There is no doubt that (launch date bugs aside) Jedi: Survivor is one of the best story-driven Star Wars games we’ve seen in a long time. Everything from the gameplay to the characters is very well done and felt like a throwback to classic Star Wars titles like the Jedi Knight and Force Unleashed series.
However, one lingering problem prevents us from declaring Jedi Survivor a complete 10/10 masterpiece: it’s final boss battle
SPOILER ALERT: The rest of this article focuses entirely on the final act(s) of Jedi: Survivor.
You’ve been warned. Honestly – it’s your fault for not playing through this amazing game already.
Specifically, we cannot seem to find a single logical reason why Bode Akuna insists on fighting you to the death in the final confrontation.
Bode’s Story
Starting at the beginning, Bode Akuna is introduced as an ally and “trustworthy” member of Cal’s new crew. Throughout the majority of the game, he’s presented as a “gunslinger with a heart of gold”. The way Bode keeps mentioning his daughter Kata makes it clear that this character has something to fight for, at least on the surface level.
Finally, in the last act of the game it was revealed that Bode was an imperial spy the whole time. What’s more, he was also once a Jedi who worked for The Order’s intelligence service before escaping the purge. For a time, Bode went into hiding and started a family until an inquisitor showed up and killed his wife. Looking to save his daughter as well as revenge, Bode cuts a deal with the ISB to spy on Rebel cells in exchange for protection for his remaining family.
The concept of a Jedi formally under deep cover is a concept that hasn’t been explored to this extent before in Star Wars before. There were hints in other projects before, such as one arc in The Clone Wars where Obi-Wan went undercover, but they never delve into the moral greyness such professions come with.
In almost every scene he’s in, Bode always mentions the reason he fight is for the safety of his daughter. Bode’s actions were clearly deceptive, but the one element of Bode that was genuine was his love for his daughter.
From the very beginning, it was apparent Bode was going to be the twist villain. The initial reasons for his betrayal were well established. If you go back to specific locations after completing the game, there are locations you can pick up force visions showing Bode conflicted and trying to give Cal as many chances as possible to have Cal look the other way from fighting The Empire without blowing his cover.
His entire motivation is one thing and one thing alone: keeping Kata safe.
Where it Went Wrong
Until your final battle, Bode’s motives were clear. After offering his services, his daughter became a bargaining chip, being kept as a guest/Hostage at his quarters at ISB headquarters. That changes when Bode successfully steals the compass to Tanalorr. He is able to trick Cal into destroying ISB HQ, subsequently destroying the evidence The Empire has on Tanalorr.
Cal and Merrin finally catch up to Bode and his daughter, which is why Boud’s story begins to fall apart. The problem is that Bode’s motivations no longer align with this final fight.
At this point, The Empire no longer has leverage over Bode. Cal was even willing to take him back as an ally and protect his daughter alongside The Hidden Path. Yet, despite Bode being clearly free from The Empire’s yolk, he still acts like the irredeemable villain for no apparent reason.
His motivations for fighting Cal at the end feel like they added at the last minute because the writers think they needed him to be the final boss battle, no matter how little sense that makes. This is a problem that may be worth an article of its own. Bode’s motivations were there, but they weren’t conveyed very well, leaving a somewhat messy climax.
The reason that some have pointed out that could explain is he didn’t want The Hidden Path because he gave too much information to the ISB. The Empire knows too much of the Hidden Path to keep Tanalorr a secret for long. It would explain his fight-at-all-costs mentality, but it wasn’t conveyed very well, leaving the climax somewhat messy.
Perhaps this climax could’ve been more polished if the Bode twist had happened a little earlier, more of the last third instead of the last quarter of the story. That way, there would have been more time to explore his true motives.
Conclusion
In spite of the hiccup near the end, Bode is one of the more compelling star wars characters to come out. I would even dare say that this is an example of a twist villain done correctly because there is a slow build-up to this betrayal hidden in plain sight. His actions are deceitful, but the way he combines them with his genuine motivations to keep his cover safe makes you want to believe he’s your loyal comrade.
This isn’t like some Disney twist villains where whatever character is sucked out the moment they turn. He remains an interesting character that you want to know more about. It was simply the circumstances in the very last battle that where the writing begins to collapse on itself for the sake of video game logic, it was supposed to have a final boss battle.
