The third trailer that BioWare produced for Star Wars: The Old Republic is titled Return. This video, launched on June 6 of 2011, illustrates the Sith Empire's attempt to reclaim their original world, Korriban. The events in the trailer occur 38 years prior to the game's start. The primary focus of the trailer is on Darth Malgus and his battles against the Galactic Republic forces, which were also depicted in the two preceding trailers, Deceived and Hope. Note that Return occurs 28 years and 14 years before Deceived and Hope, respectively. This video was unveiled at E3 2011 and has a runtime of six minutes and twenty seconds. A 4K version of the trailer was re-released on November 8, 2021.
The scene opens on a Republic space station that is in orbit around Korriban. Satele Shan, a Jedi, and her master, Kao Cen Darach, are present, as well as Jace Malcom and a Republic trooper. They are escorting Nico Okarr, a captured smuggler who was caught smuggling Sith artifacts from Korriban, and who is persistent in his desire to get his ship back. Suddenly, Satele Shan announces that she senses a strong presence of darkness. Shortly after, a fleet composed of Sith capital ships and fighters emerges from hyperspace and initiates an assault on the space station. Satele's master immediately identifies this as the return of the Sith Empire and stresses the importance of warning the Republic.
The smuggler proposes using his ship, claiming it to be the fastest in the sector, since the space station lacks any vessel capable of escaping the Sith. As the Jedi work to clear the hangar of Sith soldiers, Okarr assists the two troopers in repelling a Sith boarding party. During the conflict, Malcom's comrade is killed. Okarr defeats the remaining Sith soldiers, while Malcom secures the door. As they are getting ready to board Okarr's ship, a Fury-class Imperial interceptor lands in the hangar, and two Sith step out. While Corporal Malcom and Okarr board the smuggler's ship and prepare for launch, Satele and her Master attempt to delay the two Sith, Darth Malgus and Lord Vindican, engaging them in an intense lightsaber duel. The ship lifts off, and the Jedi manage to briefly push the Sith back. Kao Cen Darach orders Satele to flee on the ship, telling her "You must walk a different path", and then turns back to confront the two Sith.
Shan throws her double-bladed lightsaber to her master and departs on the ship. While Okarr pilots the ship through an asteroid field, evading Sith fighters, Malcom and Shan operate the quad laser cannons on board Okarr's ship. The Jedi Master skillfully fights both Sith, seriously injuring Vindican, who is a Pureblood, by stabbing him in the stomach with one of Shan's lightsaber blades. Malgus takes his injured master's lightsaber, adding it to his own, and re-engages the Zabrak. They exchange blows, but Malgus quickly gains the advantage. After disarming Master Darach, he ultimately kills him by slashing him across the chest with both blades.
Satele senses his death, but continues to fight, holding off the Sith long enough for them to jump to Hyperspace. Once the duel is over, Malgus approaches his master and tells him that he failed because Okarr's ship escaped, and the Republic will learn of the Sith's return. Vindican responds that this is only the beginning. Malgus then states, "Yes. After a thousand years, Korriban is ours again. Welcome home". Malgus then activates his lightsaber and kills Vindican.
It can be observed that Kao Cen Darach catches Satele's saberstaff with his right hand (while holding his own lightsaber in his left) and fights much of the duel with this arrangement. However, for a few seconds, the lightsabers are inexplicably switched, with the saberstaff in his left hand and the single lightsaber in his right hand. The same error is present with Malgus.