PR in the Philippines

(SeaPRwire) –   Since audiences were first introduced to Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and the rest of George Lucas’ galaxy almost 50 years ago, it’s become one of the most expansive works of science fiction ever made. Before Disney acquired the franchise in 2012, it had built a vast universe of novels, comic books, TV shows, and games, and after rebranding the “Expanded Universe” as the non-canon Legends banner, Disney began developing its own official canon.

Every era within Star Wars has benefited from an expanded media presence, and video games have always played a major role in that growth. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which drew inspiration from Dark Horse’s Tales of the Jedi comic series, stands out as one of the most impactful expansions of the franchise. While that game explored events from the distant past, Disney’s recent games have largely centered on well-known moments from the timeline—such as the original trilogy or the rise of the Empire following the prequels. Although many of these contemporary titles are solid, they share a common issue that reflects more on the current state of the brand than on their individual quality: none have felt truly significant to the broader Star Wars narrative.

One of the defining strengths of Star Wars is that, unlike franchises such as Insomniac’s Spider-Man games or Hogwarts Legacy, its video games exist entirely within the same established canon as films and TV shows. This means that stories unfold across different media within a unified narrative framework that dates back to 1977, giving fans a sense of continuity and shared storytelling.

Some games, like the Star Wars Battlefront series, focus on recreating iconic battles from the movies through large-scale multiplayer experiences and don’t aim to alter the established lore. But with titles such as Star Wars Outlaws or the Jedi series, it becomes unclear why these characters and events remain outside the main canon.

When the Legends continuity still held canonical status, the revelation that the protagonist of Knights of the Old Republic was actually the amnesiac Darth Revan became a pivotal moment in the expanded universe. Revan had appeared in comics and was even planned for inclusion as a Force ghost in The Clone Wars. In contrast, Cal Kestis—the lead character of two critically acclaimed games and a resistance fighter against the Empire—remains absent from screen adaptations. Despite facing Darth Vader directly, surviving multiple encounters with Inquisitors, and being labeled a criminal by the Empire, he has yet to make an on-screen appearance, only mentioned briefly in the novel Star Wars: Brotherhood, which focuses on Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Not every game needs to have wide-reaching consequences across other media forms, and a lack of cross-media references doesn’t diminish the quality of a game. However, it seems odd that a character who has survived so much and played such a prominent role in the ongoing conflict wouldn’t receive at least some acknowledgment in the broader Star Wars universe.

The upcoming Star Wars games include Zero Company, a turn-based tactics title set during the Clone Wars, and Fate of the Old Republic, a spiritual successor to Knights of the Old Republic. Only time will reveal how successful these games will be and whether their stories will gain relevance within the overall canon. At some point, it would be exciting to see more meaningful integration between this wave of games and the mainstream Star Wars media. While interconnected universes present unique challenges, what purpose do tightly linked stories serve if certain characters remain confined to isolated corners of the galaxy?