Highlights

  • The Star Wars canon timeline has gone through multiple changes, with Disney's acquisition leading to a complete slate wipe and the inclusion of only specific elements from the old Expanded Universe.
  • The Battle Meditation Force power from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has been canonized in the new Star Wars visual encyclopedia, linking the minds of Jedi to fly starships in formation.
  • The gradual inclusion of Knights of the Old Republic references in the canon timeline suggests the possibility of other characters and narratives from the game making their way into the future of Star Wars.

The canon Star Wars timeline is a fickle thing. In its original iteration, Star Wars' timeline only really contained the original trilogy, with the vast array of novels and comics that came out after it all being categorized under the Expanded Universe banner, though many could technically fit on the timeline if fans wanted them to. Then the prequel trilogy came out, and the timeline changed once again, with some of that Expanded Universe material being definitively made non-canon. While Star Wars video games were never really considered canon either, there were some exceptions, such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, a game set thousands of years before the movies and thus one that didn't really get in the way of the timeline.

But then Disney came along in 2012 and wiped the slate clean completely. Initially, Disney stated that only the movies were canon, but that's since also expanded out to most Star Wars animated shows like The Clone Wars. And now, the current canon Star Wars timeline is starting to borrow elements from the old Expanded Universe, and the canonization of Knights of the Old Republic's Battle Meditation is the latest example.

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How Star Wars KOTOR's Battle Meditation Has Just Been Canonized

What Star Wars KOTOR's Battle Meditation Power Is

Introduced in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the Battle Meditation Force power isn't explained all that well in its original format. In Knights of the Old Republic, Jedi Knight Bastila Shan is famed for her expertise with the Battle Meditation power, which is apparently very rare even in this era where millions of Force-users exist. In the game, Bastila says that her Battle Meditation allows her to link the minds of all her allies on a battlefield and ensure that they're performing at peak efficiency. It's a little confusing and vague, but Battle Meditation can apparently turn the tide of a losing battle, and is therefore deemed a huge asset for the Jedi.

Star Wars Has Just Canonized Battle Meditation in The High Republic

While Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is now well and truly deemed non-canon, that hasn't stopped little references and tidbits from escaping and making their way over to the canon Star Wars timeline. The latest reference to do so is KOTOR's Battle Meditation Force power. During a Lucasfilm publishing panel at the recent New York Comic Con, a new Star Wars visual encyclopedia was revealed. Titled Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia, this book details some of this new canon era's most important heroes and villains.

One of these canon characters is Jedi Master Porter Engle, also known as the "Blade of Bardotta." Apparently regarded as one of the best duelists in the galaxy, Jedi Porter Engle wields a unique cutlass-like lightsaber, and is also an expert pilot. On the encyclopedia's page on Porter Engle, fans noticed a line that rather nonchalantly canonizes KOTOR's Battle Meditation power, claiming that the Jedi used the power to "unite the minds of other Jedi to fly their starships in formation with his."

Technically, one of the first canon mentions of the Battle Meditation Force ability appeared in the Star Wars: Legion miniatures board game, where it appears on an upgrade card, though this card shows Luke Skywalker using the ability and not Bastila Shan or any Old Republic/High Republic character.

What The Canonization of Battle Meditation Could Mean for the Future of Star Wars

Though the game itself and its narrative will probably never be canonized fully, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is slowly bleeding into the canon Star Wars timeline bit by bit, whether it's a little reference to the Rakata species in Andor, or this canonization of the Battle Meditation Force power. If Grand Admiral Thrawn can become canon once again, and even potentially have his own series based on the Heir to the Empire novels, then it doesn't seem like a wild possibility to have characters like Darth Revan come into the canon timeline in the near future.