From games set in the Legends timeline to official canon, Star Wars video games have given fans plenty of jaw-dropping moments and with the recent trailer release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, there's plenty more of those moments to come. Star Wars video games have also given the world tons of fan-favorite characters, like Starkiller and Revan, who have become so popular than many fans have demanded bringing them into official Star Wars canon. It is even rumored that Fallen Order's Cal Kestis might appear in Kenobi, a series about the iconic prequel hero on Disney+. From Battlefront games to Knights of the Old Republic, here are some of the best moments in Star Wars video games.
Ever since the 80s, Star Wars has had many video games set within its universe release. Some of the more notable games include the Battlefront series and Jedi: Fallen Order, which have been some of the newer releases of Star Wars interactive media. Some older games, such as The Force Unleashed and The Old Republic series, are set in the Legends universe, which means that they were made before Lucasfilm had merged with Disney, causing them to be considered Star Wars "legends" and not set in the official canon.
A lot of news surrounding Star Wars interactive media stirred the internet this week with the release of the teaser trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the sequel to the critically acclaimed Jedi: Fallen Order. The series is one of the first independent video game storylines in the Star Wars universe, set during the height of the Empire. Following Jedi Cal Kestis, the series showed him surviving Order 66 and the Jedi inquisition, eventually becoming a Jedi Knight and meeting new friends along the way.
Cal Kestis Builds His Lightsaber In Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
The scene opens with Cal trudging through the icy caverns of Ilum to find one last kyber crystal. He picks it up, yet it breaks in half in his hands. This causes Cal to lose hope and sit back, thinking that he failed. His trusty droid, BD-1, comes in, however, to show him a hologram from the droid's first companion. The Jedi Knight in the hologram leaves a final message for BD-1 before wiping his memories, stating that he will gain them back only when he finds someone he wholeheartedly trusts. The Jedi Knight also goes on to say, "Failure is not the end. It is the necessary part of the path. Hope will always survive in those who continue to fight." This resonates with Cal, causing him to get back on his feet and build his weapon, crafting Fallen Order's iconic double-bladed saber.
After a long and hard journey, this scene was the second step in Cal Kestis' rise to becoming a Jedi Knight. After an intense sequence showing him facing his trauma of Order 66 and his master's death, he awakens to find that his lightsaber has been crushed by his own hands and that the kyber crystal within was destroyed. This segment of the story is a pinnacle part of Cal's arc as he Cal goes through a tough journey facing his trauma, and this scene is a great breath of fresh air showing a now hopeful Cal who is ready to face his fears and defeat the Inquisitors.
The Darth Revan Twist In Knights of the Old Republic
Darth Revan is arguably one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars Legends universe. From his gripping story of trying to balance the force to his tragic love story with the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan. The first KOTOR featured a customizable player character whom players could role play as throughout the game. The story's main antagonist is Darth Malak, a scourge of the galaxy and a powerful Sith lord. As the player meets many characters such as Bastila Shan, they also run into Malak several times. During one of those moments, however, a major bombshell of information would be dropped on them.
This bombshell would, of course, be finding out that the player character is in fact, Darth Revan, the leader and creator of the Sith Empire. This twist was huge and is one that no one could see coming. Revan was a Sith lord who trained Malak in the ways of the dark side of the Force. Eventually after the Jedi Civil War, Revan was captured by Bastila Shan, who would later be his wife, and his mind is wiped of his past deeds. It is around this time, after Revan's mind has been wiped, when the player's story in KOTOR would begin.
Starkiller Brings Down A Star Destroyer In Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Another beloved Legends character who could be Starkiller, is one the most badass Force-users to ever exist in both Star Wars universes. A martyr of the Rebellion and a powerful Force-user, Galen Marek became Darth Vader's apprentice after he proved his skills at a young age by grabbing the Sith lord's lightsaber using the Force. Marek soon trained under Vader, earning the title, Starkiller. Using his dual wield lightsabers, he dominated the battlefield with brutal combat and powerful Force abilities. Starkiller would soon defect from the Empire and join the Rebellion after being betrayed by the Emperor.
