The phrase "Darth Plagueis the Wise was a fuckin' wannabe nerd" may just be the funniest thing I've heard all month, and I thank you for it.

“With Mission, you get an impressionable street urchin who helps remind the player that this is still a family friendly adventure. You won’t encounter anything so upsetting, that a teenaged twi’lek couldn’t handle it.” *teenage twi’lek gets brutally murdered by her best friend*

"campbell writes, though I wish he wouldn't" how it feels to read campbell most of the time

I think part of Canderous' role as Mandalore in KOTOR2 is itself the game's own internal commentary on the lasting legacy of the first game's worldview; it's not a 'regression' so much as an individual representation of KOTOR1's perspective on symbology. Canderous, whether he learns at the feet of a Light Side Revan or a Dark Side Revan, doesn't really learn any actual particular morality from it; he learns of his own mortal, human exhaustion. Your intention for the player character, in naming them, giving them a face, perhaps even building up your own identity for them, is annihilated by the plot mandate that you're ACTUALLY Revan, and so Revan is who you become. In witnessing Revan, whose supernatural destiny as an ego-obliterating savior or villain kind of just destroys their individual selfhood, what Canderous actually LEARNS is that symbols endure things that individual, fragile people cannot. He becomes Mandalore, is HANDED that mantle by a Revan now completely outside your control, to make him something both more and less than a man. The tragedy inherent to him is that this was a flawed lesson to learn; you can see that in his conversations with Bao-Dur. Freed from the 'limitations' of a genuinely human identity in the way the monomyth imagines a mythic figure, he also becomes an alienating, offputting living totem of an ideology that is discomforting and unsettling in the way a complete submission of the self into a destined role, an avatar of a belief system, naturally is. He's there to provide a counterpoint by dint of negative example of what happens when you wear the mask so long, so intently, that it becomes your own face, a theme repeated again with Darth Nihlus.

Almost 20 years later, what I mainly remember of my final, operatic confrontation against Malak is proving my superior virtue and righteousness by kiting him over frag mine, after frag mine, after frag mine... Like a Hero. ;-)

I've just gotten out of work three hours late. I've spent the last hour in a freezing pub garden waiting for a very delayed train home to a soggy microwaved dinner. I'm on the train home and this pops into my feed. Noah, you've saved my evening and possibly my whole day. Thank you.

The end fight against Kreia is really simple for why it happens. She’s your teacher, you’re her prize pupil. As a Sith, she knows that the only way for you to finish your lessons under her is to kill her. As a Jedi, she knows you have to break the master-student bond between you and her to be self-complete. And as an Echani, she believes that people find definition and resolution in conflict. So, after having manipulated all these foes to stand in your way - Sion, Nihilus, Atris - she sets herself up as the final villain, your last challenge. It’s the only way she knows to finalise your graduation from her schooling. That’s all there is to it; it’s all for you, to help you be the best you that she can.

Here's an anecdote I felt symbolically relevant: During the Kotor 1 final fight, or rather the dialogue before it, you go through the motions of telling Malak that he can still be saved etc etc. It is a drawn out affair with an obvious end. In the last exchange malak will exclaim, as a response to your insistance that you will redeem him, "Over my dead body". Me seeing the obvious light side answer that looked like it would prolong this bickering, decided that enough is enough, if he is so determined, how could I dissuade him?! So I chose the, mind you still passive" option to say: "That can be arranged" Which deducted a single light side point making me fail to live up to the insanely stringent ideals... of my lightsaber. I was playing a knight. No force powers, no guns. I now faced, not having saved for hours, the hardest fistfight you could imagine. I tried for 3 grueling hours before giving up and replaying a large portion of the game. I chose the slightly nicer, chattier option. Never before has the heroes path seemed so narrow nor deviation from it felt so punishing. I loved this video, watching it again years later. Thank you for your massive and astounding work and insights.

Oh thank God. About every three months, I look for Noah's Kotor 2 video that I remember he made, and then I reremember that he didn't. I'm now free of this cycle. Thank you, Noah.

