Godwin's Law is states that such offensive statements are inevitable in online discussion, one shouldn't take them so seriously.
As for names, I don't believe the names of the villains are as important as how the characters of the villains are executed.
There is no contest that Darth Malak (KoTOR I) is a greater villain than Darth Nihilus(KoTOR II).
If we take the
four qualities of effective villains from a previous discussion, we can easily see why:
1.
Presence: Malak's presense was very well established in KoTOR I:
1) He was the one who ordered the bombardment of Taris
2) His starfighters are always intercepting the Ebon Hawk (annoying, but it does establish his presence)
3) He was the one who authorized sending Calo Nord after Revan
4) He was the one who sent Darth Bandon after Revan
5) He actually fought the party on Leviathan.
6) He turned Bastila to the dark side
7) There are several cut scenes featuring Malak when Revan arrives on the Star Forge which is very effective in building up to the final confrontation.
in comparison, Nihilus' presence was very limited in KoTOR II:
1) We see him only in two cut scenes one where he sends Visas Marr after the Exile, and one where the three Sith Lords have a meeting. He was only briefly mentioned by Kreia and Visas Marr.
Since presence is the most important quality for effective villains (not for just RPGs either, Donkey Kong was also an effective villain in this respect) Malak is Nihilus' superior just from this alone.
2.
It's personal: While some people have disputed the importance of this quality, one has to admit (or at least make an effort to deny
) that this greatly enhanced the conflict between Malak and Revan. Especially after the revelation on the Leviathan.
Darth Nihilus has no such qualms with the Exile, and as a result, his conflict with the Exile is almost meaningless as is his presence in the game.
3.
Motivation:Malak has the classical megalomaniacal villain's motive: to conquer all that there is. Not the best of motives, but it's understandable, and his constant presence in the game shows that he is actively working towards that end.
Nihilus on the other hand, qualifies as the ununderstandable villain, his motivation can be best described as hunger. However his presence is too limited to really be effective, hence the Ravager's arrival on Telos is nowhere near the effectiveness of the Leviathan's interception of the Ebon Hawk.
4.
Placement and Distribution:Calo Nord, Darth Bandon, Saul Karath, Bastila. Malak is undisputedly on the top of the totem pole. The lesser villains are well placed, evenly distributed across the game, thus establishing Malak's presence in the game without clouding his importance as the top villain.
Nihilus has only one minion: Visas Marr, who joins the exile without much of a struggle (which doesn't really say much for her master
). He shares the top of the totem pole with Darth Traya and Darth Sion, lessening his own importance. Furthermore, all three villains are placed at the very end, each clouding the importance and effectiveness of the others.
Basically, having a "cool" name is unnecessary if the villain is well developed. After all, before
The Matrix, the name Smith is not exactly the best name for a villain.
If KoTOR III is well done (hopefully), maybe Star Wars fans everywhere will fear the name of Darth Barney!
(I'm pretty sure LucasArts will come up with something better, this is just to make a point
)
i suppose i thought that my irony wouldn't be lost on you, but evidently i thought wrong. just for your information my grandparents died in the damned second world war and i am an immegrant to germany so stfu. i am, of course, not a conservative (how could i be, listening to punk music and playing bloodlines etc?). my avatar is not a picture of some nazi but of a movie director, who worked primarily in the USA! Erich Von Stroheim. i thought you would notice by looking at the location of the images i posted. i was merely trying an imitation of the pronounciation of peter sellers in dr. strangelove.
