Cal Kestis is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is the main character that players control in the Star Wars Jedi game series, which includes the 2019 video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its 2023 sequel, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, created by Respawn Entertainment. Cal has also appeared in other Star Wars media, such as the novel Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs, which connects the events of the two Jedi games. An American actor named Cameron Monaghan portrays Cal using performance capture technology, which records an actor’s movements and expressions to create lifelike character animations.
In the Star Wars universe, Cal was once a Jedi Padawan who survived the Great Jedi Purge. During the early years of the Galactic Empire’s rule, he lived in hiding on the planet Bracca. After an event forces him to use his Force abilities, he is hunted by the Inquisitors, the Empire’s Jedi hunters. Cal begins a journey to rebuild the Jedi Order, aided by a group of unexpected allies who help him fight the Empire and become a family to him. Throughout his story, Cal learns to accept his role as a Jedi and overcome his difficult past. He grows into a strong Jedi Knight and becomes an important leader in the fight against the Empire.
Critics and fans have generally praised Cal’s character development and relationships with others in the story. However, some people initially criticized his appearance in the first game as uninteresting.
Development and design
Cameron Monaghan provides the voice and appearance for Cal Kestis, including his natural red hair. Respawn Entertainment used motion capture to record his body movements. When describing his role, Monaghan said, "It feels strange to see a character I helped create and imagined. I have grown to really like this character." He also mentioned, "It is an honor to be part of a story with a rich history that I have admired since childhood." The actor explained that he did not want Cal's traits to be based on any specific Star Wars character. Instead, he wanted Cal's personality and behavior to come from his own experiences and stories, developed from within.
During his audition for the game, Monaghan was not told it was for a Star Wars game. He said, "At first, I did not know I was auditioning for a Star Wars game, but I suspected. They created fake audition materials, and I thought, 'This feels like Star Wars.' They said, 'No, it is not.' When I received a toy lightsaber in the audition room, I realized, 'I knew it!'"
Before deciding on Cal Kestis' design, the developers considered other ideas. The game's director, Stig Asmussen, shared, "We discussed creating an alien character or a character of a different gender. However, we chose a male protagonist because at the time, Rey was a popular figure in Star Wars, and it made more sense for our story."
Appearances
Cal is the main character in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019). The story takes place five years after the Galactic Empire rose to power and the Jedi were nearly wiped out in the Great Jedi Purge. Later in the game, a flashback shows that Cal was a Jedi Padawan training under Jedi Master Jaro Tapal during the Clone Wars. When Order 66 was given, Tapal saved Cal from former clone troopers, but Tapal died in the process. This made Cal feel guilty and caused him to stop using the Force.
While working as a scrapper on the planet Bracca, Cal hid his identity from the Empire. He used the Force to save his friend Prauf during an accident, which revealed Cal’s Jedi heritage to the Empire. The Empire sent two Inquisitors, the Second Sister and the Ninth Sister, to capture him. Cal escaped with the help of Cere Junda, a former Jedi Knight who now works as a mercenary, and her friend Greez Dritus. They let Cal stay on their ship, the Stinger Mantis. Because Cere no longer uses the Force, Cal agreed to help her find a Holocron hidden by her former Jedi Master, Eno Cordova. The Holocron contains a list of Force-sensitive children who could be trained as Jedi, helping rebuild the Jedi Order.
During his journey, Cal met allies such as BD-1, a droid, and Merrin, a Nightsister who survived the massacre of her clan on Dathomir. He was chased by the Second Sister, who was later revealed to be Trilla Suduri, Cere’s former Padawan who fell to the Dark Side after Cere betrayed her location to the Empire. Cal also faced other enemies, including the Haxion Brood crime syndicate and the fallen Jedi Taron Malicos, who controlled Dathomir. At first, Cal struggled with his guilt over Tapal’s death, but he eventually overcame it and inspired Cere to become a Jedi again. Cere knighted Cal as a Jedi.
