Nothing but Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Of course we'll be talking about this movie in a month of Star Wars stuff. Its been over a month since the movie first premiered and they are stilling showing it in theaters right now. Its gotten to the rank of one of the highest grossing films out there and more of the series is being produced, along with spin-offs. Its been discussed, debated and argued over the many details that has gone into viewing the film multiple times.

Right now, I've decided to share my own thoughts on it as well, seeing as I've recently gotten to see it a few times too. This is all opinion-based and will feature spoilers, so you've been warned.

The Plot

While this is the introduction to a new story, people have made the argument that it follows a similar pattern as to the first films in the Original and Prequel trilogies. It goes something like this:

"A lone child, living on a barren world, is gifted with the power of the mysterious Force. Picked up by new friends and allies, this child leaves the world to fight against a terrible army seeking to dominate the galaxy. Aiding this force is a dark user of the Force, whom in turn is mentored by the true leader in order to spread their will, while using terrible technology to dominate anyone standing in their way."

Pretty simple and easy to track, so people aren't truly lost in the whole scheme of things. You certainly got minor points of character development to get motives across for characters, which helps give the plot better legs to stand on. You can certainly see comparisons of the previous movies, but also enough new details to make it clear that you'll be getting something different.

The Characters

The Old Guard

There have been reports of having the old cast of the Star Wars Original Trilogy as the main characters of the new Trilogy, which thankfully did not happen. Given the time skip and new generation of Star Wars fans, it helps to create new role models to look up to. For characters like Han Solo and Leia Organa, they help provide the roles of mentors to help guide the new generation of heroes in the galaxy.

Sure, some of them are capable of holding their own but it is clear that they are helping serve as fan favorites that are ready to pass the torch on. While they may continue to reappear in the next two movies, it may not be as much as just a supporting cast.

The New Heroes

New heroes have arrived in the form of Rey, Finn, Poe, and BB-8.

BB-8 fills in the slot of being the assistant droid between the three new heroes, much like R2-D2 from the previous movies. A creation of both practical effects and movie magic (seriously, they had a live action one created and shown off), BB-8 has been a highlight of what an adorable droid could actually turn out to be. It certainly shows how technology has changed (or could change) in the main Star Wars galaxy, while still retaining a 'plucky' charm to its 'beets' and 'woos' when trying to communicate. Also a handy toy to give to kids for holidays and birthdays.

Poe Dameron is the brave and confident pilot of the Resistance, the force which combats the main enemy of the galaxy, the First Order. While more comfortable in the air with his skills, he isn't above fighting on the ground  to protect those in need. Unfortunately, he gets some of the less screentime amongst his fellow heroes, but it is enough to give you an idea of what he can do, as well as the relationships he could build off into as the series goes on. Hopefully, he doesn't become a one-off for this series in a movie.

It isn't hard for people to pick out the 'Luke Skywalker' character once they get a look at Rey. Her origins on a desert planet and recruitment into the larger world certainly match the parallels seen in past movies. However, people have made opinions on how she could come off as a 'mary sue'; a character who seems to be perfect at everything. Her mechanical expertise, understanding incoherent speech from the likes of droids and Chewbacca and a backstory that seems a bit contrived and played out. I feel like some people took this thought too far and that Rey certainly shows off of being not just a rookie in the grander galaxy but also one quite latent in the Force. Hopefully, the future movies get more into her character as time goes on.

Finn is my favorite character out of the new heroes, bar none. A guy raised from child abduction into the First Order (I'll get to them in a bit) that soon realized how truly monstrous they are and decides to desert them. Along the way, not only does he find the bravery to stand up to the First Order instead of running, but also finding the path to be a true hero. He can certainly come off as a coward for a good-sized chunk of the money, but he is aware of the dangers in front of him and wants to make sure he takes the right paths in surviving in the end. By the time of the climax, he is willing to forgo his cowardly behavior to stand and protect someone close to him. Really, he's an all-around fun and great character to watch and am looking forward to more of him in the future.

