Fans of Star Wars have had quite an exciting week with the debut of the teaser trailer for Episode XI: The Rise of Skywalker and news of the upcoming EA/Respawn game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. However, it doesn't stop there. On Sunday morning, there was another big reveal: footage for the first Disney+ original series taking place in the Star Wars universe, The Mandalorian.
Although everything during Celebration has been live streamed, there were parts of the of panel that were blacked out for viewers at home. This happened twice during the panel. The first time was a sizzle reel of the upcoming series. Here's what those attending live saw.
Sizzle Reel:
The video opens with Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) walking and using a remote. He enters a cantina, and we see an alien watch him as he walks in. His ship, named Razorcrest, flies to a planet. There are some quick shots of set pieces, one of which has architecture like Mos Eisley on Tattooine. As Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau talk, concept art is shown. The first is of two Scout Troopers next to speeder bikes. There are more out-of-context shots, including a zooming-in close-up of the titular character, then of a small space station floating above a planet. Continuing, there is a slow-motion shot of Mandalorian exiting the Razorcrest. Yes, he looks awesome. There are more shots of the Mos Eisley-looking town.
More concept art is shown, featuring Mandalorian talking to another Mandalorian, then the main character surrounded by other aliens, one of which is a Twi'lek. It then cuts to Mandalorian riding a dewback holding a very long gun. Goes on to shots from the set, and we catch brief glimpses of these things: An alien in a cantina, an R2 unit (not R2D2), a beat-up Stormtrooper helmet, six Jawas, an alien putting on a helmet, more Strormtroopers in clean costumes, and Gina Carano on set. While Favreau speaks, there is more concept art shown, including an alien race on a forest planet that looks very tribal charging at something off-screen.
More concept art featuring new starships appear. The pilot looks almost like a Tie-pilot, but the character isn't flying a Tie-fighter. There's lots of action concept art of Mandalorian, including firing a turret gun, and concept art of a Sandcrawler, with Razorcrest parked right outside of it.
Before the panel officially ended, Favreau decided to show the audience even more footage to those attending the panel. This was also blacked out for the streamers at home, which we describe below. However, images for the upcoming show were released.
The Trailer:
The Razorcrest flies through space. We see it parked on a planet, which cuts to Mandalorian in a cantina, looking at Kara Dune (Carano) and asking, "That one over there. What's her business here?" Kara and Mandalorian have a brawl outside, and it comes to a stalemate, with both of them drawing weapons on each other. They're evenly matched. Stormtroopers arrive, and a flametrooper sets fire to a building. Mandalorian meets some other characters, one of which is a Twi'lek, which we saw in the concept art earlier.
There are some shots of Mandalorian and these other characters--who seem like bounty hunters--in action. There is also a brief shot of an IG-series droid firing at people. Lots of shots of Mandalorian fighting stormtroopers, which is wonderfully satisfying. The commander of this unit (Giancarlo Esposito) seems to be the main antagonist for the show. What's left of the crumbling Empire is after the Mandalorian, but the trailer doesn't give away why.
In addition to the footage, Carl Weathers will be in the series playing Grief Marga, the head of a guild of bounty hunters. Carano's character Kara is an ex-Rebel shock trooper who is having trouble integrating herself into society.
The new series will debut on Disney+ on November 12, which also happens to be the first day the streaming service launches. The eight episode first season will see Jon Favreau serve as showrunner and feature directors Dave Filoni (Clone Wars, Rebels), and Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok), as well as Bryce Dallas Howard making her television directorial debut.
The Mandalorian will follow a lone gunman out of the reaches of the New Republic in the era after Return of the Jedi but before Force Awakens. Believe it or not, this will be the first time Star Wars fans have seen a true Mandalorian character in a live-action adventure. The animated series The Clone Wars erased Jango Fett's history of being one, as Mandalorian Prime Minister Almec called him a "common bounty hunter" in Season 2, Episode 12 of the series. Maybe the series could retcon that?
Even though this warrior tribe has never appeared in a live-action movie or TV series, the Mandalorians have been featured in both the Clone Wars and Rebels animated series. One of the main characters in Rebels, Sabine Wren, is one and that series dives into Mandalorian lore quite a bit.
At Star Wars Celebration this year, developer Respawn Entertainment held a panel for Jedi Fallen Order, its upcoming third-person action game. During the event, Respawn finally discussed details about the game's story, revealed the game's protagonist, the state of the universe he exists in, and the struggles he's fighting to overcome.
As detailed during the panel, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order takes place shortly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Having branded the Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Republic, the Emperor issued Order 66, which meant Jedi were hunted down and killed. The protagonist of Jedi Fallen Order, a Padawan named Cal Kestis--played by Cameron Monaghan--is a survivor of Order 66. He is on a journey to pick up the pieces of his tragic past while trying to complete his Jedi training. At the same time, he must stay one step ahead of the Empire and its Inquisitors, who are seeking to kill him and his kind.
Players are introduced to Cal on Bracca, which is described as "a brand-new Star Wars planet and one of several new locations introduced in the game." There, Cal is attempting to hide from the Empire in plain sight, but after exposing his Force powers ends up on the run again. According to Respawn, as Cal, players will make a number of new friends over the course of the game, one of which is a companion called Cere. There will be "some familiar faces" that make an appearance too, though the studio stopped short of saying exactly who.
