I could listen to you analyse Kreia all day long. She is an inexhaustible character for me, the best I've ever experienced in any medium. Her voice still haunts my actions.
That was really well done, I hadn't considered kreia's dismissal of chodo beyond "she hates altruism" but it makes the perfect cover for an internal panic over the possibility of the exile getting their identity back before she had fully indoctrinated them!
While ultimately I think you may be right about Krieas anxiety, i think the reason behind that anxiety is different. For kriea it's much more about power, not Power over others but power over ones self. If the exile were to be healed by choto it would cheapen her path to strength. Her reattatchment to the force would have become reliant on another whereas kreia wants the exile to heal this wound herself. Czerka only promises a monetary reward which is external to the exile gaining power, choto promises an existential reward which would become essential to the exile gaining power, ultimately diminishing the journey
It all comes back to her neurotic conception of the force and power, and her need to project that on to the exile though. The reality is that there is no diminished existential reward, and that even if she might have some unfounded concern that the exile is diminished somehow in helping Chodo, she shows zero interest in actually doing anything to help mitigate that shortcoming. Her interest and her actions are more concerned with the exile understanding the world the way Kreia sees it - not in actually doing something helpful for the exile that could also inadvertently lead them away from her.
@@sieda666 but once again, for Kriea, she is not there to help the exile make the correct choice, for if she were the exile would become reliant on her wisdom for guidance thereby diminishing her (the exiles) power, rather she hopes to guide the exile to truly make a choice for herself. But this goes beyond any singular Action for Kriea. In her view the very essence of the force is evil. Not evil in that it is malicious but evil in that it strips all beings of power. She asks what is a Jedi without the force, she concludes that they are nothing because every aspect of their being revolves around using the force. Always be on your guard lest you accidentally learn something. If the force is in all things, but the force is always attempting to bring balance to itself, are we so surprised that the galaxy revolves around the ebb and flow of the eternal battle between the Jedi and the sith? Not while the force exists, which is why Kriea takes an interest in the exile, she is the one force user who was able to actually sever her connection to the force and live. Although the exile did this out of self preservation, perhaps this time the exile can do it and demonstrate a method of doing it out of ones own choice. So looking at Choto then, they want to heal planets and people, which is good. But they are not willing to defend that goal, instead they enlist the help of others to do so thereby taking the moral responsibility off of themselves. This is Krieas message, to live is to wrestle with the responsibility of choice and the consequences thereafter. To her, Choto, the Jedi, and the Sith have all abandoned that responsibility and rely on an externality to become their moral arbiter. Later in the game she informs you that you could feed on the energy of your wookie companion and gain strength (not power). If you refuse she compliments you and remarks that you may be learning after all, because this is a demonstration of the exile empowering herself. To dominate another is to become reliant on that externality and ironically that reliance diminishes your own power, because you are no longer free to exist without it. This is her critique, the Jedi and the Sith seek to dominate the force, one through detachment and the other through emotion. However, both become enslaved by it because it consumes the totality of their being, they grow to have such reliance on it that without it they are nothing, as Nietzsche said sometimes when you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back. And it's not as if Kriea is immune from this, she too is reliant on the force. But her hope is that the exile may show a way to freely sever ones connection from the force out of choice and not out of necessity. But that is why Kriea can never tell the exile what the right choice is because it must be the exiles choice. You may say that it is Krieas nuerotic worldview to control the force, but I argue it's her desire to free herself, and free all beings from the control of the force Tl;dr that's a whole lotta words, too bad I'm not reading any of em!