The First Order

Even if you never read the reports concerning the main villains of the movie before its release, you can tell that the First Order is just plain crazy. Think of it as the remnants of the Empire, along with the Dark Side, being worshiped with a cult-like mentality. Great actions take place to ensure that their way is the right way, as well as the only one. They certainly come off as far more dangerous than the Empire in their work, especially with the construction of a planet-busting weapon built inside a planet that uses stars as fuel. Yeah, they are that kind of crazy powerful.

Captain Phasma has been said in interviews to be the equivalent of 'Boba Fett', a character who may not do a lot but you get a sense they are capable of great stuff. Unfortunately, she doesn't get to do a lot and her last scene does a good job of humiliating her. Not much to say about her yet, but hopefully it works out better for her before the new trilogy

is over.

Hux is one of the main leaders of the First Order, with a fanatical devotion to the cause that would make real life villain groups be impressed or terrified with. His relationship with the resident Sith Kylo Ren is more in comparison with two brothers arguing over who gets more respect than two compatriots. They mostly work together out of necessity. Still, he has the mannerisms and behavior of an open psychopath who is willing to destroy planets to deal with a small threat. Not one to be taken likely.

Kylo Ren is a powerful Sith warrior (or at least attempts to be one). His backstory is one of intrigue, as he does his best to reject the Light Side and embrace the Dark Side. He does his best to emulate the late Darth Vader, but his actions and demeanor could easily make others think he's failing under those circumstances. He is powerful, that much is pretty clear, like stopping an energy bolt mid-fire and reading people's thoughts. However, he does seem to have a horrible judge of character, as he doesn't exactly remember what happened in Darth Vader's last moments to the Light Side instead of Dark. That must be due to the leader of the First Order.

This is Supreme Leader Snoke, the master to Kylo Ren who turned him to the Dark Side. He leads the First Order from an unknown destination, preferring to communicate from a hologram. Despite the little info we've gotten on him, it is clear that Snoke is a dangerous Sith that is using the First Order to control the galaxy for him and eliminate all traces of the Jedi. He'll certainly make a full, in person apparance before the trilogy is over (hopefully).

Special Effects

It is interesting to compare both the original and prequel trilogies on the use of special effects. The originals relied more practical effects due to budget concerns and a controlled direction. The prequels focused a lot more on CGI and more open director in George Lucas. With this new trilogy, now headed by J.J. Abrams, the two schools of special effects are mixing into each other in a good way. We're getting more practically done alien creatures and locations while mixing in realistic CGI that doesn't feel thrown in and out of place. One character, Maz Kanata, is a surprising delivery for a realistic character that, you know is CGI, but can clearly see her interacting with the characters rather than just a blank screen. If they continue this route with the special effects, then this new trilogy has a chance of being a grand adventure.

Final Thoughts

"The Force Awakens" is a strong step in the right direction of making a grand 'Star Wars' trilogy. Still, caution will need to be taken as always. A continued focused of great new characters, excellent use of special effects, and moments of 'passing the torch' are needed to help make this stand on its own legs. This is supposed to be a new chapter in this galaxy far, far away. Hopefully, it won't feel so much like a re-tread of past ideas.

That's it for this 'Star Wars' month. We'll see how things are when we get into the next month.

Until then...

Nothing But Star Wars: Old Republic, New Companions

Back into the realm of 'The Old Republic'  we go! Still on a bit of a kick from the game, so what better way to get over it than by talking about it.

As stated in a previous post, 'The Old Republic' had your class recruit companions across their adventures in the Star Wars galaxy. While limited to only five per person (until 'Fallen Empire'), they were all a mixed association of different races, occupations and abilities. When the game first came out, the companions were set up into different 'groupings' of sorts, making them either tanky, damage-based, or healers. Since then, that has been revamped into allowing any companion to fulfill any role the player chooses.