I always found it hilarious in a dark way how the Juhani quest can end up with her dead. I mean, everybody is willing to sit and do nothing, her master not telling her she survived, the council sending Revan to handle it... And then the 8 intelligence, 0 persuassion Defender blunders in and just offs her. Somehow, they did not realize this was a possible outcome. It's almost as if all the dumb and incompetent Jedi were force-waved upstairs into the council

I enjoyed Taris and Peragus/Telos, actually thought Peragus was legit unnerving when I was a kid I think a big part of why people want to skip them is cause you have no choice but to be there

"She doesn't have to live up to a reasonable person's standards, however; she has to live up to Cambell's." Sick burn.

"Hoooney, come to bed already, I'm not wearing anything..." "I cant, Noah is talking about Video Games again."

"And since KOTOR is inexplicably based off of modified 3rd Edition DnD rules..." It's actually very explicable - one, Lucas had a partnership with DnD publisher Wizards of the Coast at the time (the Star Wars tabletop RPG they released was the same way), and two, it's what the developers were used to, having just come off of the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights games.

Meek defense of peragus, story-wise it is absolutely horrifying and really sets the tone for the rest of the game on the first playthrough (annoying af on a second playthrough though). One of the only survivors isolated in the cold void of space trying to figure out where you are and how to escape. Sion stalking you like a Jason through the deserted freighter. It feels like they were going for a survival horror vibe. Like, if KOTOR 2 were made in a modern engine I think they could really get the setting selling it, tighten it up, and make it work. It feels more like Alien than Star Wars and the graphics, lighting, and level design just don't back up the fear, helplessness, and confusion I think they were going for.

52:20 NITPICK NERD MODE ACTIVATED!: It was Exar Kun that Jolee's wife followed, not Revan and Malak, around 40 years before the start of KOTOR. Kun's story was told in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi by Tom Veitch and Kevin J. Anderson. (the KOTOR series serves as a sort of pseudo-sequel to Tales of the Jedi)

I've never understood the general hate for Taris. I've always loved it and often thought that it would have been even greater if there was more quests set on Taris. The planet breaths atmosphere and I love it. Always have, always will xD

Noah reading the names of Patrons: "Don't-read-my-name-I-don't-care" Don't-read-my-name-I-don't-care: ...

"Spiritual Prolapse" was not a phase I expected to hear today...

Joliee's wife didn't join Revan's Sith Empire. She joined Exar Kun's Sith Empire. The time line is really weird, but some fifty years before KOTOR I, a Jedi named Exar Kun turned to the Dark Side and went to war against the Jedi and Republic, turning many Jedi to his side. This is the war that leads up to the Mandalorian Wars which in turn results in the Jedi Civil War.

Last week I asked him to review KOTOR and now hedid, just because I asked. 100% not a coincidence at all he saw my comment and made this in a week.

It is sort of hinted subtly in Clone Wars (which is extra movie material made under Lucas' supervision) that rather than emotions it was Anakin's ambition the real issue. There is a storyline in which Obi Wan Kenobi is stated to have been in a relationship with the future Duchess of Mandalore when he was a padawan and the only reason he didn't leave the Jedi order was because she intentionally never stated she wanted a serious relationship with him and did so on purpose because she didn't want him to abandon his duties as a jedi for her. Basically speaking it's a mirror of the Padme/Anakin relationship, showing that Obi Wan unlike Anakin would have gladly abandoned the Jedi order for love because he doesn't really see being a Jedi as a career (which is something hinted at the memetic rank of master thing in epIII) and also that there is really nothing binding Anakin to the Jedi order other than his personal ambition that ends up creating grief for all his loved ones. It seems to me that Lucas probably had an inkling of the issues with Campbell's vision and decided to soften it up a bit over time after the original trilogy and this is part of it.

'You who have defeated us say to yourselves that Babylon is fallen and its works have been overturned. I say to you still that man remains on trial, each man in his dock. Each man is a little war.' Frank Herbert - Dune

One of my friends summed up the thesis of The Hero with a Thousand Faces as "A story... is when something happens." That's always stuck with me.

