Jumping in here to say that we appreciate the love for all of our companion characters. It's both a gift and a challenge to have so many well-loved companions in SWTOR, and I understand how special that connection can be to your personal story. Our goal with each story update is to bring in characters that feel appropriate to the setting. And whenever a favorite character returns, we want to make sure we have bandwidth to give them a personal moment for growth and relationship development. Above all else I never want to include a character that feels shoe-horned in, or whose interactions feel shallow because we didn't have capacity to give them more. It's very important to us to make these companion interactions memorable. It's true Vette in particular hasn't been present in the story for a while, but that doesn't mean she won't be part of our future plans. Just know that when she is part of the story, it will be a moment that we're deeply passionate about fitting to Vette's character.

SWTOR has a lot of impactful choices that can affect who's in your story, especially companions. It's impossible to show one "true" version of SWTOR's narrative, because each story experience is unique. That said, we're choosing to include conditional characters in marketing material and key art, to emphasize that while these characters may not be around for everyone, we are still invested in furthering their stories.

Gotta say I love this thread. Imagining how SWTOR companions would act in real life is definitely fun. I think it depends if it's long-term vs short-term dating. If it's a weekend fling full of hijinks and laughs with someone who knows the best dive bars, I'd date Vette. For committed relationship stability with a partner who challenges you as well as supports you, I'd date Aric Jorgan. And while dating spy boyfriend Theron is definitely fun to think about, I feel like it would be hard to get a date with him with that ridiculous work schedule.

Hello! I’m Ashley Ruhl and I am now the Narrative Director for SWTOR. I met many of you during this past Star Wars Celebration and I had fantastic conversations with you all about how cinematic storytelling works in the game. I’ve been a part of SWTOR several times over the years, including at the game’s launch, during KOTFE/KOTET, and finally rejoining the SWTOR team for Echoes of Oblivion and beyond, as well as leading the cinematic team on Legacy of the Sith. SWTOR is incredibly special to me, as is this talented team that brings the game to life. Working with Charles has been one of the highlights of my career. He has led the SWTOR team with courage and compassion, as well as being an incredible storyteller in the Star Wars universe and delivering countless memorable moments for SWTOR fans. I think I speak for the team when I say that we will all deeply miss Charles (and his magnificent beard). These are definitely some big shoes to fill, but I believe that we have been set up for success with many opportunities ahead of us, and I’m honored to carry the torch forward. I’m so excited for the future of SWTOR and can’t wait to share it with all of you!

This is a delight to read, thank you everyone bringing their favorite cutscene moments to the thread! So many cinematic designers have put their signature on this game over the years, and I'll be sure to share this with all of our designers new and old. I'm so pumped for y'all to see what our cinematic team is making next!

Hello everyone! I'm Ashley, I'm the Lead Cinematic Designer on SWTOR. I'm so grateful that y'all are here celebrating TEN YEARS (holy cow) of SWTOR with us, and I feel blessed that this is a story we are still building together. Bringing the Star Wars universe to life in a way that I can share with all of you is truly a privilege. One of the best parts of my job is crafting meaningful moments with our characters, surpassed only by the joy I feel seeing all of your reactions and experiences with our stories. With that, I'm excited to present y'all with a "behind-the-scenes" look at how we build cutscenes in SWTOR. Enjoy!

SWTOR has always held a special place in my heart. My career in games began as a contract cinematic designer in the final year before launch, and I was sad that I had to continue my dev journey elsewhere. But finally this year, returning to SWTOR - to this team, these characters, and this universe - feels like coming home. I love seeing so much camaraderie and positivity in the SWTOR community, especially after nine years! There is so much incredible art, writing, personal stories, and self discovery that have come from this community. I'm humbled that we can inspire players to create their own Star Wars sagas. As tumultuous as 2020 has been, I'm so thrilled to be back making cinematics in SWTOR again! I was especially excited to create more bombastic Emperor scenes. I love watching streamers gasp, laugh, and cry as they experience our stories. If we touched your hearts, if we made you feel like heroes, then we're doing it right.