The Star Wars Jedi Threequel’s Villain May Be Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Highlights

• Star Wars Jedi series excels in creating compelling villains to drive the narrative and add gravitas to the franchise.
• The intriguing cast of characters in the series, like Cal Kestis and Bode Akuna, enhances the familial undertones of the games.
• Introducing an original villain in the next game will pose a challenge to live up to the high standards set by previous antagonists.

Villains have always been a strong suit of the Star Wars universe. From Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine in the original trilogy, to Darth Maul and Count Dooku in the prequels, to General Krell in The Clone Wars, to Darth Malak in Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars has always had some strong villains to help drive the story along and bring some gravitas and stakes to the franchise. The same has been true for the Star Wars Jedi series.

With two excellent entries now under its belt, Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi series has proven that it can offer some of the best narrative beats in the entire franchise, and much of that is due to the series’ compelling cast of characters. The young Cal Kestis has quickly become a fan-favorite Jedi, while fellow Mantis crew members like Merrin, Cere, and Greez have all been used well to cement the games’ familial undertones. But Star Wars Jedi‘s villains represent the other half of the puzzle, and the next game in the series is going to have a tough time finding a worthy adversary.

The Next Star Wars Jedi Villain Could Face a Tricky Problem

An Original Villain for Star Wars Jedi 3 Would Have a Lot to Live Up to

All of Star Wars Jedi‘s villains so far have offered exactly what their respective games have needed. In the case of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Trilla perfectly fit the tone and narrative themes of the game. A young Jedi Padawan during the events of Order 66, Trilla was betrayed by her tortured Master and chose to use her anger to hunt down fellow Jedi as one of the Empire’s Inquisitors. That hatred for the Jedi Order acts as the perfect foil for Cal Kestis’ journey to reconnect with the Force and become the Jedi Knight he was destined to be.

Being a long-anticipated sequel, fans were expecting some big things from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s villain, and by most accounts, the game delivered. A former Jedi from the High Republic era, Dagan Gera has a natural air of mystery and intrigue around him, making him feel much more impressive than the Inquisitors that came before. But Dagan Gera is just one of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s main villains.

Introduced as a new ally, Bode Akuna is a pivotal cog in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor‘s story, representing the game’s themes of trust and safety. Bode’s eventual betrayal of Cal and the rest of the Mantis crew towards the end of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a twist that’s given some strong narrative weight through context, as Bode only does so in an attempt to keep his daughter safe from the Empire. Bode is simply doing what he needs to survive. It’s going to be a difficult job for the next Star Wars Jedi game to feature another original villain that not only feels unique but also represents the sequel’s themes in such a concise and compelling way.

Using a Legacy Villain in Star Wars Jedi 3 Could be a Double-Edged Sword

Being the third game in the series, fans are already expecting even grander things for the next Star Wars Jedi game. That includes the biggest and baddest villain to date. To up the ante properly, the next Star Wars Jedi might need to lean a bit more on legacy characters. Darth Vader has already appeared in both entries, with two relatively quick but impactful cameos. But it’d be a bit of a double-edged sword to use him or any other legacy character in a more prominent role in the next entry.

On one hand, using Darth Vader or another legacy villain would increase the stakes of the next Star Wars Jedi game right off the bat. But on the other hand, it could feel a bit cheap to rely on a pre-established character, especially as the last two entries have featured some great original villains.