Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order -- Lore And Characters From The Star Wars EU We Want To See Appear
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Include A Lot, Jedi: Fallen Order Should
We learned a lot of new details about the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in its most recent trailer, which comes in advance of the big Star Wars Triple Force Friday livestream. While the new footage was brief, it did shine a light on a few parts of the game that we didn't know before; you can find out more about what that all is in our trailer breakdown. But with all these new details, there's still plenty of people and places we want to see in Respawn's Star Wars game.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order puts you into the role of a young Jedi Padawan, Cal Kestis, who escaped Order 66. With the game taking place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, that allows characters from both to appear--provided they didn't die in the former. The same can be said for the movies Solo and Rogue One, as well as the animated series The Clone Wars and Rebels. There are a few dozen books and comics we can pull from too, including Ahsoka, Lords of the Sith, Dark Disciple, and many more.
For more about Respawn's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, check out the 25-minute gameplay footage revealed during E3 2019. The game is scheduled to release on November 15 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.
What excites you the most about Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order? Let us know in the comments below.
Imperial Inquisitors
This one has actually already been confirmed, as the Second Sister is one of the enemies you'll face off against in Jedi: Fallen Order. Respawn hasn't mentioned anything about the other 11 Inquisitors.
The Second Sister is one of the few Inquisitors who's fate is still a mystery. The Grand Inquisitor, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother, Seventh Sister, Eighth Brother, and Tenth Brother are all dead by the events of A New Hope. The status of both Second Sister and Ninth Sister are unknown, but given Tarkin refers to Vader as the only known Force user in A New Hope, chances are they're dead or have left the Empire and are fugitives. The remaining four have yet to be named but they're all dead as well.
Star Wars fans got their first good look at the Empire's Inquisitors in Rebels. These hunters are the result of Vader turning 12 Force users to the dark side. Most beings with a talent for the Force were killed under the Empire's watch, but those who showed an aptitude for channeling their hate were allowed to live to hunt anyone who escaped the Order 66 purge.
A large part of being a Jedi after the events of Order 66 is being consumed by fear. The Second Sister seems to where most of that fear comes from.
A Broken Jedi Order
One of the best aspects of The Force Unleashed is witnessing how the surviving Jedi coped with the destruction of their order. Rahm Kota resists the Empire through guerrilla tactics in a desperate bid to draw Darth Vader to him for a final showdown. Kazdan Paratus goes insane and builds a mock Jedi Temple with a council composed of discarded pieces of junk. Shaak Ti, much like her fellow council members Obi-Wan and Yoda, retreats into hiding on an unimportant planet.
The Force Unleashed is no longer canon, but these examples of the Jedi's decay is no less memorable. With a few exceptions, like Qui-Gon and Anakin, the Jedi Order seems mostly uniform in mind and spirit during the prequel trilogy. The Force Unleashed lets you see the members of the Jedi Order as individuals who needed to survive on their own. It highlighted just how much the Jedi cannot survive without the support of others, as opposed to the Sith who can endure on their own for centuries.
Several of Cal's allies in Jedi: Fallen Order have been confirmed, including a mysterious Jedi Knight. Whoever that Knight is, there's a chance for seeing a Jedi who's spirit has been broken.
Exploration Of The History Of The Jedi And Sith
The Star Wars canon has explored very little about the origin of the Jedi and Sith, two different groups who were probably one and the same once upon a time. Jedi: Fallen Order doesn't have to spell out the exact origin of both groups, but dropping hints as to how each side formed over time could make for some enjoyable side missions.
The Clone Wars has reintroduced some of the older elements of the Jedi and Sith conflict, such as Darth Bane--the creator of the Rule of Two and protagonist of the now non-canon Darth Bane trilogy. The animated TV series was also going to bring back Darth Revan, protagonist of the original Knights of the Old Republic game, but didn't when the inclusion ultimately felt forced. These individuals, and many others, have massive roles in shaping the ideologies of the Jedi and Sith we see in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Stumbling onto a side quest in Jedi: Fallen Order that has us learning about the old Jedi Masters and ancient Sith Lords could be fascinating.
A True Display Of The Destructive Power Of The Force
The Force has been used by Jedi and Sith alike to perform spectacular feats throughout the Star Wars films. But these moments are nothing more than mere party tricks when compared to the destructive power Galen "Starkiller" Marek has at his disposal in The Force Unleashed. One of the most notable examples is when he uses the Force to rip an Imperial Star Destroyer out of the sky.
Despite their differing ideologies, both the Jedi and Sith preach control over the Force. The Jedi suppress emotion to temper themselves, while the Sith focus their powerful emotions as a conduit. The Force Unleashed showed players what the Force can do when its wielder abandons control. Instead of simply being pushed away, enemies are flung like ragdolls. Force lightning isn't just blocked by lightsabers, it can be infused into the blade. Massive shockwaves, called Force Repulse, cause devastating amounts of destruction.
