There are multiple classes of Sith in the upcoming Star Wars universe MMORPG - Star Wars: The Old Republic. BioWare writer Rebecca Harwick posts on the official website what difference is between the Sith Inquisitor (think Emperor Palpatine) and the Sith Warrior (think Darth Vader).

According to Rebecca the comparison gets the general point across but, "It's not the destination, or the road we take to get there, but the guide. The Sith Inquisitor is Raistlin. The Sith Inquisitor is Lucifer. The Sith Inquisitor is Julius Caesar. The Sith Inquisitor is what you make him."

She adds "When we set out to build our game, we knew we needed more than one Sith class. The original trilogy only has two Sith in it, but they couldn't be more different: the heavily armored brutal physicality of Darth Vader compared to the frail but immensely powerful Emperor Palpatine. When we extend our inspiration to Episodes I-III and The Clone Wars cartoons, Count Dooku, Darth Maul, and Asajj Ventress further expand our concept of what a Sith can be. Is a Sith a lithe quick fighter who uses the Force to enhance his/her physical combat prowess, a calculating deceiver adept at Lightsaber duels, or a master manipulator and amasser of dark side secrets? Does a Sith use one lightsaber, two Lightsabers, or a dual-bladed Lightsaber? Having multiple Sith classes allows us to embrace all of those Sith inspirations, instead of having one Sith class that was the jack-of-all-trades and the master of none."

"Whereas the Sith Warrior class is all about the martial side of the Sith, the Inquisitor is about the darkest of dark side secrets; everything that’s weird and unsettling and dangerous about the Force. The Inquisitor is about power not (solely) through brute force and intimidation, but through manipulation, corruption, and knowledge."

While the Sith Warrior is groomed from the beginning to become a dark lord, a Sith Inquisitor starts the life of the Dark Side without a choice. "The Inquisitor quickly learns that the opportunity the Sith promises if he passes his trials comes with its own set of rules and masters. The so-called freedom of the Sith is reined in by deep traditions and a society where the powerful do their utmost to keep their inferiors under control." Hence, Raistlin.

If you're out of the loop, Raistlin is the (originally red) black-robed mage from the Dragonlance series who's body was destroyed during the trials and tests to become a mage. Prunty wizard.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is an upcoming MMO which takes place thousands of years before the (original) movies and approximately 300 years after Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; in a time where the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to be Jedi, Sith, or other classes such as Bounty Hunter and Trooper, or Smuggler (Han Solo style!), and align with the Light Side or Dark Side of the Force.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic creator, Bioware announced that the MMORPG will be released sometime in the Spring of 2011. Initially brought up in an EA press conference, BioWare's Sean Dahlberg posted on the message forums:

While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. We've got a lot of exciting updates and reveals planned throughout 2010, including the first-ever hands-on testing for the game. It's not too late to sign up to be a game tester, so go to www.swtor.com/tester and sign up today. We can't wait to share more about the game with you as we progress through the year, so make sure you stay tuned to the official website for details.

Eager players crashed the website for The Old Republic during closed beta signups in September 2009.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is an upcoming MMO which takes place thousands of years before the (original) movies and approximately 300 years after Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; in a time where the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to be Jedi, Sith, or other classes such as Bounty Hunter and Trooper, or Smuggler (Han Solo style!), and align with the Light Side or Dark Side of the Force.

Star Wars fans stormed the Star Wars: The Old Republic website in hopes to sign up for a glimpse of the upcoming MMO in closed Beta. They began taking applications Monday for closed beta testers for The Old Republic, and acknowledged high traffic and performance and capacity issues. Comments on the news post from today still indicated people were having issues with the application process.

Applicants must have active Star Wars The Old Republic accounts and must be 18 years or older to be considered. They must also agree to the Game Testing Agreement during sign up.

According to the website "Game testing for Star Wars: The Old Republic will be rolled out in several phases over an extended period of time. These test phases will begin with smaller, tightly focused test groups, and later tests will expand."

It is unknown how many testers will be selected, but those who are will be notified via email.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is an upcoming MMO which takes place thousands of years before the (original) movies and approximately 300 years after Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic; in a time where the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to be Jedi, Sith, or other classes such as Bounty Hunter and Trooper, or Smuggler (Han Solo style!), and align with the Light Side or Dark Side of the Force.

There is no release date or pricing information available at this time.