5. It Moves Away From The Good Vs. Evil Conflict
In 'KOTOR II' the player does not begin by fighting for the Republic against the Sith Empire as in the previous game, instead the story begins as one of a lone traveller having to survive and unravel the mysteries on Peragus, the struggle between good and evil is not of central importance as the player is placed in a more perilous situation. Unlike 'KOTOR', after Peragus the Ebon Hawk does not fly off to save the galaxy. With the Jedi Order extinguished and the Sith lurking in the shadows it is made clear that the player is the prey, without known allies and facing an unknown enemy, the player is fighting for their character's lives more than for good or evil. The player was not being controlled by the Jedi or the Republic for the majority of the game, only the battle for Telos forced you to help the Republic (there was actually a resolution with Citadel Station being destroyed cut from the game). In this sense the game allowed the player to have greater control over their character as there was no obligation to either the light or dark side from the beginning. Back on Taris in 'KOTOR' whenever you make a dark side decision you are surrounded by Jedi, Republic and light side characters who urge you against your dark path. Sure it was fun to annoy the likes of Carth and Bastila but the fact is for most of the game up until the choice in the Rakatan Temple the player is forced to cooperate with the Jedi Order against the Sith Empire, whereas in 'KOTOR II' the player can choose to either become a Jedi again, find the Jedi for answers or destroy them. 'KOTOR II' made me think more about good and evil, not just in Star Wars but generally. In one instance Kreia, who is strongly opposed to blindly following either the light or dark side, shows the negative consequences of both charity and cruelty in dealing with a Nar Shaddaa beggar. This is a very bold move by the game, Star Wars is often judged as a black and white universe with clear cut distinctions between good and evil but 'KOTOR II' added a heavy tone of grey in elements of its story, teaching that sometimes what initially appears to be a good action can result in unintentional damage. It is moments like this in the game that moved the story away from the conflict between good and evil, it asked questions of the player and went to the heart of real matters.