We have no idea how powerful the protagonist of Jedi Fallen Order is, but it could be pretty cool to play as a powerful Force user who hasn't mastered how to control the Force yet and brandishes it as a heavy club instead of wielding it like a scalpel.
To See How The Rebellion Came Together
The original creation of the Rebellion was a part of The Force Unleashed. Galen Marek's sacrifice made him a martyr to several freedom fighters, who united under Marek's old family crest. This origin was lost when The Force Unleashed became noncanon.
Even if Jedi Fallen Order primarily takes place during one of the galaxy's darkest moments, there's nothing to suggest the entire game stays in that specific sphere of time. Time skips could place later chapters closer to the events of A New Hope and the start of the Rebel Alliance. Rebels, Rogue One, and Solo touch on how the Rebellion started as a system of rebel cells that eventually came together, but leaves out what exactly transpired to unite them. Jedi Fallen Order would be a great way to tell that story.
No Skywalkers
Most of the canonical Star Wars stories revolve around a Skywalker or someone related to one. But the Star Wars universe is vast, and there are plenty of other characters Jedi: Fallen Order could focus on.
At the time of Jedi: Fallen Order, Luke and Leia are the only Skywalkers. Anakin has been "killed" by Darth Vader. Although it could be a cute Easter egg to toss in a mission or two that puts the protagonist into contact with a young Luke or Leia, the game shouldn't. Leia's story begins in Rebels and Luke's arc starts in A New Hope. Jedi: Fallen Order shouldn't bend over backwards to show us a toddler Leia running around her palace, or a teenager Luke learning to pilot a speeder. We've got enough Skywalker stories and don't need another.
Ahsoka Tano And The Origin Of Her Alternate Identity
Ahsoka "Snips" Tano, the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, first appeared in 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film. She went on to become a main character in The Clone Wars animated series, before reappearing in Rebels and starring in her own novel.
Ahsoka is one of Star Wars' most well-written characters, debuting as an annoyingly naive 14-year-old teen, slowly growing to understand the galaxy at large through her adventures with Anakin and Obi-Wan, and choosing to leave the Jedi Order at 17 just prior to becoming a Jedi Knight. She's nearly 20 in the Ahsoka novel and closer to 30 by the Rebels animated series. She's one of the few Star Wars characters we've seen grow up--the other notable exception being her master Anakin. Ashley Eckstein is already returning to voice Ahsoka in The Clone Wars' surprise seventh season, and it would make us happy to see her reprise the role in Jedi: Fallen Order.
About 18 years prior to A New Hope, Ahsoka endures an Imperial occupation that inspires her to become an intelligence agent that redistributes the balance of power back to the people. We see Ahsoka again in Rebels as the covert operative known as Fulcrum, but it's still unclear how she went from deciding to be spy to becoming one of the galaxy's best. Jedi: Fallen Order could be the perfect way to catch us up to speed.
Ahsoka's early career as Fulcrum could be the creation of a Jedi "underground railroad" that shepherds Jedi who escaped Order 66 into seclusion. It would be a clever way for her to meet the protagonist. If Ahsoka/Fulcrum is a major part of Jedi: Fallen Order, she could be the one talking into the protagonist's ear throughout the game and offering hints, late-game tutorials, and mission objectives.
The Return Of Mara Jade To The Star Wars Canon
When Disney erased most of the Star Wars Expanded Universe from the canon, the company wiped out pretty much every notable woman who's been a Jedi. Across all three Star Wars trilogies, Rey is the only woman who's earned the title of Jedi and been a main character. Other women, like Shaak Ti and Aayla Secura, were present in the prequel trilogy but pushed to the background and given zero scenes to actually speak.
It's not like women can't be Jedi. Before the Expanded Universe was made non-canon, Han and Leia had twins, one of which was Jaina Solo. She would go on to be one of Luke's greatest students. Jaina's brother would fall in love with Tenel Ka Djo, a princess who rejected her royal title to focus on body building and training as a Jedi. Even losing one of her arms didn't stop her from becoming a formidable warrior, as she rejected a prosthetic arm and developed her own style of combat that incorporated kicks instead of Force pushes. Jedi Knight Etain Tur-Murkan fought for clone trooper rights during the later years of the Clone Wars, even giving her life to protect troopers during the Jedi Purge.
