I have eight characters, one for each class. So that means that half of them are Imperials, and the other half are Republic guys. My main character is a male Sith Juggernaut named (soon to be Darth) Jaculus. He comes from House Keel - a noble human family on Dromund Kaas and is the first Force sensitive child the house has produced for a couple of generations. Now, noble families tend to have a lot of members when you factor in siblings, uncles, cousins etc. That was especially true in times and societies where mortality was high. So I figure there are more than enough folk that are related to him (even though he doesn't know any of them, given that he was raised among the Sith). One such is my female Imperial Operative named Megelle who is a distant cousin. The other Imperial characters are not relatives to the Keels. One is a male Pureblood Sith Sorcerer named Ignavus. He and Jaculus know each others briefly from the times spent in their training. The other is a male Bounty Hunter named Vespar. He's basically a low-born scum, so any Sith connections are impossible. His uses as a gun-for-hire, though, were not missed by the Imperial Intelligence who has contracted him once or twice to serve as a distraction and a meat sheild for black-ops missions. From there he knows Megelle. On the Republic side, I have a male human Jedi Sentinel named Braden who is an enemy of Jaculus (and every high-ranking Sith). He has an older sister whom he barely knows and remembers - a female Gunslinger named Felicine. She is quite different than her brave and selfless Jedi brother, being greedy and snarky but underneath the cynical and bi*chy exterior there is a tiny heart of slightly tarnished gold. Aaaand... I got nothing for my Trooper and my Consular, but I'm not going to play with them for a while, so I'll think of something. At least with the Consular, I still desperately hope to get Togruta as a playable species.

I think he gave Rift's tombstones only as an example, lol. Otherwise, not a bad idea, actually. Especially on grassy planets like Alderaan, Voss or Quesh it's kinda hard to keep track of the corpes.

For starters, my own opinion is that the bigger the diversity the better (and the diversity in the current selction of multi-colored humans is lacking to say the least). I'd love to have the option to choose a Kel Dor, not because I personally want to play as one - I don't - but because it would help freshen things up. However, the whole discussion is about realistic ideas and possibilities. Hence why I think that the Kel Dor (and other popular species like Wookiees, Rodians or Jawas) will never make it - BioWare themselves have explained their choices of the species with a desire to make the playable character easy for the players to identify with. In other words - no outlandish aliens. This is not something I conjured up. It's the reason why our choice of species consists of humans, blind humans, horned humans, red humans, green humans, blue humans, pasty white humans and Twi'leks. And that alone rules out species that don't fit the pattern. Hence the best chances of realistic possiblities when it comes to possible future species are of those that fit the pattern - like Togruta or Cathar. The Kel Dor just don't fit. Of course, you are free to disagree and I actually would be glad to be proven wrong by getting the Kel Dor as a playable race, but I don't believe it's ever gonna happen. Not because I say so, but because it's a part of the restrictions BioWare has imposed on the game themselves.

For males, I think there needs to be something between types 2 and 3. One is an average build and the other is a mountain of a man. Something in between - strong and tall, but not to the point of being a Hulk-like giant - would be nice. For females, I think that you need another type after 4. Not that I'm personally dying to make a fat female character, but I don't see why we shouldn't be able to.

The Kel Dor are a popular species, but sadly I don't see them making it as playable species considering the self-imposed restrictions about how the playable character should look. The Kel Dor are just too morbid - during the Jedi quests on Tython a Kel Dor quest giver even commented on that. BioWare won't go for it.

My idea is that if they can make it work with the Twi'leks, then there is no logistical reason why they can't do it with Togruta, Nautolans and Chagrians. It's the same principle, really. Wether they'll do it is another topic altogether, but I just can't see a reason not to. With the Shistavanen, the wolf-like appearance is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it's badas* and lupine species are among the favorite tropes for fantasy and RPGs in general; besides, the Big Competitor has a lupine species in their character selection, so if I was a major developer, I'd look into it. On the other hand, however, the wolfish appearance would make for some odd moments, especially in romance; and the fact that the Big Competitor has lupines can just as easily become a discouragement lest they be accused of plagiarism. As a whole, I don't really think that we'd see playable Shistavanens in SWTOR, but it's still a better chance than most species.

