Star Wars: The Old Republic

will be releasing its Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion soon, and the

expansion will bring a new story of corporate gangsters taking control of

major assets, growing powerful enough to hold significant political power.

If you're thinking this may be a parable relating to the recent acquisition

of Lucasfilm and the rights to the entire Star Wars franchise by the

corporate giant Disney, you may not be far off.

Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney for over 4 billion dollars. That's the

kind of spending usually reserved for government projects, which seems

appropriate given the Disney invasion of the Star Wars brand. Everything

Star Wars is getting a Disney-fication over the course of this year, and for

SWTOR, the invasion begins with the Rise of the Hutt Cartel.

The first major Disney revision players are likely to notice is on

Alderaan, ancestral seat of the galaxy's nobility and royalty. House Organa

- future home of a new kind of Disney princess - has gotten a bit of a

makeover. Gone are the 1920's art deco motifs and terraced domes, in favor

of something... more traditional.

The Cartel Market will also be flooded with Disney-themed merch. One of the

more popular Cartel markets is a new flying pet, the 10QR-BL Flying Nano

Droid. This mini droid pet hovers around shoulder height, occasionally

darting back and forth and sprinkling sparkly dust everywhere.

There is also an interesting Cartel Market orobird, an unique reskin with a

jaunty blue sailor's shirt and a tiny hat. And we can't forget the random

armor drops. The MM-77 Comm Officer Helm has twinned radar dishes mounted on

top, but the arrangement looks strangely familiar.

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When equipped on a female character, a large bow-like widget sits between

the radar dishes. This helmet can be paired with the MM-77 Comm Officer

gloves, which are over-sized, white and have three fingers.

The Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion is slated for a mid-April release.