Timeline 11: Rebirth of the Sith Empire

Last Friday BioWare had a new Timeline update for us, talking about the rebirth of the Empire. Here is the official news:

In the years following the Great Hyperspace War, the Sith exiles on Dromund Kaas faced a daunting future on a harsh world. The guidance of the Emperor and the Sith Lords were critical, but Republic Intelligence has stolen historical records that indicate the resilience and determination of the early Imperial Military were no less crucial to the Empire’s reconstruction. Master Gnost-Dural has identified one Imperial Military Leader in particular whose story exemplifies the strength that runs throughout every level of Imperial Society.

BTC 1251 – Following the destruction of their ancient civilization on Korriban, the Sith exiles sought to rebuild their Empire amid the jungles of Dromund Kaas. The man who eventually earned the distinction of the being the Empire’s first new Grand Moff, Odile Vaiken, emerged as a critical figure in these dark years. While the Emperor and the Sith Dark Council were preoccupied with long-term strategies, Vaiken recruited non-Force users to form the new Imperial Military. This nascent but efficient army courageously battled the powerful native creatures on Dromund Kaas to carve out the space for a secure civilization. In later years, as the new Sith Empire grew in size and strength, Vaiken went on to establish the foundation for the modern Imperial navy and set the standards for constructing a fleet that would one day emerge from exile and crush the Republic. For common Imperial citizens, Vaiken became a model for their highest aspirations, proving that even non-Force users would play a vital role in restoring the Sith Empire to prominence and power.

Watch the latest Timeline holorecord, Rebirth of the Sith Empire, narrated by actor Lance Henriksen.


You can also download a high resolution version of this video.

Read on after the break for a full transcript of the timeline, as well as a couple of other updates (including a video interview).


Let's start with the full transcript:

FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS, THE RESURRECTED SITH EMPIRE ADVANCED UNCHECKED IN DEEP SPACE.

ALL THE WHILE, WE JEDI BELIEVED THE SITH WERE EXTINCT.

THOUGH SEVERAL SELF-PROCLAIMED SITH LORDS CHALLENGED THE REPUBLIC, THEY WERE ALL FALLEN JEDI—NOT TRUE SITH.

THE TRUE SITH WERE THE BIOLOGICAL DESCENDANTS OF THE ANCIENT RED-SKINNED RACE NATIVE TO KORRIBAN.

THE TRUE SITH WERE EXTINCT... EXCEPT THOSE WHO FLED INTO EXILE NINE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

AND THE TRUE SITH WERE EXTINCT... EXCEPT THOSE WHO FLED INTO EXILE NINE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

THE SUCCESS OF THEIR REINCARNATED CIVILIZATION IS TESTIMONY TO THE DARK GENIUS OF THE SITH EMPEROR. BUT THE DEDICATION OF THE IMPERIAL PEOPLE MUST BE ACKNOWLEDGED AS WELL.

IN OUR BRIEF GLIMPSES INTO THE EMPIRE’S SECRET HISTORY, ONE NAME STANDS OUT—GRAND MOFF ODILE VAIKAN—THE FOUNDER OF THE MODERN IMPERIAL MILITARY.

AS A CHILD, VAIKAN WAS ONE OF THE FEW HUNDRED SURVIVORS WHO FLED THE CARNAGE ON KORRIBAN AT THE END OF THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR.

TO ESCAPE THEIR ENEMIES, THE EMPEROR LED A SMALL FLEET OF SITH SHIPS IN A HYPERSPACE JUMP INTO UNCHARTERED REGIONS.

THE EXILED FLEET WANDERED IN DEEP SPACE FOR MANY YEARS THEREAFTER.

DURING THIS TIME, VAIKAN LEARNED NAVIGATION AND BECAME ONE OF THE FLEET’S MOST RESPECTED PILOTS.

THE SURVIVORS FINALLY SETTLED ON THE JUNGLE WORLD OF DROMUND KAAS.

