Shout out to Big Z from Lore Star for helping put this script together. Was a tough one to wrangle... Also, if you want to run with a solid crew in SWTOR, join the community on Discord: discord.gg/SUUEQVm
I love how as a Super Weapon the Star Forge creates on massive scale rather than destroys. It's a simple change, but it is refreshing. And if LucasArts or Lucasfilm ever return to the Knights of the Old Republic, I hope they do it right.
It's also possible that it had far more destructive capabilities that just hadn't been unlocked. There was a deleted cinematic that showed the star forge using a tractor beam to drag republic ships into one another.
The StarForge can destroy on its own, as it needs to be powered by something in order to be functional. In the game it feeds on a sun, but eventually that suns energy is used up and it has to travel somewhere else. Additionally can you guess what would happen, if the forge would use planets as a source of power?
Malak is also a great Sith from an aesthetic perspective. His jaw being crudely removed is really rather gruesome for what we've seen before. If only he didn't hide it behind that prosthetic. A KotOR movie would have to be R rated if they were going to show jawless Malak for more than a few seconds, and I'd be all for that.
Since they clearly show us that few seconds of him without the "jaw" the implant he has can clearly function without it. Would have been cool to see him without it more during the game
Malak left Bastila in the control room to stall rather than keeping her in the farthest most defended area to use her battle meditation, that is what makes me think he's an idiot
he probably didn't plan for boarders from the hawk since Bastila came back from the planetary assault, also it was against the pub armada he aimed it at. but yes that was a dumb move limited as the meditation is
The star forge was far more terrible than most people realize I think. As it saps minerals from a star it eventually consumes the entire sun to move on the the next star system. The star forge was like a black hole in a more physical mobile form, it even absorbed force energies lightside and darkside energy. It would have eventually (after multiplying/copying itself) turned the entire galaxy into darkness.
I consider the destruction of the Star Forge is another example of Revan making a short term sacrifice for the greater good, be it Light or Dark side Revan we're talking about. Given what it seemed to drive both the builders and Malak himself to do, it seems that defending the Replublic with the Star Forge is, at best, postponing the loss Revan wanted to avoid to begin with. Seems to me that Revan's intentions with the Star Forge was to get a sufficient fleet to conquer and unite the Republic, then discard it before its corruption could make him, or anyone else, reduce the "Sith Republic" to rubble or no better than the Sith Empire in the unknown regions. G0T0 notes that a key difference between Revan and Malak as commanders was the degree of unnecessary destruction of Republic infrastructure. He points out that Malak seemed to relish the destruction and thus, be it through stupidity or corruption, failed to understand that to rule the galaxy, you need the galaxy united. He's less arrogant and more introspective than some Sith, but his idea of a Sith Empire was destined to fail from the start, even if he had won the war, because it would collapse from within. But, then again, this is Star Wars. The Sith are, by and large, portrayed to hold to ideals that literally can't maintain anything resembling a stable society outside of fiction.
Indeed. And when they both became Sith, Revan demonstrated he was much stronger than Malak. Not in physical strength, but in finesse, combat, strategy, and logic
That's true people are mostly listening to SWTOR's lore that is not accurate to KOTOR's lore. In KOTOR it proves that Revan and Malak we're both know for being inseparable and prodigal duo. That inferred that they were childhood friends and the same age.
I love how this video exposes Malak's true genius especially since he's always in Revan's shadow and a very underrated character. I've always liked Revan and Malak equally.
This is great bro! I never get tired of this game and after years of playing I'm still finding new things. Glad to see how much the channel has grown. Good job man!
I always liked that detail about Revan and Malak’s fall and conquest. It was very obvious later that they weren’t on a wanton path of murder, but rather seemed to want to preserve as much as they could, so they could then use it against a threat that they alone knew was coming. Even before we knew about the sith emperor, those little hints were always there.
Only Revan do that, Malak literally saw his apprentice kill innecesarilly a comander and a soldier and a monitor and don't said anything. Malak, at that point was not a good leader, he was just a sick of power and destruction. Saul Karath and the incontables ships were the ones who were supporting the entire empire, at my point of view.
The original plan for the story and games after KOTOR2 was that Revan was preparing against something far more terrifying than the shitty 'Sith Emperor' we got in the MMO. They were preparing to fight Sith that wanted what Kreia talked of, but far, far worse. Malak did not see any of that. I'm not saying he's an idiot, but he missed the boat with Revan's plan.
Yes but without the strong will of reven the star forge would have influenced the sith under malek and himself to only destroy the galaxy then themselves like the Rakata before them
@@Jeffthecreepyastafan The Rakata weren't destroying the galaxy, they were conquering it and even made a few different species on planets. They were a powerful military and I cant remember anything about them having infighting within their empire. Not only that they couldn't travel to any planet, only planets with high force signatures which wasnt a whole lot.
I’m so sick of everyone complaining about the “true Sith” not being showcased. The Sith empire is really evil in swtor. They destroy planets, kill billions, enslave people. How much more evil can you get?
@@PurpleLightning6was9 It has never been stated they were driven mad by the dark side. What's been stated is that a "mysterious plague" came and stripped them of their ability to use and feel the Force, rending all of their technology useless. Everyone on their outpost planets died with the last of them going back to their home planet, after a few generations they split with most becoming savages while the rest stayed in the temple and learned of what their ancestors did (until Revan found them) and the "slave races" reverse engineered the tech while erasing their existence from history.