I'm with you, man. I'm all for more diversity in the species selection, and Shistavanens are as cool as anything else. I think they have a better chance to be in the game than most races, but not as good as others.

The whole thing about the species was big before the release of the game. Many (me included) weren't happy with the current selections which consists mainly of humans, green humans, blind humans, blue humans, pasty white humans, horned humans, slightly deformed red humans and Twi'leks. On the other side of the fence there were arguments like: "Too outlandish alien species (like Rodians or Wookiees) would make romance look stupid", "The main characters in Star Wars were always humans anyway" and "Too outlandish or weird-looking alien species would be a pain to synchronize with the gear (clipping, remodeling etc.)". Now that the game is out and I've seen it in actuality, I'd say that the following species have the best chances: - Togruta. The best chance of all. They look humanoid enough, with normal faces and facial features. Certainly, they are not any more outlandish than the Twi'leks. There is a romancable Togruta companion in the actual game (Ashara), so that wouldn't be a problem, and if they have decided she can be a companion - meaning being geared up through the game - then the equipment graphical troubles shouldn't be a real problem too. Besides, I'd think that with the Clone Wars cartoon, the Togruta would be a popular choice. - Cathar. Very good chances. Felines are always popular, and they are an established species for BioWare since as early as KOTOR. Their appearance makes them very easy to gear without graphical troubles, and we already have a Cathar companion (Aric). - Nautolan. Not as good chances as the Togruta's. While not insanely outlandish, they don't look as humanoid as the current races. Their faces are not hideous or weird, true, but I don't know if BioWare would deem them normal enough. On the other hand, their tentacles shouldn't be harder to pull off with the gear than the lekkus or the Togruta things. And they are quite popular species with the fans, too. I actually would love to roll a Nautolan character (though not a Jedi ). - Chagrians. They are extremely similair to the Togruta as far as the appearance goes, which is a good thing. We also have a Chagrian companion (Fideltin Rusk), even though he's not romancable. The bad thing is that they're not popular. - Shistavanens. Because the furries will rejoice Joke aside, lupine species seem to be reasonably popular in RPGs in general (and WoW has the Worgens, so there's that). Their appearance is not that outlandish, though I fear that romance would look rather odd. Gearing them up shouldn't be an insolvable problem. Still, not extremely popular, a bit weird... not the best chances. - Devaronians. Very human-like, so appearance isn't a problem as far as aesthetics and gear go. We also have a Devaronian companion (Gault). Trouble is, we already have horned humans, so the chances are rather slim. And I think that's it. People hoping for Jawas, Wookiees or Rodians are up for a disappointment, IMO.

I agree that the Sith Code, in and of itself, does not encourage evil but rather self-discovery and self-improvement. However, the problem with the Sith order is that they adhere to the understanding that there are no rules - life has no value, creation is meaningless and power is everything. And even though the Sith Code doesn't specifically preach evil, the Sith, generally, see no need to place any real restrictions to themselves whatsoever. Hence students in the Sith Academy murdering each other to advance in the heriarchy, hence teachers and overseers torturing and killing pupils just to prove a point, hence Lords and Darths constantly scheming and backstabbing in order to get more power and influence... and when it comes down to it, they are all evil. Yes, their code didn't tell them to be evil, but it didn't forbade it either. So, for all the freedom of the code, they became evil on their own. Which is just a tad less self-restrictive than what the Jedi do.

While it's clearly a mistake by the sound of it (I haven't gotten to Belsavis yet myself), but I'm pretty sure that you do have the option of sparing Nomen Karr's life. You can make Jaesa kill him, or you may choose not to. So, the mistake is in the game's database of dialogue options not accounting for the player's earlier choice. Not in the story itself.

Educated guesses for those I've had so far... Vette: either late teens or very early 20s. Somewhere between 18 and 22. I'd say 20. captain Quinn: late 20s or early 30s. Somewhere between 27 and 35. I'd say 31. Jaesa Wilsaam: early 20s. Somewhere between 20 and 24. I'd say 21. lieutenant Pierce: 30s. Somewhere between 29 and 37. I'd say 33. The Sith Warrior I place as mid-20s. Say, 24 or 25. Corso Riggs: late teens. I'd say 19. The Smuggler is mid or late 20s. Between 24 and 29. I'd go for something like 26 or 27.

