Star Wars: Republic Commando Sequel Should Be Revived (By Lucasfilm)

A planned sequel to Star Wars: Republic Commando was infamously cancelled by LucasArts shortly after making it to the conceptual stage of development, but with Star Wars: The Bad Batch recently referencing the protagonists of the first game, Delta Squad, as well as exploring how the clone commando program worked during the early stages of the Empire, now’s the perfect time for the sequel to be revived. Lucasfilm Games has announced a number of new Star Wars titles since the beginning of 2021, following the conclusion of an earlier deal with EA that gave the publisher exclusive access to the Star Wars license. While EA’s tenure with the license was divisive, it illustrated the potential there was in revisiting older Star Wars video games, with developer DICE’s two Star Wars Battlefront titles both featuring in the top five best-selling Star Wars games of all time.

Star Wars: Republic Commando reemerged into the spotlight in 2021, as Lucasfilm Games released a remaster of the title developed by Aspyr that coincided with the release of The Bad Batch, an animated Star Wars series that focuses on a group of clone commandos navigating the galaxy after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The original Republic Commando’s story was wiped from Star Wars continuity following Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm in 2012, but given that Delta Squad has now appeared in both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch, which are canon, it wouldn’t be difficult to reverse that decision, and make a direct sequel viable once again.

Star Wars: Republic Commando 2 was one of many planned video game sequels that was cancelled by LucasArts in the late 2000s, with other notable examples including Knights of the Old Republic III and Star Wars: Jedi Knight III – Brink of Darkness. Its existence was first confirmed in Rob Smith’s Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts book, which revealed that it was called Imperial Commando, and would have focused on the Empire’s own commando units. It’s unclear if the game would’ve continued Delta Squad’s story from Republic Commando, but the concept of clones serving the Empire has become more pertinent in recent months. Now that Star Wars: The Bad Batch has begun to explore the role that clone troopers had in the Empire’s formative moments, the case to revive Imperial Commando is arguably much stronger today than it was in 2005, especially since Delta Squad’s members continue to be the subject of cameos in the ongoing canon.

Republic Commando 2 Would Answer Star Wars’ Most Infamous Cliffhanger

Of course, any potential Republic Commando sequel would have to address the first game’s rage-inducing cliffhanger ending. Republic Commando’s final level depicted the early stages of the Battle of Kashyyyk, with Delta Squad tasked with taking down a Separatist Dreadnought. As Delta Lead (or Boss), players are forced to split up their squad so that each clone can mount a given anti-aircraft weapon. After successfully taking down the enemy ship and linking up with Delta members Fixer and Scorch, Sev (Delta’s sniper) appears on the comm channel in distress, being overwhelmed by enemy troops. Boss immediately orders the rest of the squad to rescue Sev, but before they can move the group are immediately reassigned to tackle a different objective, with Master Yoda himself delivering the news.

Sev’s fate was left ambiguous in Republic Commando, and was never resolved in subsequent tie-in material. The Legends novel, Imperial Commando: 501st, explored Delta Squad’s reaction to Sev’s fate following the events of Order 66, but only confirmed that he was missing in action. The question of what happened to Sev has continued to vex Star Wars fans years on from Republic Commando’s release, making the need for a sequel even stronger.

Imperial Commando Could Take Star Wars To Darker Territory

The narrative potential for a Republic Commando sequel is strong even ignoring Sev’s fate though, as it could work as a compelling companion piece to Star Wars: The Bad Batch. Whereas the protagonists of that series were able to disobey the Empire and chart their own destiny, it appears as though Delta Squad wasn’t so fortunate. Scorch shows up in The Bad Batch involved in Project War-Mantle, training the Empire’s new human recruits before pursuing Hunter and Gregor. If Scorch is serving the Empire, it’s likely that Fixer and Boss are as well, meaning any Republic Commando sequel could focus on the same group of characters, only this time performing less than heroic deeds for the Empire.

Gameplay-wise, there’s also a lot a new Republic Commando could bring to the table. Republic Commando’s clones were inspired by real soldiers, as the game depicted a more tactical and grounded vision of the galaxy far, far away. While tactical shooters aren’t as in fashion today as they were in 2005, there are other inspirations a Republic Commando sequel could look to, namely Infinity Ward’s 2019 reboot of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Modern Warfare may not be a tactical FPS in the traditional sense, but its gritty, authentic approach to combat could lend itself well to a possible Republic Commando follow-up – especially if it focused on clones serving the Empire.

Republic Commando Could Be Made Canon Again

Lucasfilm Games recently announced that a full remake of Knights of the Old Republic is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC, but it’s unlikely to bring the KOTOR series back into Star Wars canon. While certain elements of KOTOR have been reintroduced into Disney’s Star Wars, both the games and the many pieces of tie-in media that accompanied them are simply way too expansive to accommodate in the new Star Wars continuity. Republic Commando, on the other hand, represents a much easier task. The first game spotlighted a specific unit during The Clone Wars, and was a much smaller scale story than some of the other titles LucasArts developed. That, coupled with Delta Squad being brought back into Star Wars canon in The Clone Wars TV show, means a direct sequel to the original game wouldn’t be impossible, as the protagonists already have a presence in the new canon.

There’s some precedent for Republic Commando being brought back into canon as well. Elements of the Genndy Tartakovsky Clone Wars micro-series have been referenced in the new continuity, including Shaak Ti’s duel with General Grievous during the invasion of Coruscant. While the series does directly contradict several elements of the accepted Star Wars canon, this illustrates that exceptions can be made, and that entire Legends storylines need not be thrown out entirely, including Republic Commando.

Star Wars: Republic Commando deserves to be an exception. While not as popular as Star Wars Battlefront or Knights of the Old Republic, the original 2005 title offered a unique Star Wars experience that has yet to be replicated. If Lucasfilm Games is looking to resurrect more Star Wars titles after Aspyr’s KOTOR remake, then Republic Commando should be at the top of its list.

About The Author

Ewan Paterson
(75 Articles Published)

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Ewan is a Gaming Features Editor for Screen Rant and may in fact have way too many interests. His love for comic books, video games and Dad Movies also instilled in him a love for writing, which he’s been doing since he was about 16. Originally from Liverpool, Ewan made the move to Newcastle in 2014 to study History at Northumbria University (which he loved), and has stayed there ever since. You may have heard/seen him on YouTube a bunch as well.

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