I've got my own short list of favorite companions from different classes, so will need to keep a few things in mind:

1. This is all opinion-based, nothing official
2. I may pick more than one companion from a class, mostly because I really enjoyed those companions.
3. I'm looking into character behavior and story arc, as well as the quests you complete to earn them.
4. There really isn't a set order to it all, just characters that I found more enjoyable than others.

With that in mind, let's go into the list of my 12 Favorite 'SWTOR' Companions.

• Bowdaar, the Wookie Gladiator

We've gotten a few characters in the game that are more nods to partnerships in Star Wars lore, like a droid the Jedi Knight gets early on, T7-01, is a nod to R2-D2. Here, we have the smuggler's own Wookie, Bowdaar. While young, Bowdaar was captured and turned into a slave to fight in gladiator pits. Over the years, he ended up doing so well that he simply kept to it for the challenge. It wouldn't be until a chance encounter with the Smuggler that he'd be free from slavery and become their partner in crime.

The Wookie, while certainly enjoys violence, is capable of more intelligent thinking than his bruiser behavior may show. After all, he managed to get revenge on the slavers through a 'weapons malfunction' once he heard they were in town near one of his scheduled fights. He does also provide a good moral compass, though has a hard time passing up a good fight. Also, does not support life debts. Thinks it is like slavery or worse, marriage.

• Languss "Guss" Tuno, the Failed-Jedi-turned-Con-Man

It is pretty easy to consider the Mon Calimari a failure in life, being unable to pass the trials of a Jedi and used his limited Force tricks for petty profit. Heck, when he is first met by the Smuggler, he does try passing himself off as a Jedi (but really forced into it by some pirates). Despite his shortcomings and status as the 'butt of many jokes', he does have a good center to his life thanks to his past studies.

Guss knows that the 'Light Side' and 'Dark Side' are serious stuff, preferring to stay out of the later as much as possible. He knows all too well that it can twist a person into something terrible, despite not even experiencing it for himself despite his actions. Guss just struggles to live in life, having taken too many opportunities that eventually come back to bite him back.

• M1-4X, the Patriotic Droid

I'm going to say this about the Trooper companions, as most of them are kind of boring or weirdly complicated (at least to me anyway). M1-4X makes up for it by being a Republic droid designed to be over-zealous and patriotic about their mission to fight the Empire. As a Trooper, you'll be able to save him when he gets activated by some rogue Republic soldiers, even getting into a firefight with him in the end. Thankfully, he gets a good repair job to bring him into your squad as a new 'heavy'.

With a great voice granted by Tom Kane, M1-4X still retains a lot of that patriotic flavoring to help the Trooper, even commiting dangerous missions in the off-periods to help boost morale of the Republic. From what the droid talks about afterwards, the events were so crazy and epic that they would be unable to be brought to fruition in video game form.

• Tharan Cedrax, the Technical Savant and his A.I. counterpart, Holiday

It may feel like cheating, but there is more to it than that. Tharan Cedrax is a lazy genuis, but one who doesn't like to partake in violence. He focuses a lot on his scientific research but barely considers 'the Force' to be something in fantasy that can't be explained by science. His own companion is an advance A.I. named Holiday, with the pair sharing a lovely relationship that isn't broken by their own origins. In fact, Tharan will give up success if it means Holiday gets to be more than just an A.I.

Some people may compare him to 'Doc', a companion for the Jedi Knight, who behaves in a similar manner to Tharan (both are scientists and healers who like to flirt with women). However, Tharan proves to be more solid of a character through his sheer dedication to his work, as well as his care for the likes of Holiday and the Jedi Consular. Even if he does not agree with 'the Force', he still values his close friends who work with it.

• Nadia Grell, the Naive Padawan

Nadia is a bit of a mixed bag, mostly due to her story of being the Force-sensitive daughter to a senator from a newly-discovered planet that lost said-senator thanks to Sith assassins and is now the Jedi Consular's padawan. The circumstances get weirder as she quickly latches onto said Jedi as a mentor, parental unit, and possible love interest. So yeah, it isn't too surprising to find so many people who have played the game against her.

