Yearly Archives: 2026

October 23, 2026 · 9:01 am

Forever Classic

Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games as a genre have been around so long that they have risen, fallen and been reborn multiple times over the decades. The past few years have seen a nostalgic wave of interest in these games. World of Warcraft and RuneScape are the two most prominent examples, but Final Fantasy Online and City of Heroes have had similar cycles as well. This is also case for Star Wars: The Old Republic, the subject of this blog.

Is that a promise or a threat?

The first game I noticed to gain popularity in trying to recapture “good old days” of playing an MMO in all of its grindy, low polygon glory was Old School RuneScape. This trend rose within the World of Warcraft community. Several private servers popped up capped at various stages of WOW’s history, Despite some initial hesitance, Blizzard took notice and eventually launched WOW: Classic, a faithful recreation of “vanilla” Warcraft of 2004.

To say Classic was a hit would be an understatement, I bet even Blizzard’s developers were surprised at its instant popularity. They responded with numerous flavors of seasonal and hardcore servers. Classic‘s restoration of the Warcraft‘s original new player experience is certainly a big part of its success.

In the current “retail” version of WOW, new players discover the game through a generic starting zone. Warcraft players these days take it for granted that WOW begins at End Game. These days player level up so fast that it is impossible to follow to any of the expansions’ stories or characters. And once they get to maximum level, they discover all sorts of group actives, solo dailies and collecting grinds to engage players of all interests. Player’s connections to both the game’s world and story were lost along the way. Leveling to catch up with max-level friends in a mostly barren world became a lonely and confusing process. Despite all of Classic: WOW‘s old fashioned gameplay and jankiness, it responds to players’ real desire to level in a populated world where it really is all about the journey.

SWTOR‘s starting zones and story focus have meant that players old and new have had no problem jumping into new classes and their stories. For players looking for something a little more tricky, SWTOR’s 8.0 Era launches with a new “Venture” system designed to challenge players to level new characters under two sets of rules. The first means to evoke the leveling pace and difficulty of players experienced during the game’s launch in 2011, This level of the Venture is called, not surprisingly, “Classic.” The second mode, “Expert” is meant to be a real challenge to players, more akin to SWTOR’s “Master Mode” Fallen Empire chapters.

You Think You Do But You Don’t

I played World of Warcraft from launch through its Mist of Pandaria expansion. At that point SWTOR had already launched, and I had no interest in maintaining two MMOs. SWTOR’s story was and is superior to WOW’s, and as a casual player, my desire to fully engage with WOW’s endgame raiding was low. I picked SWTOR and didn’t look back. Mostly.

“We’re on a mission from God.”

There are parts of WOW that I loved. I loved melting faces on my Shadow Priest, bear tanking on my Durid. running around with my cats on my Hunter, and I loved the exploration of new zones. When Classic launched I did check it out, but once the rush of nostalgia faded, I found myself in the middle of a night killing mob after mob for quest items with terrible drop rates. I looked ahead and saw more of the same. Beyond that I saw grinding reputations, farming crafting materials, and enduring Molten Core runs. None of that appealed to me.

So Classic wasn’t for me. But when I saw the trailer for WOW: Forever during Blizzcon last month, I was very curious. I wasn’t the only one. I’ve heard from friends old and new that they are planning to check it out. The appeal of a classic Warcraft experience with modern conveniences sounds good to me. Likewise it’d be nice to catch up with the gang and have some new adventures together. It doesn’t hurt that I’ve got a WOW game time card in my desk that has been gathering dust for a few years.

SWTOR has not been immune to player interest in a “classic” experience. SWTOR’s leveling has evolved over the decade and half of the game’s history, but no where near as much as WOW’s. Still, SWTOR’s Asian-Pacific server Shae Vizla was closed to transfers at launch in order to encourage players to create characters there to get a “fresh start” experience without the benefits of our Legacy levels and piles of credits accumulated on our home servers. Regardless, Shae Vizla never hit it big and remains a low population server.

Possession of My Soul

For the forthcoming Masters of the Force expansion, SWTOR is taking a different approach to the “classic” experience. The most obvious thing SWTOR’s Ventures is doing that WOW: Classic and Forever did is not creating an entirely separate game apart from the main retail version. SWTOR players who try a Venture can do so on their home servers with full access to their Legacy perks, friends lists and guilds. I imagine SWTOR’s developers did discuss the possibility of spinning up a server or two dedicated to these game modes, but if they did, it’s likely that they decided it was best to let players for themselves decide where to venture forth.

Thank you to Shintar from Going Commando for sharing this screenshot of the Ventures interface window from the PTS.

Despite the success of WOW:Classic, it’s been interesting to see how segregating the game’s various modes has affected the player base. The “Classic Andys” and “Retail Stans” have distinct and sometimes opposing tastes and preferences. I’ve seen complaints from Classic players that some additions to or changes in Forever. are “too Retail,” like it is somehow a bad thing that Blizzard should use the lessons they’ve learned from a dozen expansions and apply them to Forever. I’m certain Blizzard’s developers have their work cut out for them to make Forever appeal to both audiences.

I think it is wise that SWTOR’s ventures will keep players on their existing servers. First off, there are plenty of aspects of the vanilla SWTOR experience I do not miss. Waiting until level 14 to get Sprint and level 25 for Speeder piloting was a drag. In my day, I walked up hill both ways across Taris. I don’t care to repeat that. Post launch additions to SWTOR such as the Outfitter, Collections, Strongholds, and Legacy perks have dramatically improved the overall experience of the game

To players wanting a more challenging experience, I’d suggest starting the Venture on a server where they have few or no characters. I can say from experience that leveling on Shae Vizla using the rules I created for my “Hardcore Challenge” was more difficult than I expected even without the added difficulty the Ventures are bringing.

SWTOR is a smaller game than WOW, and it can only harm the game’s community to divide the player base across different game modes. Leveling on Shae Vizla was neat, but I missed my guild-mates and friends, and after the buzz of WOW: Classic wore off, I missed the same thing there.

There are other aspects of Masters of the Force that interest me more than the Ventures, but I am curious to check them out once I settle into the new expansion. I’ve been finishing off the Master Mode Fallen Empire Chapters in preparation for the Expert Venture and I’ve mostly enjoyed the challenges they’ve presented, so I’m game to go again!

The End of Bioware

As I finished this post, I learned that Electronic Arts has decided to close Bioware. I don’t think anyone is really surprised by the news, but that makes it no less sad and disappointing. Bioware had its struggles in recent years, but its employees deserved better from their leadership and EA. That the studios and people who made some of the our favorite games are ones who must pay for the billions of dollars in debt from EA’s own purchase is simply heartbreaking.

I don’t know what else I can say but that.

