Cal Kestis was never the chosen one. That absence is precisely his strength.
Across two games, the hero of the Star Wars Jedi series has quietly assembled what the films keep dropping, and once Respawn Entertainment delivers the next entry, he will have finished a trilogy that could stand as the first genuinely perfect Star Wars trilogy. Not the prettiest. Not the most lore-dense. The one that actually holds together from start to finish.
Luke earned his retirement
None of this is meant as a slight against Luke Skywalker. For the original trilogy he was the ideal lead, weighing the naive farm boy against the reckless hothead before maturing into the legendary Jedi everyone knows today.
Those three films chart his arc beautifully. The way he plays off his various mentors, the confrontations with his father, and his eventual acceptance of both the light and dark parts of himself add up to phenomenal entertainment — the reason he will go down as one of sci-fi’s finest protagonists and enjoy an enduring legacy.
Even so, it’s time to let him go. The job belongs to someone else now.
The obvious candidates didn’t take
The natural assumption is that the successor would emerge from the films, or out of one of the numerous shows. I don’t believe that’s where it actually happened.
Rey had her moment in the spotlight, and another may be coming by way of a planned Rey-centric sequel. Daisy Ridley delivered an impassioned performance capable of turning Rey into the next Skywalker. But the largely unwarranted storm of controversy surrounding her ensured the warm reception never fully materialized.
Din Djarin had a genuine claim as well. His story, though, was confined largely to television, and the show’s slipping quality wasted the chance.
What Cameron Monaghan is doing with the part
Cameron Monaghan’s performance as Cal is phenomenal, and the character retains much of what made Luke so endearing while branching off far enough to register as his own person.
The same rage Luke struggled against. The same weight of innocence and immaturity. The same gift of a community surrounding him. Combine those and you have a nuanced lead through whom you can probe the many angles of Star Wars lore and the duality of man.
He never becomes the chosen one, and that’s the whole trick
The chosen one template that dominates so much science fiction literature simply doesn’t apply to Cal. His stories lean character-first. The scale remains grand, yet the fallout hits Cal and the people close to him instead of deciding the galaxy’s fate.
That is the edge he holds over every name listed above. Stakes on that scale feel more relatable and far less comically over-the-top, leaving the writing space for emotionally resonant material without giving up the spectacle.
Stacking it against the other three
It would be silly to pretend the other trilogies lack merit. Some of the franchise’s finest storytelling sits in the original. The prequels dig into the universe’s fascinating lore to an almost over-indulgent degree. The sequels supply some of the best visuals along with a terrific turn from Adam Driver.
Up to this point, however, the Star Wars Jedi trilogy has held the steadiest narrative line, and what it offers is something the others simply can’t replicate.
The case, stated plainly
Cal’s story is more engaging than the prequel trilogy, more nuanced and more exciting than the original trilogy, and better written than the sequel trilogy. As a protagonist he is more compelling than Luke Skywalker himself. The companions around him are more complex and dynamic. His villains are more varied and more emotionally engrossing.
This doesn’t have to be a competition. But if one perfect Star Wars trilogy exists, my money’s on the games.
Respawn has one shot left
Whether Respawn can land the final chapter and deliver something worthy of its predecessors remains an open question. The pressure is overwhelming, and the volume of plot threads, emotional beats and character arcs still awaiting resolution is immense.
Given how firmly Respawn grasps both Star Wars and Cal’s emotional journey, I think the Jedi trilogy will do more than come out on top. It’ll end the debate over who took over Luke Skywalker’s job.