My thoughts? It is more of the intrigue as to trying to figure out the 'real' Nadia. Is she someone who has experienced so much hardship that she latched onto the best figure to help her for guidance (in this case, the Jedi)? Is she a Force-sensitive who could easily give into the Dark Side, though realized its dangers and sought someone to help her out of that path? For me, it's like trying to straighten out a puzzle that is Nadia Grell and figuring out who she really is.

• Lord Scourge, the Emperor's Wrath

No, I haven't jumped into the Imperial companions yet. This is actually the Jedi Knight's companion, Lord Scourge. A powerful Sith Lord, he serves as the Emperor's Wrath to meet out his master's judgement for centuries. However, his connection to the force grants him limited precognition, seeing the Emperor destroy all life in the galaxy and the Jedi Knight as a means of stopping him. He ends up betraying the Empire to ensure that said vision of galactic destruction does not come to fruition.

Lord Scourge is an interesting Sith, fully aware of the Dark Side's power, yet doesn't loose himself to its madness like other Sith or Imperials. He may serve as your 'corrupting mentor', but doesn't mind if you seek to forgoe such dark powers. He is clearly in your assistance to stop the Emperor's plans from coming true and doesn't mind bringing it back up time and again to make it clear. He is your ally at most, nothing more.

• Vector Hyllus, the Joined Diplomat

Vector Hyllus is a bit of an anomaly amongst the companions of the Imperial Agent. Despite being 'joined' in mind and body to Kiliks (a race of intelligent space bugs), he is often considered the most moral and liberal of the group, maybe even in the Empire. Due to his status, he often refers to himself as 'we' (due to Kiliks having a hive-mind mentality) and working more as a diplomat between human and Kilik rather than any substantial position. It wouldn't be long before he joined the Agent for better opportunities.

As a potential romance to a female Agent, he is certainly one of the few 'nice guy' companions to romance in the game. Unlike romances with characters like 'Doc', who spends a lot more time flirting than actual loving, Vector has quite the poetic and gentle manner in his romance. At points, he will even suppress his connection to the Kiliks for real 'alone time' with the female Agent. That is some real dedication there.

• Mako, the Orphaned Hacker

Mako is the first companion you'll recruit as a Bounty Hunter (as well as the only 'first' to originally be a healer). She was originally part of a group that brought in the Bounty Hunter to compete in the 'Great Hunt', something that would award the winner great glory and riches. However, a rival in the event killed off that group, leaving her and the Hunter to compete alone. They do end up succeeding, using her advanced tech to help track down targets to hunt, as well as putting their rival in his place in the final challenge.

While she is romancable, I'm more interest in Mako's story outside of that. She is young, once glorifying the adventures of a Bounty Hunter before becoming more aware of the present situation and dangers brought with it. She feels interested in her origins, being an orphan rescued from the dangerous crime world of Nar Shadaa. She gets some good character development during the long storyline, which is always good to see.

• Blizz, the Brave Jawa

Blizz is an adorable Jawa that the Hunter picks up on the ice planet Hoth (though Jawas usually live on Tatooine, a desert world). This tiny guy actually played the role of tank in the original SWTOR system, which is mostly explained due to Blizz's techinical prowess even as a Jawa. He wanted a life of adventure, but ended up shangaied by space pirates to become part of their gang, which ended up with Blizz being abused, captured by the Imperials, and eventually freed by the Hunter for helping them on a target.

Despite the dangers and abuse he has taken, Blizz maintains an almost infectious positive attitude in his life. He is well aware of the actions brought about on him, but keeps to high hopes that it would all be better soon. Its hard to hate the little guy for all the work he does and the enthusiasm he puts into it. 

