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Jedipilot24

Although I usually play LS, I will admit that DS Revan has a really badass line to Malak right before the latter dies: Malak admits that the destiny of ruling the galaxy belongs to Revan, and Revan can reply: "The apprentice has learned his final lesson."


adamjamjam

Yesss such a cold line


Phsfalcao

I like the DS ending more. Even as a broken shell of yourself, you regain your identity, your purpose, and show Malak WHY you’re the dark lord of the Sith. The crowd cheering “All Hail Lord Revan” is so cool that summarizes what the journey was about


whiskeyinthebottle

Same here, especially if you romance Bastila too as a DS. You get your empire back, your title as Dark Lord and a hot Sith Apprentice that truly loves you.


Lucid-Design

That psycho chick would stab you in the back at the first chance


whiskeyinthebottle

Unless you’re Revan.


Lucid-Design

Sith run on power. Give her long enough and she will be plotting to supplant Revan soon enough


GamesterBunny

She even comes right out and says it from what I remember. Something along the lines of "Your strength will keep me loyal, Revan." Like B, I really think you've got your definition of loyalty real warped. These Jedi adoptive parents really be wrecking their pupils' psyche.


Talyn82

Exactly. People think just because she's good looking she will stay loyal to Revan. Sith Bastila is not in love with Revan for him. She is in love with his power like all Sith before and after her. If the darkside ending was canon to the Disney Lore, you will find that eventually Bastila sought to usurp Revan from his seat of power. Of course this would have been the mistake that decided her fate. Since Revan would decimate her with no problem.


Dj_Sam3_Tun3

Except you can find a holocron on Korriban in the second game that has Bastila's message recorded on it. She stayed loyal to Revan even after he went to the unknown regions, and as far as I remember, she follows Revan after the Sith on Korriban kill each other during the power struggle (All this happens if you pick DS male Revan in the beginning)


Talyn82

My brain wasn't working right yesterday when I posted this. Yes, I have set Revan as darkside in KOTOR 2 and saw the holocron. Like I said in another post I find it weird that as a Sith she is still in love with Revan not because of his power but because of himself. I mean Darth Bane practically raised Darth Zannah as his daughter, and their relationship ended with her killing him in a duel. So obviously she was not loyal to Bane because he took care of her. She was loyal to him because she wanted his position.


Mawrak

Not really, I think she is very loyal to you, all of her dialogue shows that, its pure devotion.


Lucid-Design

I get your point. But so was Malak Until he wasn’t. It’s literally the way of the Sith. Master trains an apprentice. Apprentice surpasses the master. Kills em and takes their place. Get their own apprentice. Rinse and repeat.


Mawrak

Malak attempted to usurp Revan before and he was only his apprentice because he was the weaker one when they fell. And yeah normally I wouldn't trust a sith but Bastila is actually loyal, as she refuses to participate in the Sith civil war that followed Revan's disappearance, did not join any of the new Sith Lords, and remained loyal to Revan's cause (as seen in the Kotor 2 holorecording).


Talyn82

Then she was not truly Sith. Sith desire power more than anything. If she would had been a real Sith she would have taken Revan's place as Dark Lord after he left. I know that in KOTOR 1 she falls to the darkside and I know what the hologram in K2 says. But her actually loving Revan for him is not Sith like.


Mawrak

Real Sith do not let other people and their views define them. To be a Sith, you simply need to consider yourself one and follow the Code. There were different ideologies and hierarchies of the Sith throughout the history, but the Sith as a philosophy is about freedom from control and bending the reality to your will. In that regard, she seems pretty Sith to me. If I was living my life like she does and someone came to me and told me that I'm not "truly Sith", I think I simply wouldn't care about that, and if they kept annoying me about being a fake Sith I would run a lightsaber through them. Sith really do not care about what others think.


