Heartwarming / Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

• The flashback holo-movie BD-1 plays to cheer Cal up after the prologue, showing the first Mantis crew enjoying themselves and being a family: Greez playfully 'acts' for BD, Cere and Cal discuss their successes and the ongoing war, Merrin ponders the vastness of the galaxy and her learning of it. Then we get to see the four of them sharing a meal, each of the other three praising Greez's cooking; the last thing seen is Cal leaning over to whisper something to Merrin, and Merrin handing him her bowl so he can have extra. After the gut-punches Cal suffered on Coruscant, it feels good to look back on such happy times he had between games.
• The first meeting with Eno Cordova is this. After the previous game implied that he was a Posthumous Character, he turns out to be alive and well, helping the Hidden Path with his former Padawan, Cere. His kind greeting to Cal upon first meeting him just cemented what kind of man he was.
  • BD-1's reaction to seeing Cordova again is this as well, as he reacts like an excited puppy upon seeing the Jedi again. For his part, Cordova gladly returns the affection, patting BD on the head and calling him his old friend.
• Greez is nothing but overjoyed to see Cal again, acting like an uncle who’s favorite nephew has come home to visit. In general, Greez makes it clear that he wants Cal to be happy.
• The Villainous Friendship between Dagan Gara and Rayvis. For two villains, it's clear that their friendship is true, as Rayvis spent the better part of several centuries searching for a way to find Dagan and even building up an army for him to use upon his return. On Dagan's end, he clearly trusts Rayvis more than anyone else, and when Rayvis tells him that he will consider helping Dagan reach Tanalorr to have fulfilled his oath, he genuinely asks him what he'll do afterward, even offering to forge a new war together.
  • Their conversation about Cal really highlights how comfortable around each other they are. While Dagan threatening to cut out Rayvis' tongue for daring to claim Cal might be Dagan's equal would normally be a sign that Dagan is a Bad Boss, the joking smiles between the two alongside Rayvis claiming his tongue would grow back without missing a beat shows that it's simply comfortable banter between two good friends rather than any sort of Teeth-Clenched Teamwork. Rayvis even follows up by seriously warning Dagan that Cal is a legitimate danger to them, making it clear that he's concerned for the High Republic Jedi's safety.
• Rayvis’ Villain Respect towards Cal. During his boss battle he’s borderline singing the young Jedi’s praises, and should you die to him he will say some variant of thanking Cal for the fight or commending his skill and valor.
• Cal and Merrin's relationship is this from the start of the game to the end. From the moment they reunite after years of being apart to their shipboard conversations after the main story is completed, the game shows that the two of them have sincerely fallen in love with each other. A far cry from their first hostile meeting in Fallen Order.
  • When they spend the night together in a cave, Merrin tells Cal that he was never far from her thoughts wherever she went. The two snuggle up to each other by the campfire.
  • While Cal sleeps near the campfire, he visible twitches, likely from nightmares. But when Merrin places her hand on his, he calms down from the touch of comfort.
  • The next day, Cal asks Merrin if she encountered any surviving Jedi. Merrin says that she hadn't, and if she had, he would've been the first to know.
  • Their First Kiss and the moment leading up to it can qualify as this. Cornered on a ledge with an Imperial machine bearing down on them, Merrin uses her Magick to create a method to allow Cal to teleport alongside her. Merrin asks if Cal trusts her, to which he affirms with zero hesitation, prompting Merrin to kiss him right there, before the two of them take down the machine together.
    Cal: (Post Big Damn Kiss) Was that for luck?
    Merrin: No. For me.
  • Their conversation on Jedha after Dagan has been dealt with where they cement their Relationship Upgrade is especially this. While it's been clear from the start that he reciprocated her feelings, the main thing that kept Cal from acting on them was his adherence to the no-attachment tenants of the Jedi Order. After his conversation with Bode, Cal tells Merrin that the Order's gone and that it's time to leave it behind.
    Cal: And... I know what I want now.
    Merrin: (smiles) Took you long enough. (cue The Big Damn Kiss)
  • When Cal starts seeing the parallels between himself and Dagan, worrying that he'll lose himself to his fight with the Empire like Dagan lost himself to his quest for Tanalorr, Merrin assures him that You Are Better Than You Think You Are, and promises that if Cal loses himself, she and the rest of the Mantis crew will bring him back.
    • She follows through on this after Bode's betrayal. When Cal is on the precipice of losing himself to the Dark Side, Merrin is the one to keep him from falling off the edge by keeping him from murdering Denvik in cold blood.
• Even when threatened at gunpoint, Cordova does not show anything other than genuine compassion and a desire to help Bode, which only makes what comes next all the more tragic.
• After Bode’s betrayal and the murders of Cere and Cordova, Cal and Merrin start to blame themselves for not seeing through his lies. Greez has none of it, however, and hammers it into their heads that they are in no way at fault for the tragedy.
• During the Koboh Abyss run, Cal and Merrin show complete faith in Greez's piloting while he's dodging debris in the Mantis, with Merrin telling him to "Stop piloting, and start flying". Cal goes further by switching power from the shields to the engines, sacrificing safety for speed.

