Review: Star Wars Black Series Gaming Greats Mission Vao and Carth Onasi from Knights of the Old Republic
- Mephitsu
- 15 hours ago
- 8 min read
"I don't have to listen to you, Carth! You ain't my father – though you're sure old enough to be! So keep your lectures inside your withered old head, 'cause I don't need 'em!"
The Star Wars video game Knights of the Old Republic Series, first released in 2003 with a sequel in 2004, has been an area into which the Star Wars Black Series has strayed in previous years, mainly under the Gaming Greats banner. To date, figures from this source material have included more well-known EU-origin characters like Darth Malak, Bastila Shan and Darth Malgus. In Spring 2026, it was confirmed that two more KOTR figures were incoming thanks to an Amazon Exclusive Gaming Greats 2-Pack featuring the playable character Carth Onasi and companion from the game, Mission Vao.
The set arrived in August 2026, shipping directly from Amazon in an outer brown shipper to protect the inner packaging. This packaging uses the same principles as all Black Series releases, with the matt black box and added accent colour appropriate to the collection; in this instance, an electric blue as used on all the Gaming Greats figures in the Galaxy Collection. This blue colouring is used on the front text confirming the character names and the source material; alongside these on the box front is the hexagon Gaming Greats foil sticker applied to the bottom right of the window.
The side art, also using the blue as a themed colour, features a top panel of Mission Vao with Carth Onasi underneath. As a two-pack, the release is not numbered, and this artwork does not connect with any other releases. The rear of the box splits the images into two individual panels, and in between them is a very brief overview of both characters, talking about Mission Vao as a “former street urchin” with “quick reflexes and agile thinking”, while Carth Onasi’s text talks about his history as a “career soldier and skilled pilot”. The same blue theme is also used on the backing card inside the box, which features an image from the game, specifically from Taris Lower City, where the game introduces both characters.
Starting with Mission Vao, and as with many Gaming Greats releases, there is some reuse of existing parts, with Vao featuring the torso and upper legs from Jaina Solo/Doctor Aphra and the arms from Aurra Sing. These are all in keeping with the in-game costume, which starts with that simple black sleeveless vest, over which sits a softer plastic jacket in grey with a brown belt. The arms are cast in the blue skin tone of Mission Vao, with the arm wrap on the left arm and the wristband painted black; these wristbands then join up with the black cast hands to create a gloved look. Proportionally, it is noticeable that these Aurra Sing arms are a little long.
The lower body starts with the hips and thighs of Jaina/Aphra in grey. To replicate the split coloured leggings of Vao, everything below the thigh swivel is new and cast in black, and while the lower legs include sculpted boots, there is no transition in colour or finish to differentiate the boots from the leggings. To bridge the gap between torso and hips, Mission Vao is given a softer plastic black belt with a large silver buckle.
The Twi’lek head sculpt is new, intended to represent a live-action Mission Vao, and based on the Knights of the Old Republic visuals from the game. While there is no actor on which to base the likeness, the head looks and feels representative of the character and includes the realism provided by facial printing to add the eye details and the mouth, and this all looks much more striking than the previous blue-skinned Twi’lek release of Aayla Secura, whose likeness always felt too simplistic.
Mission Vao is wearing a grey headdress with an ornate metallic front plate, and that then extends and wraps her headtails. These headtails are softer plastic in design and extend out and then back over her shoulders to drape over her front.
Vao features a single weapon and an odd choice of a Rebellion-era DH-17, which has seen previous releases with the likes of the Rebel Fleet Trooper and Admiral Ackbar. The blaster is not complementary to the Old Republic era or as seen as equipable in the KOTOR game, and it is disappointing that Hasbro could not develop an accurate blaster for her or include her specific Vibro-Blade weapon. The include DH-17blaster is the one that Mission Vao has in Galaxy of Heroes, which has obviously provided the reasoning to repack a blaster rather than making a new one.
The blaster fits loosely into the right hand, but the fit is not brilliant. The hands do have a trigger finger, but not designed or sized for this weapon. There are no holstering options on the figure.
Articulation is pinless, with 17 points of articulation: a configuration certainly a few years old thanks to the base figure and parts being used. The head sits on a ball joint and will move quite considerably, with the headtails flexible enough to move back over the shoulders as the head moves. The torso uses an upper ball joint, which includes rotation, sitting just above the ab-crunch joint that works with the ball joint to allow Mission Vao to lean forward or backward.
