Star Wars Outlaws Makes a Case for a Game About a Period…

Even with the Legends material removed, the Star Wars timeline is absurdly expansive, encompassing over 25,000 years of in-universe history. Slowly but surely, Disney is trying to fill out as much of that timeline as possible, with some recent projects covering the High Republic era, the New Republic period, and a ton of recent media covering the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. But the original trilogy's Galactic Civil War hasn't been forgotten about either, with last year's Star Wars Outlaws being set right in the middle of it.

Star Wars Outlaws may have received a mixed reception upon its initial launch due to its shaky stealth systems, AI issues, and some other core gameplay critiques, but that doesn't mean it was devoid of any good qualities. Star Wars Outlaws' setting was one of its biggest strengths, with it taking place in a time period that's rarely seen in mainstream Star Wars media. And there's one core aspect of Star Wars Outlaws' setting that should inspire a new Star Wars game set about 25 years earlier.

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By Josh Cotts

Star Wars Outlaws' Setting Should Inspire One Game Set During The Prequels

Star Wars Outlaws Explores a Lesser-Seen Period of Galactic Unrest

Star Wars Outlaws takes place in 3 ABY (After the Battle of Yavin), putting it between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. The Rebel Alliance destroyed the Death Star a few years ago, the Empire took revenge by decimating the Rebel forces on Hoth, and now the Empire is actively hunting down any whiff of insubordination and wiping it from the galaxy immediately. The Empire's grip on the galaxy has never been stronger, and tensions have never been higher.

But amid the chaos, the galaxy's criminal underworld is thriving. With the Empire's attention turned elsewhere, and its forces spread thin, syndicates like the Hutts and the Pykes are able to conduct their criminal activities more brazenly than ever before. And this is where Star Wars Outlaws drops players, into the heart of this fast-growing den of thieves, smugglers, and killers. This period is rarely seen in mainstream Star Wars media, and the unique focus on the criminal underworld gives Star Wars Outlaws some stand-out moments.

Star Wars Should Explore Another Lesser-Seen Period of Growing Tension

Once derided by the entire fan-base, the Star Wars prequels have become much more tolerable in recent years, though that's mostly due to the great expanded media around them. The animated Clone Wars show covered essentially the entire conflict between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, but there have been few canon projects that have explored the period before.

There's a 10-year stretch between The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, and this lesser-seen period could be a great setting for a game like Star Wars Outlaws. During this time, tensions around the Republic's rule begin to grow in the galaxy. Two years before Attack of the Clones' events, Count Dooku establishes the Confederacy of Independent Systems and thousands of planets decide to leave the Republic, thus dividing the galaxy in two.

Though a fully-fledged war doesn't break out until the events of Attack of the Clones, there's still a lot of violence and insurgency. This growing tension would be a great backdrop for a Star Wars video game. Players could take on the role of a Jedi sent to help a planet far away from the Inner Rim, where they see first-hand how hated the Republic and Jedi have become. Or, more directly inspired by Outlaws, they could take on the role of a bounty hunter or smuggler who's profiting from the galaxy's sudden uncertainty.

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