@@TribuneAquila Which still just sounds like a neurotic fear of reliance on... anything outside of one's own power. But even then, what Kreia fixates on as things that people rely on, that they cannot exist without, are completely arbitrary. Okay sure, Jedi can't exist without the Force. But also Kreia exists in a world full of artificial space habitats and FTL spaceships. Untold trillions of people, and the entire galactic economy, are reliant on this spacefaring technology. The Galactic Republic cannot exist without that tech, and is forced to pay all of its associated upkeep costs in order to survive. Does Kreia criticize anyone for that reliance, and how much it restricts their freedom? No, of course not. Because her position is arbitrary kneejerk nonsense. It's the philosophy of someone who latched onto one specific idea - reliance bad, independence good - and insists on projecting that idea onto absolutely everything. But she's also so myopic that she's never realised the absurd logical ramifications of that belief. Like the fact the entire civilization in which she lives could be argued to be morally bankrupt for its reliance on technology. Technology that she herself is also reliant on to achieve any of her goals, making her a hypocrite. But so long as she dresses up her nonsense in enough flowery language, people hail her as a genius. The simple fact is, we humans are fundamentally finite, limited beings. The vast majority of our power - that is, our influence over the world around us - comes from resources and assets outside of our own bodies. Be they inanimate tools or structures, or the labour and knowledge of our fellow humans, or the social structures in which they exist. We haven't been truly "self-reliant" since we evolved into social apes, several million years ago. And if proto-humans had stayed "self-reliant", we would never have developed civilization at all. We certainly wouldn't be sitting here, arguing about fictional space-wizards over the internet. It's one thing to reject the Force and its influence, on the basis that the Force is intrinsically negative in some way. But to then extrapolate that out into a rejection of any and all forms of "reliance" is completely wrongheaded. It feels like Kreia would sneer at a paraplegic person for "relying on" a wheelchair.
@@tbotalpha8133 You've completely missed the point of Kreia's hatred of the Force. The Force directly denies free will to the universe by means of controlling the universe through Force Echoes and it has an iron grasp upon living beings by way of people believing that the Force is what gives life and that nothing can live without the Force. She sees it all as a grand scheme, a masterful illusion, with her only evidence being the Exile. By being stripped of your free will, you are stripped of true power, it's not about "reliance". Kreia very much encourages the Exile to use the Force so long as they are doing so mindfully and of their own free will, because what she hates is the fact that the Force would seem to have an Unknowable Will. The Exile using the Force free of the influence of the Will of the Force is something Kreia would see as truely powerful; this is why Kreia refers to looking at Revan as "staring into the heart of the Force", because Revan was acting of his own accord and freely wielding both aspects of the Force. You can clearly see that the issue is not a "neurotic fear of reliance", Kreia would very much applaud someone who has great knowledge over technology and how to utilize it to great effect, you sacrifice no autonomy or free will by using technology.. The "reliance" that she hates is purely psychological. She rejects altruism because the only way she was able to reach the mindset necessary to form her philosophical views is by being completely alone, because she was abandoned and betrayed, and through that experience she grasped the "True Lesson of Strength" that she wishes for others to learn. She is saying that you must *earn* power, as anything that is given can just as easily be taken. You are blatantly introduced to this lesson on Nar Shadda, when the beggar asks for money; "Be careful of charity and kindness, lest you do more harm with an open hand than with a clenched fist." Should you object: "That is a lesson I will never learn, for I do not believe it." Kreia replies "Very well, but mind what I have said. Use your power, but in its proper place." Kreia is not asking you to NEVER be altruistic, or to NEVER give, only that such a thing is far from always being the right choice. This is a necessary foundation to introduce the Exile to the idea of Force Echoes, to teach them how the Force exerts it's Will through cascading effects and to teach the Exile how they might use Force Echoes to serve their own purposes. A bad action now could lead to good outcomes later, and vice versa, through Force Echoes. It takes more than good intention to achieve great things, it takes nuance and understanding. Kreia is teaching the Exile a new perspective, one where they view the Force and the living beings of the universe in a way similar to how the Will of the Force probably does, as effective pawns to be manipulated. And yes this is supposed to be a horrifying thing, the Exile is not meant to WANT to use Force Echoes and such, but Kreia must give the Exile that knowledge because the Exile would be causing unknown consequences otherwise; whether the Exile likes it or not they will cause Force Echoes and they must mind their actions because of it. This matters so much because the Exile is basically the alternative to the Will of the Force, they're the only one that has free will and by consciously manipulating Force Echoes it may be possible to undermine the unknowable Will of the Force and create a galaxy/universe in which there is no senseless "balance" being upkept through Jedi/Sith wars egged on by Force Echoes.