1:33:43 "You've basically given yourself a spiritual prolapse, and I bet that just feels awful." LOL. That's definitely a new sentence.

It is interesting that the argument Noah makes for KOTOR II's existence (that it is a rejection of the monomyth from a position of devotion to it) reflects Kreia's approach to the Jedi Code: if you wish to truly understand, you need to go outside of a single doctrine. Just as the Code is not "All good all the time", neither is the Star Wars universe. And just as KOTOR II would be considered heresy today, Kreia was considered a Jedi heretic and exiled for seeking the truth outside of it.

I think the reason why the Heroes' Journey is so ubiquitous in a lot of western storytelling is because when you break it down to its simples points its basically a schematic for making sure your characters at least go through basic character development, which arguably is essential for good storytelling. Leave safe space, find mentor, learn about the world, face challenges, fail, try again using what you'll learned, succeed.

"This is your brain on Freud" is fucking brilliant, I chortled while holding my non-phallic cigar. Side note: I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite channel on the KZfaqs. (but for real noah, i love your content)

25:20 "Campbell writes, though I wish he wouldn't..." I love you, man. When I grow up, I want to be a Noah.

There's no RPG I remember more than this. So many of Kreia's words have stuck with me. It's an absolute treat to see your take on these 2 amazing games. You're most appreciated, Noah.

"That would be like if Luke decided to stay on the moisture farm because he decided to do the work." That's exactly what he does! Hah. Luke refuses the call to adventure, and then his aunt and uncle get murdered and the farm gets burned down. :)

"life is long and the betrayal of the Self is always a lurking possibility" Jesus, god... Are you looking into my soul? You don't get to cut me this deep in a Star Wars retrospective.

the best May 4th present a fella could ask for

"You won't encounter anything so upsetting that a teenage Twilek couldn't handle it" Well, you can force zaalbar to kill her against his will. That's pretty bad.

I don't think I ever managed to identify your same conclusion that both games are even greater TOGETHER than they are by themselves, even though I think I've always known it subconsciously. Thanks man, I appreciate your work every day.

"The reasons you must fight kreia to the death are flimsy, unsatisfying." If you win, she has created a student that is a hostile threat to the force and carries her lessons the best--"you are greater than any I have ever trained" If you lose, she recreates a reverberating force echo that will deafen the galaxy to the force--by inducing the fight with the exile at the source of the wound in the force: Malachor V, which the Exile otherwise carries with her. For the Exile's future, it is also important not only to resolve her past with Malachor V--either by mastering it or destroying it--but also to severe their Force Bond. Zez-Kai-El tentatively suggests that one killing the other could sever the bond and not just have the consequences of them mutually denying. There are plentiful motivations for the final encounter. There is also the fact that Kreia is an old witch who has accomplished her final task in life and relies on a poison she despises to keep living.

Correction: The Last Jedi showed Rey to have taken the books before she left, they're stashed away on the Falcon

I love Taris. Even after replaying this game countless times. The lower city/undercity is one of my favorite parts of the entire game.

Seeing Noah get all theoretical and start to truly discuss games through a theory-based lens (something he already does, but here receives higher focus) like you'd see in the best of cultural studies is God Tier good. I hope we get to see more videos based around cultural theory from you!

One thing: Rey actually takes the Jedi texts from the temple in The Last Jedi. You see them at the very last moment of the movie. That's why Yoda says "she has everything she needs" to Luke - because...she does.

Noah's feeding us good this week lads

Kreia is what happens when you drop Nietzsche in a setting where good and evil are palpable things.

Oof, I've seen so many critics I enjoyed uncritically reproduce this laundered version of Campbell's hero's journey as The One Way To Tell Stories, very refreshing video right from the get go!

I actually think lucas understood that the jedi were fundamentally inhuman even if they meant well. In both trilogies he deliberately shows a critically flawed and unlikable side to them. He just acknowledged that they aren't the worse thing in the galaxy at the same time.

