Character Generation
Before you begin your adventure, you will need to create the character that will become your alter ego in the world of KOTOR. Those of you who are familiar with previous BioWare RPGs, such as Neverwinter Nights, will feel right at home with the character creation process, since it strongly resembles the Dungeons and Dragons-style character creation that we all know and love.
Quick Character vs. Custom Character
If you wish to simply jump into the game with a minimum amount of hassle, you'll want to create a quick character. This option lets the game decide your character's attributes and results in a well-balanced, if somewhat generic character. You'll still be allowed to select your character's sex, class, in-game portrait, and name.
If you're used to pre-made characters, such as are found in most console RPGs, by all means select a quick character and jump directly into the game; they're not handicapped at all when compared to a custom character. On the other hand, selecting the custom character option will give you access to a much broader array of customizations and allow you to select your player character's (or PC for short) attributes, skills, and feats, in addition to the cosmetic choices required of quick characters.
Class
Selecting your class is required for either quick or custom characters. You can think of your class as roughly analogous to an innate talent that may be used or squandered as you see fit, rather than as a rigid mold that must be adhered to at all times. In other words, a soldier can try to be stealthy and evade a confrontation with an enemy, but will usually be better off just fighting his or her way through the encounter. Of course, if you intend to be sneaky, you might as well be a scoundrel from the beginning, so think for a bit before you start the game and choose a class that best suits your style of play.