Small Details You Missed In The Fallen Order Trailer

On April 13, Respawn shared the first trailer for Star Wars: Jedi — Fallen Order during a panel at Star Wars Celebration. Though it's just under two-and-a-half minutes long, the video has a lot to offer, providing a fast-paced look at the game's setting, characters, and story. Respawn drives home Fallen Order's core themes within the first 40 seconds. "There are three rules to survive: Don't stand out. Accept the past. Trust no one." Filtered through the game's protagonist, you glimpse the ugly world left in the wake of Order 66.

Fallen Order releases for the Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 on Nov. 15. The trailer does not contain any gameplay footage, much to the disappointment of some fans, yet it's not lacking in value. While it features several big, in your face moments, a host of subtler elements enrich the experience, providing context and intrigue. With so much happening from frame to frame, some elements are easier to spot than others. Here are the small details you missed in the Fallen Order trailer.

Alongside Cal Kestis, the Fallen Order trailer unveiled the game's antagonist, an inquisitor called the Second Sister. Though impossible to miss here, you may not have realized that she has appeared in the Star Wars universe before. A cunning member of the Inquisitorius, the Second Sister debuted in the comic book Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith 19 — Fortress Vader, Part 1. According to Lucafilm's Steve Blank, the Fallen Order team created the Second Sister. Her placement in the comic book was part of a collaboration designed to plant "the seeds for what will ultimately pay off in this game".

Though she has a minimal amount of screen time, the trailer offers a taste of the Second Sister's capabilities. In pursuit of Cal, she clings to the outside of his escape ship, using the Force to manipulate the flight stick and spin the craft out of control. Respawn narrative lead Aaron Contreras described her as "exceptionally intelligent" during the trailer's reveal panel at Star Wars Celebration. If these initial impressions hold weight, she will present players with a formidable foe to overcome when the game launches.

It's easy to miss one of Fallen Order's most important characters amidst the trailer's flashing action sequences. You first see BD-1, Cal's droid companion, lighting the cavern where he discovers the body of a clone commander. The scene quickly shifts, showing BD-1 gazing at the troubled Padawan as he stares into a campfire. These moments, though they last only six seconds, hold hidden depth. Stig Asmussen describes BD-1 as the light of the story, both in a literal and figurative sense, helping guide Cal through the dark times. "They're best friends. I would not consider BD a sidekick at all. They're equals," said Asmussen at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration. Cameron Monaghan echoed this sentiment, describing the relationship between Cal and BD-1 as a "boy and his dog situation."

Though not depicted in the trailer, the reveal panel shared that Star Wars sound legend Ben Burtt created BD-1's vocalization. Burtt is known for establishing many of the series' iconic sound effects, including R2-D2's vocalization, the hum emitted by activated lightsabers, and Vader's heavy breathing.

Respawn has scattered references to the Clone Wars throughout the trailer. First, Cal discovers what looks like a jedi starfighter within the hold of a larger ship. Later, the trailer shows the Scrapper Guild dismantling a Venator-class Star Destroyer. This is a standard day on the job for Cal and his fellow workers who tear apart "mostly decommissioned capital ships from the Clone Wars." In the cave scene with BD-1, Cal discovers a dead clone commander bearing orders from Palpatine to carry out Order 66. As highlighted before, the electrostaffs also emerged during that period.

It's clear that the recent atrocities orchestrated by the Empire play a large role in shaping the narrative and Cal's journey. Matt Michnovetz, a head writer from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is a key member of the Fallen Order writing team. With Michnovetz involved, you can expect more historical details to surface in the game, callbacks to a time before the galaxy had completed its descent into darkness.

The climax of the trailer shows Cal holding a blue-bladed lightsaber. Though the color will, no doubt, have a greater meaning, the weapon's most interesting detail is easy to miss. A close examination of the hilt reveals that the lightsaber has gone through the ringer, displaying clear marks of damage. A teaser image shared by EA before the trailer's release confirms this, revealing that the base of the weapon has splintered.

The lighstaber's poor condition raises a lot of questions. When asked about the weapon at Celebration, Stig Asmussen responded, "How do you know that's Cal's lighstaber?" He refused to give any further hints about the lightsaber's origins, saying, "It's so intimately tied to the story. It's just full of spoilers." While Respawn has chosen to leave this part of the story to the game's release, it's possible to make initial speculation. While Cal wields the blade in the trailer, it's state implies that it had a previous owner. As a former Jedi, Cere presents a possible candidate. Also, based on the appearance, the lightsaber could be the remaining half a double-bladed model. Though associated with the dark side of the Force because of the films, some Jedi wielded double-bladed lightsabers in the Clone Wars series.