I like that you mentioned the mechanical constraints of the game. I replayed KOTOR 2 recently after many years, and like, half the time what she has to say is interesting and thoughtful (and I agree that the Telos arc is an example of that). But then in the other half, she proposes just plainly daft ideas. To me it felt like maybe there was a script re-write issue, or perhaps her dialogue was written by multiple people who had different concepts of the character.
From what I've seen of Chris Avellone talking about her... it's like weirdly whiplash. He in one interview will be like yeah best character I ever made hands down, but then in one post release and another a bit after he was "really unhappy with how she turned out" and I think it might just be a victim of the general crunch the game had, and probably that stories aren't written perfectly in order so it's not a gradual slide in quality as the game goes so much as...oddities everywhere.
I think there's also an element of it being an "easy" way to healing, which goes against everything Kreia is saying the whole time. everything is supposed to be difficult, you have to give up sentimental attachment and sympathy and pride and all these other things. if you could just... _be healed_ then not only would it threaten her influence over the exile but directly get in the way of turning the exile into the desired kind of person.
"You are beautiful to me, exile. A dead spot in the Force, an emptiness in which its will might be denied... I would have killed the galaxy to preserve you. I would have let the galaxy die. You are more precious than you know; what you have taught yourself must not be allowed to die. You are not a Jedi. Not truly. And it is for that that I love you."
Alright, real comment time. As another Big KOTOR II Enjoyer (it's both my favorite video game and my favorite Star Wars thing, and I've loved both of those things my whole life), I absolutely agree with the interpretation that Kreia fears losing her influence/ hold over you here. Beyond the points you made, a lot of her identity through her many years of life has been that of the sage and respected academic, even as many of her students were perceived as failures by thandards of her peers. Beyond that, her interactions with the Exile throughout the game are pretty clearly her trying to shape them into the tool she needs to enact her vision of justice on not only a galactic but also... spiritual...? level. Last thing I'll say is that what is basically the tutorial for companions reacting to your decisions already IMMEDIATELY chafing against the Light/Dark dichotomy is the most KOTOR II shit I can imagine.
I see someone nailed their Turkish pronunciation at the end of the video, proud of you! Kreia is such a good character, knowing what I knew at the end of the game, suddenly a lot of Kreia clicked into place and it was a very satisfying. Incidentally I find your theory incredibly plausible, given her revelation of how she feels about the Exile later on it adds a nice layer to all of this when you look back.
thanks I had a great coach And yeah honestly while writing this and going deeper than the reddit post I wrote half a decade ago kinda offhand, I noticed more and more how much foreshadow it felt like there was in these moments.
Oh my God you did it. I'll come back and leave something actually substantive after I've watched it, I promise, but I am SO excited to hear a KOTOR II take from you.
I thoroughly agree with this take for Kreia - she's acting as your manipulator, and seeing you stray from *her* influence evidently scares her Thank you for making this
great video! anyways my favorite memory of Peragus is that for the longest time, I couldn't get past Peragus because the game always crashed right before you leave Peragus on my old PC.
Shockingly good insight! Thank you for giving a fresh perspective on one of my most favorite games. Makes me wonder if there are more moments like this. Very refreshing bc most of the 'Kreiea discourse' (eww) revolves around lionizing or demonizing her character. Nice to see someone trying to 'understand' her. Cheers 🙂
Id say youve come to a decent conclusion through the telos dialogue. After all, hate is endemic of fear and Kreia said (spoilers) : I hate the Force, I hate that it seems to have a will, that it would control us to achieve some measure of balance when countless lives are lost
Maybe Kreia is just wrong about certain things rather than it being a plot hole. There are instances that the exile can disagree with Kreia and she hates it.
