So you should know, I am officially addicted to BioWare's MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic. I am not just a video game fan, I am also a Star Wars nerd, though I admit not enough of a nerd to bother with the Expanded Universe, as I simply don't have access to the novels, or comic books, etc. But still, I am a fan. Today, however, I want to explore a particular element in the game, a very, very specific setting. This is a look at Kalikori Village.
Kalikori Village is a tiny village located on the planet Tython, the beginner world for the Jedi classes that most players leave behind by the time they are levels 9 to 11. In gameplay terms, the village serves as a mission hub for players levels five to nine. This is the place where you can spend Planetary Commendations, a special type of currency that can only be obtained by passing missions or killing specific enemies, on special, top notch armor that serve you well until you reach about level 13. You can also buy regular weapons and armors, some medicines, and the village serves as a central hub for the planet, as it's a crossroad between the Jedi Temple, the Flesh Raider Territory (a place with weak enemies but lots of missions) and the Ruins of Kaleth (the second to last territory on Tython, and the home of the sole mission that requires more than one person to beat in the planet).
But what concerns us is the Lore. Kalikori Village is a village of Twi'leks, a race of aliens from the planet Ryloth. The village was founded by several Twi'leks who fled Ryloth because of religious persecution, The Twi'leks petitioned the Galactic Republic to allow them to settle into the planet Tython, a beautiful world of lush greenery, tall mountains, and clean water. But the Republic refused to grant them this permission, because the planet itself was only just recently re-discovered. Tython, you see, was the birthplace of the Force Users, the people who used the Force. The planet was being used by the Jedi Order as their new Headquarters at the time, mostly because, unlike the Twi'leks, they could claim ancestry to the planet (the Jedi Order could trace its beginnings to the planet, after all). Regardless, the Twi'leks still landed on the planet and made their settlement, without the permission or the protection of the Republic.
A Twi'lek male. You can tell it's a male because female Twi'leks don't have ears, they have mounds on the side of their heads where ears would be. Males have ears, though. Image from Wookiepedia, originally uploaded by user Ruthles Xero.
However, there was a problem. Tython was not, after all, uninhabited. There was an endemic species that was just starting a civilization on the planet. These beings, that resembled hammerhead sharks on two legs, were called Flesh Raiders, and they were dangerous. The Flesh Raiders were a hunter-gatherer species that suffered no strangers, so they would attack any outsider they saw. They were not just strong, but they were smart enough to wield weaponry from out of their world, most likely gathered from their earlier victims. The Flesh Raiders didn't just attack Jedi Padawans (children and teenagers that were training to become Jedi) but also the Twi'lek pilgrims. By the time you, the player character, arrive in Kalikori Village, the settlement had already seen at least three generations of suffering by the Flesh Raider's attacks.
The Jedi Order, located literally within walking distance of the village, had not raised a finger to help these pilgrims until the Flesh Raiders started attacking Padawans that were taking their trials far from Flesh Raider territory. Literally, it wasn't their problem until it affected them directly.
(The following is taken from the Jedi Knight storyline)
The Jedi Council sought the help of the Twi'lek pilgrims once it was certain that off-worlders were training the Flesh Raiders to attack and kill Jedi Padawans. The Player Character is sent to the village in order to obtain the assistance of the pilgrims, to find out what they know about the Flesh Raiders. The Matriarch, however, is incensed at the nerve of the Jedi, who until now have ignored the pilgrims' suffering. However, an uneasy truce is formed: pilgrims help the Jedi, the Jedi help the pilgrims.
As the PC strolls around the village, you learn just how much these Twi'leks suffer under the raids of the Flesh Raiders. Children are nowhere in sight, kept safe inside homes at all times. Many lives have been lost to the Flesh Raiders, and many more will die if something isn't done.
