So we already know this, but as a result of Lucasfilm's canon reboot, the Old Republic era is now non-canon as well (for now, at least). I'm still kinda miffed over it, but what's done is done. I'm not going to pull an Anakin hissy fit and refuse to let go.

 

So instead, I tried theorizing what the canonical Old Republic era would look like, based on the current canon. So I looked back on the current canon material, the films and TCW, and gathered as many clues and tidbits pertaining to the Old Republic era as I could find, in order to uncover the "true history" of the galaxy. So to start off, here's what I found so far:

 

KNOWN FACTS

1. The Republic as we know it in the prequels has only existed for a thousand years--Palpatine's quote in the beginning of Episode II
   
2. Prior to the Clone Wars, the galaxy had never had a full-scale war since the formation of this Republic--Sio Bibble in Episode II
   
3. The Sith also hadn't been seen in a thousand years as well, meaning they vanished the same time the Republic in the prequels was formed--Ki-Adi Mundi in Episode I
   
4. The Sith escaped destruction through Darth Bane's Rule of Two--Yoda's vision in the Clone Wars episode "Sacrifice"
   
5. At some point in the galaxy's history, the Sith were the dominant ruling force--Mace Windu's reference to the "oppression of the Sith will never return" and Sidious's declaration of "Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy!" in Episode III
   
6. The Mandalorians have had a bloody history with the Republic and the Jedi--various dialogues in the Mandalorian arc in Clone Wars season 2
   
7. There WAS an Old Republic that existed before the Republic we see in the prequels, but it fell generation ago--Pre Vizsla when he introduced the darksaber in the Clone Wars episode "The Mandalore Plot"
   
8. Prior to the Clone Wars, Coruscant had never been attacked in over a thousand years--Lott Dod's quote in the Clone Wars episode "Heroes on Both Sides"
   

 

Those are all the relevant info I've been able to find so far. Using these tidbits, I pieced together a possible Canonical history of the galaxy, using ONLY those pieces of information, and avoiding any "possible" or "hypothetical" or "implied" scenarios unless explicitly supported by the information above, no matter how plausible they may be, so as to paint as absolute a picture as possible:

 

(POTENTIAL) TIMELINE

• At least a thousand years prior to the films, the Sith Order allied ith the Mandalorians and declared war on the Old Republic.
  
• The war ended when the Sith succeeded in conquering Coruscant (during which time Vizsla's ancestor raided the Jedi Temple and took the darksaber), which led to the destruction of the Republic and the ascendance of the Sith as the ruling force in the galaxy.
  
• But inevitably, infighting among the Sith weakened their empire from within.
  
• Around that same time, the remnants of the Old Republic and Jedi Order rallied from their defeat and declared a second war against the Sith, which they won this time.
  
• The Sith were seemingly destroyed by the war's end, by a combination of the Jedi's offense, as well as the Sith killing each other. But one Sith Lord, Darth Bane, survived and went into hiding and instituted the Rule of Two.
  
• Following their defeat, the Mandalorians were banished back to their homeworlds of Mandalore and Concordia.
  
• In the aftermath of the war, a new Galactic Republic was established from the remnants of the original, to rebuild the galaxy and to rule it with freedom and justice, with the Jedi serving as its guardians. THIS is the Republic we see in the prequels.
  
• Over the next thousand years, the galaxy lives in peace and prosperity under the Republic, while the Sith secretly plan their vengeance over the next millennium.
  
• By the end of this thousand-year period of peace, the events of the prequel trilogy begin.
  

 

That's all I have so far. Assuming this is accurate, you can see that this potential backstory looks like a hybridization of the Great War from SWTOR, and the New Sith Wars from the Bane trilogy. If there're any other references, feel free to chime in. If there's anything I missed or got wrong, toss in your revisions to try and work them in. The hard truth is, unless/until Lucasfilm chooses to return to the pre-film era, this is about the best we can do for the Old Republic era.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Sanguiluna

I Also wanna pull a reference from Episode III when Palpatine mentions Lord Vitiate.

 

When Sidious was talking to Vader, he was saying he didn't know the key to immortality, and only One achieved it, and that together, they will discover the secret.

 

I want to say more about the TOR era is Canon than most people let on.

 

If Bane is canon, and so is his Motives, which includes Revan's teachings, meaning Revan himself is also Canon.

 

It may not be directly correlated nor acknowledged but there are alot of pieces that connect to each other that implies further deeper connections are true.