 

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Filed under General SWTOR, Masters of the Force

October 1, 2026 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #26: Hairless Mudhorn

Today I am very proud to say that This Week in Aurebesh celebrates its tenth anniversary!  I have had quite the decade working on this project, exploring weird corners of Star Wars: The Old Republic. This blog has taken many unexpected turns over the years, and I remain curious to see where it goes next,

To celebrate, I’d like to revisit my Pets of the Old Republic side project with a brand new entry: the Hairless Mudhorn, This pet is an appropriate addition to the series both this year with the release of The Mandalorian and Grogu and during this Fall season since it will soon again be available to players to collect.

A Clan of Two

Seven years ago, a Mudhorn first appeared during the second episode of The Mandalorian, The Child. This episode came during one of the most exciting moments in Star Wars’ fandom. Baby Yoda who makes his first full episode appearance here and became, for a while at least, a pop culture juggernaut, overshadowed the Mudhorn. Regardless, this was so significant a moment in the relationship between the two characters, that they would later adopt the symbol of the Mudhorn’s skull as the insignia of their “Clan of Two.” Both Din Djarin and Grogu wear the Mudhorn symbol on their armor.

The Mudhorn as seen in its first appearance on The Mandalorian.

In the episode a group of Jawas forced the Mandalorian to fight a fully grown Mudhorn in order to acquire the creature’s egg for the Jawas to feast upon. Mudhorns are very large and tremendously powerful creatures. Despite his beskar armor and arsenal of weapons, the Mandalorian was unable to dispatch the Mudhorn alone. It took the dramatic reveal of the Child’s Force powers for Mando to be able to overcome the challenge.

Like many creatures in Star Wars, the Mudhorn is a  hybrid of familiar animals, but not in the way I expected. Initially, I assumed Mudhorns were simply a cross between a rhinoceros and a woolly mammoth, but it is more accurate to say that Mudhorns are specifically inspired by the prosaically named “woolly rhinoceros” or the similar but more fancifully designated Elasmotherium, two elephant-sized relatives of today’s rhinos that went extinct towards the end of the last ice age.

The Mudhorn crest bears a remarkable similarity to unearthed skulls of extinct Elasmotheria.

The other creature that The Mandalorian‘s storytellers merged with the large hairy rhino is somewhat more surprising: the duck-billed platypus! According to The Child, Mudhorns are egg laying mammals, even if the eggs are much hairier than the ones we are used to seeing laid. This is a trait that puts them in very rare company amongst the fauna of our world where they are referred to as monotremes, an order of creatures native to Australia that include the platypus and the various types of echidnas.

Mudhorns in SWTOR

It’s a curious fact of the matter that more Mudhorns have appeared in Star Wars: The Old Republic than in any other Star Wars lore. Today’s featured pet is the Hairless Mudhorn, but players can adopt four other Mudhorn pets. In addition, there are three large, but perhaps not fully grown, mudhorn mounts available for players to ride.

Back row: Wetlands Mudhorn Mount (Ruhnuk reputation) and Subterranean Mudhorn Mount (Spring Abundance Festival event)

Front row: Young Wetland Mudhorn (Feast of Prosperity event), Marshland Mudpup (Spring Abundance Festival event)), Hairless Mudhorn (Feast of Prosperity event), Savana Mudpuppy (Spring Abundance Festival event)).

Players can earn all but one of SWTOR’s  Mudhorns through in-game activities. The Hairless Mudhorn is an appropriate choice this time of year because it is one of the rewards from the harvest themed Feast of Prosperity event which returns again to SWTOR next week.

Most of the pet Mudhorns in SWTOR are called “mudpups.” Here on Earth, newborn monotremes are called “puggles” a far more adorable and funny name, so that is what I’m going to call baby Mudhorns from now on. I do wonder, however, if it follows that a hairless Mudhorn hatched from a hairless egg.

Is It Canon?

Playing this game, we can collect Mudhorns one day and visit Naga Sadow’s hidden fortress the next. One of the things I find impressive about SWTOR, that as the longest running anything in Star Wars’ history, it spans and has the freedom to draw upon nearly every aspect of Star Wars lore. I know it drives some fans crazy, but I truly love that you can wear armor inspired by a character from a “canonical” movie that was released a few months ago, ride a mount from a “legendary” comic book that came out thirty years ago and share your adventures with a pet that exists no where else in Star Wars.

A Snowtrooper mounted on a Mandalorian Basilisk and accompanied by whatever the haran that is rip a hole in the time-space continuum.

It only doesn’t make sense if you think about it too much. Why would you do that? Why would you ever want to do that?

A Decade and Counting

I want to thank everyone who has ever visited this blog. It is my goal to explore corners of SWTOR that some players might have overlooked or at least show them off in a way they’d might never have considered before. I have been a freelancer all my adult life. Projects come and go, but This Week in Aurebesh has been a constant I’ve returned to again and again over these last tumultuous years. Because of it, I’ve been lucky enough to meet, play with and become friends with many members of this game’s awesome community. In real life, I’m something of a wallflower, but I’m very glad I took the plunge and put a little bit of myself out there. I never imagined that looking at some fake space letters would take me so far.

Stick around and find out.

Finally, if you’d like to help support this project’s real world expenses, there are a couple ways. I have a Kofi set up to accept tips. In addition I have this year printed a limited number of Pets of the Old Republic stickers that you can purchase from my Etsy shop. I won’t ever place ads on this site or lock content behind a pay wall, so if you prefer to pass, you won’t miss out on anything.

Thank you again. I hope to still be doing this in the months and years to come!

 

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Filed under General Star Wars, General SWTOR, My Artwork, Pets of the Old Republic

September 18, 2026 · 8:01 am

I Dare Damnation – Legacy Reborn Review

Legacy of the Sith has concluded with its final story update Legacy Reborn and, even though it took me most of the summer, I do want to share my thoughts about the climatic chapter of Star Wars: The Old Republic‘s current expansion.

This review is a little late. I could not think of a way to discuss both the narrative of the update and the gameplay through which it was conveyed without revealing spoilers of its events. If you have not played it yet go do that instead.

In short and without spoilers, I can say I very much enjoyed Legacy Reborn. It brought together the many storylines of this era of SWTOR, resolved a few but left plenty of mystery and anticipation for what is to come in the game’s next era, Masters of the Force.

The Gameplay

How we played through Legacy Reborn was at times a little different from how we experienced the much of the rest of this expansion. Five times during the chapter, the point of view of the player shifts to characters other than our own. As Arn Peralun or Major Anri we pilot a starship in battle, as Lana Beniko and later Darth Malgus we battle Darth Jadus’ minions, and as Theron Shan or T7-O1 we slice through the security of the ruins, and, perhaps most notably, we battle into the citadel on Khar Shian from the perspective of a Mandalorian Basilisk war droid.

This particular mode of gameplay is not new to SWTOR. These are in effect vehicle missions, and those go back as far as Fallen Empire. But we haven’t seen it used to them degree since the Shroud of Memory, Knights of the Eternal Throne’s bonus chapter in which we played as HK-55.

In general, I enjoyed these sections. Playing as Lana and Malgus in particular was a lot of fun. They have unusual abilities and working out how they interact to get the most out of their attacks was satisfying to experience. Moreover, the descriptions of their abilities also function to flesh out their personalities and how they choose to engage in battle.