You the player go through several missions, learning more about the Twi'leks and the Flesh Raiders. You learn that many Padawans come to the village to challenge the Trail of Kholovish, a mountain trail that leads to the home of a wise woman. You learn that some Jedi are attempting to make a connection to the village, to protect it. You learn that the Flesh Raiders are sentient, and do not see the Jedi or the pilgrims as anything more than animals to hunt. You learn that many of the Twi'lek pilgrims will refuse any peace with the Flesh Raiders because they have lost too many loved ones to said horde. And of course, you learn just how vastly outgunned and outnumbered the pilgrims are in comparison to the Flesh Raiders. For better or worse, these people are screwed, and it's not a question of who will beat who, it's a question of how much longer can the Twi'leks last until the Flesh Raiders attack Kalikori and wipe out the whole village. For all intents and purposes, the Jedi are THE deciding factor in the village's survival, and until too recently, they seemed uninterested. Even during the player's quest, the Jedi are slow to provide any help.
During one of the more shocking turn of events in the game, the pilgrims betray one of the Jedi, selling him out to the one who was training the Flesh Raiders to attack Padawans. Reason they did it? So the PC could be the protector of Kalikori. This action is treated as a betrayal, and in all honesty that's exactly what it is. The Jedi that got sold out, Orgus Din, was a very respected member of the Jedi Council, and was one of only three Jedi who was ever seen in the village, and that's counting the PC. The player rescues Orgus, and can decide of the Twi'leks should be forced to leave the planet, or be offered the protection of the Jedi.
Now let's see things from both perspectives. On one hand, you have a people who are suffering attacks from a savage tribe of unreasonable brutes. On the other hand, the planet they've chosen to settle on was off limits, and their settlement is illegal. To put it into perspective, these Twi'leks settled on a planet that was re discovered barely a few decades ago. Their village is literally the ONLY village in the entire planet, as the Jedi live in their Temple. The Flesh Raiders themselves are barbaric, communicating in grunts, giving one the impression that they are mere animals. But they aren't, they are fully sentient, and for all intents and purposes, the Twi'leks and the Jedi are the ones trespassing on their planet. Furthermore, one particular Flesh Raider demonstrates a very, very limited ability to speak the language used by the Jedi (called Basic, but we know it as English); it knows three words: Jedi, rock, and hunt.
The Jedi have no legal obligation to Kalikori, but do they have a moral obligation to protect them? Jedi Code demands that Jedi protect the weak, but the Jedi are also protectors of the Republic. The Republic has the right to tell the Jedi what to do, and if the Republic tells the Jedi to abandon the pilgrims, they would obey. An optimist would disregard the legal obligation Jedi have to the Republic and help the Twi'leks, who are in dire need of it. A cynic and a realist would disregard such naivete and see the pilgrims as lawbreakers who are paying the price for defying the government and settled into unknown territory in complete disregard for safety, all in the name of religious freedom.
Kalikori Village brings to video games a strong debate currently taking place on many countries here on Earth: Illegal Immigration. The game provides both sides of the argument: the humane side that wants you to see the immigrants as people with needs, and the legal side that wants you to see the illegals as trespassers who have no business being there. Which side is right? Which side is wrong? The game provides no clear cut, definitive answers.
The topic of immigration is a hot button issue on many, many countries, and it doesn't seem like either side will be seeing eye to eye soon. On one hand, we can not disregard human life so callously that we think we can just uproot people from the lives they are trying to build and then toss them back to the life they tried to leave. But on the other hand, we can not simply toss out the law and allow anyone to just plop in wherever they want, whenever they want. The law has to be upheld. But what worth do laws have in comparison to human lives?
These are the questions that Kalikori Village asks the player, because the game isn't going to be giving anyone any answers. That's the reason why it's up to the player to decide what happens to the Twi'leks: do they stay or will they be made to leave? It's up to you. The player is not rewarded for choosing one option, nor are they punished for choosing the other. If this were a case of right or wrong, there would be punishment and reward. The fact that there isn't makes it clear that this is no case of right or wrong, black or white morality. It IS a Light Side vs Dark Side issue, but in this game, Light Side doesn't always equal good, just as Dark Side doesn't always equal evil.
And that's what the topic of illegal immigration boils down to in the real world, as well: there's no clear cut answer, no right or wrong. Take the United States of America, for example, or the Commonwealth of Australia, two countries that have very, very vocal opponents of illegal immigration. Were these two countries not built by invaders who displaced local populations, murdered millions to steal land? Are these two countries in any moral position to criticize people who sneak past border patrols and fences to build a better life for themselves? But are the people who live there NOW the ones who did the killing, or are they just people who are trying to eke out a living too?