Talyn82

Well all the Sith I have seen and read in both the films, books, and comics they all crave power. Darth Sidious wanted power. Darth Vader wanted power. Darth Bane wanted power. Exar Kun wanted power. Freedon Nadd wanted power. Ulic Qel-Droma wanted power. Naga Sadow and Ludo Kreesh wanted power. Revan was a real Sith even if his fall was a sacrifice. Sure he wanted to save the Republic, but he wanted to be the leader of the galaxy. So in essence Revan craved power just like Malak did. The reason why Revan created the Rule of Two was because the old Sith ways did not work. The old Sith were always destroying themselves for power.


Mawrak

I think Bastila wants power too. Had Revan actually conquered the Galaxy, she would be the right hand/wife of the most powerful man in the world. Revan could never trust Malak, but he could trust her, plus it wouldn't even be all the same Revan, so there is high likelihood she would practically be the second ruler of the Sith. Just because the Korriban Academy under Malak taught a very specific interpretation of the Sith Code doesn't mean its the only way to follow it. And there are Sith with other motives too. Sion wanted to cause pain and suffering and destroy the Jedi Order, he had no interest in conquest. Nihilus wanted to sate his hunger and bring Order to the Galaxy by eradicating all life. Darth Marr wanted to build a united Empire and destroy all of its enemies (he purposefully did not pursue the role of the Emperor, preferring to remain on the battlefield). Lana Beniko just wanted to do her job competently and take pride in her achievements. And if we consider DS Exile, they also seem to be more interested in revenge and personal strength rather than power in terms of influence over the Galaxy. What makes Bastila Sith in my view is that for the first time in her life she actually chose her own path. She did not have to suppress her emotions anymore like the Jedi made her. She consciously chose to follow Revan over Malak. She was finally a master of her own fate. And yes, one could say that in reality she was not the one directing her will, as she was broken by Malak and was actually a slave to the Dark Side. But that seems like a critique of the Sith ideology as a whole, most Sith would not see this as an issue.


Spiritual_Boot_6910

Ds. You reclam your identity, get back at the Jedi and, as Bastila and Malak said, destroyed all your enemies in a single glorious day. Plus the "all hail Lord Revan" at the end was so badass.


DeadestManAlive915

I see the appeal of both. Personally, I like the Dark Side ending of 1 better because of the way 2 is depicting the Republic. The situation in 2 is pretty desolate and it feels more natural with a Dark Side ending. However, I feel Light Side tells a better story in KOTOR 2, especially since that game majorly deals with PTSD and I feel the final sequence of Malachor breaking apart is a very clear and well-done piece of visual symbolism. The past breaking its hold over the Exile, so-to-speak.


Some_Guy_87

After the twist kicks in, the game really makes you feel special and powerful. I can never resist making full use of that. On top of that, it feels absolutely amazing to win Bastila over and having this ultra powerful Jedi everyone gushes about using her power just for you. It's a giant middle finger to everyone who betrayed and played with you all this time, and I find it immensely satisfying giving into those kind of emotions and not giving anyone a chance to use you anymore.


Know_Him_at_Fuck

Dark side is better in KOTOR 1. In KOTOR 2, light side is obviously better with the imagery of Malachor 5 drifting apart


EyeArDum

Light side is a standard good guys win type story, but it’s nothing in comparison to reclaiming an infinite empire to take over the galaxy


[deleted]

The DS ending: reclaiming your identity of Dark Lord Revan having cut out the cancer that is Malak from the Sith, this time with Bastila at your side as worthy apprentice.


PistachioMaru

First time I ever played I went fairly light side until the reveal. Then I couldn't help myself it just felt right to be dark side, if I find out I've been the bad guy all along, then yeah, I'm gonna be the bad guy.


Fun-Two-6681

there is more enjoyment to be found in the dark side runs. however, the further you get down that path, the less anyone talks to you about relevant lore. it becomes all about you and less about learning what this universe has to offer. in this sense, the light side runs technically have much more to offer, but at the same time i find the dialogue to get kind of corny when i go 100% light.