Click the image of the Basilisk’s targeting HUD to read the Mandalorian text in English.

Playing as a Basilisk droid was neat as well. If you’ve done the walker segments during Fallen Empire or on Iokath, you will know what to expect, but this time the Basilisk feels appropriately nimble and powerful unlike the more ponderous walkers we stomped around in for earlier iterations of this system.

I did not love the starship battle sequence. I felt a little disoriented when it began. Targeting seems to be automatic and not very interactive. I pressed the attack buttons and eventually won, but I never really felt like I had control over the ship, the camera and my attacks.

Click the image to read this Aurebesh display in English.

Space battles are big part of Star Wars, so I do hope Broadsword does not make this a one and done. At the very least, adding sequences more like the on rail space missions from the game’s earliest days would be fine by me. I still enjoy the space missions, both for their video game style controls and the very cool locations we get to fly through during the dog fights.

With regards to playing as other characters, I think there are cool narrative possibilities they can explore with this kind of gameplay. One could make the argument that our characters are the least interesting parts of  SWTOR’s story. Our “hero’s journey” is complete, and even though we are the stars of the show, we spend more time reacting to other characters’ actions than driving the story forward ourselves.

I don’t completely buy into that position, but I do think there is value in sharing the spotlight with other members of the cast. During Fallen Empire, I never minded when we cut away to the Eternal Throne room to watch Arcann and Vaylin bicker and react to the Outlander’s latest shenanigans. Used judiciously, I think it could be very interesting to explore the story through other perspectives.

Imagine if, during Theron Shan’s Traitor arc, we’d played as him for a bit. As players we could’ve explored his motivations more. We also might’ve gotten to know key villains like Vinn Atrius and Gemini-16 before we meet and defeat them all at once in the Nathema Conspiracy flashpoint.

Imagine if we played an scene as Lana with our characters as the companion this time around. I think it would be fascinating to see normally familiar interactions from her point of view. Imagine if Lana had a [Flirt] option during a conversation. Would you select it?

Progressing the narrative through other points of view is long established in other media to flesh out and expand the scope of stories, but it’s a bit more tricky to pull off in a video game. During Onslaught and Legacy of the Sith, there were more than a few briefing room scenes that delivered exposition without any action. Wouldn’t it have been more interesting to play as Akaavi Spar tracking down the Hidden Chain or as Arcann uncovering the first hints of Darth Nul rather than hearing about it in a meeting that could’ve been an email?

I hope SWTOR does more with this style of storytelling, but, again, judiciously. Our characters are the lead characters and focus should remain on them. One of the reasons I always look forward to story updates is because I get to hear my characters talk and I get to see them be cool. I do not expect that to change.

The Story

As you might expect from the climatic chapter of an expansion, all of SWTOR’s story threads and characters collide on Khar Shian. And, yes, Legacy Reborn ends on a cliffhanger. It would’ve disappointed me if it had not.

The Chekhov’s gun of Legacy of the Sith is Darth Nul’s machine. It is finally activated as it had to be. For Heta Kol, it was ever only a means to an end. To Sa’har and Ri’kan is was path to discover the truth about what separated them as children. To Darth Jadus it was a weapon to give him control  the galaxy. To Darth Malgus and Darth Nul, it was a ticking time bomb to shatter the balance between the Jedi and Sith. Since the end of the Knights of the Eternal Throne expansion, Malgus’ entire will has been bent to achieving that goal. And he finally pulled the pin on that grenade.

I’ve always found Malgus an interesting character from our first conversations with him for the low level flashpoints to his heel turn on Ilum all the through to his return on Ossus and the events on Khar Shian. He is almost sympathetic. I am tempted to call him an anti-hero, but I can’t quite give him that much credit. He is not so much betrayed by fate, but the betrayer himself. More than anyone else, Malgus knows the hollowness of the Sith code. The Force hasn’t set him free. Every choice he has ever made as a Sith has only bound him in more and more chains.

During the climax of Legacy Reborn, Jadus attempts to manipulate Malgus by haunting him with visions of his past, including his Twi’lek lover, Eleena Daru. Confronted by the only person he’s probably ever loved in his life, he simply kills her again. I know it was an illusion and so does Malgus, but he’s so broken, he’s so lost that the only thing he can do is repeat the bad choices that brought him to where he is.

His last, best hope is to break everything with Nul’s machine.

The notion that the Jedi and Sith have been poor caretakers of the Force is nothing new. Certainly the flaws of the Jedi were central of their fall in the Prequels and how they’ve been portrayed in new stories from The Last Jedi to The Acolyte. As for the Sith, every Imperial faction player of SWTOR knows full well that life under Sith rule is dangerously capricious whether the Force is with you or not.

The Force does not belong to the Jedi or Sith. That is the Legacy of the Sith. That is the promise and threat of Nul’s machine. For better or worse, we’ll all have to deal with that now.  At long last, could Malgus have done something good?

Things come to a head on Khar Shian for others as well. Shae Vizla and Heta Kol have their final confrontation, and revenge consumes them both. You can’t get much more Mandalorian than that, I guess. When Shae went rogue, I didn’t take it personally, but Rass Ordo did. On Khar Shian, I liked that my character stayed mostly out of the way, and that it was Rass that really let Shae have it. The betrayal was personal to him, and I’m glad he could give that anger a voice, because, I think he was right.

I will miss Shae. She is one of SWTOR’s iconic characters and always added some spice to the mix when she was in the story.

As I said in the previous section, it’s the voices of the characters that help bring the story to life. The longevity of SWTOR means we have seen and heard how these characters develop over the years. Malgus could easily have come across as a one note villain, but Jamie Glover’s performance gives him depth as a tragic, Byronic hero. Noshir Dalal is a relatively recent addition to the cast, but he makes Rass Ordo’s earnestness, confidence and anger feel real and earned. I share Rass’s frustration, but Sumalee Montano kept Shae Vizla defiant and fierce to the very end. How cool has been to hear Stephen Rashbrook slip right back into the smooth arrogance of Darth Jadus?

And that’s just a few of the cast. I could go on. However, I know that French and German players continue to wait for their chance to experience the story in their own languages. I very much hope that happens soon.

Finally, the design and cinematic teams continue to do great work. How many Sith ruins have we explored in SWTOR? Khar Shian’s with its aurora illuminated sky and torch-like crystals is immediately unique and distinctive. Once again, everyone gets their moment to shine and be cool on screen. Jadus wears Force lightning as well as anyone since Valkorion. Malgus owns the red glow of his lightsaber. When she picked up that sword, I knew things would end poorly for Heta Kol, but I gasped when I saw how bad it got.

Legacy Reborn feels appropriately epic. Things come together and break apart. I believe Onslaught, Legacy of the Sith and Masters of the Force are meant to be a trilogy, Legacy certainly ends on a cliffhanger. What will happen in Masters of the Force? Who can say?

The Future

I can’t say, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try.

