When Star Wars Jedi: Survivor first landed in players’ hands, no one expected a charming new friend to become the story’s most devastating villain. But that’s exactly what happened, and even three years later, fans still talk about the moment Bode Akuna pulled the trigger — both literally and figuratively. It's one of those betrayals that doesn’t just surprise you; it lingers, like a bruise that won’t fade. Honestly, who saw that coming?

Betrayal has always been part of the galaxy far, far away. Anakin against Obi-Wan, Vader against Palpatine, Ben Solo against Snoke — the list is practically a Sith's grocery list. But Respawn Entertainment managed to craft something far more intimate in 2023, a gut-punch that still resonates now in 2026, as the Jedi series continues to be dissected and adored. The team didn’t just write a twist; they built an entire character around a slow-burning, heart-shattering inevitability.

From the very beginning, Bode was designed as Cal’s central conflict. “Bode was always part of the story,” lead writer Danny Homan once revealed. “When we were talking through Survivor, we viewed Bode as Cal’s central conflict and a continuation of some of the themes from Fallen Order where Cal is trying to understand the legacy of the Jedi and how to continue it.” The writers wanted to show a logical extreme of Cal’s own desperate choices — a dark mirror. Senior writer Pete Stewart added, “We always wanted to show a logical extreme of Cal’s actions, a potential endpoint for Cal’s actions. What if Cal made some really horrible choices to preserve what he wanted to preserve, like Merrin?”

That question hangs in the air like smoke. Bode isn’t just a random turncoat; he’s what Cal could become if hope finally curdled into raw, protective rage. The setup was subtle. During the Lucrehulk mission, players spend hours with Bode, and the goal was simple: make them love him. “I was the primary writer on the Lucrehulk level where you spend the whole time with Bode,” Stewart explained, “and the goal is to make people love him. Don’t make people feel suspicious of Bode. And it’s hard.” That difficulty paid off. By the time the betrayal happens, it feels personal, not just to Cal but to the player holding the controller.

The double-layered shock only deepens the wound. First, Bode guns down Edo Cordova and steals the compass to Tanalorr, revealing himself as an Imperial spy. Just when you think you’ve absorbed that blow, the game pulls the rug again — Bode is also a fallen Jedi. Talk about a one-two punch. “Knowing that we had that double betrayal, you’re very paranoid,” Stewart admitted. “There’s no hints, there’s no notice of that. It made me feel a little safer.” The writers crafted every early interaction so that no one would suspect the Force-sensitive truth, and that secrecy gives the reveal an almost mythic weight.

Actor Noshir Dalal’s performance elevates the tragedy. He didn’t play Bode as a mustache-twirling villain; he played a tortured father whose affection for Cal and the Mantis crew was real. In one Force echo found by players, Bode hesitates before calling Darth Vader — just for a glimmer, he considers another path. That internal war makes everything that follows unbearably sad. Stewart noted, “When we see him on Nova Garon and Cal meets Kata and he says, ‘This is my best friend,’ that’s legit. It also shows how warped he’s become because he holds these thoughts in his head and thinks ‘you are my best friend’ but also that he’s justified in what he’s doing.” You just can’t help but shake your head — best friends don’t aim blasters at each other’s mentors, but in Bode’s shattered mind, the galaxy had backed him into a corner.

The aftermath for Cal is a slow spiral into darkness. After Bode’s betrayal and the death of Cere on Jedha, something snaps. Players watch Cal dip into the Dark Side for the first time on the Nova Garon base, unleashing fury in a way that would make Palpatine crack a smile. The gameplay shifts alongside his mood — more aggressive, less hopeful. It’s not just a narrative beat; it’s a scar that the player feels with every force push and aggressive parry. “Cal is always hopeful, he always wants to give someone another chance,” cinematic director Dori Arazi said, “and this is really the first time that we see him proverbially pull the trigger on something that he can’t take back.”

When the final confrontation arrives on Tanalorr, Cal and Merrin still try to reach Bode, not because they believe he can be saved, but because of Kata, his innocent daughter. “You don’t get to choose your family,” Homan remarked. That effort only makes the ending more crushing. Bode refuses to stand down, ultimately Force pushing Kata aside in his desperation. In that moment, he becomes exactly the monster he tried to protect her from. The climax sees Cal forced to shoot his former friend — twice — with a blaster. The first shot isn’t immediately fatal, and the game lingers on Cal’s torment. “We really wanted to torture Cal,” Arazi admitted. “It’s a scar. It’s a deep scar.” Watching Cal pull that trigger is the kind of storytelling that leaves a mark; you don’t just play through it, you carry it with you.

Even though Bode committed horrific acts, the Jedi: Survivor community never stopped loving the character. Fans flooded forums with calls for prequels or DLCs exploring his past, and while those remain wishful dreams, the team at Respawn appreciates how deeply the broken father resonated. “Bode means a lot to me personally,” Stewart shared. “For me, he’s like the main character of Survivor. We’ve made him do horrible things, definitely, but we hope that we’ve explained that he’s broken for a reason. He’s a victim of the galaxy.” That sentiment — that villains can be victims too — is very Star Wars, and it’s why Bode’s story refuses to fade into background noise.

The ripple effects on Cal’s journey are still playing out. By adopting Kata at the end, Cal carries Bode’s legacy, both the betrayal and the love. Homan framed it perfectly: “Cal is stubbornly hopeful. Despite his past and everything he’s seen, there’s that kernel of hope that is maintained, but it’s like a flame that’s died down and we don’t know what will extinguish it or how it will stay lit.” As of 2026, fans eagerly await the next chapter, wondering how that flickering hope will survive.

Bode’s betrayal wasn’t just a plot twist; it was a mirror, a lesson, and a wound that gave Jedi: Survivor its soul. And honestly? It still hits like a blaster bolt to the chest.