Cal Kestis

Cal Kestis is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is the playable protagonist of the Star Wars Jedi game series which includes the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its 2023 sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, developed by Respawn Entertainment. The character has also appeared in other media of the franchise, such as the novel Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs, which bridges the gap between the two Star Wars Jedi games. Cal is played by American actor and model Cameron Monaghan through performance capture.

Cal Kestis
Star Wars Jedi character
Cal Kestis from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
First appearanceStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
Created byRespawn Entertainment
Portrayed byCameron Monaghan
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderMale
OccupationJedi Knight
WeaponLightsaber

Within the franchise, Cal is a former Jedi Padawan and survivor of the Great Jedi Purge who, during the early reign of the Galactic Empire, lives in seclusion on the planet Bracca until an incident forces him to reveal his Force powers. Pursued throughout the galaxy by the Inquisitors, the Empire's Jedi hunters, Cal embarks on a quest to try and rebuild the Jedi Order as he is joined by a number of unlikely allies, who help him challenge the Empire's rule and become a second family to him. During his journey, Cal learns to re-embrace his Jedi role and reconcile with his troubled past, as he goes on to become a powerful Jedi Knight and a prominent figure in the fight against the Empire.

Cal's character has received a generally positive reception from critics and fans, who praised his growth and relationships with other characters, although he did face some initial criticism over his "boring" appearance.

Development and design

Monaghan provides both the voice and likeness for Cal's character, including his natural red hair. Respawn Entertainment captured his physique through motion capture.[1] On playing the part of Cal, he said "It's pretty surreal to see a character that you built and got to explore and imagine. It's a character that I've really grown to love." He also stated, "It's such a privilege to be able to play something that has a storied history behind it, but also something that I'm a fan of and have always wanted to be part of since I was a kid."[2] The actor "didn't want to model Cal on any specific Star Wars character", adding "I wanted Cal's personality and demeanor and everything to come out of his own experiences and his own stories, and to build it from an inward place."[3]

During his audition process for the game, Monaghan wasn't told that he was auditioning for a Star Wars game. "At that point I didn't know I was auditioning for a Star Wars game, but I kinda knew. They made these fake audition pages and stuff, and I was kinda reading it like 'hmmm ... This is Star Wars, isn't it?' They were like 'No, of course not.' So when I got into the room and they gave me the toy lightsaber, I was like 'I knew it!'"[2]

Before the developers knew who Cal Kestis was going to be, there were several different concepts. The director of the game, Stig Asmussen revealed "We talked about doing an alien character, we talked about doing a different gender, but we arrived at where we were because at the time, Rey was kind of the thing for Star Wars, so it made a lot more sense for us to have a male protagonist."[4]

Appearances

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)

Cal is the protagonist of the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, set five years after the rise of the Galactic Empire and the Great Jedi Purge. His backstory is explored in a flashback that occurs later in the game, which reveals that Cal was a Jedi Padawan training under Jedi Master Jaro Tapal during the Clone Wars, and that when Order 66 was issued, Tapal sacrificed himself to save Cal from their former clone troopers, leaving the latter guilt-ridden and causing him to sever his connection to the Force.

While working as a scrapper on the planet Bracca, trying to hide his identity from the Empire, Cal uses the Force to rescue his friend Prauf during a work accident, exposing him as a Jedi to the Empire, who subsequently dispatches two Inquisitors, the Second Sister and the Ninth Sister, to capture him. Cal escapes with the help of Cere Junda, a former Jedi Knight-turned-mercenary, and her partner and friend Greez Dritus, who allow him to take refuge on their ship, the Stinger Mantis. Since Cere has cut herself from the Force after a brush with the Dark Side, Cal is recruited to retrieve a Holocron hidden away by Cere's former Jedi Master, Eno Cordova, which contains a list of Force-sensitive children around the galaxy that could be trained as Jedi, allowing the Order to be rebuilt.

During his journey, Cal is joined by several other allies, such as Cordova's former droid BD-1 and Nightsister Merrin, who survived the massacre of her clan on Dathomir, and is relentlessly pursued by the Second Sister, revealed to be Trilla Suduri, Cere's former Padawan who fell to the Dark Side after Cere betrayed her location to the Empire while under torture. Cal also comes into conflict with other Imperial forces, the Haxion Brood crime syndicate, and fallen Jedi Taron Malicos, who took control of Dathomir and seeks to learn the Nightsisters' magic. Cal initially struggles with re-embracing his Jedi role due to the guilt he still feels for Tapal's death, but is eventually able to overcome it, inspiring Cere to also become a Jedi once more and knight Cal.