Malak is one of my favorite characters. Complex on the same level as Revan, Bastila, Kreia, Meetra, and all the other KOTOR characters. I pray every day that the remake gives us the chance to redeem him this time🙏🏻
Given the whole corrupted by the Sith Emperor thing I like to think Revan and Malak were more on Mandalorian War auto pilot than truly following their own ambitions. I think this is why Malak was so oddly introspective when it hits the fan and Revan so easily redeemed. That retcon actually works really well.
Also the Mandalorian wars is the cause for the Revanchist to fall to the Dark Side. Also the real reason Revan attack the Jedi and Republic After the war is because he learned from Mandalore's last words was that his people found evidence about the true threat on Malachor V. The threat was the True Sith. A dark cult that manipulate events to destroy the Jedi and Republic from the shadows and they prey on the wounds in the force. Unlike the Sith they want to destroy the galaxy. The Jedi would be doomed to fall and join them if they come to known space. Revan turned to unite and strengthen the Republic if that meant conquering to prepare the galaxy for the True Sith
revan was the true tactical genius, malak just destroyed everything in his way and only wanted bastila to basically have slave-rigged soldiers. and prob because it was the only way to make his armada more efficient since his own tactical ability sucked.
kreia states in the second game that revan (when he returned from the unknown space and was a pawn of the true sith) was strategically targetting infrastructure that would not hurt the republic in the long run whereas Malak didnt care at all. Malak was only good to preserve his power while Revan kept his mentality and out of necessity became the *sith* the republic needed, because as she stated: far too long the republic hasn't been tested and they were too reliant on the jedi to save them. All i see is a childish malak that saw an opportunity to seize power and took it instead of building with Revan. At some point their vision would of collided of course and we would have a brand new story. Not mentionning what would'Ve happened between the duel of bastilla along the jedis vs Revan
Arguably Malak didn't have Sith eyes because he relied more on his overpowering physical strength rather than the force. He never used the force to augment his already freakish strength or performed any feat with the force that required exertion beyond what he could handle. He was badass enough at base level he never had to draw too deeply on the dark side and be fully immersed. Similar to Dooku in that way.
I'm with you on this. Just something smoother, maybe a bit more drawn out (I mean the actual death animation itself -- not the speech or anything else prior to his death) would have helped. I even imagine having him calmly sit down as he realizes that he's dying, just accepting his fate before having the light fade from his eyes and gently slumping over. That seems more in keeping with the way his final words portrayed him. It gives him just a bit more dignity. Alternately, if the destruction of the Star Forge were part of the canon of this game, it could have occurred at this point. Malak sits dying, makes his peace with it (and more or less, with Revan), and says a bitter farewell. Revan and the others escape as some kind of self destruct is initiated, the station sustains critical damage from the attack, etc., and Malak breathes his final breaths gazing out at the battle as the Forge begins to come apart. Our last view of him is as he calmly closes his eyes and is engulfed in flames as the station explodes. Or not. But those seem like better options than the full monologue he had followed by "Hnnnggg!!!" [THUD] that we got.
I always wanted to see kotor lll with the true sith, with sith alchemy monsters and zombies created with the force, the horrors that revan and malak was trying to stop, not the lore breaking old republic mmo that made the palpatine empire 2
There was a comment I saw in another kotor video which I wish was in the game when malak dies. The line was “You were one thing Malak… you were my friend.”
Nice to see some Kotor, although i did enjoy the other content. Interesting perspective and good job. Is that dancing twi'lek part of the game as a Easter egg or cheat? Anyway, have a good day/night.
Revan was supposed to bring balance to the force but he failed, no matter if he had fallen to the dark or light side in kotor 1. Thats why kotor 2 is so ambivalent with the story of revan. Kotor 2 basically tells you that Kotor 1 had no happy ending, no matter what.
It was a hollow victory for Revan. Sure he won but I like to think it pained him to fight, kill his old friend, and listen to his final words. I would have liked this fight and conversation to be less black and white as both Revan and Malak were no strangers to either the light or dark side of the force and this fight would be more about conviction and ideological differences as well as fate. A scene showing Revan feeling conflicted having saved the republic while mourning his new found loss about how he failed to prevent his friend from going down this path perhaps.
I maybe thought at one point what if Revan already had thought about Malak’s way of using the star forge. But somewhere down the line he didn’t want to go through with it either remembering his own personal goal or the effects needed to gain it.
Just a random thought: What if during the DS ending, when DS Revan stood on the balcony overlooking the Sith army, Bastilla suddenly stabbed him from behind while he was distracted and vulnerable? And then she usurps his mantle and becomes the new Dark Lord. It would be like that alternate ending in the Star Wars Episode III video game where Anakin stabs Palpatine on Mustafar when Palpatine presents him with his new lightsaber after defeating Obi-Wan.
I was playing through this and dear god when I seen him without his mask I was like damn the Admiral is strong asf to be looking him dead in the eyes seeing no jaw
Your Revan looked like Kaine from C&C. Also, according to KOTOR 2, all Malak did was a pale shadow of what Revan was doing since the Mandalorian War, he just lacked Revan's finesse and so used the biggest hammer he could find
I've played KOTOR all the way through more than any other game. I love kotor 1 and 2 but I gotta say... he's definitely not one of the greatest villains of all time. It's just one of the best games of all time. Malak is kinda just a generic evil bad guy you need to fight. Kreia in Kotor 2 is much, much better
can we talk about the fact that the star forge while using a sun for power cosumes so little of the sun? like that thing had to be above that sun for god knows how long so while yea the sun will eventually die it sure takes awhile
This is what i loved about the Kotor series(and maybe to a degree in the MMO also) , the gradients of the Dark and Light from the force sensitive characters, not all Sith need to be Darth Sidious or Darth Vader. More pragmatic or more rational, to harness the power of the dark side but not succumb to its influence entirely (even if it might be the end result in the long run). I know the legends are now non cannon, but i wish Star Wars might go back someday to see the Force and its Wielders in more shades then just Boyscout GoodyGOody and Me Hungry for Power Must kill.