• Jaesa Willsaam, the Divide between the Force

Jaesa Willsaam actually starts out as a target for the Sith Warrior to track down, due to her ability to see the true nature of people through the Force. Eventually, it comes to the realization that the Sith Warrior could turn Jaesa to the Sith through their actions and inner self, as well as exposing her Jedi Master has fallen to the dark side himself. As the Warrior, you can decide along the way to either make her fall to the dark side or have her embrace the light, both of which brings her in as your apprentice.

The potential duality nature of Jaesa gets her on the list more than anything else. Both sides, each one embracing one part of the Force, is so different that you sometimes forget that she is still the same person. Particularly with the dark side, which she embraces to no end and even offers herself as part of the romance with the male Sith Warrior. Still, it does show how dangerous the dark side can be on the person should they embrace it like she did.

• Andronikos Revel, the Space Ex-Pirate

Andronikos is one of the Sith Inquisitor's earlier companions, having acquired him during a hunt of Sith artifacts on Tatooine. You end up helping him after he gets mutinied on by his own crew due to said artifact too. He quickly joins the Inquisitor on their story as well, often serving as the pilot for their main ship. His own past showed that he even deserted the Republic to make a living as a pirate before meeting the Inquisitor.

So why on the list? Well, Andornikos takes an honest route to his live, making sure to keep his himself  honest in his work. He's a guy who is vicious and murderous and knows it, not asking for apologizes for his behavior. Instead, he appreciates his allies that don't stab him in the back, like the Inquisitor themselves. Heck, he'd even romance the Sith Inquisitor with respect and admiration for her tricks of the trade.

• Ashara Zavros, the Light-Side Sith

Ashara has been brought up in the Jedi Order for almost all of her life, before the cunning of the Sith Inquisitor managed to get to her. She soon saw how the Order was too passive and ineffective as a force on the galaxy. Seeing that she could not make things better with them, she ends up siding with the Inquisitor in the efforts to better the galaxy alongside them. This gives her a different status in comparison to other Jedi companions like Kira Carsen and even Jaesa Willsaam.

Ashara still keeps a lot of the ideas of the Jedi, but prefers using her emotions and passions to get the job done instead of calmness and clarity. To her, she sees it as the Jedi Order being impartial to change and more into saying things than actually doing them. For her, she is willing to sacrifice a lot in order to achieve peace in the galaxy except for her own life. Her nature is quite complicated, but also compelling, making you wonder if she'll actually succeed in her goals.



...and that is my list of favorite companions from 'The Old Republic'. We'll be rounding out this month with a more current subject, as the Force awakens once more on the silver screen.

Until next time...

Nothing but Star Wars: Jedi, Sith, and the Force

Wanted to touch on a bit more serious matter, at least when it comes to the pop culture of Star Wars. There is certainly a lot to it, from the different eras of the universe, to the creation and dissolution of entire civilizations and one of its major focuses, the Force.

'The Force' is a thing that is all encompassing: it is a metaphysical, spiritual, binding and ever-present power that has been present throughout the Star Wars universe. It has been treated with both a light side and a dark side, spawning the orders of both Jedi and Sith.

So let us compare the two, shall we?

Or rather, the four?

The difference between 'light side' and 'dark side' are pretty self-explanatory. 'Light side' deals with points concerning compassion, mercy, selflessness and benevolence. 'Dark side', meanwhile, is more on point with aggression, fear, hatred and jealousy. However, neither side is limited to either the Jedi or Sith orders. Instead, it all comes down to the individuals of each orders.

Let us start with the Jedi.

"There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force."

This is the Jedi Code, focusing on the merits of inner strength and calmness, never digging into temptation and letting themselves being at one with the universe. They let themselves become weapons of the Force, in a matter of speaking, often trying to act for the betterment of the galaxy rather than for their own selves.

As for the Sith:

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion.

Through passion, I gain strength.

Through strength, I gain power.

Through power, I achieve victory.

Through victory, my chains are broken.

The Force shall free me."

The Sith believe the Force to be a gateway to power, to release. They use their emotions to help fuel their power, as a means to gain influence and standing the galaxy through any means necessary. Emotion is their leader, instead of logic.