It is tradition for Star Wars stories to start in medias res, but I hope Masters of the Force doesn’t jump too far ahead. I want to witness the immediate after effects of Legacy Reborn.

It seems like Darth Jadus has been set up to be the main villain to at least kick off the next era. He is perhaps SWTOR‘s most ruthless, calculating and dangerous Dark Lord of the Sith, equally hated by the Republic and Sith factions. Although he is prone to monologuing, he doesn’t quite chew the scenery as much as your typical Star Wars villain. He’s a good choice. Rivix and Tau are still in the ruins in need of capture or rescue, and I wonder if they’ll find redemption or fall further from grace. Even though they escaped from Khar Shian, I highly doubt we’ve seen the last of Sa’har and Ri’kan, the latest in Star Wars’ long line of dysfunctional siblings.

The big question is what has the machine done to both the force sensitives of the galaxy and to our own characters?

It appears that Nuls’s machine has sparked the Force Sensitivity of even non-Force users. This could be controversial. I imagine that many players chose the tech classes specifically because they did not want to play a Force user in Star Wars. Many of the saga’s most beloved and iconic characters from Han Solo and Boba Fett to Cassian Andor and Din Djarin never moved a single rock with their mind.

However, it is well established in Star Wars lore that the Force is with everyone to one extent or another. Life creates the Force. Not the Jedi. Not the Sith. And if we want to venture into the weeds about this, I could very reasonably argue that possession by the most powerful Sith in history may have had some lingering effect on the Midi-chlorian counts of any Agent, Bounty Hunter, Smuggler or Trooper who has made it this far into SWTOR’s story. More simply, our characters were at ground zero when Nul’s machine was activated and may have suffered extra effects from the machine.

Malgus’ goal is to put the choice of what to do with this sensitivity in peoples’ own hands, so it’s reasonable that Tech characters might just shrug it off and carry on. From a game mechanics’ standpoint, I can’t imagine anything changing. Aside from Heroic Moment which has allowed Troopers to occasionally shoot Force Lightning and Agents to throw a few pebbles around, I don’t see the Force based Combat Styles opening up to every class.

Nevertheless, I am very curious to see how this affects the people of the galaxy both in the short term and in the days to come. Masters of the Force‘s first story update is subtitled Galaxy in Chaos, so that might be a hint of what to expect.

There are more mundane concerns, particularly in regards to the future of the Mandalorians. Jediah Ordo seems positioned to become the next Mandalore, but I don’t know if that is a done deal. Does he even want the job? Maybe someone new might claim the throne. If I had a vote, it would go to Akaavi Spar, if only to see my Smuggler’s reaction.

Likewise, regardless of our characters’ actual loyalty, their relationships with the factions is not in a great spot. It will only get worse. Whether is is the Republic Chancellor or the Sith Emperor, they will blame us for failing to prevent Malgus from turning the machine on. Moreover characters who have been actively working against their native faction have had their “saboteur” status exposed, and I’m very curious to see how that plays out.

Finally, Legacy Reborn does check in with many of SWTOR’s supporting characters. For example, General Daeruun plays a small but important part in the Republic side story, but I was surprised to see a quick cameo from Syl.

I’ve talked around this topic in the past, but there is no doubt in my mind that, at the end of Echoes of Oblvion, Vaylin transferred her spirit into the dying body of Syl, one of Satele Shan’s padawans.

Should we conclude that Vaylin will return in Masters of the Force? I don’t think it’s impossible. Vaylin has some very ardent fans who would love to see her again. As for me, I’m okay if she doesn’t. I don’t think Vaylin wants anything to do with our characters. I don’t think Vaylin wants anything to do with anyone. For me, personally, I think it’s enough to know that Vaylin’s out there on her own and she’s alright. I hope one day she finds some measure of peace.

But if she does come back, I won’t complain. Vaylin is a firecracker, and it could be fun to see her throw some sparks. She’d eat poor Arn Peralun alive, and I imagine she’d despise Jadus more than my Agent does.

SWTOR enters its fifteenth anniversary year with many new stories to tell and new worlds to explore. For a decade and a half, I’ve been on this ride through a galaxy far, far away, and I look forward to seeing where the good folks who make this game take me next.

 

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Filed under Aurebesh to English, General SWTOR, Legacy of the Sith, Mandalorian to English, Masters of the Force

August 12, 2026 · 9:01 am

The Battle of the Century

As a rule I try to avoid having hot takes when it comes to Star Wars news. But yesterday’s announcement that Marvel Comics would be publishing a comic book crossover between its popular heroes and Star Wars unexpectedly evoked a strong and negative reaction from me.

This Marvel/Star Wars crossover should be right in my wheelhouse. When I was a kid, my GIJoe toys and my Star Wars figures and my Micronauts all fought alongside each other. I get it. But I hate this in ways I can't fully articulate. Even if it didn't feel desperate in this moment, I hate it.

— Intisar – This Week in Aurebesh (@thisweekinaurebesh.bsky.social) 2026-08-11T19:09:15.415Z

 

Now that I’ve had some time to stew in my hate, I recalled that Star Wars might have a lesson to teach about that particular emotion.

Comic books have a long tradition of crossovers ever since Batman and Superman became the World’s Finest in the 1940s. In 1976, Spider-man crossed paths with Superman. Since the 1980s, the X-Men have teamed up with the Teen Titans, the Micronauts, Star Trek and, well, everyone else. Heck, Archie met the Ramones a few years ago, and it was great. So is Star Wars really my crossover Rubicon? It might be.

My feeling is that the look and feeling of Star Wars and Marvel comics are too different to mesh together well. George Lucas’ primary aesthetic for Star Wars’ design is that the movie’s universe should look lived in. Stan Lee believed that readers should feel like Marvel Comics took place in the world outside their windows. I just don’t see how Marvel’s friendly neighborhood heroes can comfortably fit in a galaxy far, far away. The characters of Spider-man and Luke Skywalker have similarities, but the thought of a farm boy in a dusty tunic fighting alongside a guy in bright red spandex seems ridiculous to me.

This comic was printed as a giant size, 10″ x 13 1/2”, “Treasury Edition”, the IMAX of comic book formats.

The question “Who is this even for?” crossed my mind today, and it gave me pause. I rarely see that question asked in good faith, because when it comes up, the answer is usually “This thing is not for me, therefore it should not be for anyone.” I just don’t want to be that guy. I want to be the guy that lets people have their fun. This is not for me. That’s okay. I hope the fans who want this have a great time. Truly.

Maybe they should lean into the ridiculousness. I can picture the Hulk tearing his way through a division of AT-ATs. Wolverine vs. Boba Fett probably writes itself. And Iron Man facing off against Darth Vader could look amazing from the right artist.

“Two out of three ain’t bad.”

Where crossovers like this succeed is by having the comparison and contrasts of the different properties highlight what makes each side unique. Where they fail is by turning into fan service and nostalgia bait.

