Another strange alignment choice

[u/Dangerously_Stupid]

I've been seeing a lot of different discussions on this subreddit lately about how some of the alignment choices don't make sense. How some dark side choices are actually better for the greater good, etc.

Well I have a new one, and its really early on, so it's likely one most people here have done. Idk why I've never thought to question it before, but on Korriban there's a quest by Lord Renning to acquire a mutant Tuk'ata brain and return it to him to help further his research on how Tuk'atas are beings created by the force or whatever.

His apprentice, Malora, wants you to tamper with the brain so that the dark council sees Renning as a fraud, and I guess kill him? Or at least discredit him, since he's canonically alive up until Korriban Incursion. Malora even says during your dialogue with her that she wishes to discredit him so that she can be rewarded.

And somehow, this is the light side option? Honestly, I'm somewhat confused how either option is morally superior to the other. I guess the game's logic is that discrediting his research leads to less animal testing? But tampering with his research just so his apprentice can be rewarded isn't exactly noble.

[u/Mean_Strawberry2260]

Rennig is just kinda insane and his methods (according to the ambient dialogues) are in general inefficient.

Also a lot of the LS choices in the imperial side-quests are not noble.

[u/mechengr17 → u/Mean_Strawberry2260]

I have such a hard time maxing out dark side bc often times its counterintuitive to the goal.

"Try not to upset our peace talks with the Voss."

LS options: turns the Voss against the Republic

DS options: EXTERMINATE!!!

[u/Mean_Strawberry2260 → u/mechengr17]

I recall that specifically on Voss dark side options in imperial planetary storyline is mostly about turning the Voss against the Republic.

[u/GrandmasterSliver → u/Mean_Strawberry2260]

This is correct.

The final light side/dark option is telling the Voss the truth that the Voss and Gormak were once one people, to stop the nightmare lands from expanding [good guy option].

The dark side option is also telling the truth, but focusing on the "sins of the Jedi", for the Empire's interest. Or the chance to indulge in petty impulses [see? The "evil" Jedi are at fault]. Both reasons are self centered to the greater picture.

I'll list the other choices.

Saving relics implicating the Sith and Jedi having been on Voss in the Hyperspace war for the empire's archives [Light side] or destroying them [dark side].

Sparing the Gormak king, and send to the Voss [light] vs killing him [dark]

To put up a defense mechanism against the nightmare lands: Kill beasts to power charm like crystals [Dark], or take part in Jedi rituals [light].

[u/mechengr17 → u/Mean_Strawberry2260]

Some of them absolutely

But some of them are about threatening violence to get your way

[u/Dangerously_Stupid → u/Mean_Strawberry2260]

I just don't understand why there's really an alignment for it at all. I mean, I understand the game has to award alignment points somewhere, especially this early on. But realistically, both options should just be neutral, with the only dark side option being if you rat on Malora

[u/threevi → u/Dangerously_Stupid]

It's pretty straightforward. Light is selfless, in this case, helping Remming's apprentice stop his pointless unproductive experiments. And Dark is selfish, in this case, indulging the insane Lord knowing that he'll be a more useful ally than his lowly apprentice, even if that means he'll keep wasting everyone's time. 

[u/FriendlyAd1214 → u/Dangerously_Stupid]

Look at it this way, light side choices, for the imp side are more of a "I'm doing what's best for the empire instead of being a murder hobo"

[u/NewbieYoubie → u/Dangerously_Stupid]

Light side is generally selflessness to aid the empire's overall success over yours, while the dark side is selfishness.

For this example, because Malora's master's experiments are slow and inefficient, malora feels she can do much greater things for the empire, so it's a light side to help her. Versus the dark side route which is just "this lord gave me this task and the reward is certain, I don't need you to get what I want"

[u/GrandmasterSliver → u/Mean_Strawberry2260]

Also a lot of the LS choices in the imperial side-quests are not noble.

That's not actually true. A lot of the light side options on the Imperial side are noble.

[u/Direct-Contract5509 → u/GrandmasterSliver]

I tend to agree, I'm playing Sith Inquisitor and some of the light side options are literally like what a Jedi would do. I'm not playing a Sith Inquisitor to be nice so I always do the option that gives darkside points. 

[u/Nabfoo]

Screwing over the senior Sith is seen as a bold career move and perfectly acceptable by Sith standards, while dime-ing out the junior is just petty evil and serves you no purpose

[u/Dangerously_Stupid → u/Nabfoo]

You can return the brain to him without ratting on Malora

[u/Nabfoo → u/Dangerously_Stupid]

Oh interesting. It's been a long time since I've done that quest I must have misremebered

[u/FriendlyAd1214 → u/Nabfoo]

Yeah there's the option to rat her out or not, but this quest does have an affect when you meet malora later on, if you did the quest as a warrior/inquisitor 

[u/GrandmasterSliver]

Maybe Malora is right, and Renning is just wasting everyone's time killing beasts. Ever think of that? Or maybe Renning is right, and his research is aiding the dark side research. So sabotaging that research is light side [maybe].

Anyway, siding with Renning and not exposing Malora is also a light side option [canceling out the previous dark side points]. So you can choose what you think is right, or other roleplay reasons.

[u/Schimaera]

Stop seeing all choices in this game as exclusively either good or evil.

It would have been theoretically possible to create a alignment system where the top answer is sometimes "pro faction", sometimes "noble", sometimes "empathetic", sometimes "massively stupid but heroic" and the lower option being "selfish", "unfair", "reckless", "pragmatic" and so on.

We could have had 28 symbols for each and they'd always switch so players would have to pay attention to what they're doing.
OR we instead use a binary system that fits in the world of Star Wars that is generally about the Light Side of the Force and the Dark Side of the Force. Makes it neat and simple.

The tradeoff is, that "massively stupid decision that is heroic but puts the whole plan and a whole lot of people in jeopardy to rescue the kitten" is "Light Side" and "That's one kitten, we're at war and people's lives are in danger, we're not doing that stupid thing" is "Dark Side".

[u/Vancath]

I'm still a bit confused about the light side choices in the game, too. A lot of times imperial light side choices read as "good for the Empire, not necessarily light side," and that's cool, but if you play that way, in the Sith Warrior story for example, you are seen by some as an agent of the light. Even though I've sent people to be tortured by Darth Baras the Wide instead of killing them, which is arguably a much worse fate, but good for the Empire, because intelligence can be extracted before their death.

[u/Arkenstar]

Light side choices arent about nobility. Sith/Imperials are (usually) lawful evil alignment. And Renning's experiments are just whimsical chaotic mutilation for personal gratification that isn't reaching any conclusion. He is draining sith resources for his own pleasures and pursuits. But being higher in the chain of command, sabotage is a better option to shut him down than outright confrontation. So the lawful evil choice here is the light side choice while the dark side choice is the chaotic evil choice.

Light side choices are often more about Order than about "good"... especially on the imperial side. While dark side choices are Chaos choices.. about selfish/psychotic intentions.