When the Star Wars sequels were announced, many fans who were excited to see the Sith and Jedi return to the big screen were disappointed to learn that Disney was declaring the Expanded Universe non-canon. This was a particular blow to fans of the sequel novels but also the many video game adaptations made that had expanded upon the extensive history of the Star Wars universe. Now, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 has a chance to bring back parts of the EU.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is reportedly in development as a sequel to the story of Cal Kestis, a Jedi who has to learn the ways of the order while being hunted by the Empire after the fall of the Galactic Republic in Episode 3. This gives developer Respawn Entertainment a unique opportunity to reintroduce some of the characters from the EU that would not clash with the sequels' new events, but which could help reward fans who followed the lore.
Revan
Revan is one of the greatest characters in all of Star Wars, though he has featured mainly in video game adaptations. Over the course of Knights of the Old Republic, its sequel, and Star Wars: The Old Republic, players saw Revan rise as a Jedi, become a powerful Lord of the Sith, die, return, and eventually get defeated again on Yavin, becoming one with the Force.
Revan has returned from the dead too many times at this point to make a full return that doesn’t feel excessive, but like Yoda or Obi-Wan, he could return as a force ghost. Perhaps more subtly, Respawn could put in a few references and relics that hint that the story of KOTOR and SWTOR have not been completely forgotten by the main canon. Revan originally lived thousands of years before Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 takes place, and the game could see Cal Kestis come across ruined statues or artifacts that at least give a nod to one of the franchise’s most complicated characters. Technically speaking, Disney had deemed him canon but has done nothing with the character to justify or expand on that, and this sequel could and should change that.
The Yuuzhan Vong
First featured in Star Wars: The New Jedi Order, the Yuuzhan Vong were an invasive species of warlike aliens who appeared in the EU after the end of Return of the Jedi, hellbent on destroying the New Republic. Animator Dave Filoni has hinted before that though they have been cut from the canon, they may be reintroduced in some way in the Clone Wars series, which could mean they make an appearance earlier in the new canon than the old one. This could let them fit right into the new game, perhaps in a more limited scope.
Existing outside the Force was something many feels didn't like, but it is an interesting mechanic that could see more use and more explanation as to why.
Prince Xizor and the Black Sun
Prince Xizor was introduced in the Shadows of the Empire series. A fallen prince and leader of the massive criminal organization the Black Sun, Xizor is one of the most influential figures in the galaxy and shows a very different side to the ideological evil pursued by the Sith. He’s as charismatic as he is terrifying and rose to power just months after Palpatine’s Declaration of a New Order, making him fit right into the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order timeline.
Dash Rendar and the Destruction of the Imperial Museum
Dash Rendar is another character introduced in Shadows of the Empire as a famous smuggler for the Rebel Alliance. He’s actually already been hinted to be back in the canon in Solo: A Star Wars Story – Tales from Vandor, but only in a few throwaway lines. In his original incarnation, the smuggler has a very different tone to Han Solo, coming from a wealthy Corellian family and joining the Imperial Navy. He becomes a smuggler after Xizor kills his older brother after their parents refused to sell their company to the Black Sun.
Xizor did so by sabotaging Rendar’s brother’s ship, which crashed into the Imperial Museum, causing Emperor Palpatine to blame the family instead of the perpetrator. It’s possible players could see this event take place in Fallen Order 2, but either way, Dash Rendar could be a valuable ally in the fight against the Empire.
Natasi Daala
Natasi Daala is one of the most interesting characters in the Star Wars EU canon. She was the first woman to reach the rank of admiral in the Imperial Navy and was taken under Moff Wilhuff Tarkin’s wing, the man who would later lead in the construction of the Death Star. Daala is a fascinating and morally complicated figure. After the death of the Emperor, she captures Han Solo and Chewbacca, and when she learns of the death of Palpatine and Tarkin, she begins a campaign of revenge across the galaxy.
Later, she tries to unite the Imperial warlords, but finding no success simply executes them all and takes control of their forces. After that, she joins the Mandalorian forces fighting against Darth Cadeus and becomes the new Chief of State of the Galactic Alliance, quickly exiling Luke Skywalker as part of the backlash against force-users that came after Cadeus’s defeat.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 could see her still in her early stages of her navy career as she rises up the ranks. For a lost character, she had a hand in some major events in the original Star Wars saga and occupied an interesting place in the EU canon after the fall of the Empire, showing how the Empire didn’t simply disappear following the destruction of the second Death Star. Her constantly shifting allegiances make her a more morally complicated character in a universe that can sometimes be black and white, and it would be interesting to see whether or not ambition characterized her early career, or whether her ruthlessness was learned from Tarkin.
The Star Wars Expanded Universe is rich with characters that Respawn Entertainment could populate its next game with. Many fans will be hoping that when coming up with characters the studio looks to those that fans lost when the EU was declared non-canon to find opportunities to reintroduce them and their stories into Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is currently in development. A release date has yet to be announced.