THERE, THE EMPEROR REVEALED HIS VISION TO BUILD A NEW CIVILIZATION OF UNRIVALED EFFICIENCY.

HE PROMISED HIS PEOPLE VENGEANCE.

AND HE PROMISED HIS PEOPLE VENGEANCE.

HE PROMISED THEM AN EMPIRE DESTINED TO DOMINATE THE GALAXY—AN EMPIRE DESTINED TO BRING ABOUT THE REPUBLIC’S DESTRUCTION.

THE EMPEROR’S ROLE IN RECONSTRUCTION WAS AS VISIONARY ALONE. HE’S SAID TO HAVE WITHDRAWN INTO ISOLATION AND LEFT THE LOGISTICS TO THE NEWLY FORMED DARK COUNCIL… AND TO LOYAL IMPERIAL LEADERS LIKE ODILE VAIKAN.

WHILE THE DARK COUNCIL DEBATED LONG TERM PLANS AND THE SITH POWER STRUCTURE, THE YOUNG VAIKAN TOOK ON THE MONUMENTAL TASK OF ESTABLISHING ORDER.

VAIKEN DRAFTED EVERY NON-FORCE USER OF AGE INTO THE NEW IMPERIAL MILITARY.

HE THEN DEVELOPED THE IMPERIAL MILITARY TRAINING REGIMEN THAT REMAINS TO THIS DAY.

WITH HIS ARMY WELL-TRAINED, VAIKEN LED A CAMPAIGN TO CARVE A FOOTPRINT INTO THE WILDERNESS OF DROMUND KAAS;

TO CREATE ROOM FOR THE EMPIRE’S NEW CAPITAL TO FLOURISH.

RECORDS SUGGEST THAT DURING THE CAMPAIGN, HE PERSONALLY SLEW A RABID TERENTATEK ON THE SITE WHERE THE IMPERIAL CITADEL STANDS TODAY.

AFTER ESTABLISHING THE EMPIRE'S DOMINION ON DROMUND KAAS, VAIKEN TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO CONSTRUCTING A NEW IMPERIAL NAVY.

DIVIDING HIS TROOPS BETWEEN ENGINEERING, MINING, AND MANUFACTURING, HE LAID THE GROUND WORK FOR AN AMBITIOUS PLAN—THE CREATION OF THE IMPERIAL ARMADA.

BY HIS OWN ESTIMATES, THE TASK WOULD TAKE CENTURIES;

VAIKAN KNEW HE WOULD NEVER SEE EVEN A FRACTION OF HIS PLAN’S SUCCESS.

NONETHELESS, HE GARNERED THE SUPPORT OF THE DARK COUNCIL AND STARTED THE WORK.

IT WAS THIS ACT WHICH EARNED VAIKAN THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST GRAND MOFF RECOGNIZED IN THE NEW IMPERIAL MILITARY.

GRAND MOFF VAIKAN WAS EVENTUALLY KILLED DURING AN IMPERIAL CAMPAIGN TO CONQUER AN ALIEN SYSTEM IN DEEP SPACE…

HE DIED IN BATTLE ON THE BRIDGE OF A PROTOTYPE STAR DESTROYER—A FITTING END FOR THE FIRST IMPERIAL GRAND MOFF.

THOUGH VAIKAN WAS LOST ALL THOSE CENTURIES AGO, HIS PLAN AND HIS NAME LIVED ON TO INSPIRE COUNTLESS GENERATIONS WHO MARCHED UNDER THE IMPERIAL BANNER.

VAIKAN’S STORY REPRESENTS THE SURPRISING LOYALTY THE IMPERIAL CITIZENS SHOW TO AN EMPIRE IN WHICH THEY WILL ALWAYS BE SUBSERVIENT TO THE SITH.

I BELIEVE THE ROOTS OF THIS LOYALTY LIE IN THE EVENTS OF THE GREAT HYPERSPACE WAR.