I think Kevin Smith is a cool guy, and if anyone understands the assignment it could be him, but the task before Smith is daunting if not impossible. Both Star Wars and the MCU are perceived as stale in many corners of popular culture these days. The success of the new Spider-man movie and the critical acclaim of Andor seem to be exceptions rather than rules. The Mandalorian and Grogu did not light the world on fire, and the anticipation for Doomsday seems guarded at best. It feels like some suit at Disney decided now was the time to “break glass in case of emergency” and pulled this project out.

Like I said on Bluesky, all my action figures played together when I was a kid, and if this comic captures that enthusiasm I guess it’ll be a success. But I may be too old for this stuff.

Six years before the Terminator. Twelve years before Cable.

But I am also weak. If they have Valance the Hunter fight Cable, I’ll probably buy it.

 

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July 31, 2026 · 11:36 pm

Taking the Current When it Serves

This month’s post is a little different. This Week in Aurebesh is a project that exists within a digital space. I started as an artist working in physical media. Nothing beats the satisfaction of putting a pencil or ink on paper, but over the years, I have done the bulk of my creative work on a computer.

To be or Not Adobe

I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop since version 1.0. In 2013, Adobe switched to a subscription model that I would generously describe as predatory. Even before that, I’d hold off on updating Photoshop for as long as possible. Since I was not interested in subscribing to the Creative Cloud, I’ve been using Photoshop CS6 since its release in 2012. To be honest, few of the updates to Photoshop I missed in the last fourteen years have felt essential. I’ve been plugging along happily without them.

But time marches on. My beloved iMac which allowed me to both play SWTOR and work with Photoshop is showing its age. Modern programs won’t run on it, and even the older stuff that still works can be janky. Last year I acquired a new Mac and have been making the transition to the new machine. Thankfully SWTOR runs wonderfully on it, but I was faced with a dilemma. Was it time to bite the bullet and subscribe to Photoshop?

Adobe’s whole hearted embrace of generative AI simply does not sit well with me. I fully understand the easy appeal and the tremendous power of AI, but to me it is fundamentally at odds with the simple act of and satisfaction that comes from creating art. I do not feel right paying a subscription fee to a company that no longer shares that vision.

Fortunately in the years I’ve been puttering around in CS6, a host of new programs and viable alternatives to Adobe have sprung up. It’s been fun and frustrating and occasionally infuriating, but I am endeavoring to learn to use some of these new tools. I’ve never more appreciated the image of an old dog learning new tricks as I do when I sit down to work these days.

The Kids Love This One

The point of this story is to highlight that working in digital art is very different than working with physical tools. Not worse or better, just different. Certainly I’d give my kingdom for a real life Undo button, but I also appreciate that I don’t have to subscribe to my favorite mechanical pencil.

I’ve always treasured those moments when I can hold something I made in my hands, or when I find my work in a store, or see my art in the newspaper or printed on a poster. Even if it was created entirely on the computer, having a printed version makes it feel more real in both a figurative and literal sense.

This Week in Aurebesh, however, has existed almost completely online. Until now.

Earlier this year I arranged for three of the illustrations I created for Pets of the Old Republic to be printed on vinyl stickers. I’d received a few requests to have stickers of them, and I also wanted to have something like that for myself.

It was wonderful to see them in person. I have shared a few with friends and long time supporters of this project. It’s been neat to hear their reactions and to see them stuck on my friends’ favorite stuff.

But I did print a lot of them, so I’ve also set up an Etsy shop to sell them to anyone who might want some stickers themselves. Rest assure that this is not a cash grab. I would have to sell the majority of my inventory to just break even, and I’ve tried to price them as affordably as I can. I didn’t get into the sticker game to get rich!

SWTOR merchandise is hard to come by, and if I can fly under the radar and put a few tiny droids, rainbow polliwogs and crystal fox pups into the world, I don’t see that as a bad thing.

But times are tough, and I can assure you this silly blog will be ad free and full of as many fake space letters and, maybe, a few more Pets of the Old Republic as I can find. And with the conclusion of Legacy of the Sith and this week’s news of 8.0, there is lots to talk about. Stay tuned!

 

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Filed under General SWTOR, My Artwork

June 30, 2026 · 8:09 pm

This City’s Confidence

My block continues to be a drag, but before the month of June fully closes out, I did want to post something. Fortunately, in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the streets of Corellia are a great source of Aurebesh, so I decided to translate a few more the urban signs to help grease the wheels in my brain.

Click the thumbnail to read this Aurebesh sign in English.

The signs featured here would not look out of place in any metropolis here on earth, even with the alien text. SWTOR’s environmental artists did a great job giving these assets a familiar structure but with just enough sci-fi flair to firmly place them in Star Wars’ “lived in” universe. All of these signs have seen better days, but are still legible enough to read.

The translations contain no revelations or deep lore, but nor should they. A sharp turn indicator, an advertisement and a fire hazard warning are all things we might expect to see on an excursion through any big, war torn city, whether it is on Corellia or Earth.

Click the thumbnail to read these Aurebesh signs in English.

The red and orange advertisement in this image contains a pair of seemingly random letters. Many if not most of the signs seen throughout SWTOR share this trait. Over the years, I’ve often wondered if there are any hidden meanings or “Easter Eggs” in these signs. Some letters seem to appear more often than others, but I’m not convinced that is indicative of a pattern.

More often than not, I suspect the  aesthetics of the shape of the letters guided their selection. In this case the Aurebesh Dorn and Yirt align to leave a neat triangular gap between the letters that the artist used as a design element in the sign. For my translation, I had to distort the D and Y letters to get them to fit to maintain the original design, but I think it worked out well.

I truly love it when I can read the writing in Star Wars and SWTOR, but it’s also important to remember that these fake space letters are just one design element in the greater world the movies and the game create.

 

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Filed under Aurebesh to English, General SWTOR

May 29, 2026 · 10:45 am

A Real Trooper

Before the month slips away, I’d like to hop on with a quick post. I had hoped to celebrate May the Fourth or at least the opening day of The Mandalorian and Grogu with a special update but between work, procrastination and artist’s block, it didn’t come together in time and the surprise will have to wait until June.

A Republic Trooper is ready for action on Odessen.

As we await the release of Legacy Reborn, there is a different SWTOR topic, I’d like to discuss. As a part of its May the 4th preview, Hasbro announced that their Black Series line of action figures would feature not one but two new additions inspired by Star Wars: The Old Republic!

Black Series Satele Shan

The first figure revealed, Satele Shan, as seen in the Hope cinematic, was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. I can only assume that Satele was selected to join the SWTOR squad because Hasbro saw my review of their outstanding Black Series Darth Malgus figure in 2023 where I wrote “At the very least, Hasbro can’t just leave it here. If they’re gonna do Malgus, they have to do Satele Shan so we can recreate their duel on Alderaan.” So, you’re welcome, fellow collectors.

Satele is ready for her rematch with Malgus.

