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The moment in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor that will devastate you
S
Stephen Wilds
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is a bleak tale set in a universe that is at its best when grief and loss are at the emotional forefront. Set five years after its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, this sequel finds Cal Kestis abandoned by his previous crew. The first mission of this new adventure is a setup to brutally kill all of his recently collected friends, which sets the game’s tone like a sledgehammer. It’s in those last few moments on Coruscant that most players realize that their only remaining ally, Bode Akuna, is bound to die heroically or be exposed as the villain. Either way, I knew this one was going to hurt, and probably leave a scar.
Portrayed by Noshir Dalal, Bode is a suave gunslinger with Boba Fett vibes, rocking twin blasters and a jetpack. He’s slick and effective—the kind of rogue I want on my side when the shooting starts—but he also comes across as a smooth galactic heartthrob. He's like the A.C. Slater of Star Wars, but a little less loyal. It isn’t hard to figure out what will happen, and I was hung up on one of his more memorable lines, a phrase that almost acts as a warning: "When you play with me, the game is rigged from the start." This made my danger sense tingle slightly, but I knew this wasn’t going to happen right away. There was a lot of space to fight through before we got to that point, and it takes time to build that relationship.
He’s an incredibly helpful asset, killing Imperials and allowing you to use his equipment and skills to assist your Cal with traversal. Not only does Bode teach Kestis how to use a blaster, but he tries to help his comrade adjust to his life more comfortably. He wants Cal to do more than just fight: live a little, to remember why fighting is important, even urging him to pursue a romantic relationship with Merrin. I appreciated that about him, because Cal feels super uptight at times. We grew closer, Bode and I, even though it was painfully apparent that he was too awesome for us—too good to be true. The two characters connect quickly also, and a sizable group of the fans "ship" them together, while Stig Asmussen, the game's director, says they have a bond “like brothers."
I learned of Bode’s motivations early on: He lost a wife named Tayala, and he wants to protect his daughter, Kata, who is in hiding. I sympathized with his plight. The pieces began falling into place as I realized that his story is about the lengths a father will go to protect a child, to give her a better life than what this war-torn universe could possibly offer. It's easy to see that Bode will go to any lengths and risk the entire galaxy if that’s what it takes, and I’m still not sure if I completely blame him.
Cal’s reunited crew discovers a planet called Tanalorr, a place hidden away from the Empire and others, but Bode worries that Cal's plans for it risk its secrecy. The obvious action for him is to take the means of getting there for himself, where only he and Kata can live on the planet undisturbed. The more people that the crew brings in, the greater the chances of the Empire finding out about Tanalorr, so Bode decides to take the option away from us. It’s peace of mind at a price he’s willing to let everyone else pay, and once again, I can see his point to an extent.
Bode’s betrayal doesn’t just hurt Cal or even the crew, but it also costs The Hidden Path immensely. This group that sought to protect those affected after the Jedi purge not only loses its base and archives, but the ability to help others as well. I was prepared for him to hurt the crew, but this seemed a step too far. I had almost made peace with what I was sure would happen to Cal, but by messing with the Hidden Path, Bode swung for the fences.
Bode's evil actions don't end there: He murders Master Eno Cordova, as well as many others. However, the one that sticks out the most is that of Cere Junda, a mainstay from the previous game who dies at the hand of Darth Vader. I wouldn’t have made it through the first game without her, and the game makes you play through her death scene. Bode’s betrayal cuts deep and that is evident in Cal’s emotional reaction. Cere was one of the originals, a character who truly helped shape Cal, and who made a difference in her own way. She dies needlessly because of Bode’s information to his superiors back in the Empire, as well as his greater schemes to leave everyone behind. Personally, this was the point where I could no longer overlook his actions. I couldn’t forgive him for what he’d done, not after Cere.
To protect his daughter, the person he loves the most, Bode turns his fatherly drive into an impetus for his villainy. He probably didn’t want to hurt us—at least that’s what I told myself—but he had come to terms with the violence and sacrifice needed long ago. Even after everything he’s done, Cal and Merrin try to offer Bode a way out. It's more than I would have given him; I knew it was futile. Not only did Bode betray me, but the game later forced me to be the instrument of his demise, to take a father away from his daughter. Early in the game, I said I wanted him to turn on me, so I could see his story unfold. However, in that moment I was torn, about to kill a friend with his own blaster.
Kata witnesses these heartbreaking events and seems quite frightened when her father almost hurts her, but more importantly, she watches him die. I’m not a kid person, but right then, I felt for her. Just as much as Cal wanted Bode to accept his way out, Kata knew that the man who raised her had changed too much after the loss of her mother. She was young but smart enough to realize that, and I had to do the same. I had to admit to myself that after what he did to The Hidden Path, to Cordova, and to Cere, Bode wasn’t the person I thought I knew. I imagined a cartoonish mustache-twirling villain’s betrayal, not something this wrenching.
After his death, I found myself with a lot of questions: how would Bode's crimes affect his daughter? Would she grow up and want revenge on Cal? Would the responsibility of parenthood and guardianship newly thrust on Cal and Merrin test their relationship even more? How much further did the fight with Bode push Cal to the dark side? I had questions, and I didn’t want the responsibility of babysitting.
Though he tried to protect her, Bode unintentionally hurt his daughter far more, and unless he returns as a Force Ghost to hash things out, she’ll have a hard time confronting that trauma. For me, every time I see Kata—since she stays with the group—she's a constant reminder of Bode’s betrayal and everything he put me through.
The betrayal may have been obvious in retrospect, but it ran deep, and it lingered in my mind for quite some time. I still think about how I hunted him down, how he forced me to do what I did. Some may think setups like these have become a bit formulaic in several genres, but the classic narrative beats work for a reason, especially with excellently written characters and properly executed scenes. We’re always looking for the swerve, trying to spot a twist, and we sometimes miss what is great about a story in the process.
Overall, it's about the journey, and in this case, I was okay with knowing that Bode would betray me because I was curious how it would happen. However, by the time we got to that point, I was heavily invested. Bode was barely evil in a traditional sense. Rather, he was someone who was hurt and speeding down the wrong path because he thought there was no other option. I can relate to that, and I think others can too. He was an asset to the game's story, and a reason I’ll always remember it. People will still brag about knowing his betrayal was coming, but the real adventure was watching how everything unraveled and letting his actions sink in. I did, and instead of Survivor going down as just another decent Star Wars game, it’s a scar I wear proudly.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available on the Epic Games Store.