Star Wars Jedi 3 Has Five Things Respawn Needs to Get Right for Cal Kestis’ Final Chapter

If Star Wars Jedi 3 is indeed the final major chapter of Cal Kestis’ story, Respawn Entertainment has a difficult task ahead. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor raised expectations significantly after building on the foundation established by Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, meaning the next game will need to do more than simply introduce larger environments or a handful of new abilities. 

Some of the biggest expectations surrounding the game center on ideas that Survivor has already established. Tanalorr, for example, was presented as far more than another location, while systems such as Holotactics offered glimpses of mechanics that could be expanded further. 

One of the most significant opportunities would be turning Tanalorr into a genuine base of operations.

Throughout Survivor, the planet carries enormous importance to several characters. Dagan Gera becomes obsessed with reaching it, Bode Akuna sees it as a potential refuge for his family, and Cal eventually recognizes that it could provide a safe location for people being protected by the Hidden Path.

That importance makes it difficult to imagine Tanalorr as just another location visited for a handful of missions. If Cal and his allies return there in Jedi 3, the planet could instead become a permanent hub that changes throughout the game. 

It would not need an elaborate base-building system, either. Simple changes such as new characters arriving, additional areas becoming accessible, and new activities appearing could make Tanalorr feel like a place that is actually growing alongside the story.

Families fleeing the Empire, members of the Hidden Path, survivors of the Jedi, and other characters could slowly build a new life there, giving players a real-world representation of everything Cal has been fighting to save.

Another possibility that has generated a lot of fan interest is the potential appearance of Starkiller. 

One of the most memorable characters to come out of the Legends era of the franchise has been Galen Marek, the main protagonist of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Bringing him into the modern Star Wars canon would be tricky, especially since the original version of Starkiller was one of the most powerful Force users imaginable.

But Respawn wouldn’t necessarily have to create that version of the character. A new version of Galen Marek could be introduced as a powerful asset to the Empire, perhaps someone trained specifically to hunt dangerous Force-sensitive targets. 

He could be positioned as a secret weapon rather than an exact recreation of his original Legends counterpart, allowing Respawn to preserve some of the character's identity while fitting him into the current canon.

The important part would be giving Starkiller an actual purpose. 

A brief appearance designed purely to generate fan reactions would risk feeling like unnecessary fan service. If Respawn does use the character, a confrontation with Cal could instead explore two very different approaches to the Force: one character attempting to protect others while surviving under Imperial pressure, and another who was shaped into a weapon by the Empire.

Darth Vader presents a different opportunity. The character has already played a big role in the Jedi series, headlining one of the most memorable moments of Fallen Order and reminding players how far Cal still had to go. At that point in his journey, Cal was simply trying to survive the encounter, and fighting Vader directly was never a realistic option.

By the time Jedi 3 takes place, however, Cal should be considerably more experienced. Survivor showed him becoming stronger and more confident, and a final game would naturally provide an opportunity to demonstrate how far he has come. That does not mean Cal should defeat Vader.

It would be better to let Cal stay. A long duel where he can genuinely fight back against Vader would be a strong way to show how much he has grown, from the frightened Padawan we saw in Fallen Order to the experienced Jedi he has become.

Cal could still lose, escape, or have the confrontation interrupted, but simply surviving while refusing to run would provide a meaningful payoff to the relationship between the two characters. It would show just how far Cal has come since his first encounter with Vader, without undermining Vader’s status as one of the Empire’s most dangerous Force users.

Respawn could also revisit one of Survivor's smaller features and expand it considerably. Holotactics was one of the game's more enjoyable side activities, allowing players to assemble teams using enemies they had scanned and watch them fight in an arena. 

Jedi 3 could turn Holotactics into a much larger optional system. 

As Cal travels across the galaxy and BD-1 scans additional enemies, those units could become available for use in increasingly challenging matches. Different opponents might also have different approaches. Some might use large numbers of weaker units, while others might prefer powerful creatures or elite enemies.

The system could even become part of the larger world through tournaments and specialized opponents. When the story advances, new opponents are unlocked, and Tanalorr or other hubs could be the site for Holotactics competitions. Rewards could encourage players to continue playing without the activity having to be part of the main campaign.

That kind of side activity would be valuable because not every optional feature needs to deliver another major story. Occasionally a simple system that players genuinely enjoy is enough. Expanding Holotactics would give players something fun to return to between major missions, while also providing another reason to explore the galaxy and scan new enemies.

Ultimately, though, none of these features will matter as much as Cal Kestis' ending. If Jedi 3 marks the conclusion of his main story, Respawn will need to ensure the final chapter feels earned rather than simply dramatic for the sake of being dramatic.

That does not necessarily mean Cal needs to die. A tragic sacrifice would certainly fit some aspects of Star Wars storytelling, but killing a character simply because a trilogy needs an emotional ending would not automatically make the conclusion satisfying. Cal could live. 

There’s also a significant chance Cal will go down a path that has little to do with the Jedi Order as we knew it before the Empire. His journey through the trilogy has already started to make him question what it actually means to be a Jedi, and the final game could provide him the opportunity to decide what kind of life he wants after years of running from the Empire.

But if Respawn does go the tragic ending route, it needs to be for a good reason. 

If the story leads to that kind of decision, Cal surrendering to save Merrin, Kata, the Hidden Path, Tanalorr, or hundreds of other people could make for a powerful ending. The important thing is that the player should understand why Cal made that choice, rather than feel that his death was added to create an emotional final scene.

The strongest ending would ultimately be one that reflects the entire journey. Players have followed Cal from a young Padawan struggling to survive into a far more experienced Force user who has repeatedly risked himself to protect others. Whether he survives or sacrifices himself, the conclusion should make sense for the character he has become.

Respawn therefore has several major opportunities with Star Wars Jedi 3. Tanalorr could evolve into a genuine home, Holotactics could become a much deeper side activity, and characters such as Starkiller or Darth Vader could potentially create major moments if they are used with purpose. 

The third Jedi game does not need to reinvent everything to succeed. It just needs to identify the most important parts of the series and give them the attention they deserve. If Respawn can make Tanalorr a meaningful representation of Cal’s journey, expand on the systems players loved in Survivor, and provide its protagonist a satisfying ending, Jedi 3 could leave a lasting impression long after the final credits roll.