It may also be because Satele is SWTOR’s most iconic Jedi, and her dynamic portrayal in the cinematics makes her an obvious choice for an action figure. Either way, I’m thrilled that I will be able to have her face off against Malgus on my bookshelf later this year

Black Series Republic Trooper

The second SWTOR figure coming out this year was more unexpected: the Republic Trooper. I had assumed that the flashy Havoc Squad troopers embodied by Jace Malcom would’ve been an obvious choice. However, the version of the trooper represented by this figure comes not from any cinematic, but from the actual game itself. Republic players will have encountered troopers wearing variations of this armor during their adventures across the galaxy. Indeed, players can even don the exact same versions of both this armor and the blaster rifle included with the figure. As I write these, the figures are still available for pre-order on Amazon, Hasbro, Entertainment Earth and Big Bad Toy Store.

Hasbro’s recreation of the Republic Trooper is remarkably faithful and detailed.

This fellow is one of a long line of armored troopers in Star Wars lore, and is a distant ancestor to the infamous Imperial Stormtroopers from the Original Trilogy and the Clone Troopers from the Prequel Trilogy era. If you’re a Republic player you’ve likely fought alongside troopers wearing this armor or at least rushed past them on Carrick Station on your way to the GTN. Imperial players have no doubt laid waste to hundreds if not thousands of these soldiers during their endless battles against Republic forces.

Most recently Republic players donned identical armor as a disguise to aid them in their escape from occupied Odessen at the start of the Master’s Enigma story update.

“I can’t see a thing in this helmet.”

Since the very first days of Kenner’s Star Wars toy line in the late 1970’s up to today’s myriad and endless variations of clones, troopers of all stripes have been the bread and butter of the Star Wars toy aisle. It’s always neat to see what new kind of trooper the latest Star Wars adventure will add to the armies of toy soldiers I’ve collected over the years. This Republic Trooper will make a fine addition to my collection and will stand tall on my shelf alongside his peers.

Just a few of the troopers from my toys in the attic.

All that said, I hope this is not the end. Shae Vizla and Jace Malcom would absolutely look great in toy form. Those figures will require almost completely original sculpts. At this point the Black Series has a deep library of troopers, heroes, villains, aliens and droids. So many in fact that Hasbro often can assemble figures of new characters with parts originally designed for other characters. This cost saving measure makes it possible for more obscure characters that would otherwise never make it to action figure form to appear in the line. This can be seen in the two-pack of Mission Vao and Carth Onasi from Knights of the Old Republic. Mission has bits of Jaina Solo and Aayla Secura and Carth seems to be built from parts of the Kanaan Jarus. Mission and Carth include new head sculptures, and “overlays” so that they match their appearance in KOTOR. I think a similar approach could work for beloved SWTOR characters like Lana Beniko and Theron Shan who could likewise be accurately created with parts new and old.

That’s the appeal and the curse of action figure collecting. There is always another character to collect or hope for. With decades of stories and characters to draw upon, Hasbro certainly has no shortage of inspiration, but as a SWTOR fan, I hope they return to this corner of the galaxy sooner rather than later.

A Quick Review of The Mandalorian and Grogu

Finally, I’d like to finish up with a brief, spoiler-free review of the newest Star Wars movie. I posted this on my social media with the notion that I’d collect my thoughts in longer form later. I feel like this does the job in a perfect bite size, and there is little to be gained by revising and belaboring the topic.

For better or worse, The Mandalorian and Grogu is exactly the movie you think it will be. It’s like they took a big box of Star Wars toys, threw them on the floor and played with them for a couple of hours. If you’re the kind of hipster fan that still hates Ewoks, this is not the movie for you, but something that only ever existed as a toy I had as a kid appears in this movie, and it was a delight to see brought to life. The movie is simple fun, very silly and, in the moments that matter, genuinely sweet. Most surprisingly of all, it does something Star Wars very rarely does, it knows when to shut up for a bit. Is it essential viewing? Not at all. But did I have a good time? I sure did. 

 

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Filed under General Star Wars, General SWTOR, Legacy of the Sith

April 28, 2026 · 9:01 am

Streets Ahead

As we await the grand finale of Legacy of the Sith, I find myself in a bit of a lull with regards to Aurebesh. To combat this, I dipped into my to-do folder of screenshots of Aurebesh from Star Wars: The Old Republic. Despite the dozens of translations I’ve done over the years, there are many, many more signs, posters and displays that I’ve not yet covered in this project.

Click the thumbnails to see all the alien writing in English.

Long time readers should not be surprised to learn that when selecting subjects for this blog, I tend to favor things that I can connect to Star Wars lore, images that are inspired by art or design from the real world or from other fictional settings, or even just topics that allow me to go off on tangents and flights of fancy.

However much of the alien text seen in SWTOR, is intentionally designed to appear to be functional and practical. And that is most true when it comes to the huge variety of signage seen on Corellia from the war-torn streets of Coronet City to the toxic flooded corners of the Black Hole.

The common trait the three signs I’ve translated for this post share is simply a vertical orientation. There is no mystery or secret lore connected to their meaning. All three seem to be advertisements similar to what anyone who lives in a big city might see adorning the bus stops or street signs in the real world.

There isn’t much to say about this first sign. It features the letter “S” in New Futhork script. This script was created by Iain McCaig for The Phantom Menace as one of the writing systems seen on Naboo and is associated with luxury. For example, it can be found on the resort world of Makeb. However, in SWTOR it is also seen on the livery of spaceships and shuttles around the galaxy. Given Corellia’s association with shipbuilding, I think it’s fair to assume that the sign might refer to a starship manufacturer or dealership.

The next sign also fits in a rounded frame and gives me a bit more to translate. This is one of several examples in SWTOR of signs for shopping destinations advertised with a single letter as its logo. It would be reckless of me to even guess what the initial stands for. What I can say is that for my translation, instead of using the font I normally use for my Aurebesh translations, I created a custom “N” that more closely evokes the Aurebesh “nern” seen in the original sign.

The last sign has seen better days. Corellia’s war, the pollution and quite possibly bored teenagers with sporting blasters have clearly taken their toll on this banged up and chipped advertisement. Given that Corellia is said to have three moons, it’s possible the Day Moon refers to one of those. Or it simply could be a poetic name for any manner of business.

I’m certain much of the signage created for SWTOR was intentionally designed to be non-specific, primarily to allow the assets to be used in other locations in the game, but also to make these images feel more real. When I walk around my town and see signs for local restaurants, department stores or beauty salons, they’re simply part of the local color, they’re not deep cuts into historical lore. By creating unique names and logos for each of these ads in SWTOR, the artists who made them have added some extra dashes to the unique flavor of a galaxy far, far away.

 

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Filed under Aurebesh to English, Futhork to English, General SWTOR

March 25, 2026 · 9:01 am

The Riddle of Stele

Two weeks ago Star Wars: The Old Republic launched game update 7.8.1, “Master’s Enigma” the next chapter of the Legacy of Sith’s main story. The expansion is building to its conclusion, and there is a lot to explore. I’d like to focus on two aspects of the latest update. The first is relatively light on spoilers, but the second section of this post will discuss the major twists in the expansion’s penultimate chapter.