But that does not make the Sith evil or the Jedi good.

In 'Star Wars' lore, both canon and non-canon, you've had characters of both Sith and Jedi commit acts that would go against their own beliefs. There have been Sith who've acted honorably enough to be considered part of the 'light side', while there are Jedi who have fallen to the sway of the 'dark side' for their own reasons. When they say they are part of either group, while they truly believe it, their actions clearly show otherwise.

Going back into 'The Old Republic', any class you choose can romance a few of your companions (only of the opposite sex and one option a piece for most). For Jedi classes, they actually get 'dark side' points for pursuing romances since it goes against their code as Jedi. For Sith classes, they gain 'light side' points since they are being rather benevolent in their actions. 

Then you get something inbetween, known as a 'Grey Jedi' or simple 'Grey'.

These are the Force-wielders who have not fallen into the 'dark side', yet don't wholly embrace the 'light side'. They often work for the betterment of civilization, yet feel that the former is too emotional to properly lead and the latter is too passive to actually make a difference. It is a very interesting divide between the two, at the very least.

While they do not have an official code, fans have already come up one that suits them fine:

Flowing through all, there is balance

There is no peace without a passion to create

There is no passion without peace to guide

Knowledge stagnates without the strength to act

Power blinds without the serenity to see

There is freedom in life

There is purpose in death

The Force is all things and I am the Force

Honestly? That suits me just fine.

Until next time...

Nothing but Star Wars: The Old Republic

Welcome back. Over the last few weeks, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" has made a massive splash onto the silver screen. Its setting records to rank as one of the most, if not the most, successful opening weekends as well as among the most high-grossing films in decades.

For this month, I'll be delving into some Star Wars-esque entertainment outside of the original and prequel trilogy. This would involve looking into video games, tv shows and even some old lore from the once-Expanded Universe (I'll get to this later).

For now, lets turn to a game that came about through the popularity of its predecessors, yet still required years before it could be properly popular: "Star Wars: The Old Republic".

"Star Wars: The Old Republic" is owned and developed by Bioware, who also created the original games of "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" and its sequel. Taking several hundred years after the original pair, the Empire makes a return back from dark space to challenge the Republic in open conflict. Jedi and Sith alike call to arms to face one another as they aid their respective allies to maintain control over the galaxy.

The MMORPG boasted eight different classes, four for the Empire and Republic, as well as fully voiced characters and cutscenes with a storyline fit for not just the planets, but for the chosen characters as well. They are also accompanied by their own companions they acquire on their journey, capable of supporting the character through healing, damage or taking damage. Unfortunately, the game underperformed for several months before moving to 'Free to Play', which many before expected to happen from the get go. Still, it has managed to garner enough support for expansions, including the latest major storyline "Rise of the Fallen Empire".

I've recently gotten back into the game, mostly thanks to the ability to just play through the storyline to get to the new content. There are three main chapters for each character class before they all join together in the same story, so lets start there.

First up is the Republic and its Force-wielding warrior, the Jedi Knight:

Capable of wielding one or two lightsabers, the Jedi Knight is the front line fighter of the Order and the Republic. Your character is hailed as one of the best new combatants of the Order, tackling the challenges in front of them with no worries. Their first chapter has them run similar to that of famous Jedi like Luke Skywalker, talking down a powerful Sith lord that seeks to wipe out the Republic. They even get their own droid and Padawan early to signify their growing status not just as a knight, but also a Jedi Master.

Next is the calm and collected Force-wielder, the Jedi Consular:

If the Jedi Knight is all about the front lines, the Jedi Consular is more into preserving the balance of the Force. They focus more on negotiating with others before starting with violence, preferring to keep the peace instead of instigating it. Then again, a Jedi Consular is capable of defending themselves with Force abilities or even a double-blade lightsaber. They also spend much time in researching new and ancient knowledge to help their Order, as well as building new alliances for the Republic. Their methods help them acquire companions like a Trandoshan hunter and an intelligent, if somewhat manic, doctor. For their first chapter, they work on saving Jedi masters falling to a Sith ability that could threaten the Order if not put to rest.