In the end, we are all people, and in a better world there'd be no debate on illegal immigration, because there'd be no illegal immigration. People could go anywhere they'd like, free to build a life anywhere they'd want. But this isn't a free world, and this isn't that better world we'd all want. In a perfect world we wouldn't be talking about illegal immigrants, we'd be talking about people who want a better life. But this isn't that world, and like it or not, we have rules. Many of our rules yet seem unjust, and some of them truly are. And the simple fact of the matter is that not all illegal immigrants are just unlucky sods who have no documents but will try to cross harsh environs in order to provide for their families; sometimes illegal immigrants are troublemakers with no regard to the law. Some people are entitled assholes who think they should be given everything on a silver platter, but others are perfectly willing and grateful to spend seven hours straight of back breaking labor for five dollars an hour because those 35 dollars can help pay for food for the family.
In the game, I always choose to protect Kalikori Village, because that's what I believe in. I believe in helping people, protecting the weak, helping the disadvantaged. I believe in that, in helping others, not because I'd want them to do the same for me, but because I can not simply ignore them. This is why Kalikori strikes me so much, because in a strange way it really speaks to my Real World passions, and asks me: will you help those that have unknowingly placed themselves in danger? Will you sacrifice for those that willingly stay in a dangerous area because they have learned to call it home? Will you ignore the people that need you because your commanding officers told you to? What will you do?
What would YOU do?
(The following is taken from the Jedi Knight storyline)
The Jedi Council sought the help of the Twi'lek pilgrims once it was certain that off-worlders were training the Flesh Raiders to attack and kill Jedi Padawans. The Player Character is sent to the village in order to obtain the assistance of the pilgrims, to find out what they know about the Flesh Raiders. The Matriarch, however, is incensed at the nerve of the Jedi, who until now have ignored the pilgrims' suffering. However, an uneasy truce is formed: pilgrims help the Jedi, the Jedi help the pilgrims.
As the PC strolls around the village, you learn just how much these Twi'leks suffer under the raids of the Flesh Raiders. Children are nowhere in sight, kept safe inside homes at all times. Many lives have been lost to the Flesh Raiders, and many more will die if something isn't done.
You the player go through several missions, learning more about the Twi'leks and the Flesh Raiders. You learn that many Padawans come to the village to challenge the Trail of Kholovish, a mountain trail that leads to the home of a wise woman. You learn that some Jedi are attempting to make a connection to the village, to protect it. You learn that the Flesh Raiders are sentient, and do not see the Jedi or the pilgrims as anything more than animals to hunt. You learn that many of the Twi'lek pilgrims will refuse any peace with the Flesh Raiders because they have lost too many loved ones to said horde. And of course, you learn just how vastly outgunned and outnumbered the pilgrims are in comparison to the Flesh Raiders. For better or worse, these people are screwed, and it's not a question of who will beat who, it's a question of how much longer can the Twi'leks last until the Flesh Raiders attack Kalikori and wipe out the whole village. For all intents and purposes, the Jedi are THE deciding factor in the village's survival, and until too recently, they seemed uninterested. Even during the player's quest, the Jedi are slow to provide any help.
During one of the more shocking turn of events in the game, the pilgrims betray one of the Jedi, selling him out to the one who was training the Flesh Raiders to attack Padawans. Reason they did it? So the PC could be the protector of Kalikori. This action is treated as a betrayal, and in all honesty that's exactly what it is. The Jedi that got sold out, Orgus Din, was a very respected member of the Jedi Council, and was one of only three Jedi who was ever seen in the village, and that's counting the PC. The player rescues Orgus, and can decide of the Twi'leks should be forced to leave the planet, or be offered the protection of the Jedi.