Let’s start in my wheelhouse with a translation of some alien text. Inside a control center of one of the nature preserves on Darth Nul’s lost ship, the Enigma, there are two obsidian monoliths covered in symbols and text erected on opposite sides of the room. Although the inscriptions on both are identical, one is cracked and leaking red energy, the other blue.

I’ve discussed the history and origins of this runic alphabet before so I won’t go into detail here. It is enough to know that this writing is ancient even within the context of the Old Republic and was used by both the Jedi and the Sith on their artifacts, technology and monuments. This is reflected in how it appears in SWTOR and in this chapter. The way the two monuments are accented by blue and red clearly echoes both the colors of the Jedi and Sith and the holograms with which we interact during the story.

This Pictish runestone from the village of Aberlemno in Scotland dates to the second half of the first millennium AD.

This monument was called a “stele” when it was introduced into the game as a stronghold decoration. Stelae are large stone monoliths which, throughout history and across many cultures, were used as territorial markers, commemorations of battles or to publish laws or decrees. It’s within this last context that I think the pair on Darth Nul’s ship lie.

The text on both is the final line of the Jedi Code, but not the version that is most commonly cited within SWTOR and Star Wars stories. The Jedi Code has caused consternation to both Star Wars fans and characters in the lore over the years, and I’m certain Reniah/Nul are included in that company. Regardless of which version of the code you prefer, it is filled with contradictions. We all have emotions, and death is all around us.

Decorations of the Stele of the Lost Master, flanked by the Jedi Consular Meditation Pillar and the Jedi Knight Meditation Pillar.

I would describe the Jedi Code not as a set of rules, but instead as what is known in Zen Buddhism as a “Koan.” Briefly, Koans are contradictory statements or unanswerable questions. “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” is a famous example. The point is not to make sense of the question, but to move past its contradictions into deeper insight and meditation.

Likewise, the Jedi Code does not present a logical explanation of the Force. Instead it is meant to break through a Jedi’s conceptual thinking about the Light and the Dark sides and then provoke a personal realization into the nature of the Force and the connection everyone shares with it.

Darth Nul, still causing trouble all these years later.

I can very much imagine Jedi Reniah and Darth Nul finding this explanation wholly inadequate. This is reflected in the failure of their attempts to impose balance on the biomes we explore on Nul’s ship. The solution is to simply let things be. Whether as Reniah or Nul, they are unable to accept that they cannot force the result they want.

If you forgive a tangent to the Dark Side, the Sith code is easier to follow to be sure, but even Nul is aware of its limitations and acknowledges there are multiple different paths to power.

All of this reinforces Darth Nul’s ultimate desire to destroy the structures of the Jedi and the Sith, not because, I would argue, they are inherently broken but because she refuses to understand them. My position is not that the Jedi are without fault. An entire trilogy of movies is devoted to the failures of the Jedi Order. I grant that the Sith are broken, but the motives of Darth Nul and Darth Malgus, who aims to complete Nul’s work, cannot be trusted even if you agree with their actions or goals.

Curse Your Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal

Beware, dear reader, we dive next into full spoiler territory from here on out!

Darth Jadus is pleased to see us again.

The chief theme explored in The Master’s Enigma is that of betrayal. The chapter opens and concludes with the siblings Sa’har and Ri’kan. Ri’kan has given his complete loyalty to Heta Kol, a charismatic leader bent on revenge and destruction. Ri’kan has devoted his life to Heta and her cult-like clan even to the point of rejecting the love of the last of his family. It breaks Sa’har’s heart to again lose her brother. We see it’s all for nothing. Heta demands unquestioned loyalty and repays it with a knife to Ri’kan’s throat. Again and again, Heta has demonstrated that she regards her followers as tools to be used and discarded. Nothing can trump her obsessions.

Players also suffer personal betrayals both at the beginning of the chapter and, of course at the end. Each is different depending on our characters’ faction.

All players begin with an encounter with the leaders of their respective factions. They, for various reasons, have had enough with our characters’ independence from their control. My Imperial character is a “saboteur” so I relish every opportunity to butt heads with the Dark Council. My light side Jedi was more frustrated and annoyed by the Republic’s lack of faith. Clearly the Republic replaced General Daeruun with the openly antagonistic Admiral Rava because the ol’ tea sipping general actually gets on well with us. That said there is value in characters that everyone loves to hate. That’s something Republic leadership has lacked since Chancellor Saresh exited the stage. I look forward to being a thorn in Rava’s side in the days to come.

Darth Rivix. I can fix him.

Let’s turn to the revelation from the Sith story next. Darth Rivix has been in cahoots with Darth Jadus, very likely all along. What I like about this is that it really should not come as a shock to anyone. Indeed, the obvious untrustworthiness of Rivix is a big part of the appeal of his character, to me at least. From the moment we met, I pegged him as trouble. If you ever want to know where Darth Rivix is, just follow the trail of dead bodies and broken hearts he most definitely leaves in his wake across the galaxy.

He doesn’t even attempt to justify his betrayal. We knew he was a scorpion when we picked him up. With this sordid business of allegiances out of the way, perhaps now we can really get to know him.

For Republic players, Tau Idair’s betrayal is much sadder. I played “Master’s Enigma” as an Imperial first, and once it became clear that Tau was filling the same role in the Republic story as Rivix, I said aloud “Aw, Tau. Don’t.” But she did. From the first day we met her on Ossus, we’ve seen that Tau has suffered from survivor’s guilt. Through all of our interactions, my character and Gnost Dural have encouraged and supported Tau, but it is tragic to see her succumb to despair. This is exactly the kind of thing Jadus would gladly exploit for his own benefit. Jadus is definitely one of those chuds who views empathy as a weakness.

Tau cannot hide her guilty conscience.

But it’s not. Our characters boarded the Enigma knowing that it was a trap. Simply having irresistible bait does not make Jadus a tactical genius. He does seize control of Nul’s holocron, but it is the nature of a plot’s MacGuffin to be passed around like a hot potato. I don’t see him being able to control the holocron any better than Krovos or Sal-Deron did. At the end of this chapter we escape because of Lana’s loyalty to our characters, Arn Peralun’s empathy for Tau, and Major Anri’s stubborn defiance of orders.

As for what happens next? I certainly don’t know. At the very least, it sounds like it’ll be quite the reckoning. I can’t wait to see what will be born from the chaos that has been brewing this whole expansion.

 

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Filed under Ancient Jedi Runes, General Star Wars, General SWTOR, Legacy of the Sith

February 27, 2026 · 9:01 am

To Fly Above the Gridlock

It’s been a while since I covered the topic which gives this blog its name: Star Wars’ favorite fake space-letters: Aurebesh. For newcomers, my goal is to examine the use of alien writing in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and, when possible, both translate the words and explore their context in the game’s world. Aurebesh and other forms of writing appear across the many planets we visit in the game, and it’s fun to discover the meaning of this writing which is hidden in plain sight.