A rational evil is more dangerous than an irrational one. Vader and Palpatine didn’t just kill everyone immediately. That puts Malak pretty close to them and clearly he was a Vader mirror.
On the surface Malak seems like your typical bad guy. The evil villain who's evil for the sake of it. But he's a lot more in depth than that. KOTOR was so god damn good at this. Every character is worth listening closely to and each one has a story worth an entire video essay. Kreia alone pretty much has entire documentaries about her. If only games and movies were consistently this good nowadays.
Star Forge > Death Star. A fleet of ships can kill a planet, also I find the concept of an Infinite military more terrifying than an oversized planet cracker. How can you beat an enemy with virtually unlimited resources? Also, finally some Malak love. He needs so much more credit than what he got from the fan base.
So Revan and Malak going to help the Republic, moves the rest of the Jedi in that direction in the future, rather than being passive, which ends up being their downfall at the end of the clone wars. I keep watching the clone wars thinking that true Jedi wouldn't be involved, so it is interesting to be reminded that that was their stance previously
I'm not sure that Revan and Malak would have gotten involved with the Clone Wars either though Involvement in either war has its own, unique set of ethical questions and moral implications
One of the very few things in KotOR 2 I dislike is how Malak was presented as just bruntal, unintelligent maniac, who destroyed everything. They even claimed, within the game, that it was Revan who ordered destruction of Telos, and not Malak, as we know from KotOR I. At least they gave him some respect and showed, that it was Malak who recruited Meetra Surik and conviced her to fight in the Mandalorian Wars
Sorry but I disagree, time and again it is explained and shown that Revan was the genius and Malak was just a brute, not a pragmatist. Revan waged war with the future in mind avoiding unnecessary destruction while Malak had no problems destroying planets and rendering them useless. You cannot tell me that making entire PLANETS useless is very pragmatic when you lose all those potential lives and resources. Also, Malak was/is a coward he knew he could never beat Revan so he had his ship fire upon Revan's. Even on the Starforge, Malak throws everybody else at Revan while he does all he can to try and make himself stronger instead of going out and meeting Revan himself with his army at his side because deep down he's scared. Everything Malak "accomplished" was built off the back of what Revan did. Revan is the one that rallied Jedi to fight the Mandalorians. Revan is the one that turned the war around and started giving the Republic victories. Revan is the one 1/3 of the Republic forces followed when he went into the Unknown regions. Revan is the one that was conquering the galaxy not Malak. Even when Malak betrayed Revan and took control he couldnt finish the conquest despite the fact they were winning. Malak was so bad at strategy that he somehow allowed the Republic to consolidate enough forces to not only challenge his own forces but also be strong enough to threaten the Starforge, which is basically a giant fortress that continually produces basically infinite war material and forces. At least when the Jedi captured Revan it was pretty much an ambush that he would have had no trouble getting out of if Malak hadn't betrayed him. Lastly, how useful was the star forge really? Sure it gave you near infinite droids and ships but at what cost? IT CONSUMES FREAKING STARS. How many Solar systems would Malak would have needed to destroy to beat the Sith Emperor? He could barely even beat the Republic even when he was already winning. Revan knew it was a short term solution while he kept most of the galaxy intact during his conquest. He also knew it was more of a crutch than anything that also corrupts its user. Why rely on 1 space station for your military buildup when you can devote the entire galaxy to preperation for the upcoming war. Ok this is getting too long but hopefully I got my point across. Let me know if I missed anything or got anything wrong, its been years since I've played the game.
Fate and destiny is echoed alot in star wars from movies to games....ex. Vader vs Luke..Luke didn't bring balance the chosen one did with his sacrifice.(I mean I took a couple years but he did it)
What do I think of Darth Malak? An extremely tragic character whose voice acting is the definition of the moustache-twirling villain. His dying words are acted fairly competently, but it's the moments when he "laughs" meniacally like a cartoon villain that give me the cringe. Exhibit A: 13:40
@@DarkLOREDash Regarding Malak's voice work, I vacillate frequently between admiring him as a great villain (his dying words; his dialog with one of his subordinates when we see his jaws removed; etc) and chuckling with amusement and discomfort when he puts on the laughing cartoon villain act (the clip in your video, and also previously in the Leviathan when Malak reveals Revan's true identity). The voices of the other major characters are great. I even loved Bastila from the beginning in spite of her bitchy entitlement because Jennifer Hale was so good and vocally sexy as Basitla ;) Malak, though, was a mixed bag.
