Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2’s Stinger Mantis ship should be more like Red Dead Redemption 2’s camp, allowing players to fully customize the quarters and experience life in the galaxy far, far away. It wouldn’t be exactly the same, considering Red Dead Redemption 2 is an open world whereas Jedi: Fallen Order uses the Stinger Mantis as a hub world to travel to other planets. However, even without the open world ability to pilot the Stinger Mantis first-hand, there’s still room for improvement to make the ship feel more like a home to Cal Kestis and his friends.
Even though the Stinger Mantis is somewhat Jedi: Fallen Order featured multiple Star Wars characters, and while the first game did a great job of fleshing out all their backstories, a more detailed Stinger Mantis would allow Cal more time to spend with his fellow crewmates during downtime.
Red Dead Redemption 2’s camp system is a good, comparable example to how the Stinger Mantis could function in Jedi: Fallen Order 2 - or whatever the game’s title ends up being. The camps in Red Dead Redemption 2 don’t only function as an area to rest and fast travel, but they also let the player connect with the of the Van der Linde gang and create a home for Arthur Morgan. Implementing a similar system in Jedi: Fallen Order 2 could heighten the player’s connection to Cal Kestis’ party, as well as the Stinger Mantis itself.
Fallen Order 2 - The Stinger Mantis Needs Red Dead Camp Features
In Red Dead Redemption 2, Arthur Morgan can contribute funds to the camp to increase its size and offerings for the Van der Linde gang. Plus, Arthur can speak to residents of the camp, forwarding character development, building relationships, and executing side quests and chores while even undergoing therapy sessions with RDR2's characters. His interaction and involvement with the camp also influence Arthur’s status in the world, as well as the provisions available to him while resting and visiting the area.
Carrying out chores, such as chopping firewood, helps Arthur’s reputation among his friends, boosting the player’s in-game honor. Additionally, as stated earlier, Arthur can contribute his funds to the money box in camp, which expands the kinds of items he can purchase, and create new areas of the camp altogether, like a horse station or chicken coop, to help the player navigate the world and gather resources more efficiently. Of course, there are also minigames to play, like poker, allowing Arthur Morgan to earn money from gambling with his friends.
Not all of these activities could be transferred to the Stinger Mantis since there’s a big difference between life in the historical American West and the Skywalker Saga Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order takes place in. However, the general approach to the Stinger Mantis could be the same. Instead of just a hub world to get to another world, the ship could become a liveable area for Cal Kestis, customizable and upgradable to make it feel like a home.
Fallen Order's Ship Could Be A Customizable Home For Cal Kestis
As an example, in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2, ship maintenance could become a minigame or task to complete for Cal, similar to how Arthur Morgan needs to chop firewood or move bales of hay for the Van der Linde gang. It doesn’t necessarily need to be something that requires a ton of effort from the player - just something that builds a connection to the ship and the rest of Jedi: Fallen Order's characters, making it feel like it truly belongs to Cal and is part of his responsibilities as a Jedi and member of the crew. Plus, it would add to the immersion in the Star Wars universe, considering ship maintenance is always a brief, key point of the movies and TV shows, with Han Solo and Chewbacca's bickering a highlight of the original trilogy.
Although there aren’t as many residents of the Stinger Mantis as there are in Arthur Morgan’s Van der Linde camp, shifting the ship’s function to a home base could help boost the player’s emotional connection to non-playable characters, like Greez, and Cal's new Jedi Master in Fallen Order, Cere Junda. Greez, for example, constantly talks about his cooking, but it’s never really seen in Jedi: Fallen Order apart from the occasional cutscene. In the sequel, the explorable area of the Stinger Mantis could be expanded to include a kitchen where Greez cooks meals for the rest of the party, and there could be more side quests related to acquiring ingredients or recipes. The food Greez cooks could also have some kind of in-game effect that encourages the player to keep interacting with the kitchen, like stat boosts.
Then, of course, there are other typical video game mechanics that could easily be introduced if the ship’s purpose were expanded. Cal could introduce more furniture or aesthetics inside instead of just skins for the outside of the ship, which isn’t quite as noticeable considering the ship is only seen at the beginning of each world on its landing pad. Being able to interact with the other party could also increase the number of side quests available to Cal in Jedi: Fallen Order 2, which could further increase his relationships with his friends.
Whether the Stinger Mantis becomes more of a focal point in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 remains to be seen, however, but it would be great to see Cal feel more comfortable on the ship, especially as his journey with Cere, Greez, and now Merrin continues. Even though it seems unlikely that players would directly control the Stinger Mantis as its pilot because of how Jedi: Fallen Order’s travel system works, that doesn’t mean the ship can’t become a more integral part of the gameplay loop. Exploring planets to unlock items for the Stinger Mantis, upgrading ship components, and interacting more with other characters outside of cutscenes, like how RDR2's Arthur navigates the world through Dutch and the gang's camps, would be a step up from the ship’s role in the original game.
