Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order protagonist Cal Kestis is a human -- a human with a really big jaw and, in our opinion at least, a very punchable face. But what if the hero of the upcoming adventure title wasn't human? What if they were one of those blokes with tentacle heads? Or the little weird aliens with hand-feet? Well, this was apparently a discussion that developer Respawn Entertainment had.
In an interview with Game Informer, director Stig Asmussen says that the team talked about the possibility of having an alien protagonist. "Ultimately we didn't go with an alien race because we felt like -- no pun intended -- that it would alienate a lot of people. We wanted to make sure that there was a real human connection to the character we have in the game," says Asmussen. "Although, I personally I think it would be really cool to have an alien protagonist," he adds.
It's maybe a bit of a shame that the developer didn't end up with a weird alien lead, but it sounds like despite Asmussen's enthusiasm, a human protagonist was the most straightforward choice. As for why Respawn went with a human male rather than a female, Asmussen says that it just made sense, given that Rey is essentially the main character in the new Star Wars films. We suppose the studio didn't want its project to draw too many comparisons to the ongoing movies.
Would you prefer an alien lead in Star Wars Jedi? Give us some Star Wars lore in the comments section below.
[source youtube.com]
Comments 25
"Ultimately we didn't go with an alien race because we felt like — no pun intended — that it would alienate a lot of people."
Read: "We know people would've been fine with it but EA said no."
it's sad that we live in a time where a cinematic video game causes controversy for having a human male lead character
it's a video game that's just trying to tell a story, when will people realize (or should that be realize AGAIN because in the 90's and early 2000's no one cared) that the race and gender of the character isn't important, it's WHO they are not WHAT they are
@KALofKRYPTON precisely. A shame for sure!
I haven’t seen any they don’t let you have some character customization. Let us choose to be human or alien. I would choose to be human, almost always do, but it would’ve been cool.
Not if it was a Gungan.
Enough human washing! Too much Xenophobia! Alien life matters! {insert all usual BS}
@RogerRoger My thoughts exactly.
Also, kind of reminds me of unattractive guys trying to bring down good looking dudes who attract female attention, while they don't.
Literally ANYONE /THING besides another white guy would be cool. 🙄
@naruball @RogerRoger Sock him right in his big jaw
@RogerRoger Sorry, what's going on? How did we end up taking this so seriously?
He is an alien, Star Wars isn't set on Earth so he's definitely not human.
His reasoning though just illustrates why today's gaming in the AAA space often lacks the imagination of years gone by
To be fair, this is something that affects Star Wars as a whole, not just this game, but it's still disappointing that I can probably count the number of alien protagonists on one hand.
@carlos82 - Pretty sure being from earth doesn't make you a human; it's just a coincidence that irl, humans happen to be born there.
@FullMetalWesker name one other planet with humans on it 🤔
@RogerRoger What? It's a jibe at how a fictional character looks. Cal looks like a punk kid. In no way was that opening statement meant to be an attack on anyone in real life, not even the actor, who I feel no urge to punch.
I thought it was clear that it was meant in jest, but I suppose not.
I demand to play through this game as jabba the hutt.
@viciousarcanum sure, but it also represents the overwhelming majority of people that will play this game. To put anyone or anything else in his place is risky. EA doesn’t take risks.
@FullMetalWesker you do know this isn’t real right?
Can't say that I'm a big fan of his design. Maybe because his face reminds me of Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker.
@Pretzel_Jones - If that's a response to my lack of variety comment, I should mention that I'm talking from a visual design standpoint, not a 'aliens lives matter' perspective. Using aliens in Star Wars basically allows for more variety in visual design, and occasionally character design as well, and if there's one thing that sets Star Wars apart, it's its visuals.
@Pretzel_Jones Let's watch the language please.
@Tasuki excuse me? What language?
@ShogunRok
It was really clear it was meant in jest. But I have to say, I also disagree with your choice of phrase "a very punchable face".
It's just wrong. It's a very slappable face.
i'm quite surprised they didn't allow at least a male or female protagonist - like 'Hawke' in Dragon Age 2.
@RogerRoger
Very late to these comments but I agree with you its not the first time I've seen this expression by PushSquare previously in the comments so theres persistence here.
I don't understand what's funny in it and wouldn't even repeat it for I think it should be moderated.
Not a fan of drama crap but being straightforward that's how I feel.
@RogerRoger
Yea you got a few thumbs down but it's not important.
If it's a one off bad joke then I just roll my eye so to speak but that happened before:
ShogunRok
8ShogunRokSat 8th Jun 2019
@JohnnyShoulder He's definitely got a punchable face.
Just imagine people start calling Ellie or other characters in similar terms following the repeated 'funny' joke....
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