11:20 I see yellow hues in Malak's eyes, why do you say that he has not Sith eyes? 😅 ... and through this video I realised Malak's intent to abuse Revan as a force battery later returns in SWTOR. I watched the video yet I don't see that Malak was outstandingly capable. Just because he is fatalistic does not mean that destiny demanded Revan's victory over him - it's a common sentiment among Jedi and Sith to believe in destiny but why the outcome of critical events shall be predetermined is never really explained, and the hazy claim of "it is said that the force has a will of its own" does not discard the idea that the will of the individuals shape their own destiny. Revan can also harness or release the half-death Jedi, if the player so wants. I see it more like that Revan was more powerful than Malak to begin with, and that the dark side energies of the Star Forge may have increased his health bar and raw power, but that was not what was needed to defeat Revan. I am not sure what 'that' is, but it reminds me of the way how the Exile defeats two Sith Lords by playing on their weaknesses.
2:25 that made them a threat to those they swore to protect, in essence Malak sowed the first seed of his downfall here 4:14 that is not proof of his genius, it's proof of his folly, Revan might have become far worse given what Malak did much later after murdering the masters 7:03 more like puts queen in better position to destroy him 7:54 and fails miserably, it would have been smarter not to include this clip when trying to make us think he was this supposed genius 9:18 he didn't protect though, he destroyed 13:26 however he did, only a fool makes an enemy stronger (which battle would have done) given that he has recognized Revan was much stronger both before the betrayal and after 14:00 the full power didn't seem to help him much did it? even if Malak somehow defeated Revan do you honestly think that even if Malak used the power to eliminate the threat that he'd give it up? no, after so long being connected to the forge he would go down a destructive path proving that it's Revan not Malak that is the genius, Revan used the forge but never tied himself to it. after all that's what he did in the DS route. destroying yourself is worse than being destroyed by a threat
Isn't it funny that what Malak threatens to do to reven is what the sith emperor does to him in the book. I dont care for that story but it's a funny thought that it happens to Reven amyways
Malak: and in the end .. coff coff .. i have nothing.. ☠️ Fucking and re-motherfucking destiny always fucking me my favorite characters .. MALAK TEAM 👍
Of course he was a genious, why would Revan have kept him around in his inner circle, even making him his second in command (apprentice) if he wasn't the best one of all the friends and allies he had? And virtually all Siths more or less ended up betraying their masters in less than honorable ways. Heck, Palpatine got his master drunk and killed him in his drunken sleep. On the top of my head i can actually on think of Darth Bane being the only master that was confronted in an "honorable" way by their apprentice. How is this even a question.
How do you think Darth Bane would judge Sidious' ascention to master? I feel like his code did not prevent a corruption of the Sith... or really changed their ways apart from relying on secrecy, which was born out of necessity anyway
Malak may be a genius but Revan was better and Malak copied what his Master was doing except being so ruthless against the Republic, Revan didn't destroy the military bases because he wanted to use them later however Malak didn't care he wanted to destroy everything.
Malak is only a genius if you engage in a shit ton of retcons (like “the old republic” did) - if you take his character as the original authors intended, he’s just a brute.
So Darth Malack was destined to become the Frank Grimes of Star Wars. No wander Kreia hated how meaningless the Force could make everything to achieve its desires and probably foresaw Rey's poorly executed story
Shout out to Big Z from Lore Star for helping put this script together. Was a tough one to wrangle... Also, if you want to run with a solid crew in SWTOR, join the community on Discord: discord.gg/SUUEQVm
I love how as a Super Weapon the Star Forge creates on massive scale rather than destroys. It's a simple change, but it is refreshing. And if LucasArts or Lucasfilm ever return to the Knights of the Old Republic, I hope they do it right.
I agree, I never looked at it that way.
Well it creates things that destroys things
It's also possible that it had far more destructive capabilities that just hadn't been unlocked. There was a deleted cinematic that showed the star forge using a tractor beam to drag republic ships into one another.
The StarForge can destroy on its own, as it needs to be powered by something in order to be functional. In the game it feeds on a sun, but eventually that suns energy is used up and it has to travel somewhere else. Additionally can you guess what would happen, if the forge would use planets as a source of power?
The Star Forge destroys a star in order to create......
Malak is also a great Sith from an aesthetic perspective. His jaw being crudely removed is really rather gruesome for what we've seen before. If only he didn't hide it behind that prosthetic. A KotOR movie would have to be R rated if they were going to show jawless Malak for more than a few seconds, and I'd be all for that.
It was really badass how casual he was, with it.
Since they clearly show us that few seconds of him without the "jaw" the implant he has can clearly function without it.
Would have been cool to see him without it more during the game
@@DarkLOREDash Agreed. Imagine the makeup work it would take for an IRL movie to portray that!
I mean they showed Anakin turning into a burnt chicken nugget
Malak left Bastila in the control room to stall rather than keeping her in the farthest most defended area to use her battle meditation, that is what makes me think he's an idiot
he probably didn't plan for boarders from the hawk since Bastila came back from the planetary assault, also it was against the pub armada he aimed it at. but yes that was a dumb move limited as the meditation is
The star forge was far more terrible than most people realize I think. As it saps minerals from a star it eventually consumes the entire sun to move on the the next star system. The star forge was like a black hole in a more physical mobile form, it even absorbed force energies lightside and darkside energy. It would have eventually (after multiplying/copying itself) turned the entire galaxy into darkness.
Reminds me a bit of Darth Nihilus for some reason…
@@Justanotherconsumer I think that was the idea lol
I consider the destruction of the Star Forge is another example of Revan making a short term sacrifice for the greater good, be it Light or Dark side Revan we're talking about. Given what it seemed to drive both the builders and Malak himself to do, it seems that defending the Replublic with the Star Forge is, at best, postponing the loss Revan wanted to avoid to begin with.
