Star Wars Jedi’s Kata Can Achieve Something Cal Never Could

Summary

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor had the freedom to explore various story directions within the Star Wars universe due to the blank slate left by Fallen Order.
Characters like Bode Akuna added depth to the connection between Cal Kestis and the Jedi Purge events.
The possibility of Kata, Bode's daughter, becoming a protagonist in a future Survivor sequel opens up interesting storyline opportunities, potentially allowing Cal to retire as a Jedi and not be tempted to turn to the dark side of the Force.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor had as much legroom as a story within an engrossing IP could want, and the blank slate left by Fallen Order allowed it to have pretty much any direction it wanted within the confines of Star Wars’ defined continuity and timeline. Choosing to introduce High Republic characters was an interesting direction, and characters like Survivor's Bode Akuna were great in reinforcing the connection Cal Kestis has to the events of the Jedi Purge. It was fun to see if Bode could be trusted or not throughout Survivor due to how little fans actually knew about him, and the fact that his daughter was real came as a surprise, too.

It becomes clear why Bode made the choices he did once players meet Kata, but the third act feels rushed all the same with Bode suddenly becoming an antagonist and brandishing a lightsaber. It seems as though Respawn wanted fans to think Dagan Gera would be the main villain of Survivor and keep Bode’s villainy a secret, but his choices neglect Kata at the end when all she wants is her father with her. Kata is then taken in by Cal, Greez Dritus, and Merrin, and if the predictable path comes to fruition then Kata could potentially play a role that Cal can’t in a Survivor sequel’s gameplay.

Cal Kestis Giving into the Dark Side Now Would Ruin the Character and His Loved Ones

Cal has essentially spent the entirety of Fallen Order and Survivor experiencing as much tragedy as anyone, and his emotions have almost gotten the better of him on multiple occasions. Fallen Order sees Cal simply trying to survive as a hunted refugee and in Survivor he has brought the fight back to the Empire, though his fight is not without tremendous loss. One of the recurring themes Survivor posits is how long Cal should feel the need to fight for, and for him to acknowledge when a battle cannot be won.

This would have been an interesting storyline to follow if Survivor had it actually lead anywhere, but Cal might actually be able to set his lightsaber aside in a third Star Wars Jedi entry if Kata grows up to be his apprentice. The third installment wouldn’t need a large time jump to guarantee that Cal could retire his lightsaber, but unless Kata turns out to be incredibly interesting as her own character, fans might be understandably disappointed that they won’t be playing as Cal anymore. Either way, since Kata has now been taken in by him, it would not be surprising to see her inherit her father’s Force sensitivity and become a playable protagonist in a sequel to Survivor.

Kata Akuna is Primed to Follow Her Father’s Path to the Dark Side

Survivor already poorly faked out Cal’s death in order to give Cere Juna one last epic moment, but this might’ve been Respawn’s way of testing the waters for a new protagonist. It’s true that if Cal is still not being taken to the dark side of the Force, there really isn’t much more to develop for the character aside from newfound romantic tribulations with Merrin or being a potential father figure for Kata. The next game will need a time jump if it is to feature Kata as a new protagonist, though, and between it and Survivor may be when Cal does decide to listen to Greez and end his fight.

Kata poses many interesting questions about where the franchise may be headed, and while Cal and BD-1 have been Star Wars Jedi’s mascots up until now, there is no reason why Kata can’t lead it in the future. That said, Kata hasn’t earned a lead protagonist role the same way that God of War Ragnarok’s Atreus has, but that seems to be where the series is headed regardless. This way, Kata could wield the dark side of the Force so that Cal doesn’t have to, letting players indulge in Force lightning, Force chokes, and other dark side-fueled abilities without tarnishing Cal’s image.