This entry diverts away a little from the previous pieces, but offers interesting insight into Star Wars and this board too.

The Star Wars timeline contains patterns which are repeated over and over. Furthermore the narratives of these times never evolve the technology or understanding of these different eras. For instance, in the Old Republic Era where we have KOTOR and TOR the technology, weapons and basic forms are almost exactly the same as what happens 4000 years later.
Now, there are many explanations for this, one being brand recognition. Star Wars without grey clothed Imperials, and almost-Star Destroyers wouldn't 'look right'. Similarly the Jedi and Sith are very much recognisable from their later incarnations.
This is understood, but the rather hasty explanations about plagues, dark ages etc to explain why technology hasn't advanced doesn't really ring true to me.

My theory is and always has been that the Old Republic era is a parallel competing version of Star Wars. A parallel universe if you like, since the two have no real bearing on each other, it's like Bioware chose to make their own version of Star Wars and this is the end result.

Was it deliberate? Probably not, but they had to make KOTOR and TOR so much like the original anyway that they might as well have been.