Star Wars Jedi: Survivor could have taken on essentially any narrative direction it wanted, given how ambiguously Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order ended. It is great to see how Star Wars Jedi: Survivor introduced the High Republic era, connecting it to events that precede most iconic Star Wars stories by a considerable period, as well as how the sequel remained relevant in its present-day era between the prequel and original trilogies. Therefore, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor demonstrates how many interesting stories can be told during this tumultuous time.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor may have always had fan service in its narrative due to being a canonical part of the IP’s lore. However, like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the sequel refuses to include cameo characters for the sake of brand recognition from die-hard fans. Saw Gerrera could have easily shown up in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, for example, but does not. That said, Respawn may have missed its one opportune moment to reprise a particularly popular character from the prequel trilogy and have his appearance make sense at this point in the narrative.
Jedi: Survivor’s Hidden Path Connects to the Larger Star Wars Continuity
Much like the MCU, Star Wars has made the decision to branch out into streaming services for series content. One of its most notable series’ on Disney Plus was Obi-Wan Kenobi, and if fans had passed on it or have trouble remembering its events, their experience with it will be enriched if they binge it before or after playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. The Hidden Path plays a huge role in both Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Obi-Wan Kenobi, mirroring the experiences of both protagonists.
Jedi Master Cere Junda has joined the Hidden Path on Jedha during the events of the game, and it is here where she meets her demise during a climactic rematch with Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Darth Vader. This offers a satisfying conclusion to her story, but it would have also been a great opportunity for Mace Windu to finally resurface since his apparent death in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Would Have Been the Time to Reprise Mace Windu
Mace Windu appearing in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor would have been incredible for a number of reasons, but the most thematically salient reason is that Mace himself would have been a survivor as the sequel’s subtitle posits. Instead, he is still considered deceased despite having no physical evidence of his death on Coruscant.
Indeed, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor opens on Coruscant, and having him brush past Cal Kestis while in a disguise of his own would have been a brief yet exhilarating confirmation of his continued existence. However, his role could have been much more than that within the context of the narrative itself.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Jedha would have been a much more narratively satisfying planet for him to appear on, especially if he was residing with Cere and Jedi Master Eno Cordova in an attempt to help them replenish the archives there. It would have been interesting if Cal had already been privy to who Mace is, having been old enough as a Padawan to surely know which pivotal figures were members of the Jedi Council in the late Republic era.
Here, Mace could have even been the character that fans play after Cal’s fake-out death, and it could have been Mace’s rematch with Darth Vader instead of Cere’s. Star Wars fans would probably be livid if he was brought back just to be definitively killed, but that would have brought the character legitimate closure and led into Obi-Wan Kenobi with even more significance behind its Darth Vader cliffhanger.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.