Nice analysis. I grew up with the first KOTOR, one of my all times favourites. I would be happy to hear your thoughts on it. Anyway, I liked the second one too. Not as much as the first but quite a lot, still. Thanks to you, I think I’m going to dive myself back in.
Thank you, I never noticed this and now have another data point for arguments about how Kreia is full of shit. She's absolutely a fascinating character with an interesting philosophy that's worth engaging with, but far too many people take her completely at her word when the entirety of the story is basically teaching you to take in her intended message and then make your own. You are not supposed to wholeheartedly believe and agree with her. Parts, sure. But she is fundamentally a bitter old control freak who can't stand the idea that other people might have better ideas than her. The entire game is like a professor grabbing her thesus and shaking it in front of the board that denied it, except you're the thesus and the board are the jedi masters. Them being wrong doesn't make Kreia right.
Issue with Chodo's promise to heal is does he even know what he's gonna heal? Since when did Ithorians who just feel the Force can heal Wound in the Force? There is no such thing as healing the Wound in the Force at all. How can one cure a disease they never encountered? It doesn't mean Kreia is right, she is wholly WRONG in her desperate attempt to prove her teachings were right. I agree she is just afraid to lose her grip on Exile, which is also desperate since the Exile cannot do what she wants at all.
I don't think jana mistakenly thinking that chodo's people threatened you somehow equates to her in turn giving an implied threat, if she had nuetrally acknowledged the exile's bounty I think that would be more along the lines of threatening
Though I understand you can't bring up every single detail that supports your analysis, but what you're theorizing is pretty much stated plainly by Kreia herself in the light side enclave scene when she says "I've endured your corruption of my other students, you will not have this one." Kreia is an interestingly difficult character to get right in the sense that she is sort of at war with the structure we use to interpret her. If she has any reasonably characterized flaws it becomes way, way too easy for people to explain her motivations away rather than letting her make her own case. Weird villian has radical idea -> this is an action story -> kill her. Since she has made her own philosophy so core to her personality while also being very contrarian, explaining herself in plain english is extremely hard when the listener isn't buying that it's a normal motivation to have. When you mention her bringing up Chodo Habat's "agenda" as a mirror to Czerka doing the same it sort of strikes me as the actual dialogue option of walking up to Kreia and going "so what are you, jedi or sith?" As a metaphor I think it works wonders to set this story in the star wars galaxy because of how the force fuctions as a completely alien cartoonish version of an interpretive paradigm. I love how often I try to discuss or interpret anything in this game and my reason is completely wrenched my the fact there's a darkside/lightside tag at the end of it. Really makes me relate to wanting to get that out of the setting. I also think that comparing her view on Chodo Habat's healing as alternative medicine is great way of putting it, it's not like the core of medical professionals' opposition to homeopathy and anti-vaxxers is that they're "too spiritual". That's how their mistakes get motivated, sure, but alternative medicine being bad because it either inflicts bodily harm or neglects better treatments is a chemical/biological matter in the exact same way that scientifically evidence-based medicine being good for you is. It's also worth mentioning that, since the force certainly is a more spiritual entity than anything analogous in our own world, Kreia is in that specific way a force anti-theist. Since the Jedi Council is characterized as a close-minded orthodoxy by her I don't think it's a far cry that the position she's in is kind of like the only person who figured out germ theory in the galaxy, watching every promising student go 90% of the way there and then returning to the council like "I realized I just needed to pray more". Imagine you find the only promising scholar in the whole galaxy who actually *stopped praying* for ten years and then they start working with a christian botanist who tells them "oh you got sepsis? I can offer for that" and honestly Kreia is almost too easy on Chodo. Adding on: Is it really weird