After finding the Holocron, Trilla steals it and takes it to the Fortress Inquisitorius on Mustafar's oceanic moon Nur. Cal joins Cere in storming the base and confronting Trilla, whom Cal defeats. Cere then attempts to reconcile with her former Padawan, but Darth Vader appears and executes Trilla for failing him. Unable to defeat Vader, Cal and Cere barely escape from his grasp and return to the Mantis, where they realize that the children listed on the Holocron will only be in more danger if they become Jedi. Choosing to leave their fates to the will of the Force, Cal destroys the Holocron and prepares for his next adventure with his crew.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023)

Cal returns as the protagonist of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023), set five years after the events of the first game, where he continues his fight against the Empire while being joined by both new and old friends and allies, and making new adversaries.

Other appearances

A young Cal makes a cameo appearance in the novel Star Wars: Brotherhood (2022) by Mike Chen. He is also the main character of the novel Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars (2023) by Sam Maggs, which is set in-between the events of Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor and bridges the gap between the two games' storylines. In 2023, Cal was added as a playable character to the mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.

Reception
A 29-year-old man with long, brown hair, smiling at someone to the right of the camera.
Cameron Monaghan's performance as Cal Kestis received praise.

The character of Cal Kestis received generally positive reviews, with some expressing dissatisfaction that the final design of the character was "generic" or "dorky".[5][6][7] Elijah Beahm from The Escapist criticized the depiction of Cal's reactions to the deaths of key characters, as well as Cal's role in the wiping out of an ethnic tribe of Dathomirians, arguing that his more muted response makes him unsympathetic as a heroic protagonist. Beahm argued "For all the ancient temples Cal visits and the other Force sensitives he speaks to, the best he can do is murder Stormtroopers. He’s not a keeper of the peace; he’s a soldier and a betrayer of what the Jedi should be."[8] This sentiment was also expressed by Jack Packard from The Escapist.[9] Conversely, Nick Calandra from The Escapist defended Cal Kestis, saying "Cal learning to control his emotions and work through his trauma provides an infinitely more interesting character than he would have been had he just "followed" the Jedi way without truly understanding what it means. Once Cal finally stops fighting the past, sheathes his lightsaber, and promises to honor the teachings of his former master, only then does he become knighted as a Jedi."[5]

Alani Vargas from CheatSheet also stated that Cal Kestis is "a great choice for the main character".[10] Some reviewers noted that while he does not start off strong, the good writing, interesting cast of supporting characters and the entertaining story help the player connect with Cal.[10][11][12] The actor experienced bullying over his red hair, with people making mods just to change the color of Cal's hair,[13][14] and spoke out against them.[15]

IGN named Cal Kestis one of the best video game characters of 2019, with staff member Matthew Adler highlighting his growth in power as well as his "down-to-earth personality and willingness to seek change".[16] In 2020, Cal Kestis ranked 50th place in a "Best Star Wars character of All Time" fan poll organized by IGN.[17]

References
  1. Respawn Entertainment (April 13, 2019). "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - Motion Capture Behind the Scenes" (Interview). Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. Russell, Lyle (November 8, 2019). "Cameron Monaghan Talks Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Ahead Of Game's Release". That Hashtag Show. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  3. Brooks, Dan (November 6, 2019). "Cameron Monaghan of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Talks Cal Kestis Toys and Becoming a Jedi". Star Wars. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  4. Capel, Chris J. (July 6, 2019). "Jedi Fallen Order's protagonist is male because "Rey was the thing for Star Wars"". PCGamesN. Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  5. Calandra, Nick (December 7, 2019). "A Defense of Cal Kestis as the Protagonist in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order". Escapist Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  6. braydentylercoley (November 20, 2019). "In Defense of Cal Kestis, Jedi: Fallen Order's Dorkiest Padawan". Gamer Dunk. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  7. Fischer, Tyler (April 14, 2019). "Some 'Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order' Fans Aren't Happy Cal Is A "Generic White Guy"". Comic Book. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  8. Beahm, Elijah (November 29, 2019). "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's Cal Kestis Is a Failed Hero on Every Level". Escapist Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  9. Packard, Jack (November 29, 2019). "Jedi: Fallen Order Is the Rogue One of Star Wars Video Games – UnderDeveloped". Escapist Magazine. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
  10. Vargas, Alani (November 15, 2019). "'Jedi: Fallen Order' Review: The 'Star Wars' Game Wins With Cal Kestis and Rich Storyline". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  11. Hoggins, Tom (November 28, 2019). "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order review: an entertaining but underbaked galactic jaunt". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  12. Gault, Matthew (November 22, 2019). "How Respawn Entertainment Made the Best 'Star Wars' Video Game of the Past Decade". Time. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  13. Dorsey, Edmund (November 25, 2019). "Modders Have Fun Playing Around With Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Cal Kestis' Appearance Changed". HappyGamer. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  14. Tzika, Katerina (November 27, 2019). "Cal's Actor Upset Over Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Hair Color Changing Mod". SegmentNext. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  15. Fischer, Tyler (November 27, 2019). "Star Wars Jedi; Fallen Order Star Cameron Monaghan Lashes Out After Being Shamed For His Red Hair". Comic Book. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  16. "The Best Video Game Characters of 2019". IGN. December 26, 2019. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  17. "The Best Star Wars Character of All Time". IGN. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
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