Why KOTOR 2's Kreia Is The Best-Written Star Wars Character Ever
Obsidian Entertainment has a habit of being brought on to develop games in established IPs and producing the best entry in the series. Many would consider Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords to be the best Star Wars game ever made, despite its one glaring flaw in having a plethora of cut content. In the exact same way fans like Fallout: New Vegas better than its predecessor, KOTOR 2 is preferable to the original thanks to its nuanced writing and compelling characters brought to the universe by Obsidian. The highlight of KOTOR 2 - and a major component of what makes the game so great - is Kreia, a mysterious force user cast out from both the Jedi and the Sith.
Kreia is such a fascinating character because of her views on the Force. Just like how The Last Jedi understood the force, Kreia (and by extension KOTOR 2) has a unique viewpoint that transcends the typical Light Side/Dark Side dichotomy. It is a rare quality in the Star Wars universe to take a step back and attempt to examine the franchise's defining gauge of morality in an objective manner.
Although Kreia is not the player's avatar within KOTOR 2, she is often the vessel with which the game confronts many fans' qualms with the larger Star Wars canon. In an interview from 2007 with StarWarsKnights.com, KOTOR 2 lead designer and writer Chris Avellone mentions that Kreia is a personification of his own frustrations with the nature of the Force. Its in large part due to this connection to Star Wars fans themselves, and one particular fan in Avellone, that Kreia is such a successful and fleshed-out character.
Kreia is KOTOR 2's strongest connection to the first game because of her role in training Darth Revan (KOTOR 1's protagonist) during his first stint as a Jedi. When Revan ultimately fell to the Dark Side, Kreia and her teachings were blamed for creating the Sith Lord and she was cast out of the Jedi Order. She herself would go on to become a Sith Lord known as Darth Traya before falling victim the frequently-retconned Sith Rule of Two, having her influence and connection to the Force taken from her by her pupils Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus.
After being scorned by both force-wielding factions, Kreia became disillusioned with the Force altogether, seeing it as nothing more than a tool used to accomplish political and personal goals. Now exiled from both Jedi and Sith, Kreia sought a way to destroy the Force forever, ridding the galaxy of its corrupting influence. Kreia becomes the player's mentor in KOTOR 2, although her motivations are not entirely clear for most of the game. Through many discussions Kreia outlines her philosophies and either scolds or praises the player for their dialogue choices.
According to Avellone, "She sees in the player a chance to turn away from predestination and destroy that which binds all things, giving the galaxy back its freedom." The complexity and novelty of her beliefs are exemplified by the player frequently receiving both Dark Side and Light Side points for their dialogue decisions, as well as simultaneously gaining and losing favor with Kreia herself in the course of a single conversation.
Kreia is the best written Star Wars character because her dialogue and beliefs actively engage with the omnipresent influence of the universe that is usually viewed in stark black and white. She rejects the idea of a force user necessarily falling into the categories of Jedi or Sith, and forces the player to consider her viewpoint. Her thoughtfulness and constant questioning alone elevate Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords into the upper echelon of not only Star Wars video games, but all Star Wars media.
Source: StarWarsKnights.com (via Internet Archive)
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