for Arcann. My headcanon definitely includes encounters/situations for him on that planet that gives him the opportunity to act in accordance with his new sense of self. I don't need heroics, necessarily, but I would like to see him act with mercy, calm and kindness. The longer he's gone, the weirder it feels that we apparently sent him there all alone (or with just Sana Rae as backup), to be honest. If it were just a quick scouting mission it wouldn't be odd, but if he's there for months and months you'd think any Commander worth her salt would send an entire research team. I'm sure Arcann knows how to manage - he has been on multiple planetary conquests etc. in his life - but it does seem like an irresponsible choice by the Commander.