I know Kyle Katarn is essentially from the books, but would it help to play the games in preparation for the new cards next year?
Old Republic is in sale atm, so I might play it to further immersion in the card game.
I played most if not all other Star wars games in the recent decade, so it'd be nice to have people like Revan, Batilla or Malak (or whatever their names) to find their way into the games.
The books and games vary widely in quality, but if you have the time to play some, enjoy! If you're pressed for time, reading over the Wookiepedia articles for characters you don't know is probably the most efficient way to know the characters you're playing with.
Kyle Katarn actually made his first appearance in Dark Forces in 1994, and was the main protagonist in the following Dark Forces II and Jedi Knight games. Those games, along with TIE Fighter, X-Wing, and Knights of the Old Republic have been by far my favorites in the franchise.
Dash Rendar is from the book Shadows of the Empire which was made into a PC/N64 game afterwards if I am not mistaken. Playing that Hoth level brings back some memories. Makes me start to feel old.
Since they have tapped into the expanded universe, just about anything is possible. 
And yea, I dug out Shadows and Rogue squadron for N64 the other day, I felt especially old as well 
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I know Kyle Katarn is essentially from the books, but would it help to play the games in preparation for the new cards next year?
Old Republic is in sale atm, so I might play it to further immersion in the card game.
I played most if not all other Star wars games in the recent decade, so it'd be nice to have people like Revan, Batilla or Malak (or whatever their names) to find their way into the games.
Eh, not saying it wouldn't be neat, but those characters are waaaaaaaaay outside the time span the game covers (a few years before ANH to a few years after RotJ). I seriously doubt they'll ever even put prequel stuff in, let alone things from thousands of years earlier. We've gotten one objective set that references the KotOR era - in the form of a destroyed planet and some ghosts. So nothing actually from that time, but rather the echos of it that still exist in the timeframe of the original trilogy. I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar for the light side - perhaps a "Bastilla Shan's Journal" enhancement? - but seeing the characters themselves as playable units would be pretty shocking.
Dash Rendar is from the book Shadows of the Empire which was made into a PC/N64 game afterwards if I am not mistaken. Playing that Hoth level brings back some memories. Makes me start to feel old.
Actually it was all done at the same time as part of a planned release. Lucas wanted to make an interquel movie between V and VI without actually making a movie. There's a trailer(you can see it on YouTube), video game, graphic novel and novel.
I just want Thrawn Trilogy characters.
you're getting Mara Jade and she looks awesome!