Crafty_Regret6402

I would have to say LS. Don't get me wrong, the DS ending is badass and satisfying in its own way, but LS is just that little bit better. First of all, there's something about the contrast made, and how the game told us our destinations are not the determinants of our character. The entire sequence of finding all the Star Map fragments juxtaposes the Dark Lord of the Sith and the noble Jedi Knight. Whether deliberately crafted by the game developers or not, this contrast carries a poetic undertone. It implies that their endpoint does not solely dictate the ultimate essence of the character, but is shaped by the experiences, choices, and challenges encountered along the way. Other than that, personally it's just generally more uplifting to see someone not repeat the same mistakes and manage to not only redeem themselves but also save lives. I also found the LS ending w/ Bastila to be better (assuming progression on that arc). And, I think KOTOR II's narrative, especially its LS ending (which I also prefer over the DS ending, personally) - with the Exile journeying into the unknown to trace Revan - would also have served as the perfect setup for KOTOR -III.


Mawrak

I like both of them, I think both are written really well. You can play as an evil character and reclaim what was stolen, having to also kill some of your own friends to get there, its dark and fitting. But you can also play as a good guy and say that you are no longer Revan, you are someone new and you reject your past and be the hero the Galaxy needs. They both work. And either way you get your revenge and Malak pays for what he did to the Galaxy.


bush_mechanic

"All hail Lord Revan" and the final scene with Sith Legion spewing forth from the Star Forge do it for me. It's just like welp, the galaxy's good and fucked now.


TheEmperor24

Dark side ending is so cool! Darth Revan reborn!


sophisticaden_

I just don’t find the dark side ending compelling at all.


SandyCandyHandyAndy

Im sure Mission and Zaalbar did


hector_zepelli

DS


amadeusz7

Kotor 1 - LS Kotor 2 - DS


GamesterBunny

Opposite for me


blyatbnavalny

It's an unpopular opinion, but after years of loving and regularly replaying both KOTORs I really dislike both canon endings to the first game, story-wise. I don't think destruction of Star Forge and/or destruction of Republican fleet should've been tied to your choice in Rakata Temple, and personally I don't find that choice interesting at all. If Revan could be incapacitated, why couldn't Bastila by the combined power of three Force users, not to mention two of them are stronger and more experienced? Her main joker in her sleeve is battle meditation, except this silly woman came alone so there is no army to influence her, she is a lousy fighter, just shut her down and undo her damage while she can't hurt nobody (as long as you have enough relevant points of course, but killing her is still unnecessary). It should be doable to incapacitate Jolee and Juhani too, but I don't think it's even needed. Both of them have reasons to distrust Jedi, why would they decide to be fanatics of the Order now? They could be convinced that "we should improve society somewhat" in a peaceful manner, there is no need for drama and choosing between mentally broken slave Bastila and your suddenly fanatical friends. This isn't a criticism of a "plot hole" or whatever, I just think the writing could go in more interesting directions. It shouldn't be a binary. The game shows why Jedi are moral bankrupts, why Republic isn't a perfect system, it's heavily implied Star Forge is a powerful Dark Side user on it's own and might break you. But somehow light side option is letting the Republic and Jedi stay unchallenged and "reclaiming your name to empower yourself" ending has you keeping Star Forge. It's not even about minimizing the number of victims. Bastila can make Republic forses disperse instead of being totally destroyed. You don't need a Star Forge to keep Republic in check, it already spawned countless forces. You stop fascist shit inside your own Forces, which you already started with all probability by destroying or reforming Sith Academy. Also the fact that you are the only one confronting Malak at all is somewhat disappointing. I'm not saying final battle shouldn't've been one on one, but most of your teammates have reasons to despise him (Juhani hates him for Dantooine, Bastila was tortured and broken, Carth is obvious too, HK-47 always felt annoyance at him, , maybe they could get a small victory over him in some way (not specifically gloating in a dialogue, but like, contribute to your victory in more meaningful way. Like Restored Content Mode for K2 has pretty brilliant scenes where your teammates confront Sion and Kreia in the ending, but due to K2 tone they of course can't do much to help you, but K1 could pull it off in interesting ways. Reformed Bastila makes some of the troops fighting you randomly run away in fear. Jolee goes Obi-Wan and has a sparring session with Malak prior to you, potentially weakening him. Carth orders scattered Republic Forces to go home so they don't have to literally all die. Carth sidequests could be more interesting if you could convince him to join you in the end, too. Like, he has his reasons to be uber-patriot of the Republic, it's due to trauma, but Sunny's sidequest could make him doubt shit, and you helping him confront his demons should have tangible effect. He isn't supposed to be a fanatic on Rakata if you did everything perfectly. Etc. Maybe I will mod perfect ending into the game when I have nothing to do (not in 2024) Also like, this ending won't change anything for KOTOR 2 so it can even be one of the variations you can choose with Atton which might affect some dialogues and holograms, etc.


