‘Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’ Voice Actor Reveals Where He'd Like To See Cal Go Next
It was a dark time for the galaxy. The newly formed Empire led by Emperor Palpatine and his henchman, the mysterious Darth Vader, had a stranglehold on worlds and citizens. They claimed to bring order after a civil war and Jedi treason. In reality, the Empire stripped the resources of every planet for their gain, leaving the people tired and angry. But there was hope.
Despite the Emperor's desire for all Jedi to be tracked down and killed, a few remained, hiding in the far reaches of the galaxy, waiting for the right time to re-emerge. One such Jedi was a Padawan named Cal Kestis, who hid among the debris on the planet Bracca five years after the fall of the Republic. Cameron Monaghan voiced Cal in the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. After more than two years since the game's release, Monaghan spoke about where he would like to see Cal go next.
"Going forward, I would very much like to see us continue to explore Cal, and also put him in very different situations, and see how he changes as he gets older, as he ages throughout a very dark period."
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In the same interview with CBR, Monaghan also talked about what it meant to him to be part of the Star Wars franchise and what he loved about his character, Cal Kestis.
"It was an absolute privilege to be able to be a part of the canon Star Wars universe. I think that Cal is a great addition to Star Wars, and I love how grounded Cal is and how his first story in Jedi: Fallen Order was an exploration of trauma and loss, and in many ways, getting over PTSD. I thought that was such an interesting aspect to bring into Star Wars."
As for further connections to Jedi: Fallen Order, the planet Bracca also appeared in three episodes of The Bad Batch in the similar time period. It would have made a nice thread to see five clones who escaped the war and had their inhibitor chips removed run into Cal Kestis, and see what their reaction would be seeing a Jedi. Bracca was initially designed for Jedi: Fallen Order, and even though it was not featured extensively in The Bad Batch, it was cool seeing a new planet get so much exposure.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was released in November 2019 with positive reviews. In the game, Kestis fled from Imperial Inquisitors while attempting to complete his Jedi training and rebuild the Jedi Order. Jedi: Fallen Order also had a tie-in 5-issue prequel comic book miniseries called Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Dark Temple written by Matthew Rosenberg. First published in September 2019, Dark Temple follows the story of Jedi Master Eno Cordova and his impulsive apprentice Cere Junda (who would later go on to mentor Cal Kestis).
A lot was going on during the early days of the Empire. Also taking place simultaneously as Jedi: Fallen Order are the novels Lords of the Sith (2015) by Paul S. Kemp and Tarkin (2014) by James Luceno. Lords of the Sith explored the Empire's desire to enslave the Ryloth population while dealing with Cham Syndulla and his band of rebels. Tarkin looked into the career of Wilhuff Tarkin, his mentorship under Sheev Palpatine, and his doctrine “Rule Through Fear.”
Production news updates for the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order have been on the down-low, but rumor has it that it will be released in late 2022 without the Fallen Order subtitle. If a video game wants to become a vital part of the canon, there needs to be some sort of crossover into a television series. As for Monaghan, he hopes to see Cal Kestis grow and mature during the Empire's reign in the upcoming sequel.
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Source(s): CBR, Wookieepedia