Knights of the Old Republic Era: Level of Technology

[Serpentine Cougar]

I was reading the KotoR page on Wookieepedia and saw this:

Originally Posted by Wookieepedia

Set shortly after the Tales of the Jedi comic books from Dark Horse, BioWare designed the game around this little-documented period in order to have more conceptual and artistic freedom. [...] while the Tales of the Jedi series shows the Galactic civilization to have an archaic retro-like aesthetic and technology (semi-organic skeletal ships with wings and membranes, stone buildings, etc.) the Knights of the Old Republic is more space-like and futuristic, yet the interval between them is only a few decades. One example of these changes was the use of navcomps and blasters in place of the hyperspace beacons and pulse-wave blasters of the Tales of the Jedi setting, suggesting some fairly fundamental technological improvements between 4,000 BBY and 3,956 BBY. The redudancy of the hyperspace beacons in particular would have dramatically reshaped the astrographic and strategic realities for space travel in the galaxy.

What do you think about this? Do you wish they had used the more archaic setting in the game? Do you think it's plausible to assume that much technological advancement took place in so little time, or do you think there should be a retcon?

Personally, I think the level of technology in the Tales of the Jedi comics is more plausible, because I would expect there to be a gradual progression of technology over the years - I don't think it's even possible for it to have happened all at once. I know it's all because of real-world stuff (different people made the comics and the game), but I wish there was a way for this to be reconciled.

Eager to hear your thoughts!

[Jvstice]

I found the jumps in tech from totj to kotor, then kotor to ep 1 -6 kind of disjointed. Or if not showing an advancing, at least an ebb and flow. I'd have liked to have seen more of an extensive "dark age" during Bane's era rather than just a lack of force knowledge, and a loss of sith history.

[Doc Valentine]

This is something I always saw as a little strange, just the fact that the lightsabers in the Kotor series didn't seem any less advanced than those in Episode 1, which was 2000 years in the future, there were plenty of other things as well, ships didn't seem to have any inferior technology, buildings looked the same or close to the same. It just seems odd that technology can burst in such little time, and then across the years after that, have little to no change...

[adamqd]

At first I did, I read the TOTJ long before KotOR came out, I was shouting "wheres my archaic armor and skeletal ships"!, but after playing the game and reading the current comics I've found I love Both styles in different ways, and it's cool that they can both exist. Although the Sith War comics (Ulic and Mandalore's armor, ships, Coruscant circa 4000 BBY) is my favorite style, definitely shouldn't be retcon! hell, just by being an EU fan you have to except a certain level of discrepancy, I think it adds to the Depth of the saga

[Doc Valentine]

Originally Posted by adamqd

hell, just by being an EU fan you have to except a certain level of discrepancy, I think it adds to the Depth of the saga

This is very true, and to be honest, I do agree that the Kotor style, while seeming impractical is still very awesome.

[Serpentine Cougar]

In the Star Wars universe, there's lots of potential/opportunity to show how the galaxy gradually changed over the thousands of years of its history - seems a shame not to take do something with it. I love both styles, and I'm a fan of EU, but I just wish they had handled this a little differently and made it a bit more believable. I don't think either one should be retconned into the trash can (as if it never actually happened), but maybe a retcon changing the dates would work?

(Not like any fan can make a retcon, but hey, a fan can dream, right?)

[PoiuyWired]

Well, the new Kotor (Revan era) comic seems to make use of both styles, to show that the galaxy is taking a breakthru in tech. There are thigns like Grandpa Fett making universalized armies for the mandos and new rides and what not. Mst of which tries to harmonize the old and the new.

[Serpentine Cougar]

^ That just assuaged my fears.

[Darth Xander]

Originally Posted by Gsccc

which was 2000 years in the future...

4000 years

[adamqd]

^^

Lol, I'm surprised I didn't catch that, I'm usually a stickler for detail!

[Ali1392]

the answer is mainly because there was no war tech always advances faster when theres a war and after the brotherhood was defeated there wasnt a major war for 1000 years so they didnt advance as much where as in the years before that it was almost constant war which meant people where canstanly trying to the the technological edge

[Astor]

I don't really have much to say regarding the actual level of technology.

But there was a similar argument I witnessed regarding the technology level in The Lord of the Rings. Remember, it's a fictional galaxy - it doesn't have to follow real world norms. It doesn't have to be believable, after all. It's all about suspension of belief.

And with regards to lightsaber technology not changing for four millennia - there's only so much you do to improve a weapon made of pure energy that cut through pretty much anything .

[adamqd]

Originally Posted by Astor_Kaine

And with regards to lightsaber technology not changing for four millennia - there's only so much you do to improve a weapon made of pure energy that cut through pretty much anything .

QFT

[Rev7]

Well, without us star wars geeks, this detail probably would probably have been overlooked.

Well, a lot of things can happen in about 50 years. Lots. The advancement was most likely out of place. I really don't mind though. It would probably be nice to be able to use a little bit more archaic weapons/armor and some prototypes of the new technology. To me, it is a little detail.

[Quanon]

There tech 'jump' is not that farfetched. Mainly like somebodys else already mentioned, there where a lot of wars in a short span.

Just look at our world, the jump of tech between WW I and WW II.

WW I is was still a combination between old tech and newer stuff.
The canons went from short ranges from 800m to big stuff of 5 km.

It was also the birth of Tanks, expirements what Airplanes could do to help in the war effort.

Its also the start for more advanced surgery, mainly on the face, to reconstruct or repair to the best they could.

The time between WWI and II is very short.

What do we see, tanks, airplanes are common in that war. Medical tech takes another jump with Bloodtransfusions and plasma.


I don't find it to hard to believe that in a serious timespan of a couple of 100 years the tech has again been improved and made avaible for public uses.

Which I imagine would then again improve, because new people could adjust it to their needs.

[Ztalker]

Just replayed Kotor 1 and there are some reference to a tech jump indeed.

Some enemies still wear armor (Bandon, Revan himself, Malak has light armor) and you are constantly confronted with it. I know of some Jedi Guardian builds who actually use armor.
Also, most of the quest hint towards new technology. The moisture vaporators on Tatooine, the Sandcrawler, The Ebon Hawk is 'the fastest ship' (thus new).

And if you look at the Exar Kun comics, their armors are already hinting towars robes more.

[Miltiades]

Yeah, especially the rightmost Jedi seems to be wearing real Jedi robes. Tott Doneeta, I suppose it is?

[adamqd]

correct