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The scene where Cal Kestis is knighted by Cere Junda in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order actually serves as a nod to the 2003 Clone Wars cartoon, and is one of the first pieces of canon Star Wars media to depict a Jedi’s knighting ceremony. Toward the end of Fallen Order, Cere, a former Jedi Master, knights Cal, meaning that he progresses from a Padawan and becomes a Jedi Knight. The ceremony itself is almost an exact copy of the one from Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003 cartoon, with Cere mirroring Yoda’s dialogue during Anakin’s knighthood in that show, as well as the Grand Master’s lightsaber movements.
Released in 2003, Star Wars: Clone Wars was Lucasfilm’s first depiction of the Clone Wars conflict in between Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. The series, developed by the creator of Samurai Jack, introduced Asajj Ventress and General Grievous and showed in detail the heroism of Star Wars‘ Jedi Knights and their clone troopers against the Separatists. The series was, however, stricken from canon with the release of the 3D Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series in 2008. Even so, elements of the cartoon have been referenced in the new canon, including Mace Windu and Yoda’s defense of Coruscant prior to Episode III, as well as Shaak Ti’s attempt at preventing Chancellor Palpatine’s kidnapping at the hands of General Grievous.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, however, took things to a new level by directly copying a scene from Clone Wars. In the show’s second season, Anakin is promoted from the rank of Padawan to become a Jedi Knight. He enters a hall in the Jedi Temple where he is surrounded by various members of the Jedi Council, with Yoda at the center. All of them ignite their lightsabers, while Yoda recites ceremonial dialogue: “by the right of the council, by the will of the Force, dub thee I do, Jedi.” Cere reenacts this ceremony with Cal on the Stinger Mantis in Jedi: Fallen Order, and it serves as a great example of how the new Star Wars canon continues to look toward Legends for inspiration.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Shows How Legends Influences Canon
Although Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order wasn’t the first canon piece of Star Wars media to utilize Clone Wars‘ knighting ceremony (a Force vision from Star Wars Rebels involving Kanan had a similar moment in 2014), it does illustrate the series’ continued influence, and cements the dialogue as the formal scripture for Jedi knighthoods. Although it was ultimately replaced by 2008’s The Clone Wars, it demonstrates how significantly it contributed toward developing the franchise’s prequel era, as the show also introduced key figures such as Ventress and Grievous.
Fallen Order‘s knighting ceremony also demonstrates the strength of the new canon. Not every Star Wars fan needs to invest in every novel, comic, TV series, or canon Star Wars game, but for those who do, they’re often treated to great deep cuts that further enhance their enjoyment of a given story. This was evident in The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, which heavily featured elements from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels, and the same is true of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, as its Inquisitor-based storyline also takes from the latter series. Star Wars is ultimately stronger because of this level of interconnectivity, and though not every aspect of Legends is suitable for the new canon, more references to Clone Wars should be welcome.
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