Jedi Survivor Nails Its Two Biggest Star Wars Cameos

Following a three-way standoff that includes an obvious reference to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Fett and Cal manage to subdue Vanda. Fett isn’t here to collect on Cal’s bounty today, and Cal seems content to just walk away and let this situation be. In the optional dialog that follows, though, Fett makes it clear that he has no love for the Jedi and that Cal should hope that their paths never meet again. 

Fett’s cameo is a classic cameo in the sense that it’s rather brief and not crucial to the plot (at least at this time). However, it’s a great scene that may eventually set up something more important for Fett in a future game. 

The thing that matters most, though, is how Fett is portrayed. Temuera Morrison (who voices Fett in this game and has played the character often in the past), recently lamented Book of Boba Fett’s portrayal of the character. He thinks that version of Boba Fett talked too much and that Star Wars media needed to get back to letting Boba Fett be a slightly more silent badass who speaks loudest through his actions. 

It’s difficult to say if the Survivor team took those specific words to heart, but the results are the same. In Survivor, Fett’s presence is immediately felt through the reactions of those around him. The relatively few words he has to say all serve a clear purpose and only enhance his already considerable aura. When Fett does act, we’re left with no doubt as to why everyone seems so intimidated by him. Even Cal doesn’t seem entirely sure he would survive the fight against Fett if it came down to that. 

Much like they did with Vader, the Survivor team doesn’t really mess with success within it comes to their portrayal of the Boba Fett character. After hunting the best bounty hunters in the galaxy, you come face to face with Boba Fett and immediately understand why he is at the top of that hierarchy.

The game doesn’t try to rewrite the book on Boba Fett for its own purposes, and it doesn’t try to elevate one of its own characters above him. Fett has previously been established as one of the galaxy’s biggest badasses at this time, and the game relies on that reputation to ensure that Fett’s presence is properly felt. It’s not leaning on him so much that you start to worry you’re strapped in for another nostalgia trip, and it doesn’t do something truly stupid like let Cal Kestis easily get the upper hand on Fett. The past of Star Wars is clearly respected and acknowledged but not exploited for cheap gains.