After six blockbuster movies, how could anything in the “Star Wars” universe be surprising? LucasArts found a way to keep it real in “Knights of the Old Republic.”

“KOTOR,” as it’s also known, takes place about 4,000 years before “Episode 1,” and follows the familiar Star Wars storyline (you know, galactic battle between good and evil). The wicked Darth Malak, apprentice of the Dark Lord Revan, has overthrown his master and seized power as the new Dark Lord. Malak begins assembling a vast armada to unleash his fury upon the Republic.

The surprising twist comes about two-thirds through the game, after the player (a Jedi working to defend the Republic) fights Malak for the first time. In the middle of the battle we learn that we are Revan, though Malak’s original attack left us with no memory of our former life.

What made this twist so stunning was the soul-searching that went with it: What did it mean to be good or evil? Can an evil soul be redeemed through good actions? Or were the Jedi just a bunch of manipulative jerks? We’re still trying to wrap our head around it.