It is May the Fourth! Happy Star Wars Day! In that spirit, here is Part III of my Star Wars re-watch series, focusing on the adventures of Cal Kestis.
If you missed Part II? You can find it here.
As always, thank you for reading Off-Balance! Until next time.
- Ryan.
The period between Episode III and the original Star Wars film, Episode IV, has long held a particular fascination amongst the larger franchise.
The Empire, led by a forever-conniving Sidious and Darth Vader have a supposed iron grip across the galaxy but rebellion is seemingly around every corner: heroes and the morally grey both, putting their lives on the line for a cause greater than themselves.
They won’t always be successful, in the bigger-picture sense. Small wins, the slimmest of margins. We know that going in. It is the very nature of prequels, specifically in this context: until Luke Skywalker begins walking the path towards his destiny, true victory will be hard to come by.
Although that doesn’t mean there isn’t something worth fighting for, either.
And while it is an era rich with material, one could also argue it has become a little oversaturated in recent years, with many projects existing within a very limited timeframe, if not overlapping outright, chronologically taking place almost simultaneously.
So we’re jumping right into the Sarlacc Pit, so to speak, tackling multiple projects in succession, with this, The Age of Rebellion, Volume I.
Let’s get to it.
To be honest, it is still somewhat surprising what Respawn Entertainment has done with their (so far) duology of Star Wars video games, Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) and Jedi: Survivor (2023).
Maybe it was because I grew up playing the Lego: Star Wars games, which, while an absolute blast are more clearly geared at a broader demographic (like many Star Wars properties are: we’re not talking high-art expressionism here).
With the Jedi games, sure, the expected gameplay fundamentals are there and they’re as strong as you need them to be, all under a coat of Soulslike-backtracking and hit-and-miss puzzle solving: fluid, lightsaber-focused combat, an ever-helpful droid companion, large numbers of enemies to single-handedly dispatch in a variety of Force-approved ways (you are a Jedi, after all).
But it is what Respawn has spoken too, in regards to the larger Star Wars mythos within their narratives, which is perhaps the most impressive.
Carving out stories and a protagonist that are deeply indebted to the franchise but have the confidence to uniquely stand alone too, as they tackle a variety of heavier themes: from the dangers of dogma, to the cost of freedom in a galaxy that seems to reject the very concept.
Fallen Order begins five years following Episode III.
Former Padawan Cal Kestis (modelled on, voiced by and fully motion-captured by actor Cameron Monaghan) is in hiding, having survived the events of Order 66 and is making a meagre living as a scraper on the planet Bracca.
But when he is exposed, Cal goes on the run and joins up with the crew of the Stinger Mantis led by pilot Greez (Daniel Roebuck), former Jedi turned-mercenary Cere Junda (a highly memorable Debra Wilson) and later, Nightsister Merrin (Tina Ivlev) as they look to open an ancient vault which supposedly holds the key to rebuilding the Order.
All the while, they’re relentlessly hunted by the Second Sister (a terrific Elizabeth Grullón) as Cal rediscovers his Force abilities and comes to terms with being a Jedi, in a world that nearly destroyed them.
Narratively speaking, Fallen Order doesn’t hit too many unexpected beats, not that such predictability is necessarily a bad thing.
It is, in essence, an origin story and an effective one at that, introducing a series of new characters and for the most part, firmly doing its own thing even in the bigger sandbox, only really dancing around that all-encompassing canon (the ending is some top-tier Star Wars and Forest Whitaker briefly respires his role as Saw Gerrara, for example).
Cal’s hero’s journey may have clear signposts (as he rises, stumbles and eventually falls before rising again, etc) but that doesn’t mean it lacks emotional punch - the larger cast, Ivlev, Grullón and Monaghan in particular, imbuing these characters with a quiet humanity.
As the Second Sister grapples with her past and the Mantis crew bickers, bonds and becomes something approaching a found family, you want to see them succeed, even as the odds seem permanently stacked against them - their odyssey, naturally, ends on that note, with one of those small victories.
Realizing that their fight to free the galaxy will be a long one, filled with compromise and tragedy.
All of it, setting the table for the sequel - 2023’s Jedi Survivor.
In more recent years, Star Wars hasn’t been afraid to more bluntly tackle the failings of the Jedi Order head-on.
