Cal Kestis

> "You know I've been alone for... a while now. Without any... purpose. Just hiding. It's no way to live. Not for a Jedi. Or a droid. Maybe Cere was right. Maybe we're done hiding."
> ― Cal Kestis, to BD-1
>
>

**Cal Kestis** was a Force-sensitive human male who became a Jedi Knight during the reign of the Galactic Empire. As one of the few Jedi who survived the Purge that destroyed the Jedi Order, Kestis lived in seclusion for years until a confrontation with the Inquisitorius compelled him to openly resist the Empire's rule. Hunted across the galaxy by the Empire's Jedi hunters, Kestis embraced his connection to the Force once more, having decided to restore the Jedi Order.

As the Padawan of Jedi Master Jaro Tapal, Kestis served alongside his mentor in the Clone Wars until the Grand Army of the Galactic Republic betrayed its Jedi officers, having received the command to execute Order 66 from Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. As a result, the clone troopers of the 13th Battalion attempted to execute Kestis, forcing Tapal to sacrifice himself in order to save his apprentice. After his master's death, Kestis lived in exile on the planet Bracca, working as a rigger for the Scrapper Guild until he was discovered by the Second and the Ninth Sisters, members of the Empire's Jedi-hunting Inquisitorius.

Rescued from the Inquisitors by the crew of the starship *Stinger Mantis*, Kestis joined them, befriending the droid BD-1, former Jedi Cere Junda, the *Mantis'* captain Greez Dritus, and the Nightsister Merrin, the latter of whom he would eventually share a romantic relationship with. They attempted to locate Eno Cordova's Jedi holocron, which contained information that was vital to creating a new generation of Jedi. Though they retrieved the holocron while surviving an encounter with the Sith Lord Darth Vader, Kestis chose to destroy the holocron in order to protect the galaxy's Force-sensitive children from the Sith. By then, Kestis had been recognized as a fully-trained Jedi by his new mentor.

Years later, Kestis and his allies were attempting to reconnect with other Jedi such as Jarik Shan, who had recently gained galactic fame for his attack on the Imperial Center. After learning the Empire tracked Shan to Dxun, they swiftly traveled there and aided him in a battle against Darth Vader. Following this, they traveled with Shan to the rebel base on Atollon where Kestis was reunited with Kanan Jarrus, who he knew as his closest friend "Caleb Dume" during their upbringing at the Jedi Temple. Upon entering the Rebel Alliance, Kestis participated in the Battle of Atollon and joined Jarrus during the mission to Mandalore, before helping Jarrus' Padawan Ezra Bridger liberate his homeworld of Lothal.

## **Personality and traits**

> "Oh don't even get me started Cal, you never listened in class."
> "Neither did you."
> "At least I tried to focus."
> ― Kanan Jarrus and Cal Kestis
>
>

During his youth at the Jedi Temple, Cal Kestis had tendency to make jokes and often got into trouble, most of the time with his best friend Caleb Dume. After being accepted as an apprentice by Jedi Master Jaro Tapal, Kestis developed a very friendly with the clones of the 13th Battalion, and their betrayal due to Order 66 left him visibly shaken emotionally.

After the fall of the Jedi, Kestis went to serve the Scrapper Guild as a rigger, a physically demanding and dangerous job. Kestis had a focused work ethic and a sense of humility. Having since lost the exuberant and roguish attitude of his childhood, Kestis generally kept to himself and was quiet and hard-working. He usually refused to speak of his past, as he was quite haunted by it. He felt that he could have saved his Master if only he followed his master's teachings. He usually reacted with anger or dismissed his past when it was brought up. Eventually, Kestis began to open up more about his past, and when confronted by the dark side of The Force on Dathomir for the second time in the form of his master, Kestis fully accepted his past and grew from the experience, acting much more level headed and wise, showing an almost mentor-like attitude towards others. He eventually regained his former high-spirited personality through interactions with the Mantis crew and, following his reunion with Dume — now Kanan Jarrus — his flippant side returned altogether. By the time of the Battle of Atollon, Kestis had also developed a romantic relationship with Merrin.

Kestis had great respect and compassion for nature. When he visited Kashyyyk the second time, Kestis found an injured Shyyyo bird and treated his wound. When the Shyyyo bird helped Kestis to fly to his destination, Kestis was happy to see that there were many natural beauties in Kashyyyk that the Empire had not yet destroyed. At Dathomir, Kestis showed an impressive respect for life forms. He was attacked by a Chirodactyl who persistently tried to kill him, but after it died during his fight, Kestis mourned its death, saying that he wanted to be able to say that the creature was fine, despite trying to kill him.

## **Appearances**

* *Sun and Moon* — "Prelude" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 26: Lowest Point" (first mentioned)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 40: Some Preparation" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 41: Ghosts of Geonosis Pt 1" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 45: The Challenge" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 47: Vader's Vendetta" (first appearance)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 48: Against All Odds"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 49: Goodbye, For Now"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 50: Through Imperial Eyes"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 51: Secret Cargo" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 52: Old Wounds"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 53: Terror From beyond"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 54: Zero Hour Pt 1"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 55: Zero Hour Pt 2"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 56: Zero Hour Pt 3"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 57: Next Move" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 58: A Risky Confrontation" (mentioned only)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 61: Return to Mandalore"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 62: Night of a Thousand Tears"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 63: Aftermath"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 64: Heroes of Mandalore"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 65: Strife Among the Alliance" (main story and flashback)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 67: The Deal"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 68: Wolves of Dume Pt 1"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 69: Wolves of Dume Pt 2" (main story and recap)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 70: Wolves of Dume Pt 3"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 73: A Fool's Hope"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 74: Taking a Gamble"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 5: Rebirth* — "Chapter 75: Liberation of Lothal" (main story and recap)
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 6: Children of the Force* — "Chapter 2: Need for Rebels"
* *Legacy of Jarik Shan - Volume 6: Children of the Force* — "Chapter 7: Hope of Resurgence"
* *The Shan Bloodline - Volume 1: The Taken War* (will appear)