On Friday, as part of the ongoing Star Wars Celebration event, Respawn Entertainment announced the development of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Survivor is a direct sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, which was originally released in 2019. Players will once again take on the role of Jedi Padawan Cal Kestis, continuing his story as he seeks to survive the Empire's pursuit. There's also what could be a surprising coincidence, or an exciting connection, related to the newly launched Obi-Wan Kenobi show.
The Star Wars timeline has grown increasingly complex since Disney acquires the franchise and soft-rebooted its canon. Suddenly, gaps between the major films began to be filled in by spin-off films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Disney+ streaming shows like The Mandalorian. As the timeline filled in, the opportunity for connections between film, show, video game, and other Star Wars content has grown ripe.
Where Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Falls on the Timeline
Very little has been said about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as yet, but one detail that developer Respawn Entertainment did share was where the game fell on the Star Wars timeline. That could prove to be a relatively innocuous detail, something for Star Wars fans to chew on absent other information. Or, it could imply a connection that would have fans of both the Star Wars video games and Star Wars shows hungry for what could be a major Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Wars crossover opportunity.
To start, it's perhaps best to establish where both the newly announced Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its prequel Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order fall on the overall Star Wars timeline. Those that have played Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order understand it revolves around a key event in Star Wars history -- Order 66. Cal Kestis is a survivor of Order 66, an executive order branding all Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Empire and subject to summary execution. This Jedi purge occurred in the in-universe year of 19 BBY.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order doesn't happen in 19 BBY, however. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order occurs five years after Order 66 and the Jedi Purge in year 14 BBY. Cal has been in hiding, but mistakenly uses his powers and becomes a target of the Empire and its Inquisitors. Needless to say, Cal survives his ordeals but is left with an ambiguous future, setting up the events of what's now known to be Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
There's obviously a lot yet to be revealed about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but one detail has already been confirmed by Respawn Entertainment. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is set five years after the events of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It provided no information regarding what Cal has been up to in those five years; all that's confirmed regarding what Cal is currently up to is that he's still on the run and still partnered with BD-1. Players will discover the rest for themselves when Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launches in 2023.
Where Obi-Wan Kenobi Falls on the Timeline
The first episode of the highly anticipated Obi-Wan Kenobi show debuted on Friday on Disney+, with six episodes planned for the full season. That leaves a lot of time left for the show to explore what's going on in the Star Wars timeline, offering better references for what's happened so far and what's yet to happen. Luckily, Lucasfilm made it easy on fans and announced when Obi-Wan Kenobi took place in the timeline before the show even started.
According to the Star Wars gurus at Disney and Lucasfilm, Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith. That also places it just after the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story. The timeline announcement wasn't characterized by any additional information. There are no other references available regarding when exactly Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place, but that's also in part because this part of the timeline isn't explored heavily by films or TV shows.
There's still enough information to make a significant conclusion regarding the Star Wars timeline, though. Star Wars fans will recall that a major event in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith was none other than the triggering of Order 66. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place five years after Order 66, and then Star Wars Jedi: Survivor takes place five years after that. Both Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Obi-Wan Kenobi are set 10 years after Episode 3 and Order 66.
What Comes Next
With the Star Wars timeline established and the knowledge that both Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Obi-Wan Kenobi happen in the same timeframe, the bigger question is what comes next. Star Wars fans should likely start by managing their expectations. Crossovers between Star Wars media are surprisingly rare, though they've been increasing over time. There's no promise that the two will even lightly reference each other, but it's still very exciting that it's possible.
If there will be a crossover, or even a small reference, it's unlikely to happen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. The show has already been filmed and a mention of Cal or some deeper crossover would probably only confuse the show's audience. An Obi-Wan Kenobi cameo or alternative crossover in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, however, makes a lot more sense.
For one, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is still actively in development. Even if the possibility of an Obi-Wan Kenobi Easter Egg has yet to cross Respawn Entertainment's mind, it still has the time to pitch an idea to Disney and Lucasfilm, get it approved, and make it happen. Further, with Obi-Wan Kenobi wrapping up over the next six weeks, Respawn is better positioned to write a crossover that makes sense and preserves canon
As for what the crossover could be, there's a very simple and very exciting answer. Cal believes himself to be one of the last Jedi in the universe and, as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order made clear, is trusting the Force to guide him on his journey. The Force could very easily guide Cal into an encounter with Kenobi. It could be brief and silly, or incredibly meaningful to Cal's journey. The two Jedi never interacting, even with the opportunity presenting itself, would be a missed opportunity.
Crossovers in Star Wars are always exciting. Seeing Rosario Dawson in full Ahsoka Tano makeup after years of watching Ahsoka grow up in Star Wars cartoons was special in a rare way. References to the Death Watch and the Nite Owls in The Mandalorian rewarded Clone Wars fans for paying attention. A crossover between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor may be more difficult to pull off, but the Star Wars games deserve it. All fans can do is wait patiently and hope Disney, Lucasfilm, and Respawn agree.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases in 2023 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.