Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s latest trailer finally revealed gameplay, but there is also a lot that the trailer consciously obscures. It is no longer a secret that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Cal Kestis will wield a blaster pistol, and yet the trailer neglected to display it on his person. Even more alarming of an omission is the Stinger Mantis’ Greez Dritus and Merrin. These characters were important to Cal and the narrative of the first game, making this one of the greatest mysteries concerning Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduces Nightsister Merrin as a conflicted character Cal meets as he progresses through the sun-baked planet of Dathomir. Seeing that Cal wields a lightsaber,Merrin holds resentment toward him since her clan was slaughtered by General Grievous during the Clone Wars. She eventually agreed to believe in Cal and his cause, boarding the Stinger Mantis to accompany Cal, Greez, and Cere Junda in their travels. If she is dead or gone in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, that would be a tough pill to swallow.
Merrin Has the Most Potential Intrigue in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
Merrin’s character was a surprising companion late into the game, but once she is recruited, she does not contribute much to gameplay or narrative - simply being there for characters to see as a new NPC aboard the Mantis. Merrin’s unique abilities and perspective are not challenged thereafter, and it would be interesting to see how she responds to the Empire’s threats in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor with regard to how entrenched they are in battling the Empire’s oppression. Yet Merrin has not been seen in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s sparse promotional material, leading fans to believe something terrible may have happened.
It is possible she could have left for personal reasons, but having just recently agreed to accompany Cal it would seem strange if she suddenly left. It would be disappointing either way, since Merrin is a unique character who has a lot of potential to develop, this is specially the case if Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is considering adding NPC companions that fight alongside Cal.
Losing Merrin Early in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor May Set the Right Tone
Losing Greez and Merrin could be the push that Cal needs to pursue the Empire, serving well as an inciting incident if Star Wars Jedi: Survivor chooses to leave the Stinger Mantis crew behind. However, Respawn would need to handle it carefully enough to not be an elementary plot device.
If Greez or Merrin are gone at the beginning of the game with only a few lines of dialogue, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s prequel novel may shed some light on what happened to them. However, because a lot else is knowingly being withheld from fans, it may mean that the omission of Merrin has been orchestrated to raise suspense. Cal’s blaster, for example, is a good indication that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has not shown fans everything it has to offer.
Of course, trailers have been doctored in the past to obscure key things, and Merrin may be more prevalent than fans currently think. Only time will tell if Merrin has survived and what her role will be in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor if that is the case, but luckily that release date is closer than some may have expected.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases on March 17, 2023, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.