Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was a big hit for a lot of different reasons. The work that Respawn Entertainment put into making gamers really feel like a Jedi was one of the best efforts in almost a decade, and it's stood out as one of the best Star Wars titles to come out of EA's exclusivity contract with the franchise. On top of the solid gameplay, Respawn also gave players one of the best Star Wars stories that's been seen in a Star Wars game in a long time, and it's built up a lot of hype for a rumored sequel.
The way Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order ended, it's reasonable to believe that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 will continue the story of the Mantis crew in some way or another. The first game did a great job at fleshing out a smaller story set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, and now it begs the question of if the sequel will stay in this era, or move on to another. If it turns out that Jedi: Fallen Order 2 does end up jumping forward in time to a different era, it would probably be best if it avoided the tumultuous world of the sequel trilogy.
The Themes Of The Sequel Trilogy
The primary reason why Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 should avoid the sequel trilogy is because the themes established with the first game would not exactly fit with the themes that were present in the films. The sequel trilogy largely focused on hopelessness, with any victories coming at tremendous costs.
The Force Awakens saw the Resistance destroy Starkiller Base, but Han Solo was killed by Kylo Ren in the process. Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi showed the Resistance escape pursuit by the First Order, but the vast majority of the Resistance, and Luke Skywalker himself perished in the process. The Rise of Skywalker couldn't even have a completely happy ending either, as a redeemed Ben Solo died right when Palpatine was defeated.
While including these tragic themes into the sequels could be seen as a way to ground each story and make them seem more dramatic, it doesn't exactly fit with the core of Star Wars that was established with the original trilogy. While the original films did have their own tragedies, the victories that came afterwards were big enough to at least make those tragedies seem worthwhile from a storytelling point of view. This is arguably where the sequel trilogy falters the most, it lost the hope that the entire Star Wars franchise is built on.
Clashing With The Themes Of Jedi: Fallen Order
The story of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order kept to what the Star Wars franchise is built on, balancing tragedy with hope that rises to overcome it. Following Cal Kestis, players are taken through a story that largely follows the same beats as Luke Skywalker in the original trilogy. He is suddenly thrust into action against the Empire, and his journey is dotted by disappointments and victories that all, ultimately serve a purpose. By the end, a sense of hope is built up in knowing that the Empire won't get its hands on the holocron that serves as the game's main focus, and players can sit back knowing that everything turned out alright.
Putting Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 in the sequel era would ultimately be a huge risk. It could give some fans the same thematic whiplash that they got when going from the hopeful ending of the original trilogy to the pessimism of the sequels. This left a bad taste in the mouths of Star Wars fans that built up such a strong connection with the original films, and with so much of EA's future with the Star Wars license riding on Fallen Order 2, it might be best to avoid making the same mistake.
What Era Can Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 Take Place In?
With a shift to the sequel era likely being the worst case scenario for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2's setting, it begs the question of where exactly the next game is going to fit in. One of the safer options for the game would be to just stay exactly where it is, between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. There are about twenty years between the two films, which gives plenty of space for original storytelling that doesn't have to contradict other Star Wars stories set during that time. It may get tricky to create a solid ending of sorts for Cal and company before the events of A New Hope, but there's still less risk involved overall.
If the team behind the rumored sequel does want to get a little more creative, there could also be room to move Jedi: Fallen Order 2 up to the events following Return of the Jedi. The game does show some slight focus towards rebuilding the Jedi Order, and these motives could line up perfectly with Luke Skywalker's mission to do the same. This kind of plot could also fill in the gaps of what specifically happened to Luke, Han, Leia, and the rest of the Rebellion between the original and sequel trilogy, especially for those that may not want to pour over the pages and pages of lore.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 probably won't be made official for a long time now, but the hype around the rumored sequel shows that EA finally did something right with the Star Wars license. Moving forward, it will be a delicate balancing to make sure that the company doesn't ruin the good will that it's built up with fans. Putting Jedi: Fallen Order 2 in the sequel trilogy would probably be one of many decisions to turn off a number of fans. Hopefully EA and the developers at Respawn Entertainment will have the sense to maintain the core of what made Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order a hit to begin with.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 has not been confirmed to be in development.