Knights of the Old Republic EP34: Robot Photobomb

By Shamus Posted Wednesday Dec 2, 2015

Filed under: Spoiler Warning 61 comments


Link (YouTube)

Heads up: I felt awful while we recorded this block of episodes. I’d encountered some Kryptonite earlier that day, and as a result I was short on sleep, short on oxygen, and zonked out of my mind on Diphenhydramine. Then halfway into the show, Mumbles lagged out. This left me and Chris – who hasn’t played this part of the game – to cover the show, and I just wasn’t up for it.

So these episodes are probably short on commentary and long on nonsense. I’m assuming, anyway. I just watched the above episode, and I don’t remember most of it.

So, uh… enjoy?

 


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61 thoughts on “Knights of the Old Republic EP34: Robot Photobomb

  1. 4th Dimension says:

    Manan is threatening to destroy the Kolto producing regions if Empire and the Republic don’t back off. And it’s a rejuvenating material that can extend lifespan (by you not dying from injuries).
    Huh so we have a magical medicine only available on this one planet, a one biome planet, only thing lacking is a Kwisatz Haderach and fanatical Selkath wariors and we have a space Dune as a sea.

    Well not really but the threat to Kolto did remind me of Paul’s threat at the end of Dune.

    1. Ninety-Three says:

      I forget what part of the EU this comes from, but if you acquire a truly massive quantity of Kolto, it can extend your lifespan in the regular old “you stop aging” sense, so the parallel is even better.

    2. Alexander The 1st says:

      So what you’re saying is we should mash the two planets together to get a nice planet with good weather.

      1. 4th Dimension says:

        I know this is nitpicking but actually in lore Dune used to be a nice wet planet a la Earth. Introduction of sand trout into it’s ecosystem destroyed it since sand trouts are unbelievably good at capturing any moisture and water.
        In fact in later books one of the problems that occurs is that the ecologicall process started by Paul with the goal of turning Dune into a green paradise endangers the spice production since water is poisonous to worms.

        1. djw says:

          It wasn’t so much an environmental problem as an intentional plan by Paul’s son to tighten his grip on empire by eliminating competition with his spice stockpile. (Sort of like Lex Luthor buying up land in northern Canada and then making sure that global warming happens).

          1. Ninety-Three says:

            Or buying up land in the California desert, then making it into beachfront property by sinking the rest of California in a massive earthquake, which Luthor actually tried to do.

            1. djw says:

              That would have been a much better example. Sadly my mind is too mired in current events to remember a real plot example from my childhood.

    3. djw says:

      I’m pretty sure that Frank Herbert accused George Lucas of copying Dune with Star Wars… So a little more copying can’t hurt.

  2. Daemian Lucifer says:

    So Mumbles thinks that winnie the pooh is the joker.

    1. MichaelGC says:

      I don’t know if I like that or hate it but it’s vehemently one or the other! :D

    2. AileTheAlien says:

      But…isn’t Piglet a boy? :P

      1. Steve C says:

        Apparently Winnie the Pooh is a girl. I’m not even joking.

        1. krellen says:

          Winnie is a girl’s name (short for Winifred).

          1. AileTheAlien says:

            Actually, it’s short for Winnipeg, although she was indeed a female black bear. Pooh, however, was a rename of Edward Bear, which was what Christopher Robin’s bear was originally called. :P

            1. Joe Informatico says:

              Learn the whole story from this 60-second short film most Canadians of my generation remember from television!

    3. Ledel says:

      Well, they both are super cuddly.

  3. Daemian Lucifer says:

    Now I wonder what Chris does with his googles,because “bryce 3d” image search with no safety for me only gave me 3 nude women(one with nude buttocks two with nude breasts)on the first 5 pages(couldnt be bothered to search further).

    “football jetpack dental floss” on the other hand….Dear god!Shamus,you pervert,I will never forgive you for exposing me to that!

    1. Wide And Nerdy says:

      There is eventually a nude. I doubt its anything anyone of any sexual persuasion would want to see, which is why I’m posting it.

      http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lgrW49F8ZWA/T_73O9StYrI/AAAAAAAAAYY/2e7N9nF77d8/s1600/bm-image-799052.jpeg

      1. djw says:

        Ugh. I’ll never be able to unsee that.

