Summary

• Both Cal Kestis and Kanan Jarrus would have trained Ezra Bridger similarly due to their similar Jedi backgrounds.
• Cal would have kept Ezra away from bad influences like Maul and Hondo better than Kanan did, but that might not have been the best for Ezra.
• Cal would have focused more on turning Ezra into a warrior, while still preparing him to sacrifice himself for his friends.

Cal Kestis and Kanan Jarrus are two of the best Jedi in Star Wars, but they would have taken different approaches to training Ezra Bridger in Star Wars Rebels. Many of the most powerful Jedi in Star Wars come from the prequel era, but only Cal Kestis and Kanan Jarrus became Knights after the fall of the Jedi Order. Both Cal and Kanan were Jedi who survived Order 66, and they both joined the fight against the Empire as adults. They’re very similar Jedi, both in power and in history, but there’s one major difference between them: Ezra Bridger.

Kanan Jarrus trained Ezra Bridger as his Padawan over the course of Star Wars Rebels. The two met in 5 BBY in the Star Wars timeline, and they trained together until Kanan’s death in 1 BBY. It’s not clear where Cal Kestis was at that time, as his last appearance in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor took place in 9 BBY, but he was one of the few active Jedi who could have taken Ezra as his Padawan. If Cal had trained Ezra instead of Kanan, Rebels would have looked very different, but it might not have been as different as it would seem.

Cal Kestis & Kanan Jarrus Would Have Trained Ezra Bridger Very Similarly

Both Cal & Kanan Would Have Let Ezra Learn Through Experience

Quite a bit of Ezra Bridger’s training would have looked the same no matter who his Master was, simply because Cal Kestis and Kanan Jarrus were very similar Jedi. Both Kanan and Cal were survivors of Order 66, meaning they both had a lot of trauma from the Jedi Purge, and neither of them formally finished their training. Cal got a bit more tutelage under Jedi like Cere Junda and Eno Cordova, but he was still far from a classically-trained Master. They also both found love as adults, against the Order’s teachings, as Cal met Merrin and Kanan met Hera Syndulla.

There are many more parallels between Cal Kestis and Kanan Jarrus, from their role in the Rebellion to their knighting ceremonies. The most important takeaway from those similarities, however, is that they would both approach training Ezra in almost the same way. They both would have had to teach Ezra while on the run from the Empire, and they both would have let him learn through experience rather than classical training. For the most part, Ezra Bridger would have turned out basically the same under Cal or Kanan’s training. That being said, there are a few key ways that training would have been different.

Cal Would Have Kept Ezra Away From His Bad Influences Better Than Kanan Did

Cal Would Have Been Much More Suspicious Of Hondo Ohnaka & Maul

A major part of Ezra’s character development through Rebels comes from his propensity to make mistakes. Ezra always seemed to trust exactly the person he shouldn’t, most notably Maul and Hondo Ohnaka. Both Maul and Hondo were instrumental in bringing Ezra closer to the dark side and causing his temptations. Maul very explicitly wanted to twist Ezra into his new apprentice, while Hondo implicitly tried to get Ezra to take the easy way and practice some questionable morals. Their attempts didn’t ultimately work when Ezra was trained by Kanan, but they might not have happened at all with Cal as his Master.

Both Maul and Hondo were instrumental in bringing Ezra closer to the dark side and causing his temptations.

Cal Kestis had a longer history of experiencing betrayal than Kanan did. They both went through the traumatic betrayal by the clone troopers during Order 66, but Cal also had to endure Bode’s reveal as a fallen Jedi in Jedi: Survivor. Bode took full advantage of Cal’s trust, and while the full effects of that betrayal haven’t been shown yet, it’s safe to say Cal became much more skeptical of others than he once was. That skepticism would have extended doubly to Maul and Hondo, who Cal would have instantly identified as bad influences.

If Cal was training Ezra, he likely would never have let his student anywhere near Maul or Hondo. That could have saved Ezra quite a bit of pain from realizing how wrong he was about them, but it also might have hurt him in the long run. If Cal had sheltered Ezra from Maul and Hondo Ezra might never have learned how to treat people with a healthy dose of skepticism. This is the fundamental difference in Cal and Kanan’s teaching styles: Kanan took a hands-off approach and let Ezra learn through his mistakes, while Cal would have tried to prevent Ezra’s errors.