Seems to me that Revan's intentions with the Star Forge was to get a sufficient fleet to conquer and unite the Republic, then discard it before its corruption could make him, or anyone else, reduce the "Sith Republic" to rubble or no better than the Sith Empire in the unknown regions.
G0T0 notes that a key difference between Revan and Malak as commanders was the degree of unnecessary destruction of Republic infrastructure. He points out that Malak seemed to relish the destruction and thus, be it through stupidity or corruption, failed to understand that to rule the galaxy, you need the galaxy united. He's less arrogant and more introspective than some Sith, but his idea of a Sith Empire was destined to fail from the start, even if he had won the war, because it would collapse from within.
But, then again, this is Star Wars. The Sith are, by and large, portrayed to hold to ideals that literally can't maintain anything resembling a stable society outside of fiction.
Revan wasn’t Malak’s light side master. They were both Jedi knights when they left to fight mando’s.
Indeed. And when they both became Sith, Revan demonstrated he was much stronger than Malak. Not in physical strength, but in finesse, combat, strategy, and logic
That's true people are mostly listening to SWTOR's lore that is not accurate to KOTOR's lore. In KOTOR it proves that Revan and Malak we're both know for being inseparable and prodigal duo. That inferred that they were childhood friends and the same age.
I love how this video exposes Malak's true genius especially since he's always in Revan's shadow and a very underrated character. I've always liked Revan and Malak equally.
Agreed! I was actually almost in tears when I heard Malak's acknowledgement and musings at the end of the game.
A true agent of the force seeks only balance. The force is not good or evil, it is a reflection of life
Truth
This is great bro! I never get tired of this game and after years of playing I'm still finding new things. Glad to see how much the channel has grown. Good job man!
Appreciate ya, mate
I’ve been looking forward to this, cheers mate
My man!
😎👉🏻👉🏻
I always liked that detail about Revan and Malak’s fall and conquest. It was very obvious later that they weren’t on a wanton path of murder, but rather seemed to want to preserve as much as they could, so they could then use it against a threat that they alone knew was coming. Even before we knew about the sith emperor, those little hints were always there.
Only Revan do that, Malak literally saw his apprentice kill innecesarilly a comander and a soldier and a monitor and don't said anything. Malak, at that point was not a good leader, he was just a sick of power and destruction. Saul Karath and the incontables ships were the ones who were supporting the entire empire, at my point of view.
@@rodrigofuentes658 Malak started that out the same way as revan, he just kinda got lost in the sauce.
The original plan for the story and games after KOTOR2 was that Revan was preparing against something far more terrifying than the shitty 'Sith Emperor' we got in the MMO.
They were preparing to fight Sith that wanted what Kreia talked of, but far, far worse.
Malak did not see any of that. I'm not saying he's an idiot, but he missed the boat with Revan's plan.
Star forge would have been handy tho
Yes but without the strong will of reven the star forge would have influenced the sith under malek and himself to only destroy the galaxy then themselves like the Rakata before them
@@Jeffthecreepyastafan The Rakata weren't destroying the galaxy, they were conquering it and even made a few different species on planets. They were a powerful military and I cant remember anything about them having infighting within their empire. Not only that they couldn't travel to any planet, only planets with high force signatures which wasnt a whole lot.
I’m so sick of everyone complaining about the “true Sith” not being showcased. The Sith empire is really evil in swtor. They destroy planets, kill billions, enslave people. How much more evil can you get?
@@PurpleLightning6was9 It has never been stated they were driven mad by the dark side. What's been stated is that a "mysterious plague" came and stripped them of their ability to use and feel the Force, rending all of their technology useless. Everyone on their outpost planets died with the last of them going back to their home planet, after a few generations they split with most becoming savages while the rest stayed in the temple and learned of what their ancestors did (until Revan found them) and the "slave races" reverse engineered the tech while erasing their existence from history.
Always love a dive into the Old Republic and the *real* Star Wars EU. Well done!
Thank you, sir!
Malak is one of my favorite characters. Complex on the same level as Revan, Bastila, Kreia, Meetra, and all the other KOTOR characters. I pray every day that the remake gives us the chance to redeem him this time🙏🏻
that would disrespect the story
Lol no, that would be hugely disrespectful to the canon.
Given the whole corrupted by the Sith Emperor thing I like to think Revan and Malak were more on Mandalorian War auto pilot than truly following their own ambitions. I think this is why Malak was so oddly introspective when it hits the fan and Revan so easily redeemed. That retcon actually works really well.
Great analysis!
Also the Mandalorian wars is the cause for the Revanchist to fall to the Dark Side. Also the real reason Revan attack the Jedi and Republic After the war is because he learned from Mandalore's last words was that his people found evidence about the true threat on Malachor V. The threat was the True Sith. A dark cult that manipulate events to destroy the Jedi and Republic from the shadows and they prey on the wounds in the force. Unlike the Sith they want to destroy the galaxy. The Jedi would be doomed to fall and join them if they come to known space. Revan turned to unite and strengthen the Republic if that meant conquering to prepare the galaxy for the True Sith
One of my favorite games by far. Thank you for this, i love your channel and all the lore you go into depth about.
No, thank you! love to share the love
revan was the true tactical genius, malak just destroyed everything in his way and only wanted bastila to basically have slave-rigged soldiers. and prob because it was the only way to make his armada more efficient since his own tactical ability sucked.