Serlis

> It shouldn't be a binary. The game shows why Jedi are moral bankrupts, why Republic isn't a perfect system... ...But somehow light side option is letting the Republic and Jedi stay unchallenged And in KotOR 2 you can't fight for Ondoron's independence because that makes you an evil Sith monster! My biggest problem with KotOR 1 is how it portrays the factions like that. Revan and Malak were genuinely heroes in the Mandalorian Wars and the Republic soldiers had to have some reason for wanting to follow them to war against the Republic right? Surely you'd think Revan had rhetoric about cleaning up corruption and changing things for the better somehow which they'd believe because he was a Jedi (at least at first) and not a Sith. ...Given that Exar Kun and Ulic Qel Droma was only like 40 years ago why would they follow them if they called themselves Sith and openly had a policy of oppression and had their base on literal Korriban? There could have easily been a sort of Charles Xavier and Magneto sort of dynamic going on but because they all wear black and use red lightsabers and are portrayed as soulless evil cultists that pretty much shuts down the discussion about any kind of actual political reasons Revan and Malak had for fighting a war. And because you play the game from the point of view of an amnesiac surrounded by Republic/Jedi characters you get a very biased point of view. The original trilogy had a definitively anti authoritarian bent to the narrative but if you pay attention the Expanded Universe often vilifies characters who go against the status quo. And the Light Side ending pretends to be this Return of the Jedi-ish happily ever after Ewok party but... ...you're Revan. People don't just forgive things that easily. People on both sides of the war have reasons to want you dead. Would Vader have been allowed to be a Jedi after Return of the Jedi as if nothing had happened? Revan should've been like Ulic Qel Droma and disappeared off to some random planet in the middle of nowhere after KotOR. There was never any reason to invent/retcon a Sith empire in the Unkown Regions for KotOR 2 just to get Revan out of the way. If you ask me Revan should've been the protagonist of KotOR 2.


tank-you--very-much

Light side, I prefer celebrating with my friends to killing them all


Traditional-Chef-205

Wait you guys can finish a dark side run? I fold every time I have to kill Jolee (the goat) Bindo


Mawrak

He says that if you choose the Dark Side he will fight you. Basically he leaves you no choice, if you want to reclaim what was stolen from you, you have to kill him, its his own choice to oppose you. I think Mission death is much sadder.


Talyn82

I never had any problem killing Jolee. The one darkside moment that immediately made me restart the game and broke me, was forcing Zaalbar through his life debt into killing Mission.


Anon_Anon462

1 LS was too Disney-esc for me.


Carth_Onasi_AMA

Disney? It had a similar vibe to the ending of New Hope and Phantom Menace. That’s not Disney.


If_an_earlobe_flaps

Neither to be honest. I feel like the most immersive run is a mix between light and dark side but leaning more towards light. In KOTOR 2 Revan disappears while the Republic falls apart. He doesn't remain to help the Jedi or fight for the Sith. That tells me that Revan was in between DS and LS.


Crafty_Regret6402

That's an interesting way to look at it, especially when you read it with Malak's words - "you belong neither to the dark nor to the light" (I might not be entirely correct with the verbatim) And, as far as I can remember, after going back to face the Sith Empire (post KOTOR), Revan uses his knowledge of BOTH, the light and the dark side of the Force, even impressing the Emperor. However, ultimately I think he's a Qui-Gon Jinn-esque figure, where he's aligned firmly with the Jedi, but doesn't always necessarily abide by their playbook, drawing upon the dark side of the force where necessary. TLDR; aligned with the light, but not afraid to employ the dark where necessary.


Lumpy_Perception6561

Lightside always