One of the hits to come out of EA’s partnership with Lucasfilm was 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. After a long period of having only Star Wars Battlefront renditions to play, Jedi: Fallen Order allowed players to step into a Jedi’s robes and explore the galaxy in a true single-player experience.
The story follows Cal Kestis, a young Jedi who is seeking to reconnect with the Force after he was forced into hiding due to Order 66. Building on this premise, Fallen Order also included many of the hallmarks that make up a Star Wars story - a misfit gang of characters, the discovery of one’s destiny, and even Darth Vader. But it missed out on one key component that would be a great addition for the next game.
Star Wars Archetypes
The Star Wars franchise has created dozens of stories in the galaxy far, far away, but they’ve all consistently included certain character archetypes. For example, the trio of heroes, a la Luke, Leia and Han, has remained a consistent staple throughout all three film trilogies. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order adopts a similar approach to its character types, which follow a long-standing tradition across Star Wars history.
Cal is the young Jedi who is seeking to fulfil his destiny and connect with the Force in Jedi: Fallen Order, very similar to Luke Skywalker, Ezra Miller, and Rey Skywalker before him. Cal’s journey is slightly different from the other Jedi heroes as he began as a Padawan trained in the Force but lost his faith after the death of his mentor. Cal’s story begins with the hero in a dark place, and unlike the other Jedi heroes, he knows about his powers and the Force from the beginning. But his commitment to fulfilling his Jedi training and helping to restore the Jedi order is similar to that of characters like Luke or Rey.
Cere Junda also bears particular similarities to Obi-Wan Kenobi as a mentor, having lost a student to the dark side with Trilla, as Obi-Wan did with Anakin. But she’s attempting to make amends for this as a mentor to Cal and on her quest to rebuild the Jedi. As the captain of the Mantis, Greez shares traits with Han Solo and Poe Dameron as a daring, wise-cracking rogue type. And not to be forgotten is BD-1, who fills the prescribed place of the loyal droid to the cause, in the same way that R2-D2, Chopper, and BB-8 supported the team. But while there are counterparts for all these Star Wars stereotypes in Jedi: Fallen Order, there’s still a major one missing.
Women of the Rebellion
The rebellion in Star Wars has always been fronted by strong female characters. Leia effectively ran the rebellion, first on the ground as a fighter and then later as the General. In the prequel trilogy, Padme Amidala was one of the original Rebel sympathizers and was always a strong supporter of the Jedi Order, even as the Empire began to emerge. Jyn Erso was integral to retrieving the first Death Star plans in Rogue One, and Hera from Star Wars Rebels and Rose Tico from the sequel trilogy were also core women fighting for the Rebellion. Even The Mandalorian has Cara Dune, as an ex-shock trooper turned resistance fighter.
But in this one regard, Jedi: Fallen Order is lacking in its character range. The game was very much about Cal’s journey to reconnect with the Force and many of the characters he meets in his journey exist to support his quest. But Jedi: Fallen Order takes place in a timeline where the Rebellion is very much in motion. And following the events of the first game, it’s very likely that Cal and the Mantis crew will cross paths with the rebels in future sequels.
Female Rebels in Fallen Order 2
While many of the developers behind Jedi: Fallen Order have expressed their desire to make a sequel, nothing has been announced officially. Given the game’s popularity, it can only be a matter of time, which gives Respawn Entertainment a chance to bring in some new characters. The next logical path for Cal and the crew to take would be to join up with the rebels. While the characters in Jedi: Fallen Order are yet to appear in any other Star Wars canon, that doesn’t mean that they can't have a meaningful pathway in the Rebellion era.
Assuming that the Mantis crew do assist with the rebellion next, this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the strong female rebel that the series has been missing. Characters like Leia and Hera have proven their place in the Rebellion countless times, whether as players in the field or as tactical strategists. The Mantis crew would need a Rebel on the team to assist with missions and bring them into the cause, and following the archetypes of previous Star Wars stories is a logical choice here.
Alternatively, there’s nothing stopping Jedi: Fallen Order from bringing in a female rebel sympathizer who is also a Jedi. Technically, no known Jedi were part of the Rebellion, prior to Luke and Obi-Wan, due to Order 66. But, as Star Wars Rebels has proven, Jedi such as Ahsoka, Ezra, and Kanan were still canonically part of the Rebel movement without being mentioned in the film franchise. So there’s plenty of potential for a new rebel character to be introduced in Jedi: Fallen Order who is also trained as a Jedi.
This option would also tie further into the themes of the game, which delves into the origins of the Jedi and the Force. Introducing a second female Jedi to the crew would be a useful counterpoint for Cal as he moves forward and would be particularly helpful if Darth Vader and his Inquisitors are still in pursuit of the Mantis crew. Jedi: Fallen Order 2 could even take a page out of The Last of Us 2’s book and allow both Cal and a new female Jedi character to be playable throughout the game. The introduction of Cal as a lead character landed quite well with Star Wars fans, and now Jedi: Fallen Order 2 has the chance to do the same with the origins of a new female character.
No matter in which direction Jedi: Fallen Order 2 chooses to go, in order for the sequel to fulfil its Star Wars roster, a strong female rebel should be included in the crew. Characters like Leia, Jyn Erso, and Ahsoka have proven that these characters are a core part of any Star Wars story and including a new female character in Jedi: Fallen Order 2 only serves to make the game stronger as it moves forward.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is available now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.