Summary
- Speculation that one of Kay Vess' allies, Jaylen, is Kyle Katarn has been debunked by Star Wars Outlaws developers in a Screen Rant exclusive interview at San Diego Comic-Con.
- The debunking suggests that Kyle Katarn's stories may no longer be canon in the Star Wars universe due to Disney's acquisition and the non-canon status of the Star Wars Extended Universe.
- While disappointing for fans, it allows Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment to create an original character for Star Wars Outlaws, providing more flexibility in gameplay and story choices.
A popular Star Wars Outlaws theory surrounding the true identity of one of its main supporting characters - Kyle Katarn - has just been debunked in a Screen Rant exclusive interview at San Diego Comic-Con. The upcoming open-world game will take place in the criminal underworld between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which led to fans speculating about what characters from this era could cross paths with the scoundrel protagonist Kay Vess on her journey, with crime lords such as Jabba the Hutt already confirmed to make an appearance on Tattooine.
One of the most popular theories was that one of Kay Vess' allies, Jaylen, may actually be Kyle Katarn from the popular Star Wars: Dark Forces and Star Wars: Jedi Knight games of the 90s. Katarn did use several aliases during his time as a mercenary, so it didn't seem too out of the realm of possibility that he could be the one offering Kay and her faithful Axolotl companion, Nix, freedom from their lives of crime and the Imperial pursuit via a final daring heist.
Jaylen Is Not Kyle Katarn (Despite Looking Just Like Him)
Unfortunately for some, Star Wars Outlaws' developers confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con that Jaylen is not Kyle Katarn, despite the two characters sharing an extremely similar appearance. Speaking to Screen Rant, Ubisoft developers Julian Gerighty (creative director) and Navid Khavari (narrative director) confirmed that Jaylen is a brand-new character, with Gerighty stating:
"It is not Kyle Katarn. It's a character you're going to be working with, that has their own motivations. It's impossible for us to talk more about it without revealing too much!"
The Debunking Of Kyle Katarn Further Suggests His Stories Are No Longer Canon
Originally, Kyle Katarn had many tie-ins to Star Wars' original trilogy and its characters, at one point seeking out Luke Skywalker to reconnect with the Force and later teaching alongside him in Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy. Katarn even played a part in the retrieval of the Death Star plans to aid the Rebels prior to A New Hope.
Unfortunately, with Disney's acquisition of the franchise, a lot of these stories, along with the wider Star Wars Extended Universe were made non-canon and films such as Rogue One opted to tell a new tale about the doomed mission to acquire these plans instead. One of the main reasons fans were hoping Star Wars Outlaws' Jaylen was Kyle Katarn was that it could reestablish the character somewhere in the series' new canon, even if elements of his past stories had been retconned.
Sadly, it seems like this will not be the case, and that Kyle Katarn's future in the Star Wars universe remains non-existent. While this will disappoint fans hoping to see the Imperial Officer-turned-mercenary-turned-Jedi Knight returning after almost three decades away, it does allow Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment to craft a completely original character whose dynamic with Kay can shift more fluidly depending on the players' actions and dialogue choices - something that seems to be a major part of Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay - rather than tying his fate to pre-established stories.
Star Wars Outlaws will release sometime in 2024.