    2. Sleeping Dragon says:

      “Imagine poser porn with landscape generator…”

      She has huge… tracts of land…

  4. Piflik says:

    When you mentioned Jolee’s Old Fart charade, I was reminded of this

  5. Daemian Lucifer says:

    Demand a trial by combat!(I was sooo tempted to link the mountain vs viper clip,but that wouldve been cruel)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFROZkA-EWg

  6. Wide And Nerdy says:

    I’ve never been able to hear the name Manaan without thinking of the Muppets sketch. Though I originally knew it as Roflmao

    1. Daemian Lucifer says:

      Manaan manaan

      Tatoo-tooine

      Manaan manaan

      Tatoo-tooine

    2. MichaelGC says:

      Is that Rutskarn’s avatar dancing in the middle, there?

    3. Joe Informatico says:

      The innocence of the Muppets sketch was kind of ruined for me when I learned that song’s lurid origins.

    4. Jason-L says:

      I suspect its a riff on Manannan, Irish sea god and all.

  7. Alex says:

    I haven’t finished the episode yet, so this may be redundant, but I find that the Selkath design and voices seem like an early, organic Geth. The voice is pretty similar to their static-y noise, and the forward mouth looks a lot like the Geth’s eye stalk.

    1. Gruhunchously says:

      There’s a lot of proto-Mass Effect stuff in this games aesthetic, especially on Manaan, and later, the Star Forge. Also holograms, droid designs, armor shapes, and crispy clean sci-fi bases. And elevators, though in this game you don’t actually have to ride them; they just trigger a loading screen.

      1. Alex says:

        Oh, yeah, I knew. I was just listing another example. It’s actually a bit of a fun game to play. It’s made going through Jade Empire quite interesting.

  8. SlothfulCobra says:

    There’s a headgear slot in the game because most RPGs normally have one. All the equipment for that slot sucks because Bioware had no idea what to give you for it. Normal helmets would require a lot of work to get around the fact that Mission’s head-tails and the other characters’ hairstyles would get in the way, so there’s only visors, masks, earmuffs, and that one chin thing.

    The earmuffs are way less obnoxious than the rest of the headgear, Josh just is just avoiding them because that’s what he does.

  9. Gruhunchously says:

    Sorry…
    “Ask your diplomatic envoy if he’ll help us find the ancient Star Map.”

    “Alright, but I don’t think he’ll be very keen. He’s already got one, you see.”

    “What!?”

    “Yes, we use it as a center-piece for the lobby. It’s very nice”

    “May we see it?”

    “Certainly not! You are Jedi types!”

    “But who are you?”

    “I’m Yuuzhan Vong! Why else do you think I have this outrageous organic technology at my disposal, you silly Jedi!”

    “What are you doing in this galaxy?”

    “Mind your own business!”

    1. Alex says:

      “Fetchez la Zonama Sekot!”

  10. CrimsonWool says:

    Speaking of characters who sound like other characters, is it just me or does the Sith Officer sound exactly like Liquid Snake?

    1. GloatingSwine says:

      He is. Cam Clarke is one of those voice actors who turns up everywhere.

      1. Grudgeal says:

        HE’S YOUR SHADOW!

  11. Ledel says:

    Shamus, the real reason the fish-people of Manaan don’t wear hats is because they’ve seen what is available and realized that all of the headgear looks ridiculous. Who in their right mind would wear such silly stuff?

  12. Lachlan the Mad says:

    I hate Manaaan SO FREAKING MUCH. “Let’s design a planet made mostly out of ridiculously huge long corridors with nothing in them, and let’s make it so that there is a sequence of three core rooms which are all exactly identical to each other so it’s really easy to get lost, and let’s fill the entire thing with loading screens and baffle walls!”

    1. Lachlan the Mad says:

      Also, I haaaate the Selkath voices, and they never freaking shut up.

    2. Alexander The 1st says:

      At least it isn’t the Star Forge.

      Or the time you charge in after Malak.

