Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic was a massive hit for BioWare in 2003. Between the magic touch of a team who produced three D20-based console RPGs before KOTOR and the allure of an untouched time in the Star Wars universe, the charm of the game was irresistible.

Yet, when the opportunity for a sequel arose, BioWare passed, opting instead to go in a new direction with an original IP fans now know as Mass Effect. The studio did rejoin the fold with 2011’s The Old Republic, but the debate about a third KOTOR entry still rages on as strong as ever.

10 It Should Happen: Return Of BioWare

While Obsidian Entertainment’s Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords was a fine sequel, BioWare’s experience in making RPGs still makes them the premier choice for the genre.

While Star Wars MMORPG The Old Republic is a fun game in its own right, it did very little to scratch the itch for that tactical D20 combat system. Looking at the success of Neverwinter Nights, Baldur’s Gate and the Dragon Age franchise, there is a clear lane for BioWare to step right back into their old position and reclaim their spot in Star Wars fans’ hearts.

9 Leave It Behind: The Old Republic Replaced KOTOR III

The Old Republic takes place three hundred years after KOTOR I & II’s events. Many of the questions that players had about the fate of their favorite characters are answered by way of context inside the MMORPG.

Whether it be the fate of Bastila Shan or what exactly Revan was up to after his journey to the Unknown Regions, many of the games’ lingering questions find complete answers in their successor. There might not be enough story left untold for a third game, which would put BioWare in a risky situation if they were to move forward.

8 It Should Happen: KOTOR III Could Release Alongside an Old Republic Movie

In 2019, it was announced that Altered Carbon creator Laeta Kalogridis had been hired to write a script for a Knights of the Old Republic film adaptation. While there hasn’t been much in the way of news about that project since then, it is possible that the two could be released side-by-side in the future.

Creating a completely connected experience could be the right approach for Star Wars moving forward. For years fans have wondered if all of the books, video games, TV shows, and movies from a galaxy far, far away would ever line up and create a coherent storyline (one that rewards dedicated supporters for consuming it all), and this could be a great step in the right direction for a franchise that has struggled with canonization in the past.

7 Leave It Behind: The High Republic Publishing Initiative

Beginning in January 2021, Star Wars will be entering into another unexplored part of the timeline dubbed The High Republic. Consisting of comics and novels for all ages, this story will take place roughly two hundred years prior to the events of The Phantom Menace and include brand new characters and stories for the fans to latch onto.

While this might not sound like a bad thing, it would be all too easy for casual fans not to understand the difference between the two time periods and get lost in the massive storm of incoming content. Phase One of The High Republic is already set to dominate the Star Wars publishing schedule in the first half of 2021, indicating a large-scale, dedicated effort that may extinguish any hope for KOTOR content to survive in the meantime.

6 It Should Happen: LucasFilm Killed a Fan-Lead Revival of KOTOR

Project Apeiron was a remake mod for the original game, built by Poem Studios, that could have brought new life to the title. However, the team was issued a cease and desist from Lucasfilm/Disney in October of 2018 and was forced to delete all of their relevant assets and scrap the project.

This was a tough blow for fans of the originals, as well as new players excited about the prospect of checking out a classic series but in an upgraded format. However, this could indicate that the Star Wars team is still interested in returning to KOTOR in the future and needed to ice Project Apeiron so as to not be beaten to the punch in churning some form of new content.

5 Leave It Behind: Moving Forward Is More Interesting

Star Wars is in an evolution period. The sequel trilogy pushed the franchise into the future, opening up a whole new space of opportunity. However, there is a distinct lack of content taking place in this new era.

Now that the Skywalker saga has come to a close, it may be time for Star Wars to embrace the future and move further down the line instead of traveling backward and filling in the gaps. A trilogy of future-based games could recreate the spark that has kept KOTOR alive after all this time.

4 It Should Happen: Controlling The Star Wars Canon Is Easier Now

For a long time, Star Wars had an information overload problem. More than thirty years of movies, books, comics, and holiday specials had been produced prior to Disney buying the property from George Lucas.

Now, eight years after that buyout, it is easier to tell what is considered canon in Star Wars. A team of experts inside of LucasFilm, known as the Story Group, vets all of the new content and ensures that it all makes sense. Pieces of KOTOR have made their way back into the canon already, including easter eggs in Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker, and the new season of The Mandalorian.

3 Leave It Behind: The Games Industry Has Changed Drastically

Over the last twenty years, the idea of what a video game should be has been stretched, chewed on and abstractly put back together. Few franchises have managed to keep their games entirely single-player, with most AAA titles placing a heavy focus on online multiplayer. While Star Wars does have Jedi: Fallen Order on that single-player success list, there are also two Star Wars: Battlefront games and the detail-packed Star Wars: Squadrons, which were heavily multiplayer-focused.

There is a serious worry for BioWare and LucasFilm that only dedicated fans would give KOTOR III a chance. The game already operates with a combat system that is unfamiliar to casual gamers, and a third entry could alienate younger fans or those who missed out on the first two games.

2 It Should Happen: A Beloved Game Getting An Overdue Sequel Is A Great Fan Story

In recent times, games that were long thought dead have managed to come back to thunderous applause. Looking at the forthcoming Psychonauts 2, Beyond: Good and Evil 2, Skate 4, and this year’s Half-Life: Alyx, the revival of lost games has a clear track record of getting people excited.

While BioWare would still have to deliver a solid game for it to be worth it, the announcement of a third KOTOR installment would set the Internet on fire for a day, and that amount of attention is as good as gold in today’s market.

1 Leave It Behind: Reboot The Series Entirely

While BioWare is still a juggernaut in the gaming industry, it might be time for them to let go of their beloved Star Wars connection. If the studio wants to focus on another sequel to Mass Effect or a future Dragon Age title, then maybe it’s best for a studio with less entanglement to take up the mantle and deliver a fresh product as they did with KOTOR 2.

The game that resulted would not have the expectations of the whole series on its back and would retain the freedom to retell the story under the watch of Disney and their new expectations for Star Wars. Equipped with the right writers and producers, this might be the safest future for the series as a whole.

NEXT: Five Reasons There Should Be A Third KOTOR (& 5 Reasons The Originals Should Be Remade