The prospective sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is likely to retain the first game's setting between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, but it should avoid getting dragged deeper into the Skywalker Saga. Respawn has yet to formally announce Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2, but its existence has been alluded to by EA and should feature the return of Cal Kestis as the game's Jedi protagonist.
Fallen Order was set five years after Episode III, and 14 years before the events of Episode IV, when the Rebellion was still in its infancy. The only rebel presence in Fallen Order came in the form of Saw Gerrera's partisans, who were trying to liberate Kashyyyk from the Empire. However, should Respawn move Fallen Order 2 toward the Original Trilogy's timeline, the more likely it is that Cal's story could get caught up in the struggle against the Empire, something Star Wars fans have already seen in the original films, but also the Star Wars Rebels animated series.
As things stand in the current Star Wars canon, about four Jedi lent direct aid toward the Rebellion. Ahsoka Tano was the first Force-user to lend assistance, having been contacted by Senator Bail Organa in 18 BBY (four years before the events of Fallen Order). Ahsoka worked for the Rebellion as Fulcrum and was later joined by Kanan Jarrus and his apprentice, Ezra Bridger, during Star Wars Rebels. All three characters exited the Alliance due to different causes by the time Rebels concluded, leaving the door open for the return of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Episode IV, and for Luke Skywalker to become the galaxy's only hope following his death. If Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 were to get caught up in the story of the fight against the Empire, then the amount of Jedi located in one corner of the galaxy would start to feel a tad crowded.
Respawn Should Avoid Another "Jedi Vs. The Empire" Story In Fallen Order 2
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's story worked best when it was taking the player to unexplored corners of the galaxy, with Cal and Cere Junda exploring the research of the dead Jedi Master, Eno Cordova. It made sense that the game would lead to encounters with the Empire and Darth Vader because the main quest involved trying to restart the Jedi Order. Now that Cal and Cere have destroyed the map to the galaxy's Force-sensitive children, though, there's less impetus for them to operate like a rebel cell, which would free them up to continue unlocking the secrets of Fallen Order's Zeffo and potentially other ancient Force cultures too.
Taking Fallen Order farther away from the story of the Skywalker Saga would also help distinguish Respawn's depiction of Star Wars from recent media, and maybe even provide greater freedom to explore the galaxy far, far away on the studio's terms. This isn't to say that Fallen Order 2 should be completely disconnected from familiar elements of the franchise, but merely that there are stories to tell about a Jedi survivor navigating the galaxy that doesn't involve plotting the downfall of the Empire. There's still a lot about the galaxy that fans don't know in the new Star Wars canon, and by leaning more into the Uncharted and Tomb Raider vibes present in the first game, taking Cal to more Star Wars planets in the process, a Fallen Order sequel could truly flourish.
Equally, there's nothing to stop the Empire from being a threat should Fallen Order 2 ignore them as the primary antagonists. They're a monolithic force stretching across the galaxy, so it's only natural Cal will have more stormtroopers and Inquisitors to cut down in a sequel. The difference this time would be that other organizations could take on a bigger antagonistic presence, possibly even Maul's Crimson Dawn.
In any case, a Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order sequel stands to gain a lot from venturing further away from the Skywalker Saga. If Star Wars' High Republic initiative has proven anything, it's that fans are ready to see more Star Wars stories that aren't in service of the films themselves. Respawn achieved that the first time out, but as the series advances through the timeline, the risk of getting sucked into the Galactic Civil War grows bigger.