When the reveal trailer for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was released, speculation spiked on the internet about an element of it. Specifically, a brief fragment around 44 seconds, in which a huge, imposing alien in a suit or armor looks Cal up and down with a smirk on his face, before ordering his henchman to remind him why Jedi are supposed to be dead.
Fans were quick to point out that could be a Gen’dai, a race of intergalactic nomads who are nearly indestructible and live for thousands of years. Those of you who have watched Genndy Tartakovsky’s 2003 Clone Wars series may be familiar with a character named Durge, who is probably the most famous representative of the Gen’dai race currently in Star Wars canon.
Well, let’s put an end to the speculation right now: Yes, he is a Gen’dai; no, it’s not Durge. His name is Rayvis, and he’s as menacing as you’d expect. To find out more, I spoke with Dori Arazi, Respawn’s Cinematic Director, and Danny Homan, Lead Scriptwriter, to find out all about the Gen’dai race, who Rayvis is, and why his presence in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is such an important element of the story.
Who are the Gen’dai?
First, let’s go into a bit more detail about who are the Gen’dai. As I already mentioned, they are a race of intergalactic nomads who are almost impossible to kill and live for thousands of years, but the reason they are intergalactic nomads is because their peaceful home planet was devastated and destroyed hundreds of years ago. With no place to call home, the surviving Gen’dai devoted themselves mostly to bounty hunting, no doubt due to their incredibly tall stature and imposing nature.
Perhaps the most remarkable thing about them from a biological point of view is that their bodies are made up entirely of a giant mass of regenerative tentacles. That impressive armor is not meant to protect the Gen’dai, but rather to keep them from spreading. Obviously, from a gameplay standpoint, this has very interesting potential for boss battles, but for Arazi and Homan, they’re also a very interesting race to explore narratively, for many different reasons.
In their own mind and in their own world, they are very chivalrous.
“What makes the Gen’dai so interesting, at least in my opinion, is that in their own mind and in their own world they are very chivalrous,” Arazi states. “They have a code that they adhere to. They abide by a code of honor in their conduct. It also binds them to their history and to what remains of their people. So Rayvis isn’t just that “big grump #7″ who can take down an army. He has a long past. He has seen a lot of history. He could be a thousand years old. He has seen the rise and fall of empires, he has seen the rise and fall of the Jedi, he has seen the rise of the Empire itself. So he has a lot of tragic history and a lot of depth that we tried to explore.”
Homan agreed, adding: “This species has a very durable outlook. Seeing the Republic become the Empire, and you know, when we think about Cal’s journey and Cal’s own experience, any character he meets provides a new perspective on the Jedi and the Republic. And Rayvis has seen it all. And so he knows, like any adversary, the weaknesses of his enemies and how to exploit them.”
A warrior meets another warrior
There are some interesting parallels between Cal and Rayvis that the Respawn team was eager to explore. On the one hand, both share the experience of being part of a people that has been largely exterminated. In Arazi’s words: “There’s something really charming about the juxtaposition between the way Cal, as a Jedi, deals with his history and the history of his people, or shall we say his species, and the way Rayvis deals with his history and his species. Cal has problems and questions and tries to find his place, while Rayvis is very sure of who he is and what he is and why he does what he does. And that conflict is very interesting. It allows both of them to reflect a lot on who they are, where they are and what they are doing.
A warrior meets another warrior, and although they are very different in stature, there is a mutual respect for that strength.
I asked for Is it correct to say that Cal and Rayvis are meant for each other? and I was told that while it is true in some respects, in others it is not so true. Discussing their relationship in the game, Homan adds, “Warrior meets warrior, and while they’re vastly different in stature, there’s a mutual respect for that strength.”
The Gen’dai in the foreground
Since he hadn’t seen Clone Wars, he didn’t have much of an idea who the Gen’dai were, aside from an entry on Wookieepedia. What he did know was that a Google search for “Gen’dai Jedi: Survivor” returned a bunch of results from YouTube videos and Reddit threads from fans who they were very excited about the idea of a Gen’dai being at the helm of a great Star Wars story.
I asked Arazi and Homan How did it feel to be able to focus attention on this breed so loved by those who know it?, but generally unknown to more casual Star Wars fans. Homan told me: “I remember when I started working on this team I started crying [con mi madre] because she had grown up with Star Wars and it was a very important franchise to her. And she would never have dreamed that I would get to work on a game where we could expand the canon and the lore.”
They almost have a vampire sense of time and place.
Homan continued, “Rayvis and the Gen’dai are a perfect example of this, where there are a lot of really interesting species in Star Wars lore, but the Gen’dai are very interesting. They almost have a vampire sense of time and place.. And I think for Jedi Survivor that’s very important, because the game takes place in a dark time. The rebellion is years and years away and people feel lost. So aside from the Empire, finding a character who feels confident in himself and his place in the galaxy is a really interesting opportunity. And it’s by virtue of his species attributes, being long-lived and his strength, but also his… I think his survival mentality. You know, it takes a lot to stay true to yourself through the ups and downs of a civilization, to the rise of an empire, and he’s been able to do that. And I think it’s a great opportunity to be able to play a character whose species is so survivable.”
Arazi added: “From a visual perspective, and from character to characterGen’dai are funny because… what do you do to them, right? ‘Oh, I’m a mighty Jedi, I have a lightsaber, I’m going to stab you…’ doesn’t do anything to them. The dialogue of the violent construction of this galaxy is completely different with this character.”
In closing, Arazi left me with this about Rayvis and the Gen’dai: “We are all heroes of our own story and Rayvis is the hero of his own story.. He doesn’t see himself as a bad guy. He’s a gentleman in his world.” Homan adds, “It’s something to be respected in a time when people have so many doubts about the next day, let alone the next year. And that has something mystical about it.”
Do not forget Check out the rest of our IGN First coverage focused on Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, starting with this exclusive gameplay in Koboh and following this review to 8 of Cal’s enemies in the game. And stay tuned, because we still have a lot more to show.