Fun fact: after getting the story from the Sandpeople by trading that valuable Krayt Dragon Pearl, you can fight them and get it back in addition to a boatload of XP.

Great video as usual, my one complaint here is when you mentioned Canderous. His plotline feels like a regression because it is meant to be one. Every companion character is suffering from trauma, something in their past that they haven't been able to overcome. The Exile helps them mend it in some way (or use it as fuel for further destruction), but it's a self-fulfilling act because doing so makes the Exile stronger. Canderous was betrayed by Revan, broken and basically forced to rebuild the Mandalorians because it's what Revan wanted for his own nebulous goals. Canderous is chasing after Revan's approval, even long after he's disappeared. It's supposed to feel tragic if you played the first game.

small request: when quoting a book, something meant to be read, please put the words on the screen. It is at least for me, non native speaker, super hard to parse.

36:00 I mean, fascist societies are every bit the same as the Sith in real life. Proclaiming the individual while actually crushing them. Simultaneously, any proper free society based on actual compassion and hope is one that protects the individual and the rights to expand oneself spiritually or mentally.

Yet again, an absolutely stellar analysis. You manage to tie things together in such an elegant way, it never ceases to amaze me. This might be one of your best videos yet, in my opinion. And it happens to be on two games I have barely played

This video has really helped me appreciate the first game more than I gave it credit for initially, even as a child you can very much *feel* how the second game rejects the structure of the first; young me really hated Atris because she was the first 'jedi' I encountered that little me could identify as one, Kreia was a force user but her voice and teachings were alien to me and as someone who had been ardently light side and jedi all the way through the first. Whilst Bastilla is brash, she's not unrecognizably so that she is not immediately identifiable as a Jedi, struggling under the weight of destiny as much of the Film and other media's characters do, and yet here was Kreia, asking me to be mindful and mistrusting of the telos ithorians who put so much stock in the healing potency of the force, and questioning if I'm even doing charity out of genuine compassion or simple minded dogma. So when you meet Atris, in her ersatz 'academy', surrounded by robed warriors, with her own council room and pristine, bright white trappings, my young brain could only click and say 'Ah finally, a Jedi to call me on to action' and yet ultimately it was the Exile who chose to find the other council members, whilst Atris simply turns you away. Atris' hatred for you, her clear vindictive nature and ulterior motives, even as far as to use non-force sensitives like a barrier against Sith detection, are all obvious from the beginning when you pay attention past all her faux symbolism that Star Wars is so keen to place absolute value on. But to someone who just came off KOTOR 1, your brain instinctively maps the the Telos academy as the same place of learning and call to action as your experiences on Dantooine in the first. It is the same tragedy of revisiting Dantooine in KOTOR 2, there are no jedi, the only ones mourned by K1, only settlers, beset by mercenaries, not the powerful marauding sith lords but greedy ex-sith foot soldiers against weak militias, both victims of climactic abstract struggles between Jedi and Sith that brought destruction to them, without the viewing it is given in K2, Dantooine is a footnote casualty of adventure, the same way Telos' utterly shattered world is a reminder that no redemption will undo the complete ruin Revan once brought to it's skies. The Exile gathers to defend Telos not with a Republic fleet, but with the scattered castaways of the monomyth; from Onderon's soldiers (who arrive regardless of who you sided with), to Dantooines Miltia/Mercenaries, all forces against a being who is quite literally driven by a hunger for the force itself, a death impulse not even motivated by ambition but compelled themselves by an all compelling force that the Monomyth posits to exist in all stories. Malak is a final challenge for the story's hero, he can be beaten by the hero at the end of his journey, The Exile is the only one who can defeat Nihilus because The Exile's strength is not internal, but is drawn by their great empathy and connection they either inspire (light) or feed from (dark) their companions, they are a wound in the force that draws other's loyalties to them; they exist 'outside' the force, the way Nihilus is controlled by it, and thematically, that is essentially a poison to Nihilus, it's the monomyth attempting to absorb one who refused 'the call'. that is at least my interpretation

The depth of this video is incredible. You can tell so much care was taken and its all brilliantly delivered fully formed and executed beautifully. You should be so proud of this Noah! We are so lucky to have you and your work

The fact you chose to interact with The Hero With a Thousand Faces in good faith and extract meaning out of it while still acknowledging it's faults, is why I keep coming back. It's what's missing in a lot of current cultural discourse. Thank you for leading by example!

