The Star Wars universe is absurdly big, as befits one of the most popular franchises in the world. It’s been around for almost half a century, and adding up the number of films, television shows, novels, comics, video games, and even theme park attractions gives us an almost incomprehensible amount of lore for the average fan to wrap their head around.
I consider myself a relatively casual fan of Star Wars, though Knights of the Old Republic is one of my favourite games of all time. I was absolutely gobsmacked to find out the game isn’t officially considered canon, despite Darth Revan’s confirmed canonicity. Star Wars canon is weird, and they’ve even changed what ‘counts’ before. I haven’t watched any of the original movies since I was a kid, and I couldn’t even tell you if I saw all the newest movies or not. I don’t remember, because it wasn’t that big an event for me. I’ve seen Andor, but not the other Disney Plus shows.
Nonetheless, I do have an appreciation for the themes of the universe and the stories told within it. I’ve previously written about how Star Wars stories are at their best when they lean into the political roots of their origins, and ever since my replay of Jedi: Fallen Order, I’ve developed a new respect for the game’s themes. While I have issues with Cal’s characterisation (or lack thereof), I think the game made an earnest swing at showing not just the evil of the Empire, but that surviving atrocities perpetrated by authority leads to almost insurmountable trauma. It turned a grand, wide-ranging political theme into a deeply intimate, personal story of a man’s fight to reconnect with himself despite his trauma, and that was beautiful. I just didn’t care much for the man driving the story home.
I still think the Star Wars Jedi games are an excellent introduction to the wider Star Wars universe, despite Fallen Order’s story being fairly insular. I haven’t played Jedi: Survivor yet, so I can’t say for sure how it’ll fit into this, but a logical follow-up to Fallen Order would explore the same themes of oppression and trauma – just like much of the franchise. You explore planets filled with strange creatures typical of the Star Wars universe, learn about Jedi lore, understand the pull of the Dark Side, and interact with other species, seeing how the Empire touches the whole galaxy, harming even its own. It is a wonderful microcosm of the larger story.
It would be easier to watch the TV shows or movies for most people. Streaming Andor or The Mandalorian isn’t going to require as much attention or time, and certainly won’t leave you groaning in frustration when a Sith absolutely crushes you in battle for the third time in a row. There are many entry points into a franchise like this, depending on what medium you prefer, and maybe a Souls-like isn’t the most accessible of options despite having a great Story Mode difficulty, but narratively, it captures much of what is lovable about the franchise at its core: a feeling of hope in a climate of hopelessness, a meditation on what one’s best self looks like, and cool ass lightsabers. In this way, Jedi: Fallen Order succeeded, and I hear, so has Survivor.