Star Wars: Jedi Devs Pushed For Black Lead, Got Cal Kestis Instead
The developers behind 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order reportedly hoped for the game to have a Black or female protagonist, but were allegedly shot down by higher management. The Star Wars franchise has been making significant strides toward increasing representation of groups besides the standard white male lead in recent years, with the Sequel Trilogy starring Rey and 2017's Star Wars: Battlefront II featuring Iden Versio as the primary playable character in its single-player campaign.
However, the Respawn-developed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order featured the voice and likeness of Cameron Monaghan as Cal Kestis, a former Padawan learner and the game’s sole playable hero. While players can customize Cal’s outfit and Lightsaber in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, his physical appearance remains locked as he explores the far reaches of the galaxy in search of the lost remnants of the old Jedi Order during the reign of the tyrannical Galactic Empire. Fans largely enjoyed Cal’s story and characterization, and plenty would like to see the Fallen Order star appear in future Star Wars games, but many felt that his character design was somewhat generic and not much of a departure from past Star Wars gaming protagonists like Star Wars: Jedi Outcast star Kyle Katarn or Star Wars: The Force Unleashed lead Starkiller — both of whom were white males with a strong aptitude for the Force.
Related: What Fallen Order 2's Lightsaber Combat Can Learn From Jedi Academy
According to GamesRadar, Respawn staff reportedly had an entirely different idea for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s playable character. In a post on her Twitter page yesterday, former Respawn lighting artist Nora Shramek claimed that the development team pushed for the game's
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