There’s no question that 2019 is a big year for theStar Warsfranchise thanks to the success ofThe MandalorianandStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. And this weekend, arguably the biggestStar Warsrelease of the decade,Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker,hits theaters and seeks to bring closure to a story that has been 9 films in the making.
But while there has been a debate about the quality ofStar Wars Episode 9, the general verdict around those other two properties has been fairly positive.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, in fact, has been considered a Game of the Year contender, despite trying to tell its own story independent of existing canon.
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That being said, there could have been a cool way forStar Wars Episode 9to acknowledgeJedi: Fallen Orderand bring the game’s world into the film’s. It would have been a nod that only those who played the game could pick up on, and it would have brought everything full circle.
It’s impossible to discuss howJedi: Fallen Ordercould have connected withStar Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalkerwithout spoiling a major moment in the film. So be warned, if you have not seen the film there will be a key moment given away.SPOILERS BELOW!
Rey is All the Jedi
Towards the end ofStar Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalker, there is a scene where protagonist Rey finally is able to connect with all of the Jedi to have come before her. Early on in the film, she is seen saying, “Be with me,” but is unsuccessful in her attempt to connect. At the end of the film, though, she finally succeeds and hears the voices of many famous Jedi from throughoutStar Warshistory. There are obvious voices heard during this sequence, like Hayden Christensen’s Anakin and Samuel L. Jackson’s Mace Windu, but even some lesser known Jedi can be heard as well. Specifically, fans of theStar Warsanimated serieswill recognize some familiar voices.
While this pivotal scene in the film seeks to unite many of the existingStar Warsproperties, it oddly leaves out the video games. Of course, after Disney bought Lucasfilm and the rights toStar Warsit wiped out a lot of pre-existing properties as canon, butJedi: Fallen Orderwas created under that new regime. Thestory of Cal Kestis and Co.is part ofStar Warscanon, so why not throw the video gameStar Warsuniverse a nod by letting Cal’s voice (Cameron Monaghan) be heard too.
Cal’s Role As A New Jedi
In terms of its timeline,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderexists between the events ofRevenge of the SithandA New Hope, so there was no way for Cal to feature outside of this voice cameo. In the game, it seems like Cal’s role might have been in uniting the remaining Jedi, which could have had a major impact on the narrative ofStar Warsas a whole, but that was some misdirection. We still don’t know what Cal’s role is in the overarching narrative ofStar Wars, but if nothing else he stands out as a Jedi thatfaced Darth Vaderand lived.
That being said, seeing asStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis relatively new and Disney could not have predicted fan response to the game, it makes sense that the creators decided to keep Cal’s voice out. There are plenty of other Jedi who weren’t part of that scene too, so putting a relatively new character in and leaving a more established Jedi out would have been a controversial choice.
Still, it would have been a nice nod to gamers ifStar Wars Episode 9: The Rise of Skywalkerdid include Cal’s voice, even if it was mixed in the background. Now that the Skywalker saga is complete,Jedi: Fallen Orderremainsone of the few big Star Wars properties that is ongoing and it’s the only story driven video game experience.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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