As I sit here in 2026, the echoes of lightsabers and the hum of the Stinger Mantis feel both distant and intimately close. The Star Wars Jedi series, a journey I embarked upon with so much hope, is now transparently reaching its conclusion with the upcoming third installment. Looking back, it’s a bittersweet feeling—like saying goodbye to old friends you’ve traveled the galaxy with. The path Respawn carved was never about grand, galaxy-shaking plots; it was something more personal, more raw. In a franchise often obsessed with destiny and lineage, they gave us intimacy. They gave us Cal Kestis, a survivor, not a chosen one. And honestly? That was the magic. The storytelling was loose, almost fragile, which somehow made every quiet moment with BD-1 or every strained conversation with Greez hit harder. It was character-driven in the truest sense, and for that, I’ll always be grateful.

The heart of this saga, for me, has always been the crew. The Stinger Mantis wasn't just a ship; it was a home. To see them finally come together by the end of Fallen Order was a payoff that felt earned. Cal, BD-1, Cere, Greez, and Merrin—a found family against the Empire's darkness. So, you can imagine my face when Survivor began and that family was... fractured. The five-year gap between games hit me right in the feels. They had abruptly disbanded, and we were left to pick up the pieces. Talk about a narrative gut-punch! It was a bold move, for better or for worse. It gave Cal's journey a weight of loneliness, but man, did I miss the banter.

Now, as we stare down the barrel of the final chapter, the crew looks different. Cere is gone—a loss that still stings. In her place is Kata, Bode Akuna's daughter, now under Cal's wing. The dynamics have shifted seismically. The ending of Survivor left them in a profoundly ambiguous place, a cliffhanger that has had the fandom theorizing for years. Will Cal and Merrin raise Kata as their own? The potential for a new, unconventional family unit is chef's kiss. The series has always been about forging connections in the ashes of the Empire, and this could be its most poignant iteration yet.

Crew Member	Role	Emotional Arc
Cal Kestis	Protagonist, Jedi Survivor	From hunted Padawan to reluctant mentor, bearing the weight of countless losses.
BD-1	Faithful Droid Companion	The constant source of light and beeps of encouragement in the darkest times.
Merrin	Nightsister, Ally	Journey from isolation to finding belonging and love within the Mantis crew.
Greez Dritus	Pilot, Stinger Mantis Captain	The grumpy but big-hearted anchor, providing a shaky sense of normalcy.
Kata Akuna	Newcomer, Ward	Symbol of hope and a second chance, the future Cal is fighting to protect.

What I crave most, as this journey ends, is time. Time with this crew, whole and together, facing the galaxy. Fallen Order's final line—"So where to now?"—was a promise of adventures to come. Survivor, for all its strengths, egregiously denied us that sustained camaraderie. The formula has been planet-hopping and peril, but the soul has been the interactions in between. A full game of witty banter, shared meals on the Mantis, and watching these characters just be with each other would be phenomenal. It’s the simple stuff, you know? That’s where the real story lives.

If the base game of the third installment can't fully deliver on that front, then I'm throwing my vote in the ring: story-driven DLC is a must. It would be a huge boon. Not as a cash grab, but as a loving extension—a final, heartfelt encore with these characters we've grown to love. Give us a side adventure on a familiar planet, a mission that forces them to rely on each other in new ways. Let us have that closure. Respawn has never done narrative DLC for these games before, which makes the prospect a long shot. The safe bet is a neat, tidy trilogy package. But since when has the Jedi path been about playing it safe?

The direction has always been impossible to predict, and that’s been part of the charm. Fallen Order ended with an open-ended, subversive whisper. Survivor left us in another tense, uncertain limbo. As a player, I've felt every high and low with Cal. The franchise forgone additional narrative content in the past, but this is the final act. This is the last call for Respawn to flesh these people out and offer them—and us—the peace they deserve.

So, here’s my hope for the final chapter:

• A Reforged Family: Show us the daily life of Cal, Merrin, Greez, BD-1, and Kata learning to be a unit. The good, the bad, and the awkward.

• Merrin's Power: 👩🔮 Give Merrin more moments to shine with her Nightsister magick. Her dynamic with Cal is one of the series' best assets.

• Greez's Redemption: Let our favorite Latero pilot have a moment of true, undeniable heroism that isn't just about flying.

• BD-1's Antics: Never stop the droid humor. BD-1 is the emotional support animal we all need.

• Kata's Future: Her journey should be central. Is she Force-sensitive? Will she choose a path different from her father's?

In the end, the Star Wars Jedi series carved out a unique space in a vast universe. It proved that stories don't need to be about the Skywalkers to matter. They just need heart. As the Mantis prepares for its final jump to lightspeed, I just want to be there with the crew, sharing one last laugh, one last fight, and one last quiet moment looking at the stars. After all, the best stories aren't about the wars we fight, but the people we fight for. May the Force be with them—and with us—always.