  13. Ledel says:

    Even despite the underwater section, Manaan my favorite planet. It feels like it gives you the most versatility to roleplay and fight for what side you want to win the war. It also calls you out on what you do, and has you explain your actions. More than getting HK or Jolee, more than learning the history of the starforge, more than learning about the Sith and their stories, I like Manaan.

    It has one weak section that everyone seems to rag on, but that could be said about every planet you visit. I think that the rest of what the planet has to offer is strong enough to outweigh the bit of bad it has.

  14. John says:

    As with so many things in this game, Sunry’s trial is lifted from a similar trial in Neverwinter Nights. In that game, you act as defense attorney for a barbarian accused of murder after a dispute over a game of cards. Well, you can. You don’t really have to if you don’t want to. It’s a sidequest and has no bearing at all on the main plot. The Sunry trial in this game is a lot harder to avoid if you pick up Jolee before you go to Manaan. Even if you don’t take Jolee with you, you will still run into Elora and she will somehow know that Jolee is around. So, whether you wanted it or not there will be an entry in your quest journal.

    1. Supahewok says:

      It might be the other way around. If I recall correctly, NWN wasn’t originally meant to have a single-player campaign, which is why it’s so lackluster; it was a late development. NWN released in July 2002, and began development in ’97; KotoR released in July 2003, and had started production sometime in 2000. If NWN worked on it’s campaign late in the process, it would’ve been at the tail end, or right after, KotoR’s preproduction and concept stage. I think it’s more likely that the NWN team cribbed from the KotoR design notes, rather than the other way around, in order to fast-track their design.

      That all assumes that my memory of NWN’s campaign being a last minute feature is correct. I can’t find any corroboratory links after a cursory search, and I honestly don’t care enough to spend more time on attempting to do so.

      1. John says:

        Huh. I did not know any of that.

        I’m having a bit of a hard time believing that the single-player campaign for Neverwinter Nights was a last-minute addition, though. I mean, the content may not be the best but there’s so much of it! I’ve said this before, but Neverwinter Nights really is about three Knights of the Old Republics stacked one on top of the other.

        1. Keeshhound says:

          The prepackaged campaign was probably planned from the beginning , but it was almost certainly meant as a way for Bioware to show off all of the new engine’s features rather than as a serious game story.

          1. John says:

            That’s what I’ve heard and it’s quite plausible.

            The thing about Neverwinter Nights single-player campaign is that because it’s so story-light I can easily imagine that there were many designers working simultaneously and largely independently on their individual zones or areas. So much of game design seems to be serial but Bioware found a way to go parallel.

            1. Supahewok says:

              The question was bothering me, so I did some digging. Turns out that Bioware was originally developing the game for Interplay, not Atari, and the transition to a new publisher was NOT amicable. Bioware sued Interplay. I don’t know why, exactly; I’m guessing that Interplay was holding back on royalties for the BG games.

              The upshot is that a few years into development, this legal kerfuffle happened, and Bioware had to start a lot of the campaign over from scratch. Which is a shame, as their original design notes look… well, I can’t say that they look particularly exceptional, but they had more potential than what we got.

              These legal problems are confirmed in this interview I found with one of Bioware’s former devs (Warning: it’s by the Codex. Be prepared for smug, arrogant assholishness).

              My original argument could still stand: they could’ve pulled from the design docs of KotoR to plug the holes in NWN.

  15. “By the end we’re just going to be wearing garbage cans on our head.”
    “Dunce caps and lampshades…”

    Guys, you’re thinking of Dragon Age.

  16. Fast_Fire says:

    At t=1:15: Oddly enough, Pearl was an element in Final Fantasy VI in the original English translation for SNES. This turned out to actually be Holy but they feared that Americans would be offended if they didn’t change it.

  17. Spammy says:

    From the neck-up I dig the Selkath for similar reasons to what Shamus described. I mean, I know Star Wars species don’t really have evolution-driven designs but I think it’s plausible to imagine the Selkath as aquatic/semiaquatic, using their droopy-things to sense things in the sediment. Their mouths are wide and slightly downturned like catfish.

