TheStar Warsuniverse is a vast one, with nine mainline movies, a handful of spinoffs, multiple Disney+ shows, a good few animated series, a slew of video games, and more comics and novels than fans can shake a lightsaber at. And with all that content out there, it can be difficult for even the most die-hardStar Warsfanto understand exactly where one piece of media fits in the timeline, and what other movies, shows, and books take place at the same time. And even the latest story in a Galaxy Far, Far Away,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, doesn’t make its place on the timeline immediately obvious.
When booting upStar Wars Jedi: Survivorfor the first time, fans will be treated to a remarkably stylish recap of the events of the first game in the series,Jedi: Fallen Order. If players are paying close attention, they’ll learn thatJedi: Survivortakes place five years after those events, putting it roughly 10 years after Order 66, and right at the height of the Empire’s reign over the galaxy. At this time, the Empire is a truly unstoppable force of evil in the galaxy, which makesStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s opening setting quite the risk on Respawn’s part, but thankfully it’s one that pays off.
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Taking Players To Coruscant in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Is a Worthwhile Risk
In the five years that came between Order 66 and the events ofStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the Empire had become the ruling faction in the galaxy, seizing the Republic’s assets, and creating its own galaxy-wide army and fleet to enforce its tyrannical ideals. In the fiveyears betweenFallen OrderandStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, the Empire has only continued to grow more powerful, building an even larger military force, and spreading its influence to even more star systems. By the timeStar Wars Jedi: Survivorbegins, Jedi Cal Kestis is fully aware that he’s waging a hopeless war.
At the very heart of the Empire is Coruscant. Once the Republic and the Jedi’s home base, Coruscant was quickly seized by the Empire, and by the time ofJedi: Survivor, it’s been the Imperials' home for 10 years. Though it still has an unruly criminal underground, every inch of Coruscant is overseen by the Empire, and large squads of Stormtroopers patrol the entire planet. For any Rebels, venturing to Coruscant during this time period would be suicide, yetStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s Cal Kestiswouldn’t agree.
The opening ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivorsees players control a captured Cal Kestis as he’s escorted to an Imperial Senator residing on the lower levels of Coruscant. Respawn took a huge risk by taking players toCoruscant inJedi: Survivor, as logically the only outcome for Cal here would be a grim one. However, there are a few key factors that keep this intro sequence thrilling, while also still maintaining the believability of the story and its setting.
It’s revealed very early on that Cal hasn’t actually been captured by the Empire, and that this was all part of a plan to get closer to the Imperial Senator and his archives without alerting the rest of the planet’s overwhelming military force, explaining why Cal only runs into light resistance during his time on Coruscant. And when those reinforcements are eventually called in, things quickly turn sour forCal and his new Mantis crew. Three members of Cal’s crew die almost immediately, with another failing to escape a squad of TIE-Fighters during the desperate final getaway. Only Cal and Bode survive their trip to Coruscant, and it’s by the skin of their teeth. So while Coruscant was a risky setting forStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s opening, the game’s story does more than enough to explain it away, leaving just an exhilarating opening mission.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivoris available now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S
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