I’LL EXPLAIN MY THEORY IN A SUBSEQUENT REPORT.

I must say that I quite liked this timeline update. It gives us some history that (I'm assuming) they made up for SWTOR and focuses not so much on the Force users and more on the Imperial military, creating a new legendary figure in the process (namely Grand Moff Vaikan). The update definitely nudged me a bit more towards playing an Imperial Agent (though I maintain that I'll probably try two classes more extensively).

Other updates this week relate to the UBS Annual Media and Communications Conference in New York last week where EA CFO Eric Brown let slip a few details about SWTOR during his presentation.

As Darth Hater notes he seemed to have mentioned that SWTOR "...will generate revenue through monthly subscriptions". They also note that he mentioned that the game will be available both digitally and through boxed sales. Meanwhile Eurogamer noted (as well as other news sites) that EA sees SWTOR as having (at least) a ten-year lifespan:

"Our assumptions for break-even and profitability are not seven digit subscribers. We think we can run and operate a very successful and profitable MMO at different levels.

"The key thing here is to really perfect the product. We're shooting for an extremely high quality game experience. We view this as a 10 year opportunity."

Finally G4 has a video interview with lead writer Daniel Erickson about Crew Skills and (PvP) Warzones:


I found particularly noteworthy the comment at the end of the video where he re-confirms a Spring release target for SWTOR. I had gotten the impression that they were scrabbling back a bit from "Spring 2011" to just "after Q1 2011".

There isn't much in the way of developer quotes this week. Just Stephen Reid (new community manager; I wonder how long we'll keep considering him 'new') talking about his job:

Job's going fine, thanks. Busy.







... oh wait, you wanted more?

Truth is, I've been spending most of my time getting up to speed on a project that's been a long time in the making. As you can imagine with a game of this size, in a development studio (and wider organization) of this size, it takes a while to figure out what's going on.

Plus I've got to ensure the basics are covered off first - where's the coffee machine, who stole my Swingline, that sort of thing...

While that's been going on, I've been trying my best to keep up with the ebb and flow of community, but even that's a daunting task - my word, there's a lot of you. Luckily I have a talented team of folk keeping an eagle eye on things, and that's why more often than not they'll direct me (and by extension, the development team) to things we need to take a look at. Hence me being in this thread.

I should point out, though, that generally throwing my name (or anyone else's) in a thread title isn't a sure-fire way to get a response. In fact it's a sure-fire way to get on our bad side... but just this once we'll let it slide.

Will I ever get up to speed, and become a God-like entity, aware of all opinions in the community and able to communicate to everyone like a giant, telepathic hive-mind...?

I'd say that's unlikely.

Which brings me to the other big point of clarification - while managing the community and your relations with the development team is my job (in the broadest possible sense) that does not mean that all I do all day is read forums. That goes for everyone on the team. There's a heck of a lot more to do in any given day. Like tracking down that Swingline.

That said, while I appreciate the 'interest' in hearing from me, I know what you really want... and getting more information on the game to you from the people who actually build it day-to-day is what we're constantly working on. Bear in mind, that communication might not come in the form of forum posts, but the entire team is still working to get more information to you.

And yeah, I know it can't come fast enough...

I hope that he finds the thieving thief who stole his Swingline (whatever that is).

And that's it for this week. In fact, that's probably it this year as I'm off on Christmas vacation in two days and won't be back until 2011. And where I'm heading I'll only have access to a crappy dial-up connection (and am going on vacation in part to get away from the computer for a bit) so I doubt that I'll do much updating; but I might make a quick peek now and then. We'll see.

Either way, have a great end of the year and try to remember that Christmas is about family and not just getting loads of presents.


[link] to EA's UBS presentation at EA.
[link] to UBS details at Darth Hater.
[link] to UBS details at Eurogamer.
[link] to video interview with Daniel Erickson at G4.