Now let's see things from both perspectives. On one hand, you have a people who are suffering attacks from a savage tribe of unreasonable brutes. On the other hand, the planet they've chosen to settle on was off limits, and their settlement is illegal. To put it into perspective, these Twi'leks settled on a planet that was re discovered barely a few decades ago. Their village is literally the ONLY village in the entire planet, as the Jedi live in their Temple. The Flesh Raiders themselves are barbaric, communicating in grunts, giving one the impression that they are mere animals. But they aren't, they are fully sentient, and for all intents and purposes, the Twi'leks and the Jedi are the ones trespassing on their planet. Furthermore, one particular Flesh Raider demonstrates a very, very limited ability to speak the language used by the Jedi (called Basic, but we know it as English); it knows three words: Jedi, rock, and hunt.
The Jedi have no legal obligation to Kalikori, but do they have a moral obligation to protect them? Jedi Code demands that Jedi protect the weak, but the Jedi are also protectors of the Republic. The Republic has the right to tell the Jedi what to do, and if the Republic tells the Jedi to abandon the pilgrims, they would obey. An optimist would disregard the legal obligation Jedi have to the Republic and help the Twi'leks, who are in dire need of it. A cynic and a realist would disregard such naivete and see the pilgrims as lawbreakers who are paying the price for defying the government and settled into unknown territory in complete disregard for safety, all in the name of religious freedom.
Kalikori Village brings to video games a strong debate currently taking place on many countries here on Earth: Illegal Immigration. The game provides both sides of the argument: the humane side that wants you to see the immigrants as people with needs, and the legal side that wants you to see the illegals as trespassers who have no business being there. Which side is right? Which side is wrong? The game provides no clear cut, definitive answers.
The topic of immigration is a hot button issue on many, many countries, and it doesn't seem like either side will be seeing eye to eye soon. On one hand, we can not disregard human life so callously that we think we can just uproot people from the lives they are trying to build and then toss them back to the life they tried to leave. But on the other hand, we can not simply toss out the law and allow anyone to just plop in wherever they want, whenever they want. The law has to be upheld. But what worth do laws have in comparison to human lives?
These are the questions that Kalikori Village asks the player, because the game isn't going to be giving anyone any answers. That's the reason why it's up to the player to decide what happens to the Twi'leks: do they stay or will they be made to leave? It's up to you. The player is not rewarded for choosing one option, nor are they punished for choosing the other. If this were a case of right or wrong, there would be punishment and reward. The fact that there isn't makes it clear that this is no case of right or wrong, black or white morality. It IS a Light Side vs Dark Side issue, but in this game, Light Side doesn't always equal good, just as Dark Side doesn't always equal evil.
And that's what the topic of illegal immigration boils down to in the real world, as well: there's no clear cut answer, no right or wrong. Take the United States of America, for example, or the Commonwealth of Australia, two countries that have very, very vocal opponents of illegal immigration. Were these two countries not built by invaders who displaced local populations, murdered millions to steal land? Are these two countries in any moral position to criticize people who sneak past border patrols and fences to build a better life for themselves? But are the people who live there NOW the ones who did the killing, or are they just people who are trying to eke out a living too?
In the end, we are all people, and in a better world there'd be no debate on illegal immigration, because there'd be no illegal immigration. People could go anywhere they'd like, free to build a life anywhere they'd want. But this isn't a free world, and this isn't that better world we'd all want. In a perfect world we wouldn't be talking about illegal immigrants, we'd be talking about people who want a better life. But this isn't that world, and like it or not, we have rules. Many of our rules yet seem unjust, and some of them truly are. And the simple fact of the matter is that not all illegal immigrants are just unlucky sods who have no documents but will try to cross harsh environs in order to provide for their families; sometimes illegal immigrants are troublemakers with no regard to the law. Some people are entitled assholes who think they should be given everything on a silver platter, but others are perfectly willing and grateful to spend seven hours straight of back breaking labor for five dollars an hour because those 35 dollars can help pay for food for the family.
In the game, I always choose to protect Kalikori Village, because that's what I believe in. I believe in helping people, protecting the weak, helping the disadvantaged. I believe in that, in helping others, not because I'd want them to do the same for me, but because I can not simply ignore them. This is why Kalikori strikes me so much, because in a strange way it really speaks to my Real World passions, and asks me: will you help those that have unknowingly placed themselves in danger? Will you sacrifice for those that willingly stay in a dangerous area because they have learned to call it home? Will you ignore the people that need you because your commanding officers told you to? What will you do?
What would YOU do?
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