 

 

 

Just wanted to mention the quote and my take on what is canon. I still believe the entire TOR Era still is canon, regardless what *Disney* says,

I Also wanna pull a reference from Episode III when Palpatine mentions Lord Vitiate.

 

When Sidious was talking to Vader, he was saying he didn't know the key to immortality, and only One achieved it, and that together, they will discover the secret.

 

um, wasn't he talking about Darth Plagueis?

um, wasn't he talking about Darth Plagueis?

 

As far as i read into it, Plagueis was studying it, but wasn't the Immortal One that is in question.

 

Again, as far as I have read (which is alot...)

The known "canon" actually fits quite well with SWTOR (which I suppose was BW's intention) if the Sith win the war only for their empire to crumble due to the usual political instabilities. However wether Disney will actually realise that is an entirely different question. I no longer care what "canon" is anymore with reference to the SW universe, This new canon crap has made it more confusing than the Dr Who universe. Edited September 17, 2014 by Brainiacblue

As far as i read into it, Plagueis was studying it, but wasn't the Immortal One that is in question.

 

Again, as far as I have read (which is alot...)

 

Vitiate wasn't conceived of when Ep III was released though

Vitiate wasn't conceived of when Ep III was released though

 

The same could be said 'about Jar-Jar by the time E4-6 was made, yet there he was ...

 

 

If Bane is canon, and so is his Motives, which includes Revan's teachings, meaning Revan himself is also Canon.

,

 

I took the liberty to highlight the first part of your sentence, 'cos I believe that one to be the one Canon Truth we can rely upon. After some research upon the new upcoming E7, it seems that the standard Canon is that the Sith has 'only' been around for a couple of thousand years or so. This matches the time line of Bane establishing the rule of two.

 

As the Final battle of Ruusan was a construct of the Lucas storygroup and also marks the events that led Bane to the conclusion of the rule of two, one might argue that that too is Canon.

 

Now comes the interesting part add about 1000 years and we end up in the timeline where we are in the game!! The final battle of Ruusan is said to be the end of about 1000 years of war between the Sith and the Jedi, the Sith said to be spread 'in to many cups' according to Bane. So the war isn't necessary between the Empire and Republic, mind you, considering the new/old player now entering the game, and the need for a 'new' Sith Empire which is Bane's goal with the rule of two, the Empire as we know it might just be diminished or annihilated due to what may come next . . . All this would make it so the game Canon falls in phase with what might be in E7 ...

 

Now this is just pure speculation, but from a certain point of view it makes some sense ...

Edited September 18, 2014 by t-darko

I Also wanna pull a reference from Episode III when Palpatine mentions Lord Vitiate.

 

When Sidious was talking to Vader, he was saying he didn't know the key to immortality, and only One achieved it, and that together, they will discover the secret.

 

I want to say more about the TOR era is Canon than most people let on.

 

If Bane is canon, and so is his Motives, which includes Revan's teachings, meaning Revan himself is also Canon.

 

It may not be directly correlated nor acknowledged but there are alot of pieces that connect to each other that implies further deeper connections are true.

 

 

 

Just wanted to mention the quote and my take on what is canon. I still believe the entire TOR Era still is canon, regardless what *Disney* says,

 

I was under the impression that SIdious was referencing Plagueis in Episode III, not Vitiate. But then the question I've always had about that little bit of Sith lore is that if, according to Sidious, he kills Plagueis once he taught him all he knew, why would he talk about "finding the secret" if he's supposed to HAVE the secret?

 

As far as SWTOR canon goes, I think if Lucasfilm decides in the future, they could reasonably include the SWTOR story in the canon, but they'd have to move it up several thousand years so that it only takes place a little over a millennium before the films instead of 3000+ years. But until they explicitly do that, it would be best to view the game as non-canon by default, especially given the branching narratives of this game. Plus, it's made pretty clear in Episode III that the Sith were the undisputed rulers of the galaxy in the Old Republic times, whereas in SWTOR it's more like they're sharing the galaxy than actually ruling it themselves.

 

As far as Bane goes, what needs to be remembered is that even in the old EU/Legends, the story of Bane and the Rule of Two predates the development of KOTOR, meaning that in the original telling, the Rule of Two was completely Bane's idea. Given what minimal knowledge we have about Bane's time, the safest guess we can make is that Canon Bane thought up the Rule of Two all by himself.

Vitiate wasn't conceived of when Ep III was released though

 

Maybe. But i'd like to think more was planned that what was shown. Again, I never read that Plageuis(?) achieved immortality in the literal sense.

 

To me, Vitiate is Immortal. Plageuis just had an abnormal long life.

