Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order did a good job with its story. The traumatic experiences of the Jedi and the after-effects of Order 66 were not ignored, but they did not completely dominate the game’s narrative. As a result, Cal Kestis’ character was able to shine. Players got an opportunity to play as a Jedi from Padawan up to Jedi Knight, building their own lightsaber and all. This provided some in-depth perspective on how Jedi grow and develop as individuals.
Along with all this, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order also gave insight into how Jedi that escaped Order 66 were able to survive. There have been glimpses in the past through comics and other media, but to experienced life as a Jedi on the run change made Fallen Order's dynamic more interesting. From start to finish Jedi: Fallen Order was a strong experience that completely enveloped itself in the philosophy and environment of Star Wars. This dedicated story also ended on a strong note, with no real loose ends for its sequel.
Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2
The lack of loose ends and the sincerity of Jedi: Fallen Order’s resolution leaves its main character in a bit of a predicament for future titles. A Jedi: Fallen Order sequel should keep a lot of aspects from the first but it may need to make some changes to Cal. How this is accomplished could become a point of contention, though. To players that feel that Cal’s story is all told, there may not be an easy and clean way to bring him back in a sequel.
While the first game ended with Cal being knighted as a Jedi Knight, it also saw him destroy the Holocron and essentially abandon any idea he had for the restoration of the Jedi Order. This heavily implies while he may still believe in the Jedi way, he has no wish to resurrect the Jedi Order so long as the Empire controls massive parts of the galaxy. Traditionally, actions and circumstances like this would put characters in Star Wars on the path to join the Rebels and fight against the Empire. Pushing Cal’s character in this direction could be a mistake though.
One of Cal’s greatest strengths as a character is his independence from the rest of the Star Wars canon. The main cast of Star Wars movies generally cast a long shadow and leave a lot to live up to. These are characters that have been known and loved for years, while Cal has only been in the canon for less than two. To push him towards the Rebels and begin to write him as a traditional freedom fighter in the galaxy could cause more harm than good. This is without considering the difficulty of fitting Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order 2 closer to Star Wars' film canon without creating inconsistencies.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2's Development
Cal’s involvement with the rebellion can be circumvented in quite a few ways, but there will be some options that work better than others for a Jedi: Fallen Order sequel. The first is a general tweak to Cal after his decision on the Mantis. It could be beneficial to keep the sincerity in his decision, but that does not mean that the spirit of the first game needs to be abandoned. Jedi: Fallen Order has beautiful and intricate level designs that players can explore and future Star Wars games should take advantage of that. With this in mind, the Metroidvania style could be used again to continue the exploration of the galaxy’s past civilizations and even the ancient Jedi.
In essence, Cal could become a sort of archeologist throughout the galaxy visiting and searching for lost worlds and ancient peoples. It would also allow for the continued use of the first game's puzzle systems and lay out a path to Cal learning more abilities with the force. Some of Jedi: Fallen Order 2's greatest strengths could be outside of the main canon and this route could serve the game well.
This style could keep the Cal that has grown on people and continue to develop his character. While fans have seen the young Jedi grow a lot already, he is still young, especially since humans in the Star Wars universe can easily live up to 100 years old. For comparison, Luke Skywalker was only 53 years old when he became one with the Force in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Cal Kestis Becomes A Grey Jedi
Another option would be to shift Cal’s attention. At its heart, this method could keep the perspective of Cal exploring the galaxy for ancient relics, but would also allow him to focus on new aspects of the Force. Cere’s story as a Jedi Master has largely concluded, for better or worse, and there is not much left that she can teach Cal. While having Merrin as a playable character in Jedi: Fallen Order 2 would be fantastic, she could also serve as a new master for Cal.
Merrin has an incredible handle on Magick and could instruct Cal in an art he is almost completely ignorant to. This use of the Force is closely related to the Dark side, and could take both characters down a unique path. They each value good over evil, even if their alliance on the surface looks to be built on "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," their fight was against a galactic oppressor. This type of relationship would offer a new avenue for Cal's growth, while also playing with some fan-favorite ideas around the Jedi and the Sith.
Grey Jedi in concept have been around for quite a while but there has been no true confirmation of them in the Star Wars Canon. There have been Jedi that strayed from the council, but few have embodied the idea wholly. The closest example that fans have gotten so far is Ahsoka Tano, and while Ahsoka may provide a great story, Jedi: Fallen Order 2 could let players experience this through a different lens. Having Cal dabble with both Light and Dark could show that the galaxy is complex and not nearly as binary as the Jedi Order made it seem.
The Death of Cal Kestis
Another option may seem drastic but might be a great way to help Jedi: Fallen Order 2 feel as fresh as possible; Cal could be eliminated from the equation. How this is interpreted is important, but either of the two major ways could work. Firstly, killing Cal off would fall in line with how pretty much every Jedi Master is treated. There has been some speculation that Cal is a Jedi Master in Jedi: Fallen Order 2, but that's just speculation. This avenue may seem extreme but it could be the quickest way to open the game’s story to a new character.
The other option for Cal’s elimination could be his replacement in the series. Star Wars Jedi is the series title of the game, and the colon that follows Star Wars titles is often important. If there were a shift for Jedi: Fallen Order 2 and the narrative focus changed, it could provide a great opportunity to introduce or even revisit a character around the same time period as the first game. Samuel L. Jackson's character, Mace Windu, could return in such a story.
The Jedi Master was powerful and while he lost his fight with Darth Sidious the circumstances have left it wide open for him to be alive. There is precedent for his survival as he was not the first or last Star Wars character to plummet from incredible heights and live. Given his abilities in the Force, it is even likely that he could have slowed his fall and escaped into the deep underbelly of Coruscant’s city. There are always Star Wars rumors, theories, discussions, and Mace Windu is a great character to bring back and push those forward.
Regardless of what a Jedi: Fallen Order 2 looks like, it feels important that Cal’s character is revitalized. Fans were able to see and understand his determination in the first game and he should be given the same level of motivation in the second. What that means for Cal is open to interpretation, but hopefully, it would result in a game that is as enticing as the first.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 is rumored to be in development.