    And then everything else is just a stock humanoid model. You can’t win everything.

    1. el_b says:

      I think they look cool too, but I can’t believe I just noticed that they Shouldn’t be able to see directly in front of them Because there is a big ridge in front of their eyes. From the looks of it they should only be able to see things directly to their sides.

    2. Ivan says:

      The biggest problem I have with them is, how does a semi-aquatic species evolve on a planet entirely covered by water?

      It’s kinda a problem with how star wars oversimplifies planets to a single biome though. This kinda causes things fall apart as soon as the audience starts to question them.

      But now that I think about it I kinda like it. For starters, all the planets are immediately visually distinctive, the forest moon of Endor, Tatooine is a giant desert, Hoth is a snowball, Taris is a city. If not for the one biome shtick you would have to rely on other methods of identifying which planet you’re on, like culture or architecture but this isn’t quite as easy as it is to just say that everyone on Tatooine lives in Adobe huts because it’s a desert.

      If you tried to flesh out all of these planets with actual diversity, like what you would see on any world habitable by humans, then they would quickly start to look the same (from orbit). If they all had vast oceans and jungles and cities and forests and glaciers then you wouldn’t be able to tell what planet you’re on at a glance. You also might start to wonder why we’re bothering to travel across the galaxy for a change of scenery when all this great diversity exists right here on one planet. There’s also the fact that by limiting the planet to one easily identifiable biome you’re almost letting the planet it’s self become a character and so making it easier to care about its backstory and the events that happen on it. In some ways it makes certain interesting settings more believable as well, I mean why would anyone ever choose to live in a desert and become a moisture farmer when they live in a universe where even the poorest of the poor have land speeders and you could take a day trip to another solar system?

      I think the one Biome planet thing actually works well for Star Wars which really is a character first story, rather than details first like you would see in Star Trek.

      1. djw says:

        You raise a good point. My head canon is that they were originally completely aquatic, but the Rakata modified them (or at least some of them) to be amphibious so that they could work in a wider variety of environments.

  18. Eric says:

    I always associate Kevin Michael Richardson with Sarevok more often than anything else.

  19. ehlijen says:

    So here’s my guess on the pearl. It’s a stomach stone. The dragon eats sharp stones to have them slosh and grind around in the stomach to help break down the food (lizards aren’t usually good chewers). That grinding eventually makes them smooth and round, and then pearl-like and you’ve got it.

    Of course, stomach stones are usually only found in herbivores and given Tatooine’s amazing floral biosphere…

    Second attempt to explain: it’s krayt dragon poop.

    1. Nidokoenig says:

      To be fair, there’s no reason for a carnivore not to have them. Maybe its primary diet has crunchy exoskeletons?

  20. MichaelGC says:

    Coming up with vocab like ‘accoutrements’ whilst hopped up on dysonspherehailhydramine is pretty impressive if y’ask me.

    PS I thought Josh might enjoy this video of Rick Astley singing and sorta dancing.

    1. James says:

      is this somehow a reverse rick roll, what has the internet done to me

  21. Jakale says:

    The fish head alien jokes reminded me of the Sleeg aliens of Rogue Galaxy, which are various aquatic creature aliens, one of which basically has an entire butterfly fish for a head.

    1. Ivan says:

      Oh god… This bothers me. This really bothers me for some reason…

      Maybe because I studied marine biology.
      In fact, that might be it, because i can’t help but notice things like how this zerg building (infestation pit),
      https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSuXQgyBB2KdjyBn_5eShLEvG7yY5UBlYBoex54RrIUIGOExpOe
      happens to be the underside of a blue crab.
      http://www.aqua.org/~/media/Images/Animals/Blue%20Crab/animals-BlueCrab-slide2-web.jpg

  22. Sam says:

    After 20 years of of this, is anyone going to get tired of the “ludicrous Pokemon” jokes? It’s kinda funny at first but it seems like that’s the only joke anyone has anymore. We get it. You don’t play Pokemon, and you think there are too many. Can we move past that at some point? The joke at 1:15 just bugs me as someone who’s been tired of these jokes for a long time.

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