Summary
Romance has never beenStar Wars’s strongest suit. In the originalStar Warstrilogy, the only real romance subplot was the one between Han and Leia, and even then that’s pretty much relegated to justEmpire Strikes Back. Then the prequel trilogy revolved around Anakin and Padme’s romance, which gave fans some of the cringiest lines of dialogue in movie history. Not content to just call it a lost cause,theStar Warssequel trilogydecided to shoehorn in not just one but two bewildering romances, with Finn and Rose and Rey and Kylo still being hot topics years later. But despite all the warning signs, Respawn decided to give it a go anyway with itsStar Wars Jediseries.
Thankfully,Star Wars Jedi’s brief romance plot is much better than anyStar Warsromancehas any right to be. With some ofStar Wars Jedi’s core themes being isolation and found-family, it’s only natural that the series would include some kind of romance subplot at some point, andStar Wars Jedi: Survivorfinally takes that plunge. While it definitely feels a bit rushed,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor’s romance shouldn’t just fall to the wayside in the next game.
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Cal Kestis and Merrin’s Relationship Shouldn’t be Brushed Aside in the Next Star Wars Jedi Game
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Only Dipped Into Cal and Merrin’s Relationship Briefly
Teased very slightly inStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderand then much more heavily inthe novelStar Wars Jedi: Battle Scars, Cal Kestis' feelings for his Nightsister crewmate Merrin aren’t fully revealed untilStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. Picking up five years afterFallen Order,Jedi: Survivoropens with Cal and the Mantis crew having gone their separate ways, with Cal’s estrangement from Merrin clearly being the most emotionally devastating for the young Jedi.
Cal Kestis eventually meets back up with Merrin on Jedha, where she comes to assist him in taking down an Imperial garrison. Though they’re both a little standoffish to begin with,Cal Kestis and Merrinquickly warm to each other once again, eventually culminating in the duo sharing a quick yet passionate kiss amidst chaos as an ancient temple crumbles around them. After making it out safely, Cal approaches Merrin and says that he finally knows what he wants now, and the two share another kiss, with Merrin saying that it “took [him] long enough”.
But that’s about all fans get to see of Cal Kestis and Merrin’s relationship inStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. After their second kiss, the Jedha base is attacked by the Empire, and that thrusts the cast into the non-stop action of the game’s final act. Cal and Merrin then don’t really get another chance to connect until the game’s credits roll, leaving their relationship in an unknown place.
The Next Star Wars Jedi Should Double Down on Cal and Merrin’s Relationship
While the nextStar Wars Jedigame could just forget all about Cal and Merrin’s romance if it wanted to, it definitely shouldn’t. In fact,the nextStar Wars Jedigameshould double down on Cal Kestis and Merrin’s relationship, making it one of the game’s primary story focuses. Obviously, the nextStar Wars Jedigame shouldn’t get bogged down in long romance scenes, but Cal and Merrin’s relationship and this theme of found-family has been at the core of the series since the very beginning. It only makes sense that it would continue into the series' third installment, playing an even larger role in the story. Maybe the thirdStar Wars Jedigame could see Cal and Merrin have a child together, or see the couple adopt Kata Akuna, and see how that would effect their dynamic.
