Star Wars Jedi Survivor Brings Back the Best Part of Obi-Wan Kenobi Series

This Star Wars Jedi: Survivor contains spoilers.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi series turned out to be a bit of a mixed bag last year. On one hand, the series retconned established Star Wars lore and made Obi-Wan fight Darth Vader before the Death Star duel, despite previous canon strongly suggesting they hadn’t crossed lightsabers since Mustafar. On the other hand, the show introduced an excellent concept that demonstrated regular people were willing to fight against the Empire, even before the Rebel Alliance was founded. And Star Wars Jedi: Survivor not only brings that concept back but also sets up how this secretive organization might appear in a future game.

Much of Jedi: Survivor revolves around the hidden planet of Tanalorr, which is cut off from the rest of the galaxy due to a space anomaly. The game follows characters racing against each other to reach Tanalorr, including protagonist Cal Kestis, who looks to his mentor from Jedi: Fallen Order, Cere Junda, for help. Here’s where a huge nod to Obi-Wan Kenobi comes in.

When Cal reunites with Cere, she reveals she’s a member of a secret group known as Hidden Path, an Underground Railroad-like organization that ferries Jedi survivors, Force sensitives, and any other Jedi-affiliated people to safe havens across the galaxy. After this revelation, Cal’s new mission is to secure Tanalorr as the perfect sanctuary for the Hidden Path since the Empire can’t reach it. Spoiler: Cal succeeds after defeating rogue High Republic era Jedi Dagan Gera.

Anyone who watched Obi-Wan Kenobi probably lost it when Jedi: Survivor name-dropped the Hidden Path, as this is the same group that helps Obi-Wan and Princess Leia Organa escape the Empire on that show. Moreover, the Hidden Path has connections with several prominent characters from past Star Wars media, such as Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. Jedi: Survivor also takes place at roughly the same time as the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi, so the return of the Hidden Path makes a lot of sense.

So what does the HIdden Path’s presence in Jedi: Survivor mean? For starters, it finally allows part of the original vision for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to come full circle. According to an interview with the game’s writer, Matt Michnovetz, the staff shifted focus a few times during development. The team pitched several ideas, including a lost starship and, in Michnovetz’s own words, “an Underground Railroad for Force sensitives,” i.e., the Hidden Path. Ultimately, the writers settled on Eno Cordova’s holocrons. But not only does Cordova play a significant role in Jedi: Survivor, he is also a member of the Hidden Path, bringing the idea full circle.

At the end of the game, Cal finds Tanalorr and makes preparations to set it up as a potential base for the Hidden Path, but that’s where the game ends, post-credits activities notwithstanding. Assuming EA greenlights a third Star Wars Jedi entry, we could potentially see Cal serving as a member of the Hidden Path. Maybe the sequel will involve Cal making the tough choice to cut Tanalorr off from the rest of the galaxy permanently, thus preventing the Empire from ever reaching the planet or the Hidden Path. That would explain why neither Tanalorr nor the Hidden Path are mentioned in Star Wars movies, shows, and games that take place later chronologically. Unless more retcons are coming.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.