The arms have no butterfly joint and are quite deep-set into the torso - remember, the torso and arms are from two different figures. That means while they are mobile at the shoulder, they do sit out from the body, and the left arm in particular sticks out a bit too much. The elbows are jointed to 90 degrees, and there is a wrist pivot, and these all combine into a few options for display, including firing her blaster.
The legs include standard ball-joint hips, a thigh swivel, a rotating single-joint knee, and ankle rockers, and these all allow a variety of stable positions, including kneeling positions, the ability to sit, and wider and more dynamic stances.
We move now to Carth Onasi, and like Vao, he features some key re-use with the legs and hips taken from the Kanan Jarus figure from Rebels, recoloured to match Carth Onasi’s costume in the game with black boots, grey trousers, and bronze knee pads. The belt and thigh holster strap built into the trousers remain, with the buckle updated to a larger Han Solo-style buckle, front and back painted silver. The belt itself and the attached holster are in brown, with the socket that used to hold part of Kanan’s lightsaber hilt painted out in silver and made a feature, despite it having no function.
The upper body is new and includes a multilayered outfit that starts with a lighter red torso into which are sculpted some shoulder panels picked out in brown and yellow. Over this is Carth’s waistcoat as a rubber-sleeved jacket cast in orange and with painted grey fastenings. The arms continue in the same red as the inner torso, with ribbed panels coming down off the shoulders to represent a continuation of the yellow shoulder panel. Each arm ends in a plain metallic bronze bracer. Proportionally, there is a mismatch thanks to the re-used parts. The height of Kanan as a character and as a figure does mean his legs are longer than most, and Carth does look a little disproportionate at times with a shorter torso.
Carth Onasi's head sculpt is based on the game visuals and, like Vao, is converted to what would be considered a live-action representation so that Carth can be posed alongside live-action characters like Luke or Han and still have the same realistic proportionality and looks. Facial print tech brings out Carth’s eyes as well as his tight-cropped goatee and unshaven jawline. The hair is plugged into the head as an individual piece; this allows for some strands of hair to sit loose over the forehead while the hairline is a crisp and clear defined line, as there is no need to overpaint one side or the other.
Onasis also has a single blaster, and this one is aligned to the Old Republic era and one of the ones we see in-game. The weapon is not as detailed as the one in the game, but has the same outline with upper sights, a solid black body, and a silver-shaped barrel. This fits in Carth’s right hand or in his holster, while the left hand also has a trigger finger; this finger is extended as though pointing, so the left hand is more used for gesturing, but can just about also hold the blaster to represent Onasi’s dual-wielding skills.
Articulation has 19 points of articulation but features an even older format than Vao on the legs, with pinned double-jointed knees sitting between the ankle rocker and the upper thigh swivel and hip joints. The thigh swivel provides the swivel that the knees cannot, but having it does bring with it the issue of mismatched colouring between upper and lower thighs. The knees allow the legs to be bent almost back on themselves while the ankle rockers are tight and stable when Onasi is posed.
The upper articulation is the very newest format, with a ball joint mid-torso and a double-joint neck. The arms start with butterfly shoulders, which are very visible due to the way the costume has been designed, and this can look odd in some positions. Ideally, that shoulder panel/armour should have extended a little more to mask the butterfly joints. The elbows are a single rotating joint and bend past 90 degrees. The wrists move to the newer ball joints, which allows for full rotation and a broader range, but with a significant reduction in the pivot itself. If you try to bend the wrist too much, it will pop off the ball joint.
The two figures pose really well together as seen in the game, while also expanding the KOTOR and wider Old Republic era display out, opening up groups alongside other protagonists like Zaalbar, Revan, and Bastila Shan.
The re-use is smart enough to choose parts that represent both characters' costumes, but the reliance on that accuracy does cause some proportionality problems. This is most notable on Mission Vao’s long arms, while Carth Onasi's legs are taken from a tall character in Kanan, yet his torso doesn’t quite match. The other issues are with the accessories: Carth’s blaster is OK and at least representative of the game, while Mission Vao really needed a KOTR-era blaster and her vibro blade.
There are, however, more positives than negatives, and both figures feature a crisp level of decor and colouring, decent facial likenesses in keeping with the game visuals, and good articulation overall. This Old Republic collection is growing nicely, and I am pleased to see Hasbro is continuing to explore this niche side of Star Wars fandom. I can’t wait to add Satele Shan and the Old Republic Trooper to this display in the near future, and then to see what Hasbro has planned for us next.
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About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
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