I haven't yet gone to Balmorra as a Republic player, but with my Sith Warrior (who is my main character) the whole world story was focused on me crushing the rebellion. I dealt with it very decisively and in-lore it simply shouldn't exist anymore. The only way I can swallow this is if the Republic's story on Balmorra happens after the events on the Empire's side and you try to rekindle the flames that the Imperial players put down. I've played through Dromund Kaas some time ago, so I can't be 100 % sure, but the slave revolt and Lord Grathan's tiny rebellion are presented as relatively recent events. Considering that Baras had a spy in Grathan's household, I'd say that he has manipulated the events for a while but his plans bore fruit not long before the Imperial players arrive on the planet. Don't forget that Baras is quite the puppetmaster. As for Coruscant, I'm going through it right now with my Smuggler alt and the feel is like the problems there are festering wounds caused mainly by the war and Malgus' raid. The whole thing there is about dealing with the aftermath of a huge and horrible battle. The criminal organizations that run rampant have probably always been existant, but the local police forces probably kept them in check. Now, even years after Malgus' attack, the whole infrastructure is wrecked, corruption reigns supreme and guys like the Black Sun gang are like vultures swooping over the dying beast. With Coruscant, I feel like I face problems that have been there longer than those on Dromund Kaas.

The thing is that all the astropolitics here are built around the premesis that this is a game in which thousands of player need to go through content. In reality, it's ridiculous that there can be a constantly burning slave revolt so close to Kaas City, considering that Dromund Kaas is the headquarters of the Imperial Army and the seat of power of the Dark Council. But the Sith Empire's ineadequacy to deal with the insurgency is born entirely from the need to give the Imperial players content to go through. A possible lore explanation for it is that

As a whole, the OP's points are logical and well thought out but... But this is a game. Furthermore, it's an MMO. Not only you're playing, but thousands of people are playing with you, going through the same content. For example, the personal history on your character may be that he/she crushed the resistance on Balmorra or cleared out the tombs on Korriban or whatever, but other, lower-level, players have to go through the same content after you're done and gone. So it looks like the worlds are devastated by constant stupid conflicts that will never end. But as far as your character's history and lore are concerned, he/she was successful. It requires a suspension of disbelief, I know. Right now I'm hunting down the datacrons of all the planets I've been on so far, and I simply ignore the fact that nothing has changed even though my Sith Warrior supposedly had a impact on those worlds. It's pretty much the same as the companions - it's pretty silly to think that every Smuggler out there has a male wookiee warrior on their side, or that every Sith Warrior has a female Twi'lek ex-slave, but if you overthink it, the whole thing would fall apart and immersion goes out of the airlock. In the end, it's just a game.

Strangely, I recently finished Taris too and had absolutely no problem in the final quest against Master Cerik and co. And I was a bit underleveled too, Thana and at least some of the strong mobs were 36s while I was a 34. I chose to kill Thana. Aside from being genuinely annoyed with her, it felt right from a roleplaying point of view - Thana had made it clear that she sees me as an enemy and a rival, and among the Sith this basically means I'm on her "To kill" list. I play my character as a cautious and machievelian man, in so far it's allowed by the dialogue options; there is no way he'd let an open enemy like Thana live to plot and plan her move against him. This is the first time I hear that she may be a companion. I'm curious how that'd work given my choice on Taris, but it's not impossible I suppose - an example would be that in the hassle of the exploding building and everything, I only managed to wound her gravely instead of killing her; Darth Gravus may have found her and nursed her back to health. Heck, she might as well be cyborgizied ala Vader or Grievous. And come to think about it, it might be refreshing to have some crew member who openly despises me. I'd actually love to argue and fight with her

So far I've played a Sith Warrior well into Act 2 and I love it. It makes you feel like a real bad***. My favorite moment so far is The other character I play is a Smuggler, though I'm not even close to be through with Act 1 yet. The story so far is nothing special, but I like the sense of humor it conveys. It's very different from the dark, murder-ridden path of the Sith Warrior in that it's more like... an action comedy or something. I love the snark of the Smuggler. So I don't know... I haven't played an awful lot with the other classes, just a quest or two into the starting zones, but so far nothing in the game has felt badly done.

