Star Wars has officially set the stage for Cal Kestis to make his live-action debut in the franchise. As one of Star Wars' increasing number of Order 66 survivors, Cal Kestis is the protagonist of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Both Star Wars Jedi games and the sub-franchise's tie-in novel, Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs, are considered official canon under Disney's rules.
Cal isn't exactly in hiding during the Empire's reign, either. His face is plastered on wanted posters throughout Coruscant. He faces (and defeats) multiple Inquisitors, survives encounters with Darth Vader, and becomes an integral member of the Hidden Path, the smuggling network first introduced on-screen in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Still, aside from a clone of his companion droid, BD-1, appearing in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett, Kestis has yet to be acknowledged or introduced in Star Wars' live-action movie, TV, or animated canon. That may soon change, however.
Cal Kestis did have a brief cameo appearance in the non-canonical Disney+ series LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild The Galaxy - Pieces of the Past in 2025.
On May 12, 2026, Star Wars published a new spinoff reference book titled Star Wars: Secrets of the Jedi: The Chronicles of Luke Skywalker by Marc Sumerak. This is an updated version of Sumerak's previous Secrets of the Jedi book, acknowledging all Star Wars movies, shows, books, and games released since 2019.
As the title suggests, the book is written from Luke Skywalker's perspective and offers a detailed guide to the history of the Jedi Order, its allies, and some of the franchise's most important light side characters. One of the most significant reveals in Star Wars: Secrets of the Jedi: The Chronicles of Luke Skywalker is that Luke knew Cal Kestis survived Order 66 as a Jedi (via Star Wars Holocron). Given how far apart their stories (those released thus far, anyway) are set within the Star Wars timeline, this could have major implications for Cal's franchise future.
How Cal Kestis Can Join Star Wars' Live-Action Canon
In-universe, Luke will have written this book after the events of the original Star Wars trilogy. This is a long while after Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's story, which takes place in 9BBY. That's nine years before Luke Skywalker destroys the Death Star in the original Star Wars movie, later retitled A New Hope, and 13 years before Luke redeems Vader in Return of the Jedi. While Luke may have merely heard of Cal's exploits through someone else or during his research into the Jedi's history, there's also a significant chance Cal himself is still alive in the aftermath of the Empire's destruction.
Cal was still a young Padawan when Order 66 wiped out the Jedi, so he's relatively young in both Fallen Order and Survivor. Age-wise, his still being around during the New Republic era isn't an issue, just as Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan Ahsoka Tano is still kicking around during this Star Wars era. In fact, Cal appearing in the Mandalorian sub-franchise would make the most sense. That way, his presence wouldn't interfere with the events of the original trilogy, and he could meet like-minded Jedi such as Luke, Ahsoka, and Ezra Bridger from Star Wars Rebels.
With Luke attempting to rebuild the Jedi Order during the New Republic era, he could use some extra advice and influence from Jedi who grew up under the Order's tutelage. Perhaps Cal hears about Luke's efforts and seeks him out himself; in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal's entire mission revolves around saving a list of Force-sensitive children from the Empire. Cal is all about preserving the galaxy for future generations. He'd probably be honored to help Luke in any way he can.
There's also the Nightsister connection. One of Cal's closest companions is Merrin, one of the last surviving Dathomirian Nightsisters, Force-sensitive witches from the planet Dathomir. In Ahsoka, which also takes place during the New Republic era, Ahsoka Tano and her friends come in close contact with the Nightsisters. Imperial Grand Admiral Thrawn even brings a trio of some of the most powerful Nightsisters back to Dathomir from Star Wars' secondary galaxy.
Perhaps Merrin is the key to connecting Cal with Ahsoka and/or Luke. If Merrin becomes involved in Thrawn's operations on Dathomir, she could call on Cal for help, leading them to Ezra Bridger, Hera Syndulla, and even Ahsoka. The Book of Boba Fett established that Ahsoka and Luke were already in contact. This would bring everything full circle. What's more, Cal could even show up in Star Wars' upcoming theatrical return, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Cal despises the Empire even more than Mando does. If anyone could help the dynamic duo prevent the Empire's return to power, it's him.
A third Star Wars Jedi game is currently in development, but it's unclear when it will take place in the Star Wars timeline. Presumably, given the five-year jump between Fallen Order and Survivor, the third installment will creep nearer to the events of the original trilogy. If he survives, Cal's future during the New Republic era remains possible.
Rumors about Cal Kestis' live-action debut have been circulating for years now. Some even theorized that Cal would be the Jedi to save Grogu in The Mandalorian's season 2 finale, rather than Luke. This new Luke Skywalker connection, however, certainly makes Cal's crossover feel more realistic. If any current Star Wars character deserves to make the jump to live-action, it's Cameron Monaghan's Cal Kestis (and his trusty sidekick, BD-1).
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Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82/100 Critics Rec: 83%
- Released
- November 11, 2019
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Star Wars Jedi
From the creative team behind Titanfall 1, 2, and Apex Legends comes Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, a single-player action-adventure game set in the Star Wars Universe. Five years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, players assume the role of Cal Kestis, a Jedi Padawan that has managed to survive the outcome of the deadly Order 66, unlike many other Jedi. When Cal is found by Inquisitors seeking to hunt down the rest of the Jedi, he escapes and eventually finds a new former Jedi ally and begins to fight back against the empire to survive.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows
- Genre(s)
- Action
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
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Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 84/100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- April 28, 2023
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Franchise
- Star Wars
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Soulslike, Sci-Fi
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
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