Many women could be reintroduced into Star Wars canon if Jedi: Fallen Order were to tweak their backstories, but Mara Jade would be perfect. Mara is a fiercely sarcastic and cunning Force-sensitive smuggler turned assassin who vows to kill Luke Skywalker for the Emperor. Eventually she comes around to the light, becomes a Jedi Master, and marries Luke. Though it would make her about 10 years older than how she was originally written, Mara could be included in Jedi: Fallen Order. She might have already been introduced for all we know, as the identity of the villainous Second Sister hasn't been revealed.
The Weirder Aspects Of The Force
The Force has been able to pull off some pretty weird stuff in the Star Wars films, like creating ghosts, but that only scratches the surface of what it can do. A vast majority of the stranger parts of the Force come from holocrons, Sith sorcery, and locations where the Force pools together. With the exception of that last one, we haven't seen many of those examples in the films, as most have passed into noncanon.
We have seen a few reintroduced in The Clone Wars and Rebels though, and it could be cool to see Jedi: Fallen Order expand on any one of them. The Clone Wars reintroduced us to The Ones: The Father, a god-like being with unprecedented control over the Force; The Son, the living embodiment of the dark side; and The Daughter, the living embodiment of the light. Perhaps Jedi Fallen Order could touch upon The Servant/The Mother, the mortal woman who became the monstrous Abeloth prior to the events of the prequel trilogy. An immortal shapeshifter with a mastery over both the light and dark sides of the Force, Abeloth's incessant need for companionship has put her into direct conflict with both the Jedi and Sith for centuries. Exploring her lore would make for an excellent collection of side quests.
Rebels reintroduced time travel into the Star Wars canon with the world between worlds, a mystical plane where every moment exists in tandem and Force users can both travel to and change any event from the past or future. The world between worlds has already been used to explain how Ahsoka Tano survived until the events of Return of the Jedi, and could be used as a scapegoat for Respawn to tell an original story. The world between worlds dismisses any inconsistencies in Star Wars lore by separating certain events and characters into different timelines. Even if Respawn chooses not to create a story separate from Disney's Star Wars Universe, we'd love to see the world between worlds used to pull off a time traveling mission similar to Titanfall 2's stellar "Effects and Cause" level.
Coruscant 1313
We only caught a glimpse of one of Coruscant's deepest levels in trailers for Star Wars: 1313 before the game was canceled. But what we saw offered a side of the city planet that's absent from the movies. Gone are the towering skyscrapers and brilliant lights. In the belly of Coruscant, it's dirty and violent and the only inhabitants are survivors and criminals. There's no law, and firefights are a common occurrence.
Visiting Coruscant 1313 would be a great mission for Jedi Fallen Order to test your ingenuity and creativity. Using a lightsaber would probably create too much attention, forcing you to rely on a blaster, fancy tech, or the Force to get past enemies, circumnavigate obstacles, or survive deadly traps. Plus, the level would be a nice nod to the Star Wars bounty hunter game we never got to play.
A Nightmarish Darth Vader
The ending to Rogue One is one of the most terrifying scenes in any Star Wars movie. Watching Darth Vader effortlessly swat aside rebel fighters like they're nothing was a clear reminder that the Sith Lord is one of the most feared beings in the galaxy. He might have been evil in the original trilogy, but in Rogue One he was the rebellion's fear given physical form.
In Star Wars, Darth Vader is supposed to be the boogeyman. You never want him to be the one who's sent after you. Unfortunately, we have few examples of how scary Vader can be. He chokes people all the time, but we rarely see him inspire genuine fear in everyone around him. We want to see what it's like for Vader to be hunting his prey.
Vader has had more chances to prove how monstrous he is in Rebels, when his mere presence made Kanan and Ezra feel cold, and again when he fought his former apprentice Ahsoka Tano in one of the most emotionally-driven lightsaber duels in the franchise. It's the sort of face-off we'd like to see more of.
If Jedi: Fallen Order would rather go hot than cold, then the game could cover the immediate aftermath of Revenge of the Sith when Vader is wallowing in his sorrow over killing Padme. We imagine Vader would have been especially viscous during this part of his life, as he buries his pain for his dead wife under the bodies of his victims. Imagine facing a Vader like that in Jedi: Fallen Order. He'd probably fight like a demented animal with nothing to lose.
Explain What The Emperor Wanted With Maul
"Do not worry. I'm not going to kill you. I have other uses for you." These are the last words Palpatine says before maliciously electrocuting Maul in the sixth season of The Clone Wars animated series. We don't see Maul again until a brief cameo in Solo. He's seen again in Rebels, now free of the Emperor and filled with hatred for the man who was once his master.
According to the Ahsoka novel, Maul fled from the public eye during the confusion of the Jedi purge. Where he went and what he did after that is still a mystery. Palpatine had plans for his former apprentice but it seems like Maul was able to escape before those plans bore fruit. It would be nice to learn what Palpatine had in mind and whether or not he enacted his machinations through someone else.