The thing that the OP points out is often found in fantasy and sci-fi. Those types of stories almost always revolve around military conflicts, but the writers seldom have any actual military experience so they have to make do with imagination and guesses, and they always try to make it cool first and foremost. I do agree that in the "Hope" trailer, specifically, the Republic soldiers showed poor tactical thinking and I know nothing of actual real-life military tactics. But it makes sense to use the terrain to your advantage; they could have showered the Sith with grenades, heavy blaster fire and thermo-detonators from above before they could say "Force lightning" instead of just jumping onto the lightsabers. On the other side, think about what the main target auditory of SWTOR - and video games in general - is. Teenaged boys and young 20-something adults, most of whom never have and never will hear and learn actual tactics. They don't care - they want to watch something cool and that's it.

I'm one of the guys who rolled all-human toons. My main is a human Juggernaut, and all of my alts are humans as well. The only exception is a Sith Pureblood Inquisitor. So I really don't care much about having the ability to make a Chiss Knight or a Pureblood Smuggler or whaterver. I still hope for more playable races in the future, though. I want a Togruta Consular and a Nautolan Bounty Hunter; both races are currently NPCs in the game and you can even have Togruta companions, so hope is not lost for me.

No, he's definitely a type 4, with a huge gut and everything.

I haven't yet played as an Inquisitor, but as a Sith Warrior, I actually love the way Baras is portrayed, fat body, metal gimp mask, torture and all. You just can't help but despise him, which feels like an incredibly right emotion to have towards your Sith master.

Interesting. The Republic's choices are indeed less diplomaticy-savvy than I would have guessd. Taking Ulgo into Republican custody sounds like a political mistake. In fact, I think that keeping him alive is a mistake on its own since he's not without influence and supporters, but at least by giving him to the Alderaanians you'd strengthen the alliance between the two factions.

I think there is a common misconception here. Nobody ever said that the Jedi are forbidden to have emotions. What is forbidden is the loss of the grip over the emotions and the enslavement to basic urges and passions like greed or fear. It's actually explained in Episode 2 - the Jedi are in fact encouraged to love, it's just the attachments and the selfishness that are not allowed. Come to think about it, going to the other side of the Galaxy to fight and possibly die for the good of people you've never met before is a testament of love. Not love in the romantic sense, yes, but love for all life and utter altruism. Now that I think about it,

When I think about it, it doesn't much matter who is going to rule as long as there is one ruler and the civil war stops. So, in that regard I can understand why upholding the interests of the Empire here is a Light Side choice; it's not only a matter of selfishness vs selflessness, it's also a decisive step towards stopping a war. In terms of who is better suited for ruling Alderaan, none of the guys I've met in my questing there are extremely worthy. Jorad Thul is a fool, Bouris Ulgo was a way too rigid "the end justifies the means"-type and while I haven't met the head of the Organas, I'm sure he's not anything exceptional either. At the end, when you think about it, there isn't a single perfect ruler; no matter who he is, he's a human being and he'll make mistakes. The important thing, IMO, is that the fighting stops.

I think that the most ironic thing about the chasm between the Sith and the Jedi is how, at the end, when you come down to the bare essentials, you have nothing, no matter which side you choose. The Jedi encourage a life of both physical and emotional ascetism to the point where they own little more than the clothes on their backs and have no real attachments to other beings. While the Sith spend their lives trying to hog onto power or treasures, or whatever it is that makes them happy, only to lose everything at the end, usually because other Sith decided they feel like removing the competition. The Jedi spend their lives fighting battles that aren't really theirs, simply in order to protect people that are total strangers. The Sith spend their lives trying to outbackstab each other in an endless power struggle. If you ask me, I wouldn't want to be either. Which doesn't stop me from rolling them in the game, but that's a different matter

I just and I have to say, the Sith Warrior's story is indeed awesome so far. Can't wait to do more, but now I can't help but wonder how good (or bad?!) the other seven stories are.