Cal Kestis in Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor may have to confront an inner darkness which Taron Malicos, the Fallen Jedi in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, failed to overcome. Jedi: Survivor will feature a darker story than its predecessor, as Cal appears to be hunted and isolated without the support of the Stinger Mantis or its crew. The game is expected to release sometime in March 2023, and much of its story and mechanics are currently shrouded in mystery.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.]
In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis crossed paths with Taron Malicos, who was another survivor of Order 66. Malicos had slain the clone troopers that betrayed him and fled in a starship to Dathomir, and that planet, steeped in the dark side of the Force, eventually broke him. He turned from the Jedi way, claiming they had no future. He used power to manipulate the Nightbrothers and Marrin, and was obsessed with controlling the power of Dathomir. When Malicos introduced himself to Cal, he said, “Former Jedi. Like yourself.” He claimed the Nightbrothers were “savages who only respected strength”, and that he “conquered” the darkness of Dathomir – which are both strongly Sith, or dark side, sentiments.
Cal’s quest became the restoration of the Jedi Order, and in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Cal chose to destroy Eno Cordova’s Holocron that revealed the locations of Force-sensitive kids to protect them from the Empire. In these two ways he already distinguishes himself from Malicos, who shunned the Jedi and sought to use Cal, a Padawan, for his own purposes. However, Cal’s story in Jedi: Fallen Order began with him in grief and fear, and he lived in hiding until Cere Junda took him aboard the Stinger Mantis. By contrast, Malicos was twisted by anger and bitterness, and was driven to madness and the obsession of power. Both Cal and Malicos dealt with emotions that lead to the dark side of the Force. Since Cal stopped hiding, confronted the specter of his master, Jaro Tapal, and refused to continue running from the memory and his guilt, there is now a danger of bitterness and anger, and the dark side’s siren call of power.
Cal Kestis Could Give In To The Dark Side For The Sake Of The Jedi Restoration
The unknown figure in the bacta tank that was shown in the Star Wars Jedi: Survivor game reveal trailer, or even Merrin, the Nightsister, could potentially guide Cal in darker ways of the Force, to use his anger to unlock powers he didn’t previously have. Malicos attempted to seduce Cal to the dark side and failed, but Cal may become hungry for power in order to achieve his goal in the face of overwhelming adversity. Isolation and fighting a losing battle could drive Cal to seriously consider obtaining powers outside Jedi teachings – although he would not likely turn his back on Tapal, his Jedi Master. Tapal’s primary lesson to Cal was focus, and Cal could take that lesson as justification to learn the dark side, by applying the concept of focus to powers that are born out of negative emotions.
“Hiding is no way for a Jedi to live,” Cal said in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. With this mindset, and his ambition (another Sith quality) to restore the Jedi Order, Cal is likely to be actively engaging the Empire. As the Jedi learned the hard way, prolonged battle wears down a person’s resilience, faith, and conviction. In Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Cal may give in to anger, or despair, or the desire for greater power – and if he does, he risks ending up just like Taron Malicos.
