Developers of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic reportedly spent a full day rewatching the Star Wars films to defend the game’s use of mild swear words after Lucasfilm objected. The anecdote illustrates how closely the BioWare team scrutinised the franchise’s tone while negotiating creative decisions with its licensor.

According to lead writer David Gaider, Lucasfilm questioned terms including “damn” and “hell”, prompting the team to compile examples from the films showing that similar language had already been used. Knights of the Old Republic was released in 2003, set roughly 4,000 years before the films, and became one of the most highly regarded Star Wars role-playing games.