Star Wars Jedi: Survivor being the middle of a new Star Wars trilogy makes sense for the franchise. Except for the Solo: A Star Wars Story and Rogue One films, most of the Star Wars' movie arcs are played out across trilogies, and Cal Kestis' journey in the Star Wars Jedi games has already begun to mirror that kind of narrative structure.
[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.]
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order introduced players to Cal Kestis when he was a Jedi Padawan on the run from the Empire following the Great Jedi Purge of Revenge of the Sith. Over the course of both Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel, Jedi: Survivor, Cal has learned from allies such as Cere Junda and has evolved into a full Jedi Knight dedicated to finding a safe haven for his fellow Force-sensitives and fighting the Imperial threat across the galaxy. The next entry in the series - which may already be in development - has been set up to evolve Cal's journey further, potentially placing him in a mentor role as he builds a new Jedi Order on Tanalorr.
A Star Wars Jedi Trilogy Fits Nicely Into The Wider Star Wars Timeline
A Star Wars Jedi trilogy would slot nicely into the Star Wars timeline, bridging the gap between the prequel and original movie trilogies to show what happened to the Jedi in the meantime, and if Cal was successful in starting an underground new Jedi Order, or if this was ultimately a doomed venture.
Despite the character's popularity and the titles' high acclaim, if Respawn Entertainment extended Cal Kestis' story beyond a trilogy, this could lead to a crossover with the movies' narratives on the timeline, which could result in either repeating or retconning moments audiences have already experienced on screen, rather than giving them something fresh. Allowing Cal's journey to come to a conclusion in the next title would be a nice way to wrap everything up ahead of the movies, and explain why he and his allies never seem to appear on the timeline afterward.
Survivor Is Star Wars Jedi's The Empire Strikes Back
As with the middle chapters in trilogies - as was most evident in Star Wars' original trilogy with The Empire Strikes Back - Jedi: Survivor ends on a rather dark note for its protagonists. Even though Cal succeeded in acquiring a planet hidden in the Koboh Abyss called Tanalorr, which he intends to use as a safe haven for the Hidden Path and any remaining Jedi, this victory was overshadowed by the shocking betrayal of his former ally Bode Akuna, which led to the deaths of Cere and Jedi scholar Eno Cordova when Bode led Darth Vader and the Empire to the Jedi archives they were rebuilding on Jedha.
Bode made a deal with the Imperial Security Bureau where he would infiltrate the Stinger Mantis crew as a spy in exchange for his and his daughter Kata's safety, and although he may have taken Cal up on his offer to keep Kata safe on Tanalorr, his betrayal came when Cal revealed his plans to move the Hidden Path to Tanalorr. Bode's concern was that this would make the planet a bigger target and that the Empire would eventually find it. Therefore, he killed Cordova and took the Koboh com and his daughter to Tanalorr to prevent Cal and the Stinger Mantis crew from going through with their plan and keep himself and Kata safe.
Sadly, once Cal and Merrin were able to track down and face Bode on Tanalorr, it was clear he was too far gone, consumed with fear and rage, and Cal had to kill his former friend. While this ending alone would have been a difficult moment for Cal - who had already been struggling with embracing the power of the dark side of the Force throughout Jedi: Survivor's story - he and the Stinger Mantis crew then also made the decision to look after Kata, with Cere asking Cal to "guide her through the darkness," as Cal was technically responsible for orphaning her and leaving her with a childhood trauma similar to the kind that he and Merrin faced.
What Could Happen In The Final Part Of A Star Wars Jedi Trilogy?
This ending for Jedi: Survivor perfectly sets up a trilogy closer in which an even more cautious Cal and Merrin have to build a new Jedi Order together while raising Kata, who may be Force-sensitive like her father and become a Padawan to them. It's possible that Cal's new Jedi Order will hide away on Tanalorr only to re-emerge as something different, much like the Empire hid in the Unknown Regions between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens before re-emerging as The First Order; of course, their lack of appearance in the stories that came after this time period could be for a much darker reason.
However, the tension could be added if it's revealed that Bode was correct in his fears and the Empire is able to find Tanalorr, as it could cause Cal to feel guilt over his actions, and make Kata potentially resent her mentor after the revelation that her father's concerns were justified. Cal has already drawn a lot of attention to Koboh with his actions, and following Jedi: Survivor's endgame, the Empire has reinforced their troops on the planet with an Imperial Star Destroyer looming over Greez's Pyloon's Saloon, which acted as Cal's main base of operations. Although the Empire was already on Koboh throughout the game, this increased presence is commented on by many NPCs with an impending sense of doom.
The Empire is practically on Tanalorr's doorstep, and given the fact that the only way on and off the planet is through the Koboh Abyss, it's possible that the Empire could trap Cal and his allies on the planet, forcing Cal and his fellow Jedi to make a final stand against the Empire in an action-packed trilogy closer. With Tanalorr also being lost inside the Abyss, there’s no way for anyone situated there to be helpful to the resistance if they were to become trapped, and no way for the resistance to assist them in turn, which would for their absence in the timeline afterward.
Alternatively, if leaving an entire community trapped on a planet wasn't a bleak enough fate with no external resources to help them survive, Respawn Entertainment may choose to end its Star Wars Jedi trilogy with a tragic ending in the same vein as Rogue One in which they lose to the Empire, whose power is still growing across the galaxy by the events of A New Hope.
Regardless of how it plays out, Cal's journey should come to a close in the next Star Wars Jedi title. If it does and the final entry is as successful as its predecessors, Respawn would have crafted a great new trilogy to add to the Star Wars lore with high emotional stakes and a greater understanding of exactly what happened to a large portion of the remaining Jedi between the prequel and original trilogies.