I like to describe what I do as “diegetic translations” which is a fancy way of saying that I hope I can help players interact with the holograms, monitors, posters and signs written in alien languages in the same way we can assume our characters do.

Jetpack Design Station

The first subject of this post is the monitor included as part of the decoration “Jetpack Design Station.” This decoration is a reward from the current, tenth PVP Season. The decoration is a small work table scattered with tools and parts for the jetpack mount that is the ultimate reward of the season. The station has a quite lovely art deco aesthetic, but, of course, the feature that first caught my eye was the computer monitor detailing the specs of the Outer Rim Runner Jetpack.

SWTOR has many Aurebesh readouts that have been reused and repurposed throughout the years. Given the sheer scope of the game, this is understandable, but I do appreciate that the art team included a bespoke graphic designed for this specific game asset. The extra attention to detail helps this decoration stand out, even if you can’t read exactly what it says.

Jetpack Design Station decoration

The Outer Rim Runner Jetpack is clearly inspired by the jetpack worn by the Rocketeer, a comic book character created by writer/artist Dave Stevens in the early 1980s. The Rocketeer was created as a throwback to the pulp heroes of the 1930s including Doc Savage, the Shadow and Commander Cody. The Rocketeer is probably most well known from the cult-favorite 1991 movie of the same name, but it looks to me like SWTOR’s jetpack is directly inspired by the single exhaust version of the rocket seen in Steven’s comics, not the one used on the big screen.

The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens, 1982.

There isn’t too much to translate here, and I imagine anyone could venture a reasonable guess to what the text reads. I confess, however, that I did take a moment to wonder why a jetpack would need armored plating and spoilers, but then I remembered the most infamous jetpack malfunction in Star Wars history.

Boba Fett! Where?

So rest assured, that you are significantly less likely to ricochet off the hull of a crimelord’s sail barge into the maw of the great Pit of Carkoon while jetting around the galaxy using this PVP reward. Still, you might want to double check the warranty.

7.8.1 Livestream

As I wrote this post, SWTOR hosted a livestream focused on both the next update and a discussion of what to expect in the months ahead. Rather than comment on every announcement, I’d like to focus on two points that stood out for me.

In December, the announcement from the producer letter that garnered the most attention was their plan to launch of 8.0 as part of the game’s 15th anniversary. However, during this week’s presentation Keith Kanneg and Eric Musco made sure to emphasize that before talk of the game’s next era begins, the developers aim to spend the first half of this year focused on bringing Legacy of the Sith to a proper conclusion and an epic finale worth remembering. I think this is a good decision. There is still plenty of story ahead of us, and I’m eager to see where how it ends.

Sure Anri is cool, but her name isn’t a portmanteau of “River Styx”.

Secondly, the team revealed the details of the upcoming Galactic Season. I won’t lie, when I first learned that the next two seasons would feature rewards drawn from the first four Galactic Seasons, I was disappointed. I fully completed and collected all the loot from all of those seasons the first time around. But here’s the thing, it’s not all about me. It’s been five years since the first Galactic Season, and the fact of the matter is that there are plenty of players who missed out on the earlier seasons. Limited time seasons and battle passes are deliberately designed to exploit players’ fear of missing out on rewards, I’ve never liked  it when rewards, especially cosmetic ones, become unavailable. Maybe you heard that Altuur is the best companion, or you could use a pink blaster to complete your fit, or you’re certain the GAME Jacket will make you cool like Fonzie. Discovering that you can no longer earn those rewards isn’t a great feeling for new or returning players.

As for me, I won’t say no to more Cartel Coins, and I was pleased to learn that bronze, silver and gold Cartel Packs from the rewards tracks are being refreshed with some new additions. In truth, those packs have long since gone stale for me, and it became a rare event to get anything interesting at all from them.

I am glad that players will get another chance at Season Rewards that are new to them. I’ve been clear from the start that I don’t consider “Galactic Seasons” to be “content.” I don’t mean that as an insult. SWTOR’s most prominent feature is its story, and we’re getting three major story updates in a row in the lead up to the Legacy of the Sith’s finale. I will take that any day of the week.

Galactic Season objectives are something to do in between those updates, and MMOs need that too. I’ve played the game’s heroics, daily areas and flashpoints countless times, so I appreciate that Seasons provide a framework to keep me and my friends and guild-mates busy with something different while also handing out some rewards. And if this frees up the developers to have more time to prepare 8.0, so much the better.

The Mandalorian and Grogu and Hugo and Apollo Creed

Finally, let’s take a quick look at some Aurebesh that showed up in the brand new trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu. The writing seen in both examples is meant to serve as tributes to other film-makers. The first screenshot shows Din Djarin speaking with an Ardennian food truck chef. The alien is voiced by Martin Scorsese, one of film’s most famous and important directors. Indeed, the food truck (and presumably its proprietor) is named “Hugo.” This is likely a reference to Scorsese’s 2011 movie of the same name, which in itself is a was made to honor to the earliest days of motion pictures. However, there are references within references here. Jon Favreau who directed The Mandalorian and Grogu also wrote, directed and starred in the movie Chef in which his character, a disgraced famous chef, rediscovers his love of cooking by operating a small food truck.

The next screenshot features two aurebesh words which are clearly a tribute to the late Carl Weathers. I don’t know the context for this sign within the movie, but this is clearly a reference to Weathers who was beloved both for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky movies and his work on The Mandalorian Disney+ show where he portrayed Greef Karga and directed two episodes.

I know some serious minded fans poo-poo these sort of things, whether you call them Easter Eggs or self-indulgent inside jokes, but references to inspirational works go all the way back to the very first Star Wars film. In Episode IV alone, George Lucas quotes two Akira Kurusawa movies, Yojimbo and Hidden Fortress, and even Lucas’ own THX-1138.

This sort of thing does not bother me. It’s only natural that artists pay tribute to those who inspired them. Will The Mandalorian and Grogu be the greatest movie ever, on par with Good Fellas or Seven Samurai? Perhaps not, but it shouldn’t have to be.

The teaser trailer for The Mandalorian and Grogu debuted last year shortly after the conclusion of the previous live-action Star Wars production. After watching it, I joked to friends that the tag line for the movie should’ve been “Hey, Star Wars Fans! Did you love Andor? You’re gonna hate this!” I was being sarcastic, of course, but I have very different expectations of this new movie.  I loved Andor, but was it fun? Not really. From the very beginning Star Wars was filled with silly aliens, spaceships and whiz-bang action, and I’m okay if the first movie in years returns to those roots.

Star Wars doesn’t have to be just for jaded old school fans, it can be for kids too. And, look, kids love Baby Yoda. When he first appeared back in 2019, it felt like it was the first time since at least the lead-up to the release of The Phantom Menace that Star Wars had such a large impact on popular culture. It’s only natural that Grogu be the focus on the franchise’s return to the big screen.

So I hope eight olds love this the way I loved the first Star Wars movie. They deserve it more than I do.

 

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Filed under Aurebesh to English, Galactic Seasons, General Star Wars, Legacy of the Sith