While Jedi shenanigans dominate the Star Wars universe, from movies to comics to video games, it turns out that Lucasfilm is very protective of its lightsaber-wielding warriors. This was a problem when Respawn pitched Jedi: Fallen Order Jedi in the driver's seat, and with the sequel, Jedi: Survivor (opens in new tab), coming out on April 28, all was well in the end. However, Respawn had to fight for its concept.

"For Lucasfilm, the Jedi is like the Holy Grail," game director Stig Asmussen told The Guardian (opens in new tab). 'I mean, apart from baby Yoda, it's probably their most cherished possession. So we had to earn it. Why do you want to be a Jedi?" and "What do you want to do with a Jedi?"

Lucasfilm offered a compromise. 'They were very uncomfortable with the Jedi. I said, 'Let's call this character a Force user. Given that Jedi: Fallen Order takes place after the fall of the Jedi Order, it seems like Lucasfilm was just quibbling with semantics, but it also suggests a very different direction: a game focused on bounty hunters and smugglers.

"Star Wars: 1313" would have featured a bounty hunter game, and "Project Ragtag" would have featured a game with pirates in full swing, but both projects were canceled. But it is clear that Lucasfilm thought the Jedi-less game had legs. [But Asmussen had no interest in making such a thing. 'I picked the wrong people for this job. That's not my background. My background comes from 'God of War' ....... I've never worked on a shooting game, and you need a different team for that. It's like asking me to make a racing game."

Lucasfilm eventually agreed, and "Jedi: Fallen Order" and its protagonist, the strikingly faceless Kal Kestis, were the result. As much as I wanted to play a game about bounty hunters and smugglers, it seemed like the right decision; Fallen Order is far from one of my favorite "Star Wars" games, but fighting stormtroopers as Cal kept me entertained throughout the first film. Guns are no match for a lightsaber and Force powers.

Still, I'd like to see more games that ignore the Jedi, or at least put the spotlight on someone else (someone completely unrelated to the Force). Otherwise, I'd like to see them bring out the Sith. They always seem to have so much fun.