This Is the Closest Thing Yet to Live-Action Cal Kestis (Now Make It a Reality, Star Wars)

Making the jump to live-action is tough for any Star Wars character who doesn’t start in the medium. Ahsoka Tano is one of the main players in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, training under Anakin Skywalker and being a major factor in his fall to the dark side, and a solid role player in Star Wars Rebels, helping build the Rebellion and battling Darth Vader to help the crew of the Ghost escape. However, she still has to wait over a decade to make her live-action debut, and then another couple of years to get a show all her own on Disney+.

The success of Star Wars: Ahsoka should be a sign to the powers that be that starting in animation or another less-than-traditional medium doesn’t mean a character needs to stay there. There are a lot of figures waiting for their turn in the spotlight, including Hondo Ohnaka and Asajj Ventress. Neither of them has as much potential as a certain Jedi, though. Cal Kestis is in desperate need of a live-action appearance, and there’s already a proof of concept floating around on the Internet.

Cameron Monaghan Isn’t Getting Rusty in the Fight Department

Despite updates about the third game in the Star Wars Jedi series being few and far between, Cal Kestis actor Cameron Monaghan isn’t leaving the character behind. He returns to voice him in the animated series LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past, exploring a more positive side of the Jedi as he aids Sig Greebling and his friends in the fight against Solitus. It’s nice to see Kestis interact with some of the franchise’s biggest names and prove that he’s every bit as capable as they are. The only downside of the cameo is that Pieces of the Past isn’t canon, meaning it doesn’t actually progress Kestis’ story.

Monaghan has been vocal about his interest in playing Kestis in a live-action project and actually giving his Jedi something to do, but nothing has come to fruition. While waiting around for something to happen, the actor has been working on other projects, including Tron: Ares. The Disney project has Monaghan play a member of the elite Ares squad, which sees its fair share of combat. To celebrate the project’s release, Monaghan posted behind-the-scenes photos and a video showing him holding his own against a wave of enemies with a staff. Since the combat isn’t all that different from what Kestis gets up to in the Star Wars Jedi games, it’s clear that Monaghan is ready for a bigger role in a galaxy far, far away.

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Star Wars Already Has a Story That Cal Kestis Would Be a Perfect Fit for

The tricky part about just tossing a Star Wars character into live-action is finding the right spot for them. Having Cad Bane show up in Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett felt like a no-brainer, but it didn’t work because he was shoehorned in during a lackluster conclusion. To avoid Kestis having the same fate, Lucasfilm should find a way to incorporate him into Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau’s massive story on Disney+. Maybe he does a guest spot in an episode of Star Wars: Ahsoka, or has a mini-series of his own before it’s time to wrap things up. Either way, there will be time to catch up with a Jedi who hasn’t been around for a few years.

There are some risks with this idea, such as taking the wind out of the sails of the third Star Wars: Jedi game. However, the opposite could also be true, with Kestis’ live-action appearances serving as a way to connect his stories to what Filoni and Favreau are cooking up. Of course, it’s up to Lucasfilm to get the ball rolling, but Monaghan is making sure all the pieces are in place for something special.

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