There are a few theories spreading among fans at the moment, along with a massive history of previous Star Wars canon that could work as an inspiration for Jedi: Fallen Order’s continuing story. While some of these hopes and wishes from longtime Star Wars fans may be unlikely, like a time skip make Cal and crew relevant to the original trilogy, there is tons of material to pull from for the next game.
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Where Fallen Order Ends Off
The main story of Fallen Order takes players through a series of adventures across multiple sprawling locations throughout the Star Wars galaxy. However, while the narrative has plenty of twists and turns, it ends on both a fairly happy note, and a somewhat unsatisfying one, in that it doesn’t feel like a final conclusion to any of these characters’ stories. There are plenty of moments of closure, such as the final confrontation with the Second Sister, but Fallen Order is missing key story components to make the ending feel like a real finale.
This isn’t to say that the ending is bad, with Cal and crew choosing to keep the next generation of force sensitive children hidden from the Empire by destroying the only record of where they are. There is actually a good amount hope to how the story caps off, even after Fallen Order’s Darth Vader segment caps off the gameplay with one of the most intimidating interpretations of the iconic villain to date. So, while it isn’t a finale, it does still feel like a quality Star Wars ending, harkening back to the end of A New Hope that also concluded with a message of hope, but still left the story open for a continuing saga.
Where Fallen Order 2 Should Pick Up
There are a lot of ways that Fallen Order can pick up from where it left off, and keeping with Star Wars tradition might be the best way to go, especially if the next game manages to keep the same cast as the original. Instead of making the 14 year jump from the assault on the Fortress Inquisitorius at the end of the first game to the events of A New Hope, Respawn Entertainment should pick up the characters only a few years after the first game’s ending. Fans should see new stories shared between the characters that go beyond the adventures players had seen, with the opening of Fallen Order 2 showing off new force powers that both Cal and Cere have learned by training together and with Merrin.
Taking another note from the original film trilogy, Fallen Order 2 should start off similar to how Empire Strikes Back threw viewers back into the action. The cast had already been established and the movie wastes no time to show that even the victory achieved in the last installment hadn’t been enough to completely cripple the Empire. To a similar degree, Fallen Order 2’s placement in Star Wars history could allow the series to put a threat from the Empire that has been lesser-known to casual fans in a much more prominent spotlight.
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Keep the Inquisitors as the Primary Villains
The Inquisitorius is a notoriously brutal group of Jedi hunting agents under the direct control of Darth Vader that has never had a strong foothold in the more prominent sections of Star Wars canon. Fans who have read the multiple graphic novels about the Inquisitors, or seen their appearances in shows like Star Wars: Rebels, quickly recognized the group whenever they appeared. However, for many fans who may have only seen the main series of movies, and a handful of related media, the Inquisitors appearing in Fallen Order may have even seemed like a new group of villains just for the game.
As it would happen, this group of villains is made up of many more members than the Second and Ninth Sisters, and as far as even the Disney canon is concerned, the events of Fallen Order isn’t the last time they are seen. This should be the key to the approach Respawn Entertainment should take as Fallen Order 2 moves the story forward, with the Inquisitorius chasing down Cal and his crew as the continued primary antagonist of the series, however far it goes. Keeping this force, and doubling down on how they pursue the player, even attempting to make Cal join the Inquisitors, the next few games can tackle some huge moments currently hidden in the canon.
How Fallen Order Could Affect the Main Canon
Cal’s story should be show the end of the Inquisitorius, not in the next game directly, but in the series as it attempts to stretch the narrative out to the more familiar territory in the original territory. It seems apparent by now that EA wants to make lasting impressions on the canon, with other installments of Star Wars games that claim to have varying levels of canonicity. So, it would only make sense to try making a massive impact on Star Wars canon in Fallen Order 2 by establishing what really happened to the Inquisitors before the events of the original trilogy.
Considering the way that some major villains in the series have been given their conclusions in spin-off series before, like Darth Maul’s final dual with Obi Wan, it wouldn’t be unheard of to have such a huge threat be taken down in a tie-in game. With Fallen Order’s stellar reception giving it a huge impact on the franchise as well, this could be the best opportunity to give one of Star Wars’ most imposing and impactful villains a deserving ending. It shouldn’t take place in the next title right away, but Fallen Order 2 should pave the way for the eventual final showdown between Cal and his band of misfits against the might of the Inquisitorius.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is reportedly in development.
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