:(
Agreed. As G0-T0 puts it, "Malak's strategy was painfully obvious"
He still couldn't get Jarael to give up that 🐈
Malak was very competent, very powerful in his own right. Sadely, Revan was always one step above, even considering this destiniy trope.
I love how you put that Jolee clip there, hands down one of the best companions
kreia states in the second game that revan (when he returned from the unknown space and was a pawn of the true sith) was strategically targetting infrastructure that would not hurt the republic in the long run whereas Malak didnt care at all. Malak was only good to preserve his power while Revan kept his mentality and out of necessity became the *sith* the republic needed, because as she stated: far too long the republic hasn't been tested and they were too reliant on the jedi to save them. All i see is a childish malak that saw an opportunity to seize power and took it instead of building with Revan. At some point their vision would of collided of course and we would have a brand new story. Not mentionning what would'Ve happened between the duel of bastilla along the jedis vs Revan
I felt that may have been the reason he defaced him, to humble him enough to stop the chaos
anyone else die laughing when malak says, "dark taint" LMAO
Arguably Malak didn't have Sith eyes because he relied more on his overpowering physical strength rather than the force. He never used the force to augment his already freakish strength or performed any feat with the force that required exertion beyond what he could handle. He was badass enough at base level he never had to draw too deeply on the dark side and be fully immersed. Similar to Dooku in that way.
I didn't like how Malak had his big speech at the end and then did a normal die animation. Seemed to cheapen him somehow.
You think something more explosive like Revan or
I'm with you on this. Just something smoother, maybe a bit more drawn out (I mean the actual death animation itself -- not the speech or anything else prior to his death) would have helped.
I even imagine having him calmly sit down as he realizes that he's dying, just accepting his fate before having the light fade from his eyes and gently slumping over. That seems more in keeping with the way his final words portrayed him. It gives him just a bit more dignity.
Alternately, if the destruction of the Star Forge were part of the canon of this game, it could have occurred at this point. Malak sits dying, makes his peace with it (and more or less, with Revan), and says a bitter farewell. Revan and the others escape as some kind of self destruct is initiated, the station sustains critical damage from the attack, etc., and Malak breathes his final breaths gazing out at the battle as the Forge begins to come apart. Our last view of him is as he calmly closes his eyes and is engulfed in flames as the station explodes.
Or not. But those seem like better options than the full monologue he had followed by "Hnnnggg!!!" [THUD] that we got.
@@GravisTKD loving the discussion
@@DarkLOREDash I don't often get into them, but I figure it's worth it in this case. Love your channel, sir. Keep doing your thing :)
@@GravisTKD many many thanks!
I always wanted to see kotor lll with the true sith, with sith alchemy monsters and zombies created with the force, the horrors that revan and malak was trying to stop, not the lore breaking old republic mmo that made the palpatine empire 2
Very happy to see Malak get some appreciation
It was a hard sell, but you've convinced me.
No you. You the man
There was a comment I saw in another kotor video which I wish was in the game when malak dies. The line was “You were one thing Malak… you were my friend.”
There is a truly thin line separating genius and madness. He was a brilliant character turned into a caricature of himself...
6:46 In the end, Revan never did have many followers, so he had cardboard cutouts of people lined up during his ceremonies
Mitch, you made my day. and i was fucking pissed, let me tell ya xD many thanks, much love, glad to see your stoicism and effort worked out
Mate, knowing your day is better (I'm sorry it was bad) has made mine!
Nice to see some Kotor, although i did enjoy the other content. Interesting perspective and good job. Is that dancing twi'lek part of the game as a Easter egg or cheat? Anyway, have a good day/night.
No worries, definitely a fun series. It's an cheat code easter egg called dance dance Malak
This is the game that should be remade.Imagine updated graphics (drools).
There was a fan effort to remake it that was progressing nicely before it was shut down unfortunately by EA.
Well, this is a first. Someone who sees Darth Malak as a genius next to Revan.
Call it destiny, if you will.
Is Aang’s evil brother Uung
He's BoomerAang
Really, I don't know nothing about this, but when i saw it i thought it was: " Why Daron Malakian is a GENIUS!" Hahaha
Revan was supposed to bring balance to the force but he failed, no matter if he had fallen to the dark or light side in kotor 1. Thats why kotor 2 is so ambivalent with the story of revan.
Kotor 2 basically tells you that Kotor 1 had no happy ending, no matter what.
It was a hollow victory for Revan. Sure he won but I like to think it pained him to fight, kill his old friend, and listen to his final words. I would have liked this fight and conversation to be less black and white as both Revan and Malak were no strangers to either the light or dark side of the force and this fight would be more about conviction and ideological differences as well as fate. A scene showing Revan feeling conflicted having saved the republic while mourning his new found loss about how he failed to prevent his friend from going down this path perhaps.
Revans memory was erased so it wasn't the same making what did happen more fitting
@@andrewhennagir1331 but he did regain his memories more and more
I maybe thought at one point what if Revan already had thought about Malak’s way of using the star forge. But somewhere down the line he didn’t want to go through with it either remembering his own personal goal or the effects needed to gain it.
Just a random thought: What if during the DS ending, when DS Revan stood on the balcony overlooking the Sith army, Bastilla suddenly stabbed him from behind while he was distracted and vulnerable? And then she usurps his mantle and becomes the new Dark Lord. It would be like that alternate ending in the Star Wars Episode III video game where Anakin stabs Palpatine on Mustafar when Palpatine presents him with his new lightsaber after defeating Obi-Wan.