that Kreia prefers Czerka? I know they do things that fit much more into the definition of the english word "duplicitous" but calling them unpredictable or volatile because just because "they would do if the incentive told them to" feels like an admission that they're perfectly reliable beyond that. I don't necessarily think they are, and the exchange *do* offer that incentive (though I don't know what kind of numbers Star Wars megacorps throw around compared to Star Wars cartels, and earth-wisdom tells me the megacorps should be bigger already but earth-wisdom also tells me they should be smaller than governmental spending, which complicates things because the exchange is the pet-project of a sapient government initiative), but I still believe the core of your argument is kinda tautological in a situation where Kreia already thinks the galaxy is full of people who want nothing but to kill and maim and exploit etc. Or a better way to explain it might be that Jack Sparrow quote about dishonest people being reliably selfish. (yes I know he says that just before deciding to do the right thing, that doesn't make it hard to parse)
Y'know, I feel likeKreia's overt manipulation here would be much harder to notice if the game were less...made by US Americans? Bc growing up in the US I didn't bat an eye to why a private corporation and a non-profit were in-charge of a mullti-quintillion dollar megaproject bc who else would do it? And the answer is "The Republic?? The entity made up pf entities in which their best interests are served by being able to un-destroy worlds??" That aspect of the dysfunctionality of The Republic goes unnoticed and, frankly, "Helping a single individual attempt to restore a world as his pet project for his (small!) cult that is constantly undercut by larger forces (Czerka in this instance) will not succeed, and you can't actually meaningfully affect that outcome. You'll instead make a powerful enemy who will undercut your meager 'success' as soon as you step away. Don't bother with Chodo Habat, we have actual things to do" would mask her intention of keeping you under her influence. (That, and I just like th eidea of a 'neutral' former Jedi criticizing the Jedi and teh Sith from a place of ultimately offering individual solutions to systemic problems, Jedi becoming Sith bc they find out that no matter how hard they play hero, they can't effect systemic change through Jedi heroics---and thinking that the issue is that they refuse to "get their hands dirty" rather than individual impotence against systems). It would have to be worded better, since her whole thing is about how your actions create echoes and through small actions here and there, you can effect large-scale consequences. Or maybe it doesn't and there's a contradiction the player can spot to foreshadow Kreia's ultimate goals for you..
The Jedi and Sith have always offered systemic solutions alongside individual solutions. When one gain prominence and become the establishment (Jedi/Republic, Sith/Imperial) the other side obviously, offer systemic solutions (decentralise, centralise). Many Jedi turned to Sith to solve problem they though of as individuals but many also turned to offer systemic changes. This ditchotomy could already be seen in the main movies with Anakin (changed due to fear of deaths) and Dooku (encourage separatism and autocracy). Both Jedi and Sith don't popularise their practice with the population at large similar to mass religion, manosphere, consumerism or similar ilks. Their individual practices are for Force sensitives only, but their ideaologies are about maintainining and guiding institutions, flawed as they are. As for kreia's manipulation, I don't think it was ever meant to be subtle. Her Sith background was revealed early on. She will tell you manipulation is core part of her arsenal. She will knee jerk acting contrarian to you in various circumstances, turning the player sour on this mentor figure, especially light side player. The game showed you plainly how npcs were forced by her to facilitate/hinder you in different way. This uneasy, sussy, disagreeable relationship was the intention. And as a non American, the rhetorical practice of doubting someone's motive to diminish trust in them is very common. Kreia even whataboutism Chodo lol "You are bold to make a promise of healing while the world under your care burn and die". Those two alone would make her a decent establishment pundit here. And if she turned her rhetorical skills to justify the status quo instead of upending every dogma/being contrarian, she would even earn a seat among the top propaganda/media institution.
