u/rodan1993

I hate what they did with the Eternal Alliance in SWTOR after KotET, basically blowing it up in a single mission to restore status quo. I'm aware SWTOR didn't want to deviate too much from the original purpose of Republic vs Empire, but this is NOT the way to do it. But what if it were different? The Eternal Alliance could have been a cool, different way to play the game that still maintains the status quo in a way, but feels fresh and unique. Here is my idea of what they could have done differently (also changing the name because it's stupid.

Lore: Founded from the ashes of the Eternal Empire's crusade against the galaxy, the Alliance of Free Planets was initially formed to stand against Valkorion's kingdom of blood when both Republic and Empire had long since condemned themselves to servitude. With its fall and the start of the third Republic-Imperial War, the Alliance chose to maintain itself as a neutral power, with firepower to secure its independence via the (incredibly depleted) Eternal Fleet. With the Empire falling back into oppression and internal strife following the death of both Darth Marr and his reforms, and with the Republic having devolved into little more than a Military Junta, the Alliance has offered a third route for many in the Galaxy who have become jaded with the almost-equally corrupt Republic and Empire and what appears to be an increasingly pointless war. In truth, the Alliance is far from neutral, and as the war heats up, it will indeed be forced to support either Republic or Empire in a variety of conflicts to ensure a favorable outcome. To what extent it does so is a question that is yet to be answered, however, if they play their cards right, it is possible that the third galactic power could overcome the odds and accomplish the dream people have sought since the Great Galactic War: The unification of the galaxy under one banner.

Member planets:

• Odessen (Capital)
• Zakuul
• Iokath
• Voss
• Manaan
• Mek-Sha
• Rishi
• Darvannis

Gameplay differences: On Iokath the player would be given a choice: to support the Republic or Empire in claiming the superweapon. However, here, a third choice would be given: To seize it for the Alliance and prevent it from falling into enemy hands. This would leave both the Republic and Empire mad, but not sever your connections with either one. The Eternal fleet is not destroyed, rather, the GEMINI droids are, leaving the fleet intact. This brings down the Alliance to a reasonable power level while not absolutely crippling them like in canon. As such, many planets do not leave and instead JOIN. When war breaks out in Onslaught, Lana will give you three options instead of two, support the Republic, Empire, or neither. Going Republic or Empire would be like canon, however the neutral route would unlock a different experience. There would be alignments in the neutral route, but they wouldn't be Republic or Empire, rather, pro or anti-Malgus. These will bring you into alignment with either the Republic or Empire's goals, however it wouldn't be selling out to them like in the actual game, rather an alliance of convenience. Dialogue options would reflect this, with the character refusing to use anti-republic or imperial language when fighting and not swearing any oaths. Support would also be conditional; every mission would have you choose whether to further the Empire or the Republic's goals rather than locking you into a set path. Perhaps the Empire gaining a foothold would be better for the long term against Malgus, and the player decides to support them despite largely supporting the Republic.

Effects:

• KotFE/KotET no longer feel meaningless. The Alliance remains a powerful force in the galaxy in the neutral route, showing that those 5 years really did affect things rather than taking it all back to the status quo
• You can support your previous faction without becoming a lapdog (remember, the Empire did far more to stop Valkorion than the Republic, if you're a jedi it's weird to just become a Republic lapdog again after they fucked you over but joining the Empire also is stupid)
• Gameplay doesn't change too much, rather the FLAVOR does, meaning not a lot of work for what FEELS like a very big difference. You're effectively just switching between Republic and Empire per mission with a few minor differences in dialogue, but story-wise it seems like a whole new experience.
• The options to go back to the Republic and Empire still exist, so many players who wanted to do that still have the option