Cal Kestis isn’t the chosen one. That’s exactly why he works.
The protagonist of the Star Wars Jedi games has spent two installments building something the movies keep fumbling, and when Respawn Entertainment ships the next one, he’ll have completed a trilogy that could stand as the first perfect Star Wars trilogy. Not the best-looking one. Not the one with the most lore. The one that holds together from beginning to end.
Luke earned his retirement
None of this is a knock on Luke Skywalker. He was the perfect protagonist for the original trilogy, balancing the immature farm boy against the foolhardy hothead before growing into the legendary Jedi we know him as today.
His arc is plotted beautifully across those three films. The dynamic with his assorted mentors, the clashes with his father, the eventual acceptance of both the good and bad sides of his personality: that’s phenomenal entertainment, and it’s why he’ll be remembered as one of the best protagonists in sci-fi and enjoy an enduring legacy.
But the time has come to retire him. Somebody else needs the job.
The obvious candidates didn’t take
You’d assume the replacement would come from the movies, or from one of the many shows. I don’t think that’s where it happened.
Rey got her shot in the limelight and may yet get another with an upcoming Rey-focused sequel. Daisy Ridley turned in an impassioned performance that could have made Rey the next Skywalker. The often unwarranted levels of controversy around her made sure the positive reception never quite landed.
Din Djarin had a real case too. But his presence stayed mostly on the small screen, and the show’s diminishing quality squandered the opportunity.
What Cameron Monaghan is doing with the part
Cameron Monaghan plays Cal phenomenally, and the character carries a lot of what made Luke endearing while veering off in enough of a different direction to feel like his own person.
Same rage Luke wrestled with. Same burden of innocence and immaturity. Same blessing of community around him. Put those together and you get a nuanced protagonist you can use to explore the many facets of Star Wars lore and the duality of man.
He never becomes the chosen one, and that’s the whole trick
Cal doesn’t fit the chosen one narrative that dominates so much science fiction literature. His stories skew character-centric. They still operate at grand scale, but the consequences land on Cal and his relationships rather than on the fate of the galaxy.
That’s his advantage over everyone named above. The stakes feel more relatable and less comically over-the-top, which gives the writing room for emotionally resonant material while still indulging in spectacle.
Stacking it against the other three
The other trilogies have their merits, and pretending otherwise would be silly. The original sports some of the best storytelling in the franchise. The prequels offer an almost over-indulgent exploration of the universe’s fascinating lore. The sequels deliver some of the best visuals and a terrific performance from Adam Driver.
So far, though, the Star Wars Jedi trilogy has been the most consistent narratively, and it offers an experience the others simply can’t.
The case, stated plainly
Cal’s journey is more engaging than the prequel trilogy, more nuanced and exciting than the original trilogy, and better written than the sequel trilogy. He’s a more compelling protagonist than Luke Skywalker himself. His retinue of companions is more complex and dynamic. His villains are more varied and emotionally engrossing.
It isn’t necessarily a competition. But if there were one perfect Star Wars trilogy, my money’s on the games.
Respawn has one shot left
Whether Respawn can pull off the final installment and deliver an experience worthy of what came before is still an open question. The pressure is overwhelming, and the sheer number of plot threads, emotional beats and character arcs waiting to be wrapped up is immense.
Considering how well Respawn understands Star Wars and Cal’s emotional journey, I believe the Jedi trilogy won’t just come out on top. It’ll settle the argument about who inherited Luke Skywalker’s job.