 

Just my take on it, take it for what you will.

Plagueis is the one being referred to. Remember the secret that Sidious was specifically referring to was the power to stop others from dying, which is what Plagueis was capable of. That said Plagueis was also able to prolong his life indefinitely i.e. he achieved immortality but as Sidious rightly points out ironically he failed to achieve invincibility.

 

Arguably Plagueis did better than the Sith Emperor in this respect as the latter turned into a rotten old geezer, whereas Plagueis actually demonstrated signs of getting younger, presumably he had become immune to corruption and decay.

To me, Plagueis is Immortal. Vitiate just had an abnormal long life.

Fixed. Edited September 18, 2014 by Beniboybling

At least parts of the KOTOR era are still canon.

 

Terentatek, Taris, Selkath, Korriban (As Moraband), and Manaan are canon.

There may be more too

Edited September 18, 2014 by Gurluas

At least parts of the KOTOR era are still canon.

 

Terentatek, Taris, Selkath, Korriban (As Moraband), and Manaan are canon.

There may be more too

I don't recall Taris, Selkath or Maanaan being confirmed as canon...

I don't recall Taris, Selkath or Maanaan being confirmed as canon...

 

There is a senator from Taris in Clone wars.

There is a Selkath or two in Clone wars, and Manaan is mentioned regarding said Selkath.

 

And finally, Yoda spoke of a Terentatek.

There is a senator from Taris in Clone wars.

There is a Selkath or two in Clone wars, and Manaan is mentioned regarding said Selkath.

 

And finally, Yoda spoke of a Terentatek.

Ah yes I remember the Selkath now, but not the senator from Taris.

 

Well it was actually Dooku.

 

EDIT: On topic though Ilum makes an appearance, although it didn't originally feature in TOR, and in that same arc their is an Old Republic-esque warship that bears the Old Republic insignia on it. Though its never outright mentioned.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Beniboybling

Ah yes I remember the Selkath now, but not the senator from Taris.

 

Well it was actually Dooku.

 

EDIT: On topic though Ilum makes an appearance, although it didn't originally feature in TOR, and in that same arc their is an Old Republic-esque warship that bears the Old Republic insignia on it. Though its never outright mentioned.

 

That is good news, I didn't know about that ship

 

And let me get it for you:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kin_Robb

That is good news, I didn't know about that ship

 

And let me get it for you:

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kin_Robb

Your kidding! I've seen her so many times, and I never knew.

 

Awesome find. Filoni has gone on record saying he's a fan of TOR.

 

EDIT: And Darth Bane/Revan were planned to appear in the Mortis arc.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Beniboybling

Your kidding! I've seen her so many times, and I never knew.

 

Awesome find. Filoni has gone on record saying he's a fan of TOR.

 

EDIT: And Darth Bane/Revan were planned to appear in the Mortis arc.

 

That's great

I wonder if we'll see more things in Rebels..

 

I can't recall there being anything else though.

 

EDIT:

Actually Robb representing Taris may be non-canon.

I haven't watched her episodes and summaries hardly mention her at all so I have no idea.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Gurluas

EDIT:

Actually Robb representing Taris may be non-canon.

I haven't watched her episodes and summaries hardly mention her at all so I have no idea.

Apparently the source is the Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia, so that wouldn't appear in the show.

There is a senator from Taris in Clone wars.

There is a Selkath or two in Clone wars, and Manaan is mentioned regarding said Selkath.

 

And finally, Yoda spoke of a Terentatek.

 

I remember seeing selkath on the show, but I can't recall if Manaan was ever mentioned. Would you remember which episode that was?

 

EDIT: Never mind. The starwars.com databank entry for Mantu lists Manaan as his homeworld.

Also looking back at my timeline, a major plot hole that still needs to be addressed is how Yoda knew about the Rule of Two, since they've de-canonized Kibh Jeen.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Sanguiluna

I remember seeing selkath on the show, but I can't recall if Manaan was ever mentioned. Would you remember which episode that was?

According to the Databank he's from Manaan.

 

However I'm pretty sure the name was never mentioned in the show.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Beniboybling

Also the Databank mentions the Valley of the Dark Lords in the Moraband (Korriban) page which is interesting.

I'm thinking what would be cool is if the Lucasfilm Story Group (who are currently managing SWTOR) tried to push the story towards merging with existing canon, i.e. finally give a clear cut answer to this "once more the Sith will rule the galaxy" quote. Right now its a bit messy with what a 1000 or 2000 year gap in which not much happens when some guy called Phanius terms up blah blah blah. It would make a whole lot more sense if the Sith we are dealing with now won the Great Galactic War and so destroyed the Republic and conquered the galaxy, or at least part of it.

