Tales of the Jedi Season 2 Should Tell This Jedi's Story (2024)

Tales of the Jedi’s second season is, as of right now, mostly up in the air. Very little has been revealed about it other than the fact it’s happening at all and that it will (hopefully) come out sometime in 2024. This leaves fans with the ability to speculate as much as they want about what stories the new batch of episodes is going to tackle. There are any number of suitable candidates, from Kit Fisto to Mace Windu, who deserve to have their moment in the spotlight. However, one former Jedi would be the perfect choice to have his already interesting backstory further fleshed out in Tales of the Jedi.

Bode Akuna, first introduced in 2023’s Jedi: Survivor deserves the chance to be explored in greater detail. Nothing is known about his time with the Order other than that somehow, he survived Order 66. Given his fate at the end of the game, there's no chance for him to appear in the upcoming third entry to the saga. Therefore, a prequel is the only way to learn more about this mysterious former Jedi and the events that shaped him into the traitorous man he eventually became. Tales of the Jedi would be the perfect place to begin a deeper dive into his life.

Bode Akuna was a Fellow Former Jedi

• Bode was first in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as an ally of Cal Kestis.
• He was later revealed to be an Imperial spy and former Jedi.

Bode bursts onto the scene in the opening of Jedi: Survivor, when it's revealed that he's a new member of Cal's team of partisan fighters. Though everyone was skeptical of him at first, he quickly proved himself a useful member of the team. Cal particularly took a liking to him - a bond that only deepened when the two of them were the only ones to make it off Coruscant alive. In the aftermath of this, Cal invited Bode to join him on the Stinger Mantis as they traveled the galaxy in search of Tanalorr, a hidden planet that would provide them with sanctuary from the Empire they had been searching for their whole lives.

Throughout this quest, they become as close as two friends could be. They work together on countless missions, such as rescuing a stolen High Republic droid from the depths of a Lucrehulk or even facing off with Dagan Gera, a menacing former Jedi who posed perhaps the greatest threat to their success, at each other's sides. Bode's the one who encourages Cal to prioritize his own happiness for perhaps the first time in his life and stands by him when it seems like nobody else will. Not long after they met, they consider each other brothers and look forward to establishing a stronghold for their loved ones on Tanalorr together.

However, all good things must come to an end. When Cal begins to consider using Tanalorr as a safe place for those hunted by the Empire rather than simply his own family, Bode staunchly opposes him. They think nothing of this little spat until, the night before they leave, Bode slips away and tips off the Imperial Security Bureau that he knows where known Imperial opponent Cere Junda has established her base, and that they should send Darth Vader personally to dispatch her. He's been a double agent the whole time. While the Empire distracts the Mantis crew, Bode takes the Abyss Compass that would let them navigate to Tanalorr and escapes with Cal in hot pursuit. When they reunite, Bode informs Cal that he, too, survived Order 66 - revealing that there's an entirely unexplored Jedi past behind one of the galaxy's most complicated figures.

Bode's History is Unlike That of Most Other Jedi

• Bode Akuna exposed Cere Junda's operation, which was the early iteration of The Path which is also seen in Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Though very little is known about Bode's time as a Jedi, what information viewers do have is remarkably unique. When Cal confronts him on Nova Garon, he begins to reveal what his life was like before he started working for the Empire. During the Clone Wars, he was one of a few Jedi who worked closely with Republic Intelligence, where he first met Lank Denvik (who went on to supervise his operations with the Empire). This equipped him with a unique skill set that helped him determine how to fly under the radar once the Order fell, though he was never fully out of the looming shadow of the Inquisitors. He spent the next few years entirely in hiding - which is when he met his wife, Tayala, and started a family. Their happy ending couldn't last forever, however. The Empire caught up to them. Tayala met a tragic end, and Bode began working under Denvik again to ensure his daughter would never have to live a life on the run like he did - this time, however, with the Empire rather than the Republic.

All this information establishes Bode as the type of Jedi that hasn't been seen before in canon. Most existing tales centered around the Jedi focused on those who were better suited for combat - more specifically, those who were on the ground during the Clone Wars. As interesting as this always is, Tales of the Jedi should take a risk and branch out into another realm. Bode's story would allow Star Wars animation to venture into Andor-style spy thrillers. They could capitalize off that show's popularity while maintaining the constant throughline of the Jedi's presence that's become synonymous with the Star Wars galaxy as a whole, therefore allowing more fantastically inclined audiences to love these episodes as much as those who prefer a dose of realism in their fictional galaxy.

