The latest episode of Star Wars Rebels provides serious evidence that the beloved Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic RPGs are once again considered canon.
The Star Wars universe and its video game projects have always been fickle partners. The success of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic saw fans of the franchise flock to the RPG's deep, lore-rich narrative and compelling gameplay, and the end result was a lot of gamers hoping that characters like Darth Revan would eventually make the silver screen. What's happened instead was a public acknowledgement from Disney that BioWare's universe was not actually Star Wars canon, and that, as far as the films were concerned, the Mandalorian Wars never actually happened.
While that decision has done little to hurt the developer's relationship with Lucasfilm and Disney - the team at BioWare wants to make another Knights of the Old Republic, after all - it has left fans of the games a little sour. Luckily for devotees of Revan and the Mandalorian Wars everywhere, however, the latest episode of Star Wars Rebels just kicked open the door for the entirety of Knights of the Old Republic's history to be re-added to the Star Wars universe. Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus says this to another character:
"History lesson: the Jedi won the war with Mandalore."
It might not seem like much to go on, but Jarrus' remark is actually a huge deal for fans of Knights of the Old Republic. It's a nod toward the conflict that much of Knights of the Old Republic's story revolves around, and, given Revan's presence in the Mandalorian Wars, is an acknowledgement of his existence within canon as well. Disney certainly hasn't confirmed that Revan will be a major presence in any multimedia projects going forward, but it's the flicker of hope that fans have been waiting for for years.
The quote is also a sign that Disney could be reconsidering its stance on the various Expanded Universe projects as canon. It's possible that the multimedia giant noticed the passion Star Wars fans had for BioWare and Obsidian's RPGs, most recently brought back into the spotlight by a massive fan under-taking to remaster Knights of the Old Republic. That kind of dedication from gamers can be hard to ignore, even for a company as all-encompassing as Disney.
Time will tell just how far Disney is willing to go in embracing the Expanded Universe, now Legends, projects that it had previously shunned, but the acknowledgement of the Mandalorian Wars is promising. It might only be a few more years before gamers and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic fans are treated to a new film or television series that stars Darth Revan and the war against Mandalore - or it might never happen. We know which one we would prefer, though.