Highlights

  • Cal Kestis is an atypical Jedi, which sets him apart and makes him a fantastic character in the Star Wars universe.
  • Cal's life is at an interesting intersection in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor with Darth Vader looming as a constant threat.
  • While a duel between Cal and Darth Vader would be emotionally satisfying, it may not be canonically satisfying and would not make a significant difference in the overall story.

Cal Kestis has become a fantastic character in the Star Wars universe and that’s largely because of his depiction as an atypical Jedi. Cal’s intuitions aren’t always in tune with an ordinary Jedi’s, and though he initially wishes to rebuild the Jedi Order he eventually comes to accept that he may be a lone Force- and lightsaber-wielder in his quest to resuscitate hope in the galaxy. Cal’s life as it stands now is at an interesting intersection in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and, though many loose threads have been bookended, there’s one that still looms as a constant threat.

The battle to overthrow the Galactic Empire and how trivial Cal’s part in that effort was made an engaging theme in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. On the one hand, Cal’s plight has always been grassroots, and having him make a significant difference now seems futile. On the other hand, Cal also doesn’t appear anywhere else in Star Wars canon yet, meaning nothing he does can be so impactful as to cause retroactive ripples. That said, Survivor’s sequel may be leading up to a legitimate duel between Cal and Darth Vader that would be equal parts emotionally satisfying and canonically unsatisfying.

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Related
The Argument for Star Wars Jedi to Rob Cal of His Elegant Weapon

Star Wars Jedi may always have Cal Kestis wield a lightsaber, though the third entry relieving him of one could make gameplay far more dynamic.

Cal’s Tragedies All Stem from Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine

Vader is the Reason for All of Cal’s Loss and Heartache in the Star Wars Jedi Franchise

The reason why Cal is an atypical Jedi in the first place is the result of the Jedi Order being eradicated along with his Master being murdered, and by all accounts that is Anakin Skywalker’s doing. Darth Vader may not have been the one to strike Jaro Tapal down—no, that was a handful of clone troopers who were apparently skilled enough to kill the huge Lasat wielding a double-bladed lightsaber—but him succumbing to the dark side of the Force allowed Sheev Palpatine’s Order 66 to land successfully with Anakin leading a raid on the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

Anakin’s actions then also resulted in Cal needing to hide as a refugee and Prauf’s murder in Fallen Order before Trilla Suduri was cut down in front of Cal and her former Master. Here, Respawn exercised incredible restraint as it offered up Darth Vader as a boss fight that fooled players into believing they might take on the OP Sith Lord when it actually precipitated a tense escape sequence.

Cal doesn’t seem to harbor any feelings of hatred or resentment toward Darth Vader in particular while seeing the Empire overall as an enemy, but a Darth Vader boss fight in the third Star Wars Jedi game could give him closure after almost all of the tragedy in Cal’s life was authored by Anakin.

Cal Shouldn’t Need to Fight Vader, and Doing So Wouldn’t Make a Difference

Of course, to say that Cal is the only person whose life was severely and devastatingly affected by Darth Vader would be absurd. Cere Junda’s whole perspective on the Jedi was tarnished when she wasn’t strong enough not to give up her Padawan, for instance, and though she reconciled that and returned to the Force with conviction even she received closure by landing as close to a fatal strike on Darth Vader as anyone in Survivor.

In many ways, Star Wars Jedi helped tell that story of closure better through Cere’s lens and having Cal pursue Darth Vader would be redundant for multiple reasons now. For one, Cal can’t kill Darth Vader because of what’s already been established in the lore and continuity that was created long before Cal ever appeared in the Star Wars Jedi franchise.

Besides, because Cal has never once targeted his anger toward Darth Vader it would seem random to do so now in a third game, and bringing Darth Vader back a third time would also feel repetitive as the franchise regurgitates him to maintain IP iconography. Darth Vader should always have an overwhelming presence in any Star Wars media set in this particular era, though Cal doesn’t need to concern himself with Anakin any longer and Respawn wouldn’t gain anything from having them clash lightsabers again.