Our story begins long, long ago in a place far, far away (sorry, it had to be done), four thousand years before the events portrayed in the Star Wars films. And we get straight into the action. You awake on a Republic ship that is under attack and your bunkmate guides you through the ship, fighting as you go. This first level serves as an excellent and exciting tutorial, and whilst the overlong dialogue seems a touch out of place under the circumstances, it doesn't detract from the feeling of excitement. In this respect it is a tad reminiscent of the way you are thrown into action at the beginning of Halo. After reaching the bridge, you realise that Bastila, a powerful Jedi whose abilities could prevent the Sith conquest of the Republic, has already escaped. Your bunkmate tackles a Dark Jedi to allow you to make your way to the final pod, which you share with the ship's commander, Carth. The next thing you know, you awake in a dingy apartment room. Your escape pod crashed on a planet called Taris and Carth carried you to safety. But the Sith fleet has quarantined Taris and is searching everywhere in an attempt to find and kill Bastila, so you must now decide whether to find and help Bastila or just find a way off the planet. That's right, I said that you decide.