The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are ushering in a new era of Star Wars storytelling. After years of the Skywalkers dominating the conversation, the scope is spreading to Grogu, aka Baby Yoda. Grogu may look like an adorable child, but he’s actually 50-years-old and a survivor of Order 66, and the mystery of how he escaped has yet to be solved.
What you may not know is that Grogu isn’t alone. Another former padawan also survived the Jedi massacre and promptly forgot his training. You just haven’t heard of him because he’s not on Disney+, but on game consoles.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is a 2019 video game developed by Respawn Entertainment where the player controls Cal Kestis, a young Jedi, as he works to solve an ancient mystery.
Cal Kestis begins Jedi: Fallen Order incognito working as a scrapper, as his Jedi identity would make him vulnerable to the many inquisitors looking to finish the job Order 66 started. Because of all the time he’s spent out of training, he’s forgotten most of the skills he was taught as a child.
When his identity is revealed, Cal is rescued by former Jedi Cere Junda, who sends him on a mission to find a holocron of Force-sensitive children. With that holocron, Cal could establish a new Jedi academy and forge a new generation of Jedi.
As Cal hops from planet to planet, his memories are jogged and he regains some of his lost skills. This is a device used to slowly incorporate new abilities into the game, but it also has a narrative purpose. If Jedi skills can be lost and regained so easily, other Order 66 survivors could be out there with great skills still locked away.
Which brings us back to Grogu. In The Book of Boba Fett Episode 6 we get our first glimpse of Grogu’s mysterious past. Just like Cal, Grogu watched Jedi fall all around him as he somehow survived. What’s more, Grogu is also having his memory jogged as he remembers his past Force powers. Luke even tells Ahsoka, “It’s more like he’s remembering than I’m teaching him anything.”
What does this mean? Well, if Cal Kestis doesn’t make an appearance in The Mandalorian Season 3, the themes established in the game certainly will. From Order 66 to the concept of a Jedi Academy, Fallen Order almost feels like a dry run for the Star Wars live action TV universe.
Though it was first dismissed as just a side-quest, the longer Fallen Order exists the more relevant it becomes. That feeling only intensified when Respawn Entertainment announced plans for a sequel, fueling speculation that the narrative in Star Wars TV will tie into its story.
If you’re not much of a gamer, Fallen Order is easy to play and full of rich graphics that feel cinematic, making an easy transition to what is often an intimidating medium. And if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Star Wars gamer, now’s the perfect time to replay this game. Not only will you notice new things now we’ve seen the beginnings of Luke’s Jedi Academy, but it will help with the withdrawal in the weeks after The Book of Boba Fett ends.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order is available now for PS4 and PS5, Xbox, and Microsoft Windows.