Random thought related to the Jedi order and criticisms therein... what's interesting is that *Luke* is a complete repudiation of the Jedi order's dogma. There's extra to this if you consider the EU. Here's some general points that stand out. 1. You can't teach adults or near adults the ways of the force. Luke not only becomes a Jedi Knight, he rebuilds the Jedi order, and is not only Master, but named Grand Master by the many masters of the ways of the force that Luke himself trained. 2. You can't bring someone back from the Dark Side. A weird tenant when you consider how common this is, but Luke himself proved the superiority of his dogma over the old Jedi order's when he redeemed his father... and was later redeemed himself. 3. Emotional bonds are dangerous for Jedi. Maybe but Luke's a very successful Jedi, and he had the benefits of a stable, healthy and emotionally normal upbringing instead of being taken as an infant by aesthetic monks. Luke's New Jedi order tended to take older children in general, beyond masters and knights training their own children before sending them to the praxum, truly young children generally don't receive more than general instruction on the force, and the moral framework therein till they're older. That knights and masters are commonly having children, and that there's numerous weddings depicted or commented on in the various EU media, including Luke's own to Mara Jade. I think a lot of that speaks for itself. 4. At times the Jedi/Sith divide seems to come down to cutting one's self off from all emotion (though never really doing that for... reasons.) While the Sith embrace all the most destructive parts of the flip side of that coin. While not giving a shit is indeed the actual polar opposite of passionate hatred, it seems to me that Luke's fighting with one emotion above all powering the force as it flows through him, that might be far more powerful a weapon against the cloying desires of the Sith than detachment. Love. For his sister. For his father. For his friends. Love for everything and everyone he comes across, determined to do what he can for those who can, or want, to be helped. Not taking any BS either. Luke's hardly a pushover and he's more than happy to defend himself or others in the face of aggression. Which all reminds me of the Dalai Lama... who's got a very similar vibe when you listen to him speak... and like most Eastern pacifists... he's not exactly shy about the concept of self defense either. The New Jedi Order's very successful in many, many respects. Perhaps more so than the Old Jedi Order that preceded it. All based on the far more grounded philosophies of Luke Skywalker that seem, in my mind, more naturally, and in tune with the same. This was a part of the EU that I really, really miss, because the humanist (...err Sapienist? Not sure what that word would be with multiple intelligent life forms sharing a galaxy) tones of the New Jedi Order proving so successful was fascinating. Was that intended? I don't know for sure. It happened over the course of dozens, hundreds of pieces of media... all theoretically approved by Lucasfilm's minders. I don't know if George went that deeply in to it.

Well hot damn. I found this channel because the algorithm recommended the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight video to me THIS MORNING. This man knows what I needs.

I'm really surprised by your take on Peragus. I really enjoyed it! It was so fun to piece together what happpened there, discover the whole story. Even tho it wasn't great mechanically, I really enjoyed the narrative there. BTW, new to the channel. Good video! :)

Some of my favorite games of all time, KotOR 2 more than 1, wish it had gotten the proper time it needed. Between KotOR 2 and New Vegas with the relative disappointment of The Outer Worlds makes me think Obsidian should create sequels and side games for existing series that are critical of the series itself.

I've been waiting for this...

Perfect timing!

Love that I checked your channel again and this video popped up! Wonderful! By the way I actually liked Taris from a gameplay standpoint since it's laying out your character and provides build up to your "homecoming" on Dantooine. On a serious note, it boggles my mind that I can sit here and listen to something that feels wonderfully academic and deals with something I used to play as a literal child. Thank you for your incredible work. Both for it's amount and it's thoughtfulness.

did anybody else read this title as "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2 Vs. Joseph Anderson"

My immediate reaction to the last video was "it would be so cool to hear Noah's thoughts on KotOR" and here we are with lightning speed

1:33:43 "You're basically giving yourself a spiritual prolapse and I bet that just feels awful." It does. But, the first spiritual shit you take after is the best one you'll ever spiritually take!

