Riding high on the successes of The Mandalorian‘s second season, Disney has announced that a staggering twelve new Star Wars are projects headed to Disney Plus. Given its aspiration to build a rich, interconnected ecosystem of stories, Disney would be wise to incorporate another stand-out star in its streaming offerings. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order‘s Cal Kestis and the crew of the Mantis would make a welcome surprise addition to several of the forthcoming shows and miniseries.
Given the number of shows revealed, it may be useful to take a brief inventory and determine which of the shows Cal and his crew could possibly appear in. The Acolyte, set at the end of the High Republic Era, can be safely crossed off the list. Cassian Andor of Andor is canonically dead by the events of Fallen Order, and enough has been revealed about Cal’s past to make a crossover with the incipient rebel alliance unlikely.
But that still leaves Disney with ten potential crossover options: A Droid Story, Ahsoka, The Bad Batch (Clone Wars‘ animated follow up), The Book of Boba Fett, Lando, Obi-wan Kenobi, The Mandalorian‘s third season, Rangers of the New Republic, Rogue Squadron, and the Star Wars anime compilation, Visions.
In terms of timing, Fallen Order kicks off five years after Revenge of the Sith. The Bad Batch, Obi-Wan, Lando are the three properties whose early post-Prequel Trilogy settings most neatly coincide with Fallen Order’s. Little is known about A Droid Story and Rogue Squadron, but they could also potentially segue directly into Fallen Order 2. And Visions, which is a compilation of anime short stories, will likely jump around Star Wars’ many eras, making it another contender. But the main question that Disney and Respawn must answer is this: if the Mantis crew is alive and active during the events of the Original Trilogy, where are they and what are they doing while the Empire runs amok?
If Respawn can solve those problems, however, and decides to jump ahead with Fallen Order 2–say, to the end of Star Wars Rebels, or even the Original Trilogy Era—many interesting options are suddenly on the table. But in certain respects, the longer Cal and Cere survive, the more pressing the Star Wars franchises’ Jedi problem becomes. So it is sadly unlikely that we will see Cal Kestis appear in The Book of Boba Fett, Mandalorian Season 3, or Rangers of the New Republic, which are all set after the events of Return of the Jedi. Ahsoka, as another absentee Jedi, is in a similar situation, but fortunately, her story presents Disney with options that could solve problems for both Fallen Order 2 and Ahsoka simultaneously.
As per the MCU playbook, sprinkling subtle references to tease Fallen Order throughout Disney’s new offerings seems like the best way to bring Cal and company into the fold, before revealing him in a proper, jaw-dropping cameo like Luke Skywlker. Seeing the Mantis docked at a spaceport, for example, or even seeing a different BD unit in a crowded bar or market would go a long way. One of the many reasons The Mandalorian excels is its generous use of Easter eggs for eagle-eyed viewers. Teasing Cal—or Cere, Greez, Merrin, or BD—before involving the characters deeply in a show’s plot essentially allows Disney to please fans twice over: once to whet appetites and build anticipation, and another to pay it off.
It would not be surprising to see Obi-Wan address a young Cal at the Jedi Temple during a flashback or to have Lando mention a fellow gambler, Greez Dritus, by reputation. After all, Disney hid several similar, smart references to Star Wars Rebels in Rogue One. But given the new emphasis on narrative interconnectivity, the showrunners have to take things a step further. It would be great to see Cal and company appear in multiple properties, teaming up with the leads of those shows while pursuing the next leg of their own Fallen Order quest (whatever it may be). Cal and Cere should seek out Obi-Wan for advice. Greez should wager the Mantis against whatever ship Lando has in a hand of Saback. These characters should have multiple meaningful, life-altering interactions with each other. That said, there is one show where Cal and his allies would be a fit better than others.
By the time Ahsoka Tano matches her white light sabers against Din Djarin’s beskar in the second season of The Mandalorian, Cal Kestis is likely dead, lost, or frozen in carbonite somewhere. It is unlikely he would abandon his fight against the Empire, yet given his abilities, it seems equally unlikely that his Jedi exploits would go unremarked in the galaxy. But Ahsoka, a Force user who is arguably distinct from a traditional Jedi, is on a different quest: one that could provide Cal with a different perspective on the Jedi Order, and possibly even sway him to a different cause than directly opposing the Empire.
It also seems likely, given the huge gap between the end of Rebels and the beginning of The Mandalorian, that Ahsoka will gradually tell that interim story, in addition to furthering her search for Grand Admiral Thrawn. It seems plausible that the two Jedi outcasts could team up for a story that is told across Jedi Fallen Order 2 and the Ahsoka series. Even though Rosario Dawson now portrays Ahsoka Tano on the big screen, her Clone Wars‘ voice actress, Ashley Eckstein, expressed interest in appearing in Fallen Order 2.
Playing as a pair of Jedi, each with their own unique strengths and skill sets, would be a welcome surprise in the next Fallen Order game, and provide Respawn and Disney with another opportunity to develop two beloved characters. And if the powers that be decide that Cal is too powerful to survive the Galactic Civil War, he can still live on via flashbacks in Ahsoka. And, depending on the ambiguity of his death, he may even be able to return to life down the road. After all, defying certain death is something of a Star Wars tradition.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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