In the original trilogy, their heyday is shrouded in mystery and mysticism. When Luke (Mark Hamill) arrives in Jabba’s Palace at the beginning of Return of the Jedi, now a Jedi Knight, cloaked in black and with his every move carefully considered, I can only imagine how audiences first felt in 1983 - if that’s him now, what was the Order like at its peak?
Though as the prequels and later, The Clone Wars highlighted, they were choked with hubris, dominated by the foolish belief that they alone were on the right side of history. An arrogance that would, in time, sow the seeds for their downfall.
But when you’re one of the only Jedi left, who says you need to adhere to their rules, their restrictions? Why not follow your own path?
It is with this context that Jedi Survivor operates. It has been five years since the events of the first game (as it now brushes up against various other Star Wars adventures happening around the same time - again, there is a lot going on in this period).
The Mantis crew has separated, divided on how to best approach their mission of combating the seemingly unbeatable Empire and Cal, now a hardened warrior, is working under Saw Gerrara.
When he learns of the mythical planet of Tanalorr, however, an apparent paradise in a hidden corner of the galaxy, Cal must grapple with both conflicting personal desires and his mission, as enemies, new and old, emerge.
Who is he really fighting for, if not the people he loves?
Survivor, building on what Fallen Order accomplished so well, the first game almost feeling like, in hindsight, a trial run for what Respawn was really looking to achieve.
More so now, a year later, following a difficult launch.
Graphically, it takes full-advantage of current-generation hardware, with a level of detail, from the moment-to-moment gameplay to the vastly more-developed cutscenes that is fantastic, if expected in this era of gaming, more fully immersing you in a galaxy, far far away.
The wind, sweeping through Cal’s hair or the awesome destruction of lightsaber duels - chaotic poetry.
The planet of Koboh functions as the player’s main place of operations, including tombs to explore, secrets to find and base-building mechanics to engage with if you choose too, slowly turning Koboh from a forgotten backwater into a bustling community: feeding seamlessly into the story as a whole.
The traversal and combat too, were upgraded: Cal is more capable right from the jump, which, given the larger environments you’re exploring, is a big help. And with a range of combat and customization options, you, as the player, are given the freedom to more finely-tune the experience to your liking.
On higher difficulties especially, when the margin for error is that much smaller, your choices matter (what lightsaber stances and skills will you choose to invest in, etc, etc?).
But as with its predecessor, the best of Survivor lays with its narrative, a story that stands, in my opinion, as some of the better work in all of modern Star Wars.
Even as the crew of the Mantis reunites, you realize: they’re tired. It is a battle that is not easily won, if it ever truly will be. And at the centre of it all is Cal, Monaghan (and the team at Respawn overall, from the writers to the individual developers) crafting a simply terrific character study.
Moving past the barriers that an origin story can often put up, Cal is fully confident in who he is but not in what he wants, Monaghan, capturing all of these minute contradictions and inner turmoil with ease. It is a realization at the heart of Cal’s arc: there is no longer a code to follow, expect his own. He may represent the Jedi but he doesn’t stand for what they did, all those years ago.
He alone, not his mentors, not the Council, must decide the correct course - as, paired with another outstanding portrayal by Tina Ivlev as Merrin, their relationship deepens (notably, in defiance of the Jedi rule of “no attachments”).
Merrin, more open and honest but still haunted by the loss that defined her past as she looks to take her once all-consuming anger and turn it into something selfless, helping those trapped under the boot of galactic tyranny, wherever she finds it. Ivlev, deserving all the praise she gets in bringing this multidimensional character to life with such ease.
While Cal, bolstered by Monaghan’s innate understanding of what makes his character tick, finds himself tempted by love, a complex friendship with the mercenary Bode (an always great Noshir Dalal) and most notably, the Dark Side.
And while Survivor’s story ends with the door open for more (at least one sequel has been confirmed, per Monaghan) that promise shouldn’t take away from what both Fallen Order and Survivor have done so well.
Taking what have become inevitably expected Star Wars tropes and turning them inwards. What makes engaging with this universe successful, beyond just the spectacle and how its characters engage with that premise, supported by great storytelling and equally strong performances.
They aren’t without flaws, no, more so on the gameplay side (navigating Zeffo in Fallen Order remains notoriously frustrating) but if you’re not a big gamer?
It is to miss out on a high-water mark for the franchise overall.