What Kind of Stories Could His Episodes Tell?

• IGN Review of Jedi: Survivor: 9/10

With this unique background, there are any number of previously unexplored stories that a Bode-centric group of tales could zero in on. Like the ones about Ahsoka Tano, his episodes could span a wide timeline, thus providing as much information as possible about his murky backstory. It could begin with him as a Padawan who demonstrates much more aptitude for subterfuge than he does for rushing headfirst into battle, leading his Master (who, it's worth noting, still hasn't been revealed) to recommend him for the Council's intelligence unit rather than sending him on traditional missions. This could then build into the next episode being entirely about that first mission - which, perhaps, he undertakes with some more well-known Jedi, which would allow for some wonderfully surprising cameos of fan-favorite characters. Eventually, he would work his way up to taking on massive tasks for the good of the Republic as a whole, therefore explaining how he got the skills that helped him infiltrate Cal's team without being detected. Taking this approach would also allow for an exploration of his relationship with Lank Denvik, who it's clear he knew well before working with him under the Empire.

Alternatively, it could zero in on Bode's life in the aftermath of Order 66 as he tried to figure out how to exist without the rigid structure that had previously governed every part of his life. He mentions to Cal that he had to learn how to disappear, but there's no explanation provided as to how he managed to do this. He traveled from planet to planet to evade the Inquisitors' clutches - which, perhaps, would allow for a fan-favorite Inquisitor like the Seventh Sister, Reva, or even Trilla Suduri herself to make a reappearance as the one hunting him, thus providing more information on all of their backstories as well. By taking this approach, there would be a chance to revisit his relationship with his wife and daughter, thus making Tayala's sacrifice to make sure her husband and daughter escaped death even more impactful. It would also provide more insight into the incessant desperation that encouraged Bode to turn to the Empire in the first place. Seeing the suffering they had to endure and the endless love he carries for his daughter at all times would further contextualize his betrayal in Jedi: Survivor, and make his already tragic story that much more distressing. For these reasons, Bode Akuna is the prime candidate to have a group of episodes in Tales of the Jedi centered around him.

All episodes of Tales of the Jedi Season 1 are currently streaming on Disney+.

Star Wars

The original trilogy depictsthe heroic development of Luke Skywalker as a Jedi and his fight against Palpatine's Galactic Empire alongside his sister, Leia. The prequels tell the tragic backstory of their father, Anakin, who is corrupted by Palpatine and becomes Darth Vader.

Created by

George Lucas

First Film

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Latest Film

Star Wars: Episode XI - The Rise of Skywalker

First TV Show

Star Wars: The Mandalorian

Latest TV Show

Ahsoka

Character(s)

Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , Princess Leia Organa , Din Djarin , Yoda , Grogu , Darth Vader , Emperor Palpatine , Rey Skywalker

Summary

Created by George Lucas, Star Wars began in 1977 with the then-eponymous film that would later be retitled Episode IV: A New Hope. The original Star Wars trilogy centered on Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, who helped lead the Rebel Alliance to victory over the tyrannous Galactic Empire. This Empire was overseen by Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine, who was aided by the cybernetic menace known as Darth Vader.In 1999, Lucas returned to Star Wars with a prequel trilogy that explored how Luke’s father Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi and eventually succumbed to the dark side of the Force. This, of course, is what led him to become the aforementioned Darth Vader.Lucas would sell Lucasfilm and Star Wars to The Walt Disney Company in 2012, and two years later, Disney declared the entire Expanded Universe – consisting of novels, comic books, video games and more – non-canon. The new era of Star Wars canon was bolstered by the sequel trilogy, which kicked off in 2015 with The Force Awakens. This trilogy saw a new generation of heroes band together to take down the First Order, an Empire-like regime that rose from the ashes of Palpatine’s original Empire. The faction was led by Supreme Leader Snoke and later Kylo Ren, the son of Han and Leia and the grandson of Darth Vader.Outside of the prequel, original and sequel trilogies, Disney experimented with Star Wars anthology films such as Rogue One and Solo. When Disney+ launched in 2019, the company also expanded into live-action television with The Mandalorian, which paved the way for The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, Andor and more. The streaming service also housed the revival of The Clone Wars for its final season and a spinoff called The Bad Batch.As for the Expanded Universe, while those stories are no longer canon, fans can still revisit them under the Star Wars Legends banner.