Survivor Foreshadows Cal Kestis’ Path to the Dark Side

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 29, 2024 6 Views 5 Min Read
Survivor Foreshadows Cal Kestis’ Path to the Dark Side



Considering how predominantly Star Wars Jedi: Survivor teases it, it seems likely if not inevitable that Cal Kestis will at least lean into the allure of dark side temptations again during Respawn’s third and final Star Wars Jedi installment. Cal’s leniency with traditional Jedi rules and his alignment with the Force has never been straightforward, which is terrific for his character as it makes his fate impossible to pin down. If Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was to be looked at as an individual case study, Cal demonstrated all throughout that the possibility of him turning to the dark side was slim if not nonexistent, and yet Star Wars Jedi: Survivor upends that belief.




The inference made here is that even someone as classically and morally righteous as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Cal Kestis could be swayed to the dark side with enough anger or grief fueling his actions. This makes Cal far more complicated than the do-gooder who sought to restore the Jedi Order five years beforehand, especially as he wrestles with the losses that are piling in his life. Survivor doesn’t outright foreshadow that Cal will plunge into the dark side as many Jedi have, but it does suggest what specific loss in his life could precipitate such a fall from grace: the death of his lover, Merrin.

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Merrin Dying in Star Wars Jedi Would Have a Massive Ripple Effect on Cal Kestis


Merrin and Cal Kestis mirror Santari Khri and Dagan Gera, and the latter’s relationship can be perceived as an omen of what could happen if Cal no longer has Merrin by his side. Not unlike Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker, it’s easy to see how the dark side could poison Cal against Merrin.

That said, Merrin has proven how gifted she is via Nightsister magic rivaling Cal’s talents with the Force and has already shown she can assist Cal in stepping backward if he’s beginning to lose himself. Merrin is able to talk Cal down from wielding the dark side of the Force to kill ISB chief supervisor Denvik. Even if she and Cal weren’t now officially romantically intertwined, it is obvious that she is a rock for him and can tether him not only to the light side of the Force but his basic humanity as a person.


Merrin’s Brush with Death in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Might Be a Sad Precursor

Merrin nearly being killed by Bode Akuna on Tanalorr gave the final boss fight heart-wrenching stakes, perhaps too indulgently. Indeed, Merrin being an NPC companion accompanying Cal during this fight was stressful as it meant she was at risk of being injured if not killed the whole time, and if she had died there, especially following the recent deaths of Cere Junda and Eno Cordova, there’s a high likelihood that Cal would’ve tapped into the dark side fully.

Cal “embraced the darkness” for much less when Bode pummeled him with strikes, and Bode’s death probably would’ve been much more violent than it was if things had gone south for Merrin.


Unfortunately, her death could still occur in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s sequel and such an event would be a salient tipping point for Cal, who has been largely composed and collected until Bode’s betrayal and the deaths of his loved ones increased tenfold. Indeed, Cal’s whole journey in Star Wars Jedi has been punctuated by traumatic loss trailing back to Jaro Tapal and Prauf in Fallen Order, but Survivor stacks those body bags higher and the death of Merrin could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

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