Star Wars Jedi: Survivorhas one of the most engagingStar Warsstories in recent memory. I’d go as far as to say I’d put it in fourth place for Star Wars stories this century, behind Andor season one,The Mandalorianseason one, and Rogue One. Those three projects have something in common, and it’s not the word ‘one’. I mean, theydohave that in common, but that’s not what I’m talking about. The second, and far more important thing these stories have in common, is that they are small. These are individual, personal, largely insignificant stories in the overall Star Wars mythology. They don’t involve universe shaping events, they don’t impact many other other tales from the Star Wars universe, and they don’t even have recognisable characters. In not mattering, they manage to matter more than everything else.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor does the same. It has the relative luxury of existing outside of the main continuity, not weighed down as the TV shows and movies are with cameos and callbacks and ‘how does Luke Skywalker fit into all of this?’. It’s canonical, but it’s also allowed to breathe, and it uses this to great advantage in Survivor. The story is narrow and focused, not following a sweeping journey that could transform the universe as we know it, but instead sees him following a personal cause all the way to the end of the line. My review goes into some criticisms with how it aligns this with its structure and seems confused as to what sort of game it is, but through it all the story is its high point.
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While there are mumblings that Cal’s journey could be a beacon of hope, it avoids making him the saviour of the galaxy or imbuing him with a sense of destiny. He’s just a man who knows right from wrong, will fight for his friends, and wants to make a difference. It’s not only a noble aim, it’s relatable and intimate. Star Wars has always sided with the rebels, and in a media landscape of bombastic quests and epic adventures, it feels very rebellious to go small and personal.
The Last Jedi would round out the top five Star Wars stories, for what it’s worth, and while that does involve major characters doing major things, it also attempts to understand them on a deeper, more human level. It recognises Rey for Rey, as a nobody, rather than forcing her to be a Skywalker. In fact, I’d only have it so low comparative to its quality because I know that the movie immediately after it erases all of its good work, making it difficult to rewatch without sighing. At least with The Mandalorian, the show’s decline was slow and comfortable, letting you disengage in your own time.
Obviously my list is highly subjective, but aside from The Last Jedi, I think people would agree on my top three being very near the pinnacle of modern Star Wars. As much as planets exploding and cameos from Gulp Shitto or a digitally de-aged Luke Skywalker make for exciting viewing, the stories that stay with us in Star Wars tend to be very small and personal. We already basically know what happens with Rogue One because it’s a prequel to the original Star Wars movie from the ’70s. We don’t really care that a band of rebels sabotages the Death Star because we already know it blows up.We care because Jyn Erso makes us care.
Likewise, it doesn’t really matter if some cowboy bounty hunter can escape with a baby. That doesn’t alter the fabric of the canon. One of Star Wars' most powerful moments ever was Mando taking his helmet. Just a man taking off a hat. Because we care about the story. Andor is a little different in that it is driven forward by galactic politics and fighting powerful forces, butthe story is far more about the fight than the outcome- again, it is the characters that matter most.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has taken the bold approach of building itself around an intimate story when it is so much easier for video games, and for Star Wars, to go for brash set-pieces in lieu of character development. Survivor makes some missteps along the way, but character development is its strongest aspect, and that’s a major win these days. It’s not a story that really matters. That’s why you’ll care.
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