Kreia might be a controversial character but in the end her philosophy of the force and the Jedi and sith was the right on in the end. On their own the Jedi and Sith codes are incompetent contradictions without the other to make it whole. The Jedi value life wisdom and the pursuit of knowledge and they surround themselves with the trappings of the natural world but nature is not inherently peaceful the Jedi philosophy can only thrive behind the walls of civilization it cannot survive the state of nature. The sith in the opposite extreme value the strength of the individual the will to fight and survive extreme odds there philosophy is more realist in regard to the natural world, outside the safe city walls nature doesn’t care for your individuality or life there are creatures in the dark that either see you as a threat or food and if your unwilling to be strong enough to fight for your life and be a predator then you will die. The contradiction of the sith is though their code is is more in line with the state of nature than the Jedi they surround themeless with the trappings of cultivation high walls of steel advanced technology but one cannot be a savage hunter behind the walls ,in civilization people are bound together by societal codes of conduct . It is only by bringing these philosophy’s together Passion to gain knowledge ,gaining the strength to win sustain the peace having the power within yourself to achieve harmony there is only the force. Can on gain a clear view of the force and bring this cycle of war to a end The Jedis unwillingness to embrace emotion and for the masters to forfill the emotional needs of their padawans ensure they will always fall to the dark side and become sith. And because of their neglect and hatred for their former masters the sith will always rise again to try and destroy the Jedi and the Jedi will always ee the sith as heretics and enemies a war that will never end.
Very good video, the only minor thing I’d mention is that a wound in the force is literal, but in the case of the exile it is also simultaneously a euphemistic description of ptsd and real trauma as well a wound in the force
Slick move naming your character Arren Kae. I've been playing this game since I was 8 years old and very few things are as close to my heart. Every stage of my life I've been able to return to it a little wiser and more developed to learn a bit more about the game and myself. Kreia's venom towards Chodo was something that always seemed odd to me, even as a kid, yet I could never really slot it into anything that makes sense. I think your theory puts the pieces together pretty well; how the Ithorians seem to have no real ulterior motive, that Chodo's healing simply helps you with no strings attached. An element I would like to add is how the Ithorians pretty much stand as an antithesis to Kreia's philosophy. They're collectivist and pacifists whose primary concerns are creating balance and harmony in the environment, not a batttleground for individuals to struggle and grow in. She would consider them stagnant and complacent and condemn them for needing to be saved by the Exile. The idea that the Exile could be healed not through a rigorous struggle for self-determination, but as a selfless gift from one to another, would be abhorrent to her (I know Chodo's healing is contingent on the player helping them out, but that feels more due to the desperation of the Ithorian's situation and not Chodo trying to get a good deal). Also I will die on the Peragus hill. Great introduction to the tone and themes to come. You're running for your life from the very beginning and the claustrophia and haunting music creates such a great setting that I always love to come back to. It's M4-78 that makes me want to jump into Nar Shadaa's pit.
Man, I get you with the M4-78 comment. The one and only time I decided to run through the entirety of the restored content I really reviled the droid planet. Dumb plotline, locations too large to be managable, abhorrent sidequests and the bait at the end with Vash's apprentice.
This is a really great analysis! I know Kreia is a darling of the Internet. She's discerning and wise, and she cuts through a lot of the BS of the Jedi-Sith dichotomy. But sometimes I think people assume that because she's so smart, she must therefore always be fully rational and "correct" about the proper course of action. But this made a good point. What if she's wrong? What if her bias is blinding her to alternative courses of action?
I like her a lot because of her flaws, tbh. I disagree with her almost entirely but she's extremely fascinating and absolutely *wonderfully* well acted. Easily top three best voice acted characters ever, let alone just in video games.