After defying Vader and joining the Rebellion, he proceeds to have one of the coolest moments in Star Wars Legends history that makes it a shame that he is not canon, though Starkiller could be in Jedi: Survivor. The master Sith pulls down an entire Star Destroyer with the Force, crashing it down onto the waste-covered planet of Raxus Prime. This was an incredible moment in the game and proved to fans how powerful Starkiller truly was.
Defeating Heroes In The Original Star Wars: Battlefront
While the heroes and villains in recent Star Wars: Battlefront games have been fairly balanced to be easier to defeat by regular troopers, attempting to defeat them in the older games was a death sentence. If one crossed paths with an Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or even a Boba Fett on the battlefield, they were most likely coming back to spawn. It was always extremely tricky to pull off defeating a hero or villain in the older Battlefront games, and the only way to do so was with unconventional methods.
A lot of the time, if players wanted to defeat a hero or villain as a ground trooper, they would either have to run them over with a high speed vehicle like a speeder. Even this was often hard to do so, as heroes and villains were often very fast and could dodge incoming vehicles fairly quick. Another way to defeat them was by knocking them off the map. Either way, it was extremely rewarding to defeat a hero or villain and would definitely put a player on the leaderboard, even allowing themselves to play as a hero or villain in Star Wars: Battlefront.
Meeting Luke Skywalker In Star Wars: Battlefront 2
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 had a great campaign, featuring the Inferno Squadron, a team of talented TIE pilots working for the Empire. The story has the player primarily play as Iden Versio, commander of Inferno Squad, though for a brief few segments players go into the shoes of Del Meeko, another TIE pilot in Inferno Squad who would later become Iden's husband. Set immediately after the destruction of the second Death Star, the story saw the two of them join the Rebel alliance and meeting legendary Jedi Knight, Luke Skywalker, was a major part of Del's development to becoming a member of the New Republic.
Luke Skywalker's appearance in the story as well as Operation: Cinders makes the campaign for Star Wars: Battlefront 2 very important. In a mission to Pillio, Del was sent to destroy any evidence of the Emperor's Observatory, which housed many artifacts and notes left by the late antagonist about what lies beyond the galaxy. Del encounters Luke Skywalker on this planet and forms a temporary truce with him as they search for the observatory. Del learns more about the Force with Luke, and his feelings of duty to the Empire are shaken by his enemy's kindness and soft-spoken advice. The scene is a legendary moment in the campaign and captures Luke's character extremely well, making it worth playing.
Escaping Darth Vader In Jedi: Fallen Order
Throughout the story of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, the player must fight multiple bosses. From Inquisitors to Jedi defectors like Taron Malicos, Cal defeats many Sith. One moment toward the end of Jedi: Fallen Order had many fans' jaws dropping to the floor. This would be, of course, Vader's cameo at the end Jedi: Fallen Order. Vader's appearance is unexpected and his ruthlessness is encapsulated perfectly in this scene as he strikes down the Second Sister for failing him, his breath ominously echoing in the chamber.
The scene quickly cuts to gameplay, as it sets up Vader as the final boss fight. This, however, would turn into a chase sequence as Cal is unable to overpower him and must escape. The scene continues as the player dashes to the exit while Vader crumbles the walls and floors around Cal, making chances for escape even more slim. This was a truly terrifying and jaw-dropping moment that sparked tons of fan reactions found all over the internet.
Star Wars games have truly given fans some memorable moments, whether they be in Legends or official canon. Fan-favorite characters like Revan, Cal, and Starkiller were introduced in these titles and have proven how far Star Wars games have come. There is definitely more to come as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor releases later in 2023 and many other upcoming games continue to expand the Star Wars universe.