Man I have to say, your video essays are a highlight of my KZfaq experience. Thank you so much for the efforts and wisdom you put into enlightening us and sparking our thoughts

This video has been years and years in the making, and I couldn't be happier it's finally here!

No way. We have been waiting actual years for this. I remember watching your old videos when you still.worked at that pizza place, you would talk about maybe doing a kotor review. Now here we are, I geuss its true that with time all good things will come. Thanks for all your hard work noah!!!!!!!

I absolutely love your writing and expression style. To make me love something more than I already did, or creating a love for something I had no clue/care about. It's truly a treasure.

i love coming back to this video it really is one of the best essays about star wars out there

You’ve got some amazing videos but this one has blown my mind. I suspect I’ll be returning to this one regularly. Thank you!

That funk Star Wars theme is amazing. Can't believe I didn't know that was a thing.

Atris' hatred of course is based in envy -- she wanted so much to do what the Exile did, to fight and to be buoyed by righteousness. That the rules of the Order forbade this is what sets off her madness. Atris' fall is probably my favorite "fall to the dark side" arc.

Two Noah videos in a week, I feel so blessed

The cadence of your speech straight up reminds me of G0-T0, a little deeper and more montone and it's almost a perfect fit.

I probably started wondering five years ago how Noah considers KOTOR.

I'm only minutes into this essay and I'm already falling out of my chair. I'm currently reading The Hero With a Thousand Faces and finding it unsatisfying in a way I've never been able to put into words, and you sum it up wonderfully within the first ten minutes. Years of discourse about this theory that I couldn't comprehend boiled down and laid out in a way that I thought it'd take me years to put into my own words. You're so good at this, Noah. I don't think anybody is better at *gestures wildly* THIS.

Every time I see a new NCG video it instantly makes my day. Thanks for doing what you do, these are such a pleasure to watch!

You know, one day about a year ago or so I somehow stumbled upon a series retrospective of yours and was incredibly impressed. I've only gotten more and more impressed with every video you create, because you consistently make me feel like engaging the critical thinking portions of my brain more than most anyone else.

One of the elements of the Expanded Universe that was absolutely wonderful and that the Disney Canon has lost, I feel, was how so much of the old legends EU strove to denounce the notion that the galaxy was trapped in this constant back and forth of the Jedi Schism. Especially prior to the Prequels, the conflict between the Empire and the New Republic was framed not background to the conflict between Jedi sects, but instead it was the foreground, with the Jedi conflict occuring in the shadows of this broader ordeal, and which the rest of the galaxy largely would continue along it's way none the wiser. Even as the series moved into the New Jedi Order novels, and the Jedi became more and more and more central to the plot and it's elements, the conflict was steered away from a return to the recursive monomyth by introducing an entirely outside context problem, a villain who was entirely separated from the ordeals of Jedi vs Sith, and who was, infact, divorced from the Force entirely (and quite literally). Sadly, this was to be lost later . . . as the trials and tribulations of Jacen Solo's descent into the darkside, and later the involvement of Aboleth, would bring the Jedi and their conflict squarely into not just the narrative spotlight but the center of events around which the Galaxy itself spins.

The phrase "Campbell writes, though I wish he wouldn't," is absolutely genius

Having now gone through most your videos, this stands out as the best. Love it dude

Man, you're inspiring me with your musings. You find the greatest things to quote and disassemble in a high-brow manner. I deeply enjoy it with my entire being and put it to good use in my work... okay, so far a hobby.

Hey, remember when we were all talking about when would Noah make this video when he released the Dark Forces one? EDIT: Also, Fem!Revan, eh? Respect, I always went Fem!Revan, Male!Exile.

