Fan service has always been ubiquitous inStar Warsand, for the most part, it’s been relevant and meaningful due to overlapping generational nooks in the series. That’s not to say there’s been no poorly conceived fan service, though, as Rey suddenly being tethered to Sheev Palpatine seemingly lumps her into the family of an iconic character simply to have her history be relevant. Rather, Darth Vader igniting his lightsaber and slicing through a brave troop of Rebels more or lesseclipses everything else inRogue One: A Star Wars Storybut isn’t out of place since the movie fluidly segues intoA New Hope.
Star Wars Outlawswas always going to have fan service as it takes place betweenThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jediand has Kay Vess and Nix visit Tatooine of all planets. It’s possible that these decisions were made so that the open-worldStar Warsgame could lean somewhat on fans’ nostalgia, and yet what Massive achieves proves that where it falls in the timeline isn’t a crutch whatsoever.Star Wars Outlawsdefinitely dabbles in cameos but does so in a way that is not intrusive to the overall narrative and doesn’t rely on these characters’ appearances to carry the game.
Outlaws’ Cameos Plant It Firmly in Star Wars’ Timeline
Considering how a franchise likeStar Wars Jedihas more of an ambiguous place in the timeline between the IP’s looming theatrical trilogies,Star Wars Outlawsmakes it undeniably clear when it is set. Seeing characters such asJabba the Hutt, Bib Fortuna, Salacious B. Crumb, Boba Fett, and a carbonite-frozen Han Solo on Tatooineis exciting enough, for instance, but seeing Darth Vader, Lando Calrissian, Lady Qi’ra, and Temmin Wexley helps recontextualize the game’s canon.
It might’ve been easy for Lando to only appear for one table of Kessel Sabacc if Massive wanted him to purely be a punch of nostalgia. Instead, Lando’s around for an Expert NPC questline that proves he’s been working with the Rebel Alliance and this goes a long way in depicting what he was up to between the events of the latter two original trilogy movies.
It’s debatable that Lando is overstaying his welcome by being a focal point ofStar Wars Outlaws’ Wild Card story pack, but it at least ties into the fact that he was the high-roller quest-giver in the base game, and therefore it’s only natural he’d be who players run into for a DLC chapter revolving exclusively around Kessel Sabacc.
Star Wars Outlaws’ Cameos Tie Its Enveloping Lore Together in a Neat Web
Moreover, Massive doesn’t double down on Boba Fett—maybe because Respawn already featured him as a twist cameo at the end ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor’s bounty hunting side quest—and merely gives players a brief glimpse of him through a ventilation shaft’s shutters. Regardless, Boba Fett’s cameo is no less immersive because it makes sense that he could be around the palace at that time and fans know he worked for Jabba.
One of thesubtlest yet richest Easter eggs isStar Wars Outlaws’ Lars Homestead, too, as it depicts what’s left of Luke Skywalker’s childhood home.
Nothing is overtly gratuitous about cameos, references, or Easter eggs inStar Wars Outlawsbecause, if it was, it’d be completely noticeable and leave a sour taste. If a lightsaber had made its way into Kay’s hands, for example, or if a Jedi had appeared, it probably would’ve drawn attention away negatively from the fact thatOutlawsis a scoundrel story meant to shine a light on some of the seedier corners of a galaxy far, far away.