  Cal: We're all in on you, buddy.

  • A moment later, Cal moves to pull the hyperdrive lever to get them through the rapidly shrinking path, with Greez initially stopping him to point out the risks of doing so. Cal simply asks if Greez trusts him.
    Greez: You know I do, Cal. Let it ride.
  • Cal listens to the Force before he pulls the lever. What does he hear? Cere's voice, guiding her Padawan from beyond the grave. There's no hesitation as Cal activates the hyperdrive on her word.
• For all his faults, there's no denying that Bode genuinely loves his daughter Kata, even if the death of his wife turned that love into something twisted.
• Kata herself is nothing but kind and sweet to practically everyone around her.
  • Even when Cal and Merrin end up having to kill her father, she doesn't hold it against either of them, and even becomes the newest member of the Mantis crew in the post-game.
• Despite everything Bode did to them and how much they admit they hate him for it, Cal and Merrin are willing to give Bode a chance to surrender for Kata's sake, giving him several chances to simply end things peacefully. Unfortunately, he doesn't take them.
• The Ninth Sister Duel. Having so much taken from him, it's understandable but inadvisable that Cal would muster the will to strike her down in anger himself or torture her for the pain she caused, but instead, he gave her a swift death, no doubt recalling how the Inquisitors are ultimately victims of the Sith in their own way. "It's time to set you free" indeed.
• Cal’s Character Development from last game to this one. While he’s worn and stressed by loss and the hopeless task of fighting the empire, he’s no longer the scared kid hiding in a scrapyard and trying to forget the world. He’s grown into a kind man who tries to bring out the best in those around him, even his enemies.
• Boba Fett's cameo at the end of Caij Vanda's sidequest, showcasing the honor he's known for in other works. Despite having plenty of reasons to despise the Jedi, he teams up with Cal to take down Caij, and once Cal makes it clear that he won't fight Boba over Caij's bounty, he lets the young Jedi leave in peace.
• One of the post-story hyperspace conversations has Greez give a little speech that starts off rambling at first, but in the end it's clear that the Mantis crew are truly family.

  Greez: Look, ya don't always get to choose your family. But you know what? I wouldn't choose any other.

  Cal: Right back at ya, Greez.

  BD-1: Boop.

  Merrin: Yes. Yes, me too.

  Kata: That was nice, Greez.

• The various residents and clientele of Pyloon’s Saloon become genuinely fond of Cal should he keep coming back and talking to them, especially the ones he rescues. Should Cal put effort into exploring and recruiting, the place goes from a run-down dive barely holding together at the seams to a bustling place where the community can gather.
  • Skoova Stev is always happy to see Cal on his travels and seems to be glad to have someone who listens to his rambling stories.
  • Moran, despite being a dour soul in general, seems genuinely touched when Cal admits he’d put himself in danger for him. He first starts to change his tune around Cal when he realizes he's being insensitive towards Cal's status as a survivor of Order 66 and apologizes.
  • Towards the end of the game, Monk asks Cal why the long face and offers to hear him out. If Cal decides to open up about his survivor's guilt, Monk will assure him he doesn't need to beat himself up and praises him for being a good man.
  • Even when most of the recruits leave post-game in a Screw This, I'm Outta Here scenario, some were inspired by Cal's heroism that they decide to rebel against the Empire their own way. Like Toa for example. She mentions the academy she studied at was taken over by the Empire. Inspired by Cal's willingness to fight a seemingly impossible fight, Toa leaves Koboh to attend a meeting about purging Imperial influence from her academy and likely others as well.