I think Joseph Campbell interpreted Jung's Anima and Animus archetypes literally, taking the cultural and social representations to correlating with gender as a social construct, and thus "mother" and "father" roles, and instead of integrating the feminine and masculine as Jung did, use representations in others.

Never have I read a title more specifically catered to my interest :D Thanks Noah and all the best to you

I love Noah's videos so much, and this is BY FAR my favorite of all his videos. Outstanding!

I think it's worth noting that Darth Nihilus is a twisted reflection of the exile in KOTOR 2. They were both made what they were by Malacor, but where the exile moves past it, he stews in it. The ship you fight him was torn the from the surface of the dead planet and is held together by his will. Moreso though, the exiles power is to forge connections and then strengthen everyone involved in the bond, where Nihilus makes bonds and then leeches everything away from them. He's still underused unfortunately.

1:19:38 "Throw in the only evil wookie I've ever seen in a piece of Star Wars media..." Chuundar: Am I a joke to you?

Having grown up with Star Wars I knew it had influenced my thinking and outlook on life, but I never realised the extent to which I had internalised the Monomyth's precepts. Even through critique it can give someone that feeling of "discovering something outside of yourself." The Hero With a Thousand Faces is something I've been meaning to get around to reading for ages and now it seems that I really will have to, in the meantime you've earned another patron. Best wishes.

I just wanna say I love your videos so much youre just so articulate and have such a unique look at games in general I cant get enough ive gotten to the point im rewatching most of your videos now cause I've already watched them all

The time has come for this review. And Noah is still hitting us with the greatest intros in all of KZfaq.

Great video with lots of good details and points to make about both subjects. I just want to say regarding the monomyth and Campbell's ideas, I always personally read them as a kind of best-fit line explaining the functional similarities between cultures, mythologies, and religions, not as a direct model that they all necessarily fit into but rather shared points in terms of how they serve their societies and how they use symbols to express frames of looking at life. Campbell himself talks about this I believe later on the Power of Myth miniseries (I could be misremembering), but the most useful aspect of the monomyth for me is for its ability to be able to identify the differences, not the similarities, between cultures and religions and so forth. By providing that statistical conceptual baseline, it becomes easier to spot variations from the "metadata" so to speak of the hero's journey and sport the divergences in regional and temporal beliefs and how they adapt and change. In Power of Myth, he discusses a lot of differing myths and stories that vary wildly from the traditional hero's journey, although they can still be considered stories about journeys ending with self-transformation. I think the quote you use about symbols needing to be translucent put it best, the best way to read Campbell in my opinion is to focus on connotation, not denotation, and to understand the monomyth as a myth itself of the era of the time. Even the jungian and freudian concepts informing the monomyth are cultural memes akin to gods for the 20th early post-modernist century.

Man i love video essays about things i enjoy. I just take great pleasure listening to a guy speak in detail about the things i like and the philosphies/ideas behind them for an hour or more.

Haha love your videos. hadnt been here for a while. Funny story, I was having a SUPER hard time in college freshman year, and I relied on things like your videos among other things and it reallly got me through somehow and took my mind off my problems. I have like two semesters left now, its amazing to see how much the channel has grown. I believe I remember when you had like less than 40k subs (correct me if im wrong, I began viewing in late 2017 so however many subs you had then). Its awesome to see it grow verry happy for you. Ill probably make some more comments

35:22 the reason behind the D20 is because BioWare used an updated version of the Aurora engine (Neverwinter Nights engine) and were already familliar with how power curve works in it, so they used what they knew works well instead oif trying to reinvent something that might or might not work.

I've never clicked on a Noah video so quickly

Extraordinary. You have outdone yourself Noah. I think this is some of your best work.

Holy fuck I was looking for something to listen to until I fall asleep, was not expecting the best Star Wars essay on youtube

This is probably THE most challenging gaming related video in the entire platform.

This one was incredible, Noah. Thank you.

This is my favourite of your videos! Incredible work.

Excellent timing, coming out with this on May the 4th! (And amazing work with the video, I always look forward to these!)