Cal Kestis might be one of the most interpersonal characters seen in Star Wars over the past few years. His constant struggle to come to terms with his past, combined with his rather young age and endless ambition, add up to create a great main character to play as.
Fallen Order presents plenty of backstory at the game’s opening to get players invested in Cal and his situation, but some players might have skipped over that and admired the sheer beauty of this game. Various visions throughout the game further clarify what Cal went through during the Clone Wars and who he is as a person. Here are 10 facts about Cal Kestis you likely did not know.
10 Cal struggles with trauma
Anyone who has to live through seeing their loved ones die would have massive trauma from it. Cal not only has to deal with this on a regular basis, but he can’t cope with it fully either since he would be hunted down.
When Cal gets visions of his master or strong feelings with the force, the theming around all of them is typically failure and how the trauma is getting to him. He manages to overcome this towards the end of the game, almost taking a mentor-like approach to certain conversations. Really, Fallen Order is a game less about rebuilding the Jedi Order and more about overcoming past failures. Everyone in Fallen Order struggles to move on, but Cal easily has the hardest time coming to terms with his past.
9 Member of the Scrapper Guild
The Scrapper Guild is one of the largest guilds you can find on Bracca. This guild has been in existence since the Clone Wars, long before the rise of the Empire and Order 66.
Cal is one such scrapper, with his job consisting of climbing up Clone War era ships and extracting valuable resources from them. Scrappers don’t get safety harnesses or insurance. Cal does it regardless because it’s his only way of surviving in the harsh aftermath of Order 66. Even after seeing his master die and his friends turn against him, Cal still puts himself out there to help fellow workers, even when compromising his true identity would lead him to ruin.
8 Risked his life to save his best friend
Prauf is the only friend Cal had while working on Bracca after Order 66. This Abendnedo watched over Cal and helped him cope with his new life, even when Cal was being reclusive about his origins.
Their relationship hits a critical moment when Prauf makes a mistake when salvaging, causing him to fall to his certain death. Cal does a selfless act and reaches out with the force to save him, knowing fully that this action would put him on the radar of every Imperial Inquisitor in the galaxy. Prauf returns the favor in a gut-wrenching scene later when their train ride gets halted by the Second Sister. Prauf buys enough time with his speech to have Cal rise to the occasion and leave Bacca to pursue his old passion of being a Jedi.
7 Played by Cameron Monaghan
Cal Kestis is played by Cameron Monaghan, a talented actor known for his role in Shameless as Ian Gallagher. The amount of films and television he has been in is staggering, but Fallen Order is the first video game he has ever been a voice actor for.
Respawn had Cameron act out scenes from Fallen Order, giving him a mo-cap suit and lightsaber prop to wield. Cal would not have been as engaging of a character if it were not for Cameron’s fantastic acting, both with his voice and physical performances.
6 Strives to live up to his master’s sacrifice
Jaro Tapal was Cal’s former master before the opening levels of Fallen Order. Cal learned how to be courageous, focus on the good rather than the bad, and how to embrace failure from Jaro.
That is why it is so heartbreaking that Jaro died to protect Cal during Order 66. Ever since those events, Cal has spent his time helping others and trusting in the force. Wielding his master’s lightsaber, Cal has promised to trust in the force. It led him to Cere and his quest to rebuild the Jedi Order, hoping to make his master proud.
5 Cal was going to be an alien
When Respawn was deciding on the main protagonist for Fallen Order, they went through many types of characters to see what would fit. Alien races were part of that criteria.
Of course, Cal isn’t a Twi’lek. He’s a human. So why did Respawn decide to have Cal be a human male? According to an interview with the developers, they didn’t want to alienate fans by having a character that could either overlap with Rey from the new trilogy or way too alien to sympathize with. Respawn struck a balance by having a main character that is relatable but with supporting cast members that are more distinct, such as Greez Dritus and BD-1. Perhaps this could be added as customization features in a potential sequel.
4 Member of the 13th Battalion
The 13th Battalion was a division of clone troopers during the Clone Wars that were lead by Cal’s master, Jaro Tapal. These soldiers wore yellow markings on their Phase II trooper armor.
Cal grew to trust these clones when he was young, talking to multiple of them on his way to training. When Order 66 occurred, however, everything changed. They began to fire on both Cal and his master. What were once his closest childhood friends turned into hunters that wanted nothing more than to see his demise. Cal has trust issues throughout Fallen Order, but he learns to overcome those fears and help others in pain.
3 Cal uses a unique lightsaber stance
Star Wars fans know of the various lightsaber stances, each with their own distinct methods of attack and defense. Cal borrows from stances such as Shii-Cho but also improvises when needed.
Shii-Cho is focused on raw attacks that are highly telegraphed, composed of wide swings and hard slashes. This is similar to what Cal does with his lightsaber, but he also implements transitions and overall motion that differs from what padawans typically learn. Since Cal’s training was halted during Order 66, this makes perfect sense. He would have to learn ways of deflecting shots on the fly with the incomplete knowledge and training he has. It goes to show that Cal can quickly think on the fly to defuse any situation.
2 Cere Junda and Cal share trauma
Similar to what Cal went through, Cere Junda also went through a horrifying experience during Order 66. Tasked with protecting the Jedi younglings, she failed in her task and saw one turn to the dark side.
They both lost close friends during the purge, leading to an immediate bond between the two. Cere’s more progressed training leads her to help Cal finish his training and become a Jedi Knight. Cal endures all that is thrown at him throughout the game but is never truly confident in his ability. That is until Cere helps Cal confront his past and come to terms with it. By the end of Fallen Order, Cal is mentoring others in pain and seems more collected than ever, much of that being thanks to Cere’s shared pain and guidance.
1 Gifted in Psychometry
Cal has the incredibly rare ability of Psychometry, allowing Cal to see echoes of the past. These things can range from people to objects. This strong telepathic connection with other things is arguably one of his most powerful skills.
It explains the strong visions of his master, Jaro Tapal, and Cal’s focus on the Holocron throughout the game. When players meditate in Fallen Order, not only do they recover their health, but they also focus on the history of everything around them. Force echoes are easy to read in this state, allowing players to learn the past and allows Cal to hone in on the force. It’s a really cool way to explain meditation and codex entries in-game.
NEXT: Jedi Fallen Order: 5 Reasons It’s The Best Star Wars Game Ever (& 5 Why It’s Not)
