Star Wars Jedi: Survivor looks to answer a lot of questions surrounding Cal Kestis, but the biggest one that should be addressed is his fate and whereabouts during the original trilogy. Players were first introduced to Cal in 2019’s surprise hit Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, where the former Jedi Padawan rekindled his connection to the Force and traveled the galaxy in search of the last remnants of the old Jedi Order. During this journey, players got to see flashbacks and visions of Cal’s tragic backstory - including the death of his beloved Jedi: Fallen Order mentor Jaro Tapal at the hands of a Clone Trooper unit during Order 66.
Cal Kestis is still alive and well by the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, despite spending most of the game being hunted down by the Empire's Inquisitors and having a near-death encounter with the dreaded Darth Vader himself. This only begs the question whether Cal and his friends onboard the Stinger Mantis will survive the events of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - and where they were during the original trilogy if they do. Like many characters created after the classic Star Wars films, Cal was never mentioned at any point during Luke Skywalker’s battles against the Empire despite Cal already meeting Darth Vader before Fallen Order. This is hardly a rare thing in Star Wars, as the fan-favorite Jedi heroine Ahsoka Tano was also unmentioned during the earlier live-action Star Wars films despite having a much closer connection to the Skywalker family.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Could Reveal Cal’s Fate
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor looks to be much darker than its predecessor, with the game's lone trailer hinting that the story will contain many dark mysteries for players to unravel. One of these could be what eventually becomes of Cal during the original trilogy, either by having the game end with his death or including a flash-forward scene of an older Cal doing his part to help the Rebel Alliance in their war against the Empire. Fans have already started to craft theories about where Cal’s story could go in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, including the possibility that the Cal Kestis players control is a clone - with the real Cal floating in the bacta tank shown in the ominous Star Wars Jedi: Survivor announcement trailer.
Of course, there is the concern that having Cal die at the end of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor might dim the luster of seeing him alive and well in stories set before the upcoming sequel. This might not be the case though, as characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda were popular figures in the Prequel Era despite their deaths being shown decades before. Star Wars has always jumped back and forth in time, meaning that characters that were killed off in one story could later be fleshed out in a future Star Wars movie or video game.
This is assuming that Cal Kestis does indeed die by the end of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order's sequel, as the ultimate fate of this fugitive Jedi is still up in the air at this point. Whatever this fate may be, seeing what becomes of Cal during the events of the original trilogy or beyond is one of the many mysteries that Star Wars Jedi: Survivor could solve when it releases sometime next year.