 

Cue the Mandalorians/Shae Vizsla* taking the Dark Saber. And though this may have happened during the Sacking of Coruscant, it still explains the "fall of the Old Republic" line considering the Republic has as of yet not yet fallen.

 

Then the Sith rule for a time, infighting occurs and Bane appears. The only issue though I see with that is that 2000 years of Sith rule is a pretty damn long time. Though if they went down the route of mutual destruction that would work.

 

*that's another one, the Vizsla clan is canon, although the spelling is slightly different I assume that was a mistake.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Beniboybling

I'm thinking what would be cool is if the Lucasfilm Story Group (who are currently managing SWTOR) tried to push the story towards merging with existing canon, i.e. finally give a clear cut answer to this "once more the Sith will rule the galaxy" quote. Right now its a bit messy with what a 1000 or 2000 year gap in which not much happens when some guy called Phanius terms up blah blah blah. It would make a whole lot more sense if the Sith we are dealing with now won the Great Galactic War and so destroyed the Republic and conquered the galaxy, or at least part of it.

 

Cue the Mandalorians/Shae Vizsla* taking the Dark Saber. And though this may have happened during the Sacking of Coruscant, it still explains the "fall of the Old Republic" line considering the Republic has as of yet not yet fallen.

 

Then the Sith rule for a time, infighting occurs and Bane appears. The only issue though I see with that is that 2000 years of Sith rule is a pretty damn long time. Though if they went down the route of mutual destruction that would work.

 

*that's another one, the Vizsla clan is canon, although the spelling is slightly different I assume that was a mistake.

 

How far back would this extend though (the canon)? Because Kotor1-2 were also Catalysts for the events taking place in SWTOR, not to mention Bane is basically Revan reincarnate considering he used all of his teachings to bring the Rule of Two to be, and also basing Revan's teachings as a basis for the Sith to operate.

 

If Bane is canon, then everything, if not *most* about him should be canon, right? Bane>Revan> Kotor Era.

 

 

Now that I think about it.... why cant they just say the TOR era is canon? Makes things easier. (God dang it disney >.<)

 

EDIT: They should bring the TOR era into the "modern" Star Wars era. I thought i read somewhere Revan was suppossed to be in Ep7 as an character, flashback, etc. He was suppossed to be there. But Jar Jar Abrams said no to Lucas for that, wanting his own take on SW and didn't want Revan to be around. (As a die-hard Revan fangirl, this angers me.)

Edited September 19, 2014 by DSpectre

There's also the Dark Ages to consider. I think the "Ruusan Reformation" was detailed after Palpatine's "Thousand years" quote in episode II. The New Sith Wars are set to start in a couple hundred years after TOR after all.

 

Fun fact: One of the starting concepts for THIS GAME was being set during the dark ages period.

 

Edit: My bad, the New Sith Wars don't start for another thousand years.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Quickpaw

How far back would this extend though (the canon)? Because Kotor1-2 were also Catalysts for the events taking place in SWTOR, not to mention Bane is basically Revan reincarnate considering he used all of his teachings to bring the Rule of Two to be, and also basing Revan's teachings as a basis for the Sith to operate.

 

If Bane is canon, then everything, if not *most* about him should be canon, right? Bane>Revan> Kotor Era.

 

 

Now that I think about it.... why cant they just say the TOR era is canon? Makes things easier. (God dang it disney >.<)

 

EDIT: They should bring the TOR era into the "modern" Star Wars era. I thought i read somewhere Revan was suppossed to be in Ep7 as an character, flashback, etc. He was suppossed to be there. But Jar Jar Abrams said no to Lucas for that, wanting his own take on SW and didn't want Revan to be around. (As a die-hard Revan fangirl, this angers me.)

Well TOR is one big package, so KOTOR would definitely be a part of that.

 

I can't comment on post-TOR i.e. the Great Sith War, Great Hyperspace War etc., I don't expect them to ever be fully endorsed but of course like what is happening to TOR currently I expect we'll get references and the like.

 

I don't expect them to make TOR canon either, considering how integrated it is into the universe, it would canonise a lot of other stuff as well and potentially limit their creative abilities. However with the story group and all this is the perfect opportunity to streamline what I perceive to be a somewhat messy part of EU continuity. But it doesn't have to be canon.

 

I don't know about TOR featuring in the new movies, but then again it worked pretty well in TCW so perhaps.