As Knights of the Old Republic fans know, BioWare has always done an amazing job of telling unique stories that embody the Star Wars Universe. Star Wars: The Old Republic, a new MMO in development by BioWare Austin, is likely to keep that traditional method of storytelling, but the team has decided to try something new: a web comic series that will build the lore leading up to where the game starts.

BioWare writer Rob Chestney is working with Dark Horse Comics to create this bi-monthly, three-page treasure that will find its way to the game's official website later this month. We sat down with Rob at New York Comic Con to talk with him about the overall purpose and direction of the comic titled "Threat of Peace." It's important to note that famed editor Dave Marshall and seasoned artist Alex Sanchez will be joining Rob to give fans exactly what they've been waiting for, which is a deeper look into The Old Republic.

Little is known about the game's overall storyline, but the pieces of information that we have are exciting. Essentially, the game takes place roughly 300 years after the story of Malak and Revan. The 'True Sith' empire, from the Hyperspace war, has returned from the depths of space having spent nearly a millennium rebuilding the empire and planning their revenge. After a substantial amount of fighting, the Sith extended an invitation to the Republic to talk about peace, to "co-exist" if you can believe that. Now the Republic is hesitant and unsure, but at the same time they are devastated and even the infrastructure of the Republic is suffering because of the major losses in recent battles. It was decided to accept the invitation and a majority of the Republic left to Alderan to begin peace talks. Meanwhile, the Sith planned an attack on Coruscant, which was now under-defended due to the peace talks. The Sith held everyone hostage and forced the Senate to accept the peace treaty, and the Republic didn't have the choice to debate terms; they had to accept. The comic series starts with this major event.

With peace between the two factions for the first time, the Jedi were somewhat directionless. Rob mentioned that the whole concept of the Jedi and the Sith being at peace with each other is silly, crazy and surprising, but it also creates a lot of room to play with the moral conflicts and paradoxes of the Jedi in a storytelling sense. Through the comic series you'll get to experience the events that unfold, leading up to the game. Quite frankly, the possibilities are endless. This is a stage unlike any that has been set before.

The comic will be a great opportunity for players, as BioWare will be introducing and familiarizing us with characters that will eventually play a part in the game. Rob mentioned they’ve taken some of the characters that players will meet within Star Wars: The Old Republic and put them into the comic so we can see what they were doing during the treaty event, the ambush on Coruscant and everything that followed. Of course, Rob made it clear that players who skip the comic will still generally have the same experience within the game. "We don't want to put players in a situation where they will miss out if they haven't read the comic. I think instead, it's going to be a really neat insight and that you'll feel a little closure to the characters if you read the comic," Rob said.

Overall this is great news for fans and an exciting move for BioWare, a company that has a great track record for telling a genuinely interesting, not to mention unique, story. Before Rob and I were done talking about the comic, I asked him if there were any eventual plans to turn "Threat of Peace" into print form. He gave me a half smile and simply said, "We're not talking about that right now." I suppose this is indicative of whether or not fans enjoy the series; but with a team like Rob, Dave and Alex behind the Dark Horse umbrella, I can’t see that not happening.

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
Allakhazam.com