After finding the Holocron, Trilla stole it and took it to the Fortress Inquisitorius on the oceanic moon of Nur, which orbits Mustafar. Cal and Cere attacked the base and defeated Trilla. Cere tried to reconcile with Trilla, but Darth Vader arrived and killed Trilla for failing him. Cal and Cere barely escaped Vader and returned to the Mantis. They realized the children listed in the Holocron would be in danger if they became Jedi. Choosing to trust the Force, Cal destroyed the Holocron and prepared for his next mission with his crew.
Cal returns as the main character in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor (2023), set five years after Fallen Order. During this time, Cal and the Mantis crew separated, and Cal worked with Saw Gerrera and BD-1 against the Empire. He met Bode Akuna, a mercenary with a daughter named Kata. While recovering from a mission, Cal discovered ruins from the High Republic era and learned about a lost world called Tanalorr. His search led him to conflict with Dagan Gera, a fallen Jedi who found Tanalorr, and his allies in the Bedlam Raiders. Cal reunited with his former crew to help him, and he also helped Cere and Cordova protect the Hidden Path.
After defeating Gera and recovering a compass that leads to Tanalorr, Cal and the Hidden Path were betrayed by Bode, who killed Cordova and was revealed to be a fallen Jedi hiding in plain sight. During an Imperial raid, Cere was killed in a lightsaber duel with Vader. This made Cal struggle with the Dark Side of the Force. With help from Merrin, Cal followed Bode and his daughter to Tanalorr. He fought Bode and used the Dark Side to overpower him. When Bode attacked Merrin, Cal was forced to kill him. After mourning Cere, Bode, and Cordova, Cal was contacted by Cere’s spirit and vowed to protect Kata. He and his crew began planning to use Tanalorr to help the Hidden Path hide Force-sensitive children from the Empire.
In 2025, Cal Kestis became a playable character in the mobile game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Cal appears in Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, voiced by Cameron Monaghan. A younger version of Cal makes a brief appearance in Star Wars: Brotherhood (2022) by Mike Chen. Kestis is also the main character in Star Wars Jedi: Battle Scars (2023) by Sam Magg, which takes place between Fallen Order and Survivor, connecting the stories of the two games. Collectible action figures of Kestis are available, and Lego announced a minifigure of Cal will be included in a 2024 Imperial Star Destroyer set to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Star Wars LEGO line, released on August 1, 2024.
Critical reception
The character of Cal Kestis received mostly positive feedback, though some reviewers found the final design of the character to be "generic" or "dorky." Elijah Beahm from The Escapist criticized how Cal reacted to the deaths of important characters and his role in the destruction of an ethnic group of Dathomirians. Beahm noted that Cal's lack of strong emotional responses made it harder for players to see him as a heroic figure. He also said, "Even though Cal visits ancient temples and speaks with other Force-sensitive characters, he only kills Stormtroopers. He is not a peacekeeper; he is a soldier and someone who betrays what the Jedi should represent." Jack Packard from The Escapist shared similar views. In contrast, Nick Calandra from The Escapist defended Cal, saying, "Learning to control his emotions and deal with his trauma makes Cal a more interesting character than if he had simply followed the Jedi way without truly understanding it. Only after Cal stops fighting his past, puts away his lightsaber, and promises to honor his former master’s teachings does he become a Jedi knight."
Alani Vargas from CheatSheet said Cal Kestis was "a great choice for the main character." Some reviewers noted that while Cal does not start off as a strong character, the well-written story, supporting characters, and engaging plot help players connect with him. The actor who played Cal responded to criticism about his red hair, after players created game modifications to change its color.
IGN named Cal Kestis one of the best video game characters of 2019. Staff member Matthew Adler praised his growth in power and his "down-to-earth personality and willingness to seek change." In 2020, Cal Kestis was ranked 50th in a fan poll titled "Best Star Wars Character of All Time" organized by IGN.