With two kinds of Jedi out of the way, we move on to the defenders of the Republic, the Trooper:

The Trooper is the heavily armored, as well as heavily armed, defender of the Galactic Republic. Leading your own squad of trained soldiers, you take on the Empire with either a blaster rifle or the popular assault cannon. Their goal, first and foremost, is defending the Republic from its enemies, engaging in encounters that would help protect the lives of many. Over time, they will earn a squad of soldiers ready for the cause, like a serious-minded sniper, a by-the-books medic and an overly patriotic fighting droid. No matter how the results turn out, your work is all for the 'cause' to serve their Republic.

Rounding out the list of Republic classes is the sneaky Smuggler:

While not exactly loyal to the Republic, the Smuggler does aid them through some clever gunplay and sneaky attacks. They are often motivated by profit moreso than noble deeds, but their better nature can show from time to time. They gather up a loyal crew of followers, like a good natured farmboy and even a Wookie ally. Still, most times they won't engage in something unless a tidy profit can be made or some protection can be granted to them. Hence, you'll see them more often than not with the more protective Republic than the Empire.

Speaking of the Empire, lets see what classes they have in store...

Emboding the vile cunning and destructive power of the Sith, we have the Inquisitor:

Born a slave, your character was picked up by the Sith to be trained in their number. Despite your low ranking status, you manage to out maneuver and overpower your enemies with your strong connection to the Force. Aided by allies equally powerful (like an ancient alien) or equally cunning (like a marooned pirate), you quickly rise through the ranks of the Sith thanks to that sane connection. Speaking of, you will soon learn your connection to such power pretty early on and how such power would soon come to cost you...

So, if the Sith Inquisitor represents the embodiment of the order's knowledge, then the Sith Warrior is all its wrath:

Unlike the Inquisitor, you were born into the Sith. Your combat skills were unmatched and would soon get the attention of a powerful Darth. Through him, you would quickly cut a swath of destruction across the galaxy. Companions you pick up would include a former Twi-lek slave and a devoted Imperial officer. For the Darth, you are a tool to exact his power over others and show that if you could beat anyone, surely they can as well. One must always be wary, of course, when dealing with such power. Enemies can be made from within...and without...

Still, the Empire isn't without forces of their own. They have the mysterious Imperial Agent:

Every shot fired under under the Imperial Agent has been, more often than not, done so under the command of Imperial Intelligence. These Agents are the hidden backbone of the Empire, supplying it with founts of knowledge of both enemy and ally, human and alien, to provide for a network of intelligence that spans across the galaxy. While an Agent may often go solo, they will still need aid in the midst of the fight, such as a tough-as-nails bodyguard and a badass ambassador of bug people. Their allegiance is unquestionable, at least for the most part. As much help as Imperial Intelligence may provide, the Sith may cause harm to them out of spite...

Last, but not least, is a powerhouse-for-hire for the Empire, the Bounty Hunter:

You aren't some soldier working for the Imperial Army; you get paid better for your work. Alive or dead, you will track down targets across the galaxy to pick up your next paycheck. It just so happens that your biggest haul will be during the Great Hunt, an event with competing hunters to gain renown and glory for their exploits. Going at it alone would be suicide, so you'll get help from your companions, like a tech-savvy hacker and veteran con-man. Be merciful or be merciless; so long as you get paid, the life of a bounty hunter is far from boring.

...and this is it for the brief overview of the beginning stories for 'The Old Republic's different classes. Depending on how things go next week, I might pop in with some of my favorite companions from each class or maybe more into the philosophy of the Force regarding the Jedi and Sith.

Who knows.

Until next time......

New Year Break

Sorry about this, got real life coming in that keeps me occupied.

Should pick this back up in the following week. Hopefully, I've got some proper posts in mind.