Cal Would Have Understood Maul’s Influence On Ezra More

Cal Had Been Tempted By The Dark Side Himself, Kanan Never Was

Even if Cal had tried to stop Ezra from meeting Maul, it likely wouldn’t have worked. Ezra was famously stubborn, especially during his training, and he would have found a way to contact Maul regardless of who his Master was. Another key difference between Cal and Kanan would have been how they handled Ezra at his lowest, when Maul brought him as close to the dark side as he would ever get. One of Kanan’s greatest strengths was the fact that he was never seduced by the dark side. That was also one of his greatest weaknesses as a teacher, though.

Because Kanan had never been tempted by the dark side, he didn’t have a way to relate to Ezra’s experience. When he found Ezra with the Sith holocron, Kanan took it away and forbade Ezra from using it, a response that only made Ezra want to use it more. Cal Kestis, on the other hand, had firsthand experience with being tempted by the dark side. Cal could have empathized with what Ezra was thinking, the influence the dark side had over him, and his desire to do good. That might have been enough to stop Ezra’s fall long before he figured out for himself.

Cal Would Have Made Ezra More Of A Warrior Than Kanan Did

Cal Was More Dedicated To The Rebellion Than Kanan Was

Having Cal as a Master would have benefited Ezra in many ways, but there’s one key way it would have detracted from his journey to becoming a Jedi. Though he was actively involved in the Rebellion, and he taught Ezra more than enough to hold his own in battle, Kanan was much more interested in showing his Padawan the spiritual ways of the Force. Many of his lessons focused on showing Ezra how to center himself, how to feel the Force’s influence, and how to commit himself to the light side.

• 

  Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

  Released

  November 15, 2019

  Publisher(s)

  Electronic Arts

  ESRB

  T for Teen: Mild Language, Violence

  How Long To Beat

  18 Hours

• 

  Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

  Action-Adventure

  Soulslike

  Released

  April 28, 2023

  Publisher(s)

  Electronic Arts

  ESRB

  T For Teen due to Mild Language, Violence

  How Long To Beat

  20 Hours

Cal, on the other hand, was much more preoccupied with being a warrior and a Rebel. Through much of Jedi: Survivor, Cal expresses how he can’t stop fighting as long as he can fight for someone else’s benefit. He almost certainly would have transferred this mindset over to Ezra, and Cal would have focused much more on turning Ezra into a warrior than Kanan did. That increased focus on combat would have helped Ezra a bit in battle, but it also would have robbed him of some of the things that made him a Jedi at heart.

Both Cal Kestis & Kanan Jarrus Would Have Prepared Ezra To Sacrifice Himself For His Friends

Both Kanan & Cal Valued Family Above All Else, & Ezra Would Have Shared That

For all their differences in teaching methods, both Kanan and Cal would have conveyed Ezra’s most important lesson flawlessly. In the series finale of Rebels, Ezra decided to sacrifice himself so he could remove Grand Admiral Thrawn and his fleet from the galaxy and save his friends. It was a tremendous display of faith and love for his found family, and it was a direct result of Kanan’s teachings. At the start of Rebels, Ezra only cared about himself. It was only because of Kanan’s influence that he learned to care for the crew of the Ghost, and ultimately decided to trade his life for theirs.

Despite his sacrifice, Ezra Bridger didn’t die at the end of
Star Wars Rebels
. He survived until at least
Ahsoka
season 1, where he was found on the extragalactic planet Peridea.

Ezra’s sacrifice was the culmination of all of Kanan’s teaching, but Cal’s mentorship would have gotten Ezra to the same conclusion. Like Kanan, Cal deeply valued his friends and family, and he would have done anything to protect them. He absolutely would have impressed upon Ezra the importance of family, and Cal’s teachings would have been just as effective as Kanan’s in getting Ezra ready to make his sacrifice. Though Star Wars Rebels would have looked very different if Ezra Bridger was trained by Cal Kestis instead of Kanan Jarrus, the heart of the show and the result of Ezra’s training would have been the same.