Kreia, I feel, is regarded in this light because she speaks big and presents an alternative to the rest of the bullshit - basically, as you said. What I find interesting is how despite her ethics and morals being an almost objectivist, highly individualist one, nobody seems to actually engage with that aspect of her? As if the capacity to manipulate these strands is admirable in of itself, that utilizing it is therefore, while not exactly moral, a kind of ethical endgoal. In a way, KOTOR2 may have straight up radicalized people towards Kreia's ideology and anything that may resemble it in the real world through good writing of a manipulative, charismatic character. I would be very interested to know from some bird's eye view what did KOTOR players think when they encountered or reacquainted themselves with Ayn Rand or Max Stirner. Not like they map perfectly onto Kreia's views but still.
There's two other moments in this game that I think get a similar point across: 1.) When she blasts T3 for showing the Exile the hololog of Bastilla 2.) During the meditation sequence where her and the Exile are listening in on the crew of the Hawk's thoughts. She gets extremely distraught when the Exile is able to listen in on Bao Dur and the droids. And not in her normal "I am teacher angry at you to teach you a lesson" kind of way. I think having these little glimpses that Kreia isn't actually as omniscient as she presents herself does a lot of work towards elevating her from being just a voice-of-the-writer character who's purpose is to question the things the writer thinks are ridiculous about the Star Wars Universe. It makes it so actually defying Kreia and taking the full Light or Dark Side route isn't something you do just because "you didn't get it".
Oh my god, I subbed to this channel for PDX + History and then you went and made a video about *Peak Star Wars I will Fight about it* and My Favorite Character *lets mf go*
Yeah kotor2 was a great game. The tutorial was wild... I like these thought experiments and moral dilemmas in games. It always makes them more interesting, and its good practice, food for thought or whatever :)
It's worth noting that Kreia is the one that puts you on the path to finding the hiding jedi masters by lying to you that they cut you off from the force (something she absolutely knows is not true).
Really liked this analysis of a seemingly small thing from one of the best games of all times. Great video, would love to see more KotOR 2 analysis from you if you feel like you have anything else to say about it.
I haven't played KOTOR 2 in a long while but i thought Kreia's plan wasn't for the Exile to EVER heal themselves. I thought she was obsessed with the Exile BECAUSE of their wound. Doesn't that mean she would obviously be against anyone proclaiming they can heal the Exile? Or am I misremembering her motives?
Kreia sounds a lot like the Greek word "χρεία", which means "need" (the first sound is like the "ch" in "loch" or "Bach", but it's often simplified in English to a "k" sound). I don't know if there's meant to be a meaning there, but I've wondered about it for years, especially since Telos is also just the Greek word τέλος transliterated, which carries a sense of ending, conclusion, or finality, and while it's not quite the end of the game it _is_ where some major story beats come to fruition.
Interesting view on question I've never even reflexed on. When I started to watch this vid, however, I've supposed myself another, yet much simplier idea, what if Kreia could have a worries of being revealed and exposed before Exile by the one who is, probably, quite familiar with the Force. Yet, it seems, that my idea is not as eloquent as an idea of mentor fearing a competitor of sorts.
Interesting, you present the idea here of Kreia's need to manipulate and control and her "fear" of the survivor realizing they actually don't need her as some sort of "theory" that may or may not be true. I guess (other than the first time I played when i was younger and didn't really get the deeper nuances) I always just picked up on that vibe and assumed it was written that way deliberately, not just an accident of game mechanics. Especially when you talk to her at other times, on the ship, in nar shadaa etc. she is so aggressively dedicated to undermining your own decisions and providing her own hole-filled perspective. She's a manipulator who tried to groom the survivor into achieving her own rather arbitrary and honestly over-the-top reactionary ends. Also feel she pretty solidly fits into the neutral evil alignment category. When all info about her is brought to light, I think a lot of her supposed "nuance" hinges on the fact that she's not overtly Sith. In all other aspects she acts like an evil person, maybe not belligerent and violently destructive, but in the sense that she constantly puts her own wants and desires above everyone else. And now that I think about it more, it seems like Kreia and Tyler Durden from Fight Club have a lot in common.