"Many Star Wars fans, ourselves included, are really interested in the Dark Times, so we wanted to explore that mysterious, dangerous period," said game director Stig Asmussen. "The team at Lucasfilm have been amazing collaborators, helping us explore and further develop this part of the timeline where the Empire is at the height of its power and any remaining Jedi are in hiding."
"When Respawn approached us with the idea for this game, we were immediately supportive. A single player, story-driven title in the Star Wars universe was exactly what we were looking for, and we know the fans have been eager for one, as well," added Lucasfilm's Steve Blank. "Focusing on Cal stepping back into the shoes of a Jedi post Order 66 opens up a lot of gameplay opportunities and rich story threads to develop for this new character and his backstory."
It wouldn't be Star Wars without a droid companion, and joining Cal is BD-1. The little droid was featured in a piece of Jedi Fallen Order artwork that was leaked by Amazon. BD-1 can be seen standing next to Cal, scanning a rock face.
On the Empire side is Second Sister, who is described as "one of the Empire's elite Inquisitors" and, as such, is hunting down Cal to extinguish him. Alongside her are Purge Troopers, which are described as "terrifying special Imperial forces trained to seek out Jedi and aid the Inquisitors."
Respawn will no doubt be giving us more details about the game's story soon, especially since its launch is not far off. During the panel the developer confirmed Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order's release date as November 15, 2019. The game will be available for PS4, Xbox One, and PC through publisher EA's Origin service.
Jedi Fallen Order is a third-person action game, which is something of a departure from the first-person shooters Respawn is known for doing. However, it is directed by Stig Asmussen, who previously worked at Sony Santa Monica and directed God of War 3. You can find out more about how the game plays in our Jedi Fallen Order gameplay overview.
It's been a long time coming, but we finally have more information on Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order, the upcoming action game from Titanfall and Apex Legends developer Respawn Entertainment. The studio held a panel for the game at Star Wars Celebration and gave us an in-depth look at various aspects of the game, as well as concrete confirmation on when we'll be able to play it.
While lighter on details that many hoped, the panel did deliver a Jedi Fallen Order trailer and release date. Beyond that, there was some talk about what gameplay will be like, the story, and the game's protagonist, a newcomer to the Star War universe.
Jedi Fallen Order was officially confirmed at E3 2018, but Respawn has said very little about the game since. What we knew prior to the panel was that it is set after the events of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and before Episode IV: A New Hope. However, now we've been introduced to the game's main character, learned about the story, been given insight into the gameplay, and have a release date.
For those that may have missed the panel, we've rounded up all the news that came out of it and put them into one handy place. Below you'll find a list of all the important information to catch-up. You can also head over to our Star Wars Celebration news roundup to find out about everything else going on at the show. There you'll find the first trailer for the next entry in the movie series: Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Release Date
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order's release date has been confirmed as November 15, 2019 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. The PC version will be distributed through publisher EA's Origin store.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order Story Details
Jedi Fallen Order takes place shortly after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Having branded the Jedi as traitors to the Galactic Republic, the Emperor issued Order 66, which meant Jedi were hunted down and killed. The protagonist of Jedi Fallen Order, a Padawan named Cal Kestis--played by Cameron Monaghan--is a survivor of Order 66. He is on a journey to pick up the pieces of his tragic past while trying to complete his Jedi training.
Game director Stig Asmussen, who directed God of War 3 at Sony Santa Monica, has said Respawn is aiming to deliver the same intense lightsaber battles that fans of Star Wars have seen on movie screens in the game. Gameplay will combine melee and Force abilities, and also involve platforming and puzzle solving. Read more about Jedi Fallen Order's gameplay here.
The Actor Playing Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order's Protagonist
To bring Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order's protagonist to life, Respawn Entertainment has brought in actor Cameron Monaghan. Monaghan is known for his work in Shameless and, more recently, Gotham, plays a character called Cal Kestis, who is on the run after surviving Order 66.
The trailer--which can be viewed above--follows main character Cal Kestis as he tries to survive in a galaxy after the events of Revenge of the Sith, as the Empire's hold over free will tightens. "There are three rules to survive," Cal says as he wearily checks his surroundings. "Don't stand out. Accept the past. Trust no one."
Cal is a surviving Jedi Padawan, doing his best to stay under the Empire's radar by working as a salvager. However, Cal uses the Force to save a friend during an accident while the two are salvaging a crashed Star Destroyer, and that leads to him being hunted. What starts as simple skirmishes against Imperial Stormtroopers eventually leads to confrontations with the masked Second Sister--one of Darth Vader's Inquisitors tasked with hunting down Jedi survivors--and Purge Troopers.
The trailer ends with Cal breaking his three rules as he starts to fight back against the Empire. He chooses to stand out by using the Force in public, rejects the past by hunting down the proof that Emperor Palpatine ordered the execution of the Jedi, and trusts in others in order to escape the foes that now hunt him. "Trust only in the Force," he says in the trailer's final moments, igniting his blue lightsaber against an off-screen foe.
A day before the Jedi Fallen Order panel, developer Respawn--best known for Titanfall and Apex Legends--confirmed the game will be single-player-only and have no microtransactions. That news comes as somewhat of a surprise, given that EA is serving as its publisher.
There's a lot we want out of Jedi Fallen Order. Some of our wants have already been confirmed, like seeing more of the Imperial Inquisitors. However, there's still a lot of Jedi Fallen Order that remains unrevealed. Respawn hasn't yet revealed how Cal survived Order 66, for example, nor whether we'll see familiar faces--such as Darth Vader or Ahsoka--in Jedi Fallen Order.
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