The premise is nothing special, just your typical save-the-galaxy fare. You start off with what amounts to the battle tutorial, in which you must escape a Republic spacecraft that has been boarded by the opposing Sith over the planet Taris. Bastila, a Jedi shipmate whose Battle Meditation ability will determine the outcome of the [cue music: da-dah da-da-da-daaah-da] Star Wars, is captured by these Sith. After you learn the controls (easy, and you don't have to be very nimble-fingered as long as you know where to find the "pause" button), you crash-land on Taris and wake up in a strange apartment with a strange man in your room, the rakishly handsome yet disarmingly humble Republic soldier Carth, who becomes your first of nine possible party members. You set out to free Bastila, who has been captured and taken to a different part of the city.