Star Wars may have finally provided an answer for one of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s biggest mysteries. Taking place a few years after Order 66, Jedi: Fallen Order follows Jedi survivor Cal Kestis as he makes his way through the galaxy, hoping to find a Jedi Holocron with the names of future Force-sensitive children. This journey takes him all the way to Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, where he encounters a massive Imperial presence trying to pilfer the planet’s abundant resources. While Cal’s presence on Kashyyyk is completely understandable, given the Empire’s wrongdoings on the planet, one particular enemy he encounters there felt strangely out of place.
As Cal makes his way through Kashyyyk’s Imperial facilities, he comes across a specific type of trooper. These are the purge troopers, formidable opponents who are specially trained and equipped to assist the Inquisitors in hunting down remaining Jedi and other Force-sensitives. But the purge troopers Cal encounters on his first trip to Kashyyyk must have been there before they were even aware of his presence on the planet. This seems a strange deployment considering, as far as Cal knew, no other Jedi were working with the Wookiees at the time. Now, however, one other Star Wars property may have provided an answer as to why the purge troopers were on Kashyyyk in the first place.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch Revealed An Order 66 Survivor Was On Kashyyyk
The animated series Star Wars: The Bad Batch takes place just after Order 66 as the Empire begins to take over the galaxy. The Bad Batch, a.k.a. Clone Force 99, find themselves on the run in this new reality, often stumbling across others who need their help to get to safety. One such character in need of aid is the young Wookiee Gungi, another Order 66 survivor, a Jedi Padawan first introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In The Bad Batch season 2, episode 6 “Tribe,” Clone Force 99 helps Gungi get back to Kashyyyk, where he manages to find a new home and family.
Given these events in The Bad Batch occurred as the Empire was beginning to spread its influence across the galaxy and occupy planets for their resources, it’s entirely possible Gungi was on Kashyyyk the whole time. He could have been using his skills as a Jedi to help his fellow Wookiees try to stop the Imperials from wrecking the planet’s natural state. Gungi’s prominent and rebellious presence on Kashyyyk would explain why the purge troopers were already stationed there when Cal arrived in Jedi: Fallen Order. They might have been assigned to protect a sensitive location on Kashyyyk to draw Gungi out, but little did they know they’d be facing an entirely different Jedi, instead.
Did Gungi Survive The Dark Times?
If this theory is indeed true, and the purge troopers were stationed on Kashyyyk to catch Gungi, there’s a good chance Gungi lived through quite a lot of the Dark Times during the reign of the Empire. The Bad Batch season 2 takes place somewhere around 19 or 18 BBY, while the events of Jedi: Fallen Order transpire in 14BBY. Gungi could have survived all that time, fighting the good fight on Kashyyyk and trying to help his fellow Wookiees stay alive and preserve their planet. Despite Cal being a fellow Jedi, the Wookiees would likely want to keep Gungi’s presence a secret for as long as possible.
However, it’s unlikely that Gungi survived the entirety of the Dark Times. Star Wars’ Aftermath trilogy by Chuck Wendig explores the fall of the Empire after the events of Return of the Jedi. This includes the defeat of the Empire on Kashyyyk, but Gungi is noticeably absent in that storyline. This could simply be due to the timing of the publication, as the final Aftermath novel was published in 2017 and The Bad Batch season 2 was released in 2023, but all Order 66 survivors need an answer as to where they were during the original trilogy. Sadly, Gungi meeting his fate around the time of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s story would make sense for Star Wars continuity.
