Star Wars’ New Jedi Already Has One Foot In The Grave

The biggest question mark that has lingered over Star Wars Zero Company’s head since it was revealed is how it will tackle its Jedi. It’s fascinating that we’re finally getting a turn-based tactics Star Wars game, and it makes sense how droids, clone troopers, Mandalorians, and other units could be adapted with systems and mechanics that are common in the genre. But stir a Jedi into the soup, and it’s easy to see how their flavor could overpower all others.

Indeed, it seems absurd that you could have a team featuring an astromech droid and a Jedi, and the astromech’s role will need to be crucially invaluable if players want to bring one over another a much cooler unit class. In particular, this is a conundrum that Star Wars Zero Company’s Tel-Rea Vokoss presents.

Depending on the Jedi Padawan’s skill with a lightsaber and mastery of the Force, players could theoretically barrel their way through Star Wars Zero Company’s campaign with her at the forefront of their squad in every mission, cutting down B2-series battle droids and whatever other enemy units dare to walk onto her path. However, the risk of having Tel-Rea on players’ squads is officially going to be equal to, if not greater than, the reward.

Star Wars Zero Company Has 1 Jedi, And She Can Die Forever

Via an AMA on Steam, lead designer James Brawley has revealed that the reason why the only Jedi/Jedi Padawan-class Operator we’ve seen thus far in Star Wars Zero Company is Tel-Rea is that she’s the only one: “Tel-Rea is the only Jedi Padawan class Operator in Star Wars Zero Company—be careful that nothing unfortunate happens to her!” For anyone who might’ve been highly anticipating the game and hoping they’d be able to produce a custom Star Wars Zero Company squad composed fully of Jedi, this will obviously give them a lump in their throat.

To be fair, the wording here is quite specific and possibly open to interpretation. For instance, Brawley’s response answers whether Tel-Rea is the only “Jedi Padawan class Operator,” but it doesn’t clear the air regarding whether any Jedi Knights or Masters will be recruitable throughout the game.

With only a few weeks until the game launches, as well as the likelihood that Star Wars Zero Company would’ve showcased other possible Jedi units in its pre-release marketing by now, it may be safe to assume that Tel-Rea is the only lightsaber- and Force-wielding unit we’ll have. This suddenly makes Star Wars Zero Company’s permadeath feature far more terrifying and suspenseful, and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if this incentivizes players to never bring her on a mission out of fear of losing her forever, even if bringing her could maybe result in a swift and decisive victory.

Will You Risk Losing Your Only Jedi?

Fans who planned to bring Tel-Rea into every available Star Wars Zero Company mission, believing that a Jedi Padawan would be overpowered, will now be rethinking this strategy. It’s brilliant if she truly is the only Jedi unit in the whole game, as that forces players to not merely rely on Tel-Rea and neglect the rest of their squad, and taking her on any arbitrary mission will now come with the added crushing weight of potentially getting her permanently killed.

In fact, Bit Reactor could get away with making Tel-Rea overpowered if this is the case, contributing to the risk/reward element of bringing her on a mission. Plus, there might be Operator-specific quest missions where she must be included in players’ squads, and those would be incredibly nerve-wracking, especially if that’s when the Jedi Padawan confronts a mysterious figure with a red-bladed lightsaber in Star Wars Zero Company. Only time will tell how well-balanced Tel-Rea is, and how worthwhile it is to bring her on missions in Star Wars Zero Company.