I was playing through this and dear god when I seen him without his mask I was like damn the Admiral is strong asf to be looking him dead in the eyes seeing no jaw
If Actor Telly Savalas was still around today he would have made a great Darth Malak.
Wow Aang really fell from grace
Underrated comment 😂😂
6:15 Lol what's with the pink and red cardboard cut-outs making up a the outer sections of the audience?
Xbox chugging
Your Revan looked like Kaine from C&C.
Also, according to KOTOR 2, all Malak did was a pale shadow of what Revan was doing since the Mandalorian War, he just lacked Revan's finesse and so used the biggest hammer he could find
Darth malak is one of the greatest video game villains of all time.
I've played KOTOR all the way through more than any other game. I love kotor 1 and 2 but I gotta say... he's definitely not one of the greatest villains of all time.
It's just one of the best games of all time. Malak is kinda just a generic evil bad guy you need to fight.
Kreia in Kotor 2 is much, much better
@@I_am_a_cat_ I agree that krea is great but i still stand by my opinion on malak.
can we talk about the fact that the star forge while using a sun for power cosumes so little of the sun? like that thing had to be above that sun for god knows how long
so while yea the sun will eventually die it sure takes awhile
This is what i loved about the Kotor series(and maybe to a degree in the MMO also) , the gradients of the Dark and Light from the force sensitive characters, not all Sith need to be Darth Sidious or Darth Vader. More pragmatic or more rational, to harness the power of the dark side but not succumb to its influence entirely (even if it might be the end result in the long run). I know the legends are now non cannon, but i wish Star Wars might go back someday to see the Force and its Wielders in more shades then just Boyscout GoodyGOody and Me Hungry for Power Must kill.
A rational evil is more dangerous than an irrational one. Vader and Palpatine didn’t just kill everyone immediately. That puts Malak pretty close to them and clearly he was a Vader mirror.
He was always trying to come up with ways to kill Reven. It’s not his fault the gods of dice decided he rolled worse than Reven.
Man I been reviewing the Old republic books and the mmo is great
I saw, great to see fellow creators!
@@DarkLOREDash ya been really enjoying the mmorpg while reading the old republic books has really opened up everything
More kotor videos! I miss this!
On it!
Game LORE Dash You’re the best dude! Cheers
On the surface Malak seems like your typical bad guy. The evil villain who's evil for the sake of it. But he's a lot more in depth than that. KOTOR was so god damn good at this. Every character is worth listening closely to and each one has a story worth an entire video essay. Kreia alone pretty much has entire documentaries about her. If only games and movies were consistently this good nowadays.
Malak was an AVERAGE Sith warrior, but a BRILLIANT scientist!!!
Star Forge > Death Star. A fleet of ships can kill a planet, also I find the concept of an Infinite military more terrifying than an oversized planet cracker. How can you beat an enemy with virtually unlimited resources?
Also, finally some Malak love. He needs so much more credit than what he got from the fan base.
i only played the second game, i dident know how good the first game was wow
Malak was definitely far more competent than most give him credit for.
So Revan and Malak going to help the Republic, moves the rest of the Jedi in that direction in the future, rather than being passive, which ends up being their downfall at the end of the clone wars. I keep watching the clone wars thinking that true Jedi wouldn't be involved, so it is interesting to be reminded that that was their stance previously
I'm not sure that Revan and Malak would have gotten involved with the Clone Wars either though
Involvement in either war has its own, unique set of ethical questions and moral implications
One of the very few things in KotOR 2 I dislike is how Malak was presented as just bruntal, unintelligent maniac, who destroyed everything. They even claimed, within the game, that it was Revan who ordered destruction of Telos, and not Malak, as we know from KotOR I. At least they gave him some respect and showed, that it was Malak who recruited Meetra Surik and conviced her to fight in the Mandalorian Wars
He would have taken the Republic down had Bastilla not saved Revan's life
an old friend that raven failed
Sorry but I disagree, time and again it is explained and shown that Revan was the genius and Malak was just a brute, not a pragmatist. Revan waged war with the future in mind avoiding unnecessary destruction while Malak had no problems destroying planets and rendering them useless. You cannot tell me that making entire PLANETS useless is very pragmatic when you lose all those potential lives and resources.
Also, Malak was/is a coward he knew he could never beat Revan so he had his ship fire upon Revan's. Even on the Starforge, Malak throws everybody else at Revan while he does all he can to try and make himself stronger instead of going out and meeting Revan himself with his army at his side because deep down he's scared.
Everything Malak "accomplished" was built off the back of what Revan did. Revan is the one that rallied Jedi to fight the Mandalorians. Revan is the one that turned the war around and started giving the Republic victories. Revan is the one 1/3 of the Republic forces followed when he went into the Unknown regions. Revan is the one that was conquering the galaxy not Malak. Even when Malak betrayed Revan and took control he couldnt finish the conquest despite the fact they were winning. Malak was so bad at strategy that he somehow allowed the Republic to consolidate enough forces to not only challenge his own forces but also be strong enough to threaten the Starforge, which is basically a giant fortress that continually produces basically infinite war material and forces.
At least when the Jedi captured Revan it was pretty much an ambush that he would have had no trouble getting out of if Malak hadn't betrayed him.
