#c2-d4

Transcript:

C2-D4: ...Would you like some refreshments? We have several fine beverages available!

[Long, irritated, awkward pause]

Satele Shan: ...No thank you. I'm fine.

Theron Shan: Alright. Off to a good start...

Sam Libbak: What's with all the sour faces? Did somebody start a war or something?

Theron Shan: Not. Helping.

Continuing on my replay of SoR with my latest smug...

Part I here

So, it’s been awhile since Tython and Korriban.  Originally, in game, T3-G2 reaches out to the player to send them to Manaan.  Alas and alack, 7.0 killed the breadcrumb quest, so now you just get a direct “go to Manaan” pass from Fleet.  I have the video saved on a previous smug playthough and the text commemorated in my fic series. 

I recently played KOTOR, and the music on Manaan comes from that game; the game map is a clear tribute too.  It’s more pronounced here than it was on Taris.  I can see why people were getting super hyped for Shadow of Revan to drop, with all of these references and planets to revisit. 

Once the player arrives on Manaan, Theron talks about his favorite thing: intel (like father, like son).  Or, in this case, why he does not have intel:  Darok isn’t sharing with SIS as promised.  This goes beyond SpecForce tensions with SIS however.

Even as Theron is dealing with the potential traitors in SpecForce, we also have some potential zany activities going on.  Although Eva is seeing credits as they speak about infiltrating a lab (hello, kolto!), there’s also a few ghosts coming back from the dead: namely, Rakata technology.

If one played the planetary quests on Tatooine and on Belsavis Pubside or Impside, they encountered the remnants of world-ending machines and/or prisons built by the Rakata.  Now, Darok and Arkous seem to moving this stuff around for unknown reasons.  Nice and creepy. 

At the end of the briefing, Theron mentions meeting a contact and seeing if the information she has is worth the hype.

Eva disapproves.

“She?” could convey surprise, but what’s so weird about a female contact?  Do only men play spy games in the Old Republic?  We know that not to be the case based upon planetary missions for SIS Pubside.  Maybe “she?” is meant to represent the player wanting to know who this person is.

Me personally,  I interpret this as sort of a hard push by developers for the Theron romance; this could be read as jealousy.  And indeed, the developers did push both the Theron romance and the Lana romance throughout Forged Alliances and SoR, especially in the finale of Rishi.  (Are you sure you REALLY want to go to Yavin NOW instead of talking to a SPY?!)  There are some opportunities to play on the rivalry and/or potential for a love triangle.

While poking around the scientific horror show (and stealing kolto), Eva runs into Jakarro.  This leads to one of the better comedic set-ups in the game:

Theron:  Their story checks out (....)  Charges against them both for smuggling, disorderly conduct, assault...

Eva:  Even the droid?

Theron:  Yeah, why do you ask?

(screenshot out of order...but you see the ‘problem’ with C2-D4 being charged with assault....)

The gag here is somewhat representative of the stronger writing on Pubside Forged Alliances and SoR, honestly.  The Imperial side has no parallel to this interaction.  Throughout Forged Alliances and SoR, Impside, there are more plotholes and less neat incorporation of prior content -- and more ‘forced’ funny bits rather than the well-played visual gag here. 

Honestly, the writing in Forged Alliances/SOR for the Republic feels like compensation for the Dreadmasters and Oricon.  In that case, the Pub sort of just gets plopped into Oricon, while the entire planetary plotline of Belsavis for the Empire was dedicated to the set-up.  “Here, it’s your turn for crappy writing,” essentially.  Although the Empire has more breadcrumb planets that lead up to this point (Dromund Kaas for the Revanites, Nar Shaddaa for the Starforge, as well as Tatooine and Belsavis for the Rakata tech), it’s nowhere near as well-integrated and well-written out as the Republic’s end of the content; the Republic side clearly conveys the danger of the Revanites, Revan, and even the Emperor -- it makes the player feel how important this operation is.  I did not feel that sense of urgency as I played through on my Impside character.  It just felt ‘lighter’ and less serious/significant.  

We also encounter Lana Beniko, an exceedingly polite Sith Lord.  What’s interesting here is how the writers handle Jakarro and the player’s opposing faction operative.  If you play Pubside, it’s implied that Lana and Jakarro & D4 team up while Theron continues to be your handler.  If you are Imperial, Jakarro & D4 and Theron become bros while you and Lana remain a team.  This results in different dialogue and some different dynamics throughout SoR.  Still, the five of you are fighting for the same cause, and Lana, as ever, is pragmatic:

oh I forgot how much fun it was to flirt with Theron Shan as an Imperial (and an Imperial Intelligence agent at that).

Imperial Agent: So coy. I think someone in the SIS has a crush on me... Theron Shan: What, me? Into you? That's so...You know, don't be ridiculous. C2-D4: If I may say, Agent Shan, you appear to be rather flush all of a sudden. Theron Shan: We're gonna...Jakarro and I and the droid, we're leaving now so that you can have your...official Imperial debrief or whatever.

L’assiter brings the squad.

julie farkas (fn:v) and kira carsen (swtor) share a va

doctor 0 (fn:v owb) and c2-d4 (swtor sor) share a va as well