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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

We don't need more Star Wars games set between Episodes III & IV

The Empire takes over. It was bad. By this point we get it.

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Recently, we've just seen the release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and while it has been great to return to Cal Kestis' story and I'm excited to see where he'll go for Respawn to finish this trilogy, the Star Wars Jedi games still follow a dangerous trend among Star Wars games and media of taking place in between Episode III and IV in the movie saga.

There is a lot, and I mean a lot of Star Wars media that takes place in between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Don't get me wrong, there are interesting avenues to explore there. We can see more of Darth Vader's fall into darkness, how the remaining Jedi were culled after Order 66, and how the galaxy began its resistance to the new authoritarian regime of the Empire. However, by this point, that 20-year period has been mostly exhausted.

We've seen most if not all of the stories that can be told in that time period. The Jedi finding his way through a galaxy without his people, the clone troopers who are replaced after years of dutiful service to the republic, and the politicians that find themselves rebels where they were once Senators. We've seen that in our games, books, and other media. Now, I believe it's time to move on, so that games can explore the vast timeline of Star Wars and avoid this 20-year space that only offers a safe retreat for Star Wars storytellers that want to lean on the iconic imagery of Stormtroopers, Darth Vader, and the Empire as an overarching villain.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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It would be great to see Star Wars games with mainstream appeal that instead explore other major events and periods in the lore as a whole. We're hopefully still getting a Knights of the Old Republic remake, even though the latest news on that game wasn't looking good. Hopefully this can spark more interest in the Old Republic era, so we could see more than just a remake of BioWare's acclaimed RPG and the MMO set in the period. There is a lot of potential in the Old Republic for all manner of games, and even though the most dedicated fans will know a lot of the lore and how it ends up, that hasn't stopped game developers from making their own stories that have serious weight to them. One of the major problems with the stories set between Episodes III and IV is that they can't accomplish anything. Sure, you can say that a character secretly helped the Rebellion in an important way, but at the end of the day we know Luke was the protagonist of that story, and that no matter what X character did on Y planet, they're not going to stop the Emperor.

This can work in some stories' favour, as it makes the journey of Starkiller that much more tragic in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, but most of the time it can make the overarching narrative feel rather hollow as characters will have to play by certain rules, meaning you're already going to know the outcome before the end takes place. Other eras in Star Wars' history would offer us a less formulaic experience, as we can really experience galaxy-changing events without feeling like we're just playing a lesser role in an already-completed story.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

As well as seeing Star Wars games go back in time to the period of the Old Republic, the Mandalorian Wars, and a multitude of other interesting times in the lore, it would be interesting to see some titles follow on from the Return of the Jedi or even Rise of Skywalker. The latter is much less likely as Disney almost definitely has a vice grip on what happens to the lore following the sequel trilogy, but it feels like a lot of questions are left unanswered in the time between Episodes VI and VII. For example, something the movies don't really answer is how the First Order grow to basically be the Empire version 2.0, even with the Republic returning to prominence across the galaxy.

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In short, there is a whole timeline worth of stories and periods to explore further in Star Wars games, and so it would be nice to see developers begin to make a departure from the time between Episodes III and IV. It would also make games like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor feel a tad more special and interesting than they already are. We've certainly explored the rise of the Empire enough in Star Wars games and other media, and so now it seems time to take a step back and see where else we can find iconic characters and moments in Star Wars lore. I'm sure developers won't find a lacking amount of either.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

REVIEW. Written by Ben Lyons

Respawn is back for the second chapter in Cal Kestis' story, but does it improve on the brilliant Fallen Order's formula?



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