Lastly, how useful was the star forge really? Sure it gave you near infinite droids and ships but at what cost? IT CONSUMES FREAKING STARS. How many Solar systems would Malak would have needed to destroy to beat the Sith Emperor? He could barely even beat the Republic even when he was already winning. Revan knew it was a short term solution while he kept most of the galaxy intact during his conquest. He also knew it was more of a crutch than anything that also corrupts its user. Why rely on 1 space station for your military buildup when you can devote the entire galaxy to preperation for the upcoming war.
Ok this is getting too long but hopefully I got my point across. Let me know if I missed anything or got anything wrong, its been years since I've played the game.
Fate and destiny is echoed alot in star wars from movies to games....ex. Vader vs Luke..Luke didn't bring balance the chosen one did with his sacrifice.(I mean I took a couple years but he did it)
What do I think of Darth Malak? An extremely tragic character whose voice acting is the definition of the moustache-twirling villain. His dying words are acted fairly competently, but it's the moments when he "laughs" meniacally like a cartoon villain that give me the cringe. Exhibit A: 13:40
I love when he says BASHTILLUH
@@DarkLOREDash Regarding Malak's voice work, I vacillate frequently between admiring him as a great villain (his dying words; his dialog with one of his subordinates when we see his jaws removed; etc) and chuckling with amusement and discomfort when he puts on the laughing cartoon villain act (the clip in your video, and also previously in the Leviathan when Malak reveals Revan's true identity).
The voices of the other major characters are great. I even loved Bastila from the beginning in spite of her bitchy entitlement because Jennifer Hale was so good and vocally sexy as Basitla ;) Malak, though, was a mixed bag.
11:20 I see yellow hues in Malak's eyes, why do you say that he has not Sith eyes? 😅
... and through this video I realised Malak's intent to abuse Revan as a force battery later returns in SWTOR.
I watched the video yet I don't see that Malak was outstandingly capable. Just because he is fatalistic does not mean that destiny demanded Revan's victory over him - it's a common sentiment among Jedi and Sith to believe in destiny but why the outcome of critical events shall be predetermined is never really explained, and the hazy claim of "it is said that the force has a will of its own" does not discard the idea that the will of the individuals shape their own destiny.
Revan can also harness or release the half-death Jedi, if the player so wants. I see it more like that Revan was more powerful than Malak to begin with, and that the dark side energies of the Star Forge may have increased his health bar and raw power, but that was not what was needed to defeat Revan. I am not sure what 'that' is, but it reminds me of the way how the Exile defeats two Sith Lords by playing on their weaknesses.
Malak was just Revan's little homie.
2:25 that made them a threat to those they swore to protect, in essence Malak sowed the first seed of his downfall here
4:14 that is not proof of his genius, it's proof of his folly, Revan might have become far worse given what Malak did much later after murdering the masters
7:03 more like puts queen in better position to destroy him
7:54 and fails miserably, it would have been smarter not to include this clip when trying to make us think he was this supposed genius
9:18 he didn't protect though, he destroyed
13:26 however he did, only a fool makes an enemy stronger (which battle would have done) given that he has recognized Revan was much stronger both before the betrayal and after
14:00 the full power didn't seem to help him much did it? even if Malak somehow defeated Revan do you honestly think that even if Malak used the power to eliminate the threat that he'd give it up? no, after so long being connected to the forge he would go down a destructive path proving that it's Revan not Malak that is the genius, Revan used the forge but never tied himself to it. after all that's what he did in the DS route. destroying yourself is worse than being destroyed by a threat
Oh my yet another game I have not played, hehe! how come I still think your breakdown so believable? Mandalorian, TV?
Ok, he is smart. For a disney villain
Isn't it funny that what Malak threatens to do to reven is what the sith emperor does to him in the book. I dont care for that story but it's a funny thought that it happens to Reven amyways
Malak: and in the end .. coff coff .. i have nothing.. ☠️
Fucking and re-motherfucking destiny always fucking me my favorite characters ..
MALAK TEAM 👍
To hwet your appetite
Of course he was a genious, why would Revan have kept him around in his inner circle, even making him his second in command (apprentice) if he wasn't the best one of all the friends and allies he had? And virtually all Siths more or less ended up betraying their masters in less than honorable ways. Heck, Palpatine got his master drunk and killed him in his drunken sleep.
On the top of my head i can actually on think of Darth Bane being the only master that was confronted in an "honorable" way by their apprentice.
How is this even a question.
How do you think Darth Bane would judge Sidious' ascention to master? I feel like his code did not prevent a corruption of the Sith... or really changed their ways apart from relying on secrecy, which was born out of necessity anyway
This may be blasphemy but I never played kotor 1. Only 2
It is but you got the superior of the two out the way
Malak may be a genius but Revan was better and Malak copied what his Master was doing except being so ruthless against the Republic, Revan didn't destroy the military bases because he wanted to use them later however Malak didn't care he wanted to destroy everything.
Malak is only a genius if you engage in a shit ton of retcons (like “the old republic” did) - if you take his character as the original authors intended, he’s just a brute.
He was just a better Count Dooku
I wouldn't call him a genius, he's just not the mindless brute most seem to think he is
No, malak is nothing. 😉
Malak HAS nothing.
So Darth Malack was destined to become the Frank Grimes of Star Wars. No wander Kreia hated how meaningless the Force could make everything to achieve its desires and probably foresaw Rey's poorly executed story
I believe your entire premise is specious and founded on false conclusions.
I believe your language is flowery but I am yet to see valid counter points 🤓