It's Time For A Live-Action Fallen Order Series
There's a rumbling in the Force, as the galaxy far, far away, could've found its next version of The Mandalorian in the form of a live-action Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order series. Sorry, or could it be a Jedi: Survivor series? Either way, the question of when Cameron Monaghan will be picking up a lightsaber to play Cal Kestis in live-action is just a matter of time.
Since Pedro Pascal polished his beskar to play Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, we've seen an Empire-inspired push into live-action Star Wars shows. We're no longer confined to the idea that the galaxy can only expand with animated series. Since The Mandalorian helped kickstart Disney+ in 2019, it's been joined by The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with upcoming releases for Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and more.
Is Fallen Order Canon With Star Wars?
Click to enlargeAt the time of writing, there's no official word on whether there will be a live-action Fallen Order series, but it makes a lot of sense given where we are right now. It just so happens that Jedi: Survivor is set 10 years after the events of Order 66 - which is exactly when Obi-Wan Kenobi takes place. Deborah Chow's six-part miniseries has already had some pretty major Fallen Order ties, with the Fortress Inquisitorius popping up and the game's Death Troopers in their snazzy attire.
If you look close enough, you might notice that the interrogation room that young Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) is taken to is the same one from the game. You might remember Darth Vader destroyed it during the game's climax so this is an updated version. Of course, the big bad of the series is Moses Ingram's Third Sister. She's presumably taken over after Vader killed Second Sister (Trilla Suduri) when she failed him. SO yes, Fallen Order and Survivor are very much canon with our mainline Star Wars stories.
Star Wars games were often discounted as a lesser form of the medium, and while Knights of the Old Republic is held as one of the greatest video games of all time, the movies and shows have been a little slow on the uptake of making them canon. Come on, where's our Starkiller cameo? Still, the Disney+ shows are bringing back more of the Legends canon than ever before - suggesting that the games could soon follow suit.
Click to enlargeThe video games are never far away from the minds of those at the top, with Lucasfilm's very own Sheev Palpatine explaining their importance. In a recent interview with Empire, Kathleen Kennedy said, "There’s intention around [bringing in elements from games], because there's a huge investment by people in Star Wars along the way. We have fun identifying who carries forward, and what we reference, and the history. You always want to feel that there's a history behind everything that's happening in Star Wars. So there's a lot of conversation that goes around that."
Why A Fallen Order Series Would Work
Click to enlargeThe odd Easter egg like a BD doid (is it our BD-1?) popping up in The Book of Boba Fett is all well and good, but it's hardly a full-blown Fallen Order series. The upcoming slate of Star Wars shows is focussing on different corners away from the Skywalkers, but there's no word on Fallen Order. Sticking another show in a narrative so close to Obi-Wan might seem like overkill, but remember, Chow's show is pitched as a standalone series rather than a multi-season story like The Mandalorian.
Star Wars shows are also known for their shock cameos, and while The Book of Boba Fett didn't make good on those Qi'ra theories to bring Emilia Clarke back from Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian Season 2 ended with THAT big Luke Skywalker cameo. Cal isn't quite on the same level as Mark Hamill's master Jedi, but filling in the gaps between games with Obi-Wan would bring Cal to the mainstream of Star Wars fandom.
Depending on what happens in Survivor, we don't see this being the end of the story. Star Wars loves a good trilogy, and whether Cal "survives" or not, a trilogy of Jedi games is more than likely. If this is the case, it makes sense to build out the subseries with some form of live-action outing. The future of Star Wars is on television, and although we have movies from Taika Waititi and Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron, it's the shows that are doing the groundwork right now.
Click to enlargeDisneyland even sells Cal's lightsaber - with Monaghan appearing at Galaxy's Edge to try it out - as the character continues to find his own fan base. Although Cal might not yet be up there with Samuel L. Jackson and the purple-sabered Mace Windu, there's room to grow. The problem with a live-action Fallen Order series would be that it could rob the games of their stories. A straight-up live-action recreation of 2019's game seems like a waste of resources, but if you give us a gripping story in a solo show, it's taking away a premise for a game.
Still, a Fallen Order series would be another big win for diversity. It's about time we got to see Debra Wilson get the acclaim she deserves for playing Cere Junda. There's also plenty of room for Forest Whittaker to reprise his Rogue One role as Saw Gerrera. To be honest, we're just hoping to see more of Indira Varma's Tala. It works in reverse, there's a chance characters from Obi-Wan could appear in Jedi: Survivor - we've already been promised huge cameos. Still, if a certain flame-haired Jedi doesn't cross paths with our stoic Obi-Wan before the series is done, Lucasfilm has missed a trick.
