There have been various manifestations of the Sith throughout Star Wars history, including massive armies that have waged war on the Republic and the Jedi, the Rule of Two that lasts roughly a thousand years through the time of Emperor Palpatine, and the Sith Triumvirate as introduced in Knights of the Old Republic 2. Despite taking place when The Rule of Two is technically still in effect, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor channels some of the same Sith/Dark Jedi philosophies of the Sith Triumvirate into its narrative.
As its name implies, the Sith Triumvirate consists of three Sith Lords, dubbed in KOTOR 2 as the Lord of Betrayal, the Lord of Hunger, and the Lord of Pain. This can manifest in numerous ways, but at its core, these depictions of a Sith Lord boil down to their narrative and abilities, as well as how they fell to the Dark Side. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor may not feature three Sith Lords, technically speaking, but there are three figures to represent Betrayal, Hunger, and Pain.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Vader Returns as a Lord of Pain - Sion
At some point on Korriban, Darth Sion would emerge a broken shell of a man. All that's really known about his prior life is that he was a Sith Lord fighting for his Empire, who would be struck down in combat. Fearing death, however, Sion called out through the Dark Side of the Force, focused on pain, anger, and hatred, tying together the fragments of his body via unnatural means. A literal zombie in the Force, his body would decay or be destroyed time and again, but his pain and hatred kept him alive and, otherwise, intact. His power, however, was fueled by consistent pain, and this manifested in sheer brutality and strength. Because he felt pain, he wanted others to as well, defining his rebirth and power in the Dark Side.
Darth Vader appears briefly in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as a boss fight, but it's enough to cement his as the game's representative Lord of Pain. This is obviously true during the Sith Lord's reign under the Emperor too, as he was reborn in pain, sought to cause pain, and anger and pain were his connections to the Force, until he was redeemed by his son Luke Skywalker.
As Sion feared his own death, Anakin Skywalker would fear the death of Padme, and his pain throughout Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith is evident. He still feels pain over the death of his mother, and death is his driving force to the Dark Side. Just as pain and the Force kept Darth Sion alive by constantly restructuring his body, Vader is held together by technology, anger, pain, and The Force. His sheer brutality has been displayed several times in various media, cementing Vader as a Lord of Pain.
Dagan Gera is a Lord of Hunger - Nihilus
Darth Nihilus is likely one of many Jedi who followed KOTOR's protagonist Revan into the Mandalorian Wars, and his fight on Malachor V saw him exposed to the power of the Mass Shadow Generator, which rendered him a Wound in the Force capable of, essentially, feeding on the Force. Nihilus' unique existence rendered him powerful, but hollow. His ambitions for war saw him become a Sith, and his aimless ambition and craving to destroy all life defined his time as a Sith Lord, a Lord of Hunger. For Darth Nihilus, this was rather literal because he would essentially consume the Force, but it is also metaphorical of his aimless ambition.
Venturing into Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's new characters, Dagan Gera is a Lord of Hunger similar to Darth Nihilus defined by his aimless ambition. While his corrupting influence didn't succeed (and wasn't as powerful as Nihilus'), Gera did corrupt those around him. He turned the honor-bound Rayvis into a shell of his former self, he broke away from the Jedi Order of the High Republic and sought to take his allies with him, and he even caused Cal to question his identity in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.
But Gera's ambitions and hunger are what drove him to the Dark Side, believing himself capable of finding Tanalorr in the first place, believing himself better than the Jedi Counsel, and aimlessly seeking Tanalorr for no real reason. He wanted it to be a home, so to speak, for his own students in the Outer Rim during the High Republic, but when he is reawakened, he still aimlessly pursues his ambitions of Tanalorr. With no real goal on the horizon and no craving to create a new order or to conquer the galaxy, Dagan Gera is an empty shell, much like his Lord of Hunger counterpart.
Bode Akuna is a Lord of Betrayal - Traya
Darth Traya, once known as Jedi Master Kreia, trained Revan as a Jedi, but as importantly, she sought to understand the Force like no other. She was unconventional but was, nonetheless, a wise and competent teacher. Unfortunately, her fall to the Dark Side came when the Jedi Counsel wrongly blamed her for Revan's actions, as she had taken no part in his decision to join the Mandalorian Wars and, as fans know, had nothing to do with Revan's corruption at the hands of the Sith Emperor. Still, she was cast out of the Jedi Order and, in seeking answers, found Malachor V. Here, she would embrace the Dark Side as Darth Traya and later be marked as the Lord of Betrayal. She sought to destroy the Force, which she concluded enslaved the Jedi and the Sith. But, fitting to her moniker, she would be betrayed by her students—Darth Sion and Darth Nihilus—and find her way to KOTOR 2's protagonist, the Jedi Exile.
She would then betray them or, depending on one's decisions in KOTOR 2 and ultimate point of view, be betrayed by the Jedi Exile. She would ultimately serve as the final boss of KOTOR 2, signifying the importance of the Lord of Betrayal (and one could argue that Emperor Palpatine fills a similar niche). Bode Akuna in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor plays a similar role, not just as the final boss, but as the source of betrayal in all its forms.
Technically a Dark Jedi and not a Sith (which could be argued on behalf of Dagan Gera too), Bode Akuna would serve as the final boss of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. In getting there, players learn that he was a Jedi in the Clone Wars who managed to survive the Purge. However, Vader's Inquisitors would find him and kill his wife, so to protect his daughter, he would join the Empire's ISB as a spy. He would join Cal Kestis' gang on a mission to infiltrate Saw Gerrera's forces, and throughout the game, he betrays basically everyone. One could argue that his defection from the Jedi Order after the Clone Wars was out of survival; he can't be faulted for that. He can be faulted, however, for betraying everything the Jedi Order stood for and joining up with the Empire.
His allegiance to them wasn't strong, of course, and upon the discovery of Tanalorr, he stood ready to betray the ISB and flee to the planet, justifying to himself that Kata would be safe there. And even though he would be like a brother to Cal, he betrayed him at the earliest mention that Cal may not do what he wanted with Tanalorr. In that, Bode represents three major betrayals (Jedi Order, Empire, and Cal), but perhaps his worst betrayals were that of himself and of his daughter, Kata. There's supposed to be nothing more pure than a father's love for his children, but he even twisted that. Despite his constant drivel to the contrary, nothing he did was about Kata at one point. He would betray her by literally using the Force against her and acting in ways that put her in danger, instead of accepting the forgiveness offered by Cal and Merrin. That act of betrayal is of himself too, as he betrays the very thing he has sought so long to protect.
The Sith Triumvirate of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
KOTOR 2's Jedi Exile learns important lessons from Sion, Nihilus, and Traya, and perhaps those lessons are even more important in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor. Cal Kestis learns from Vader, from Dagan, and from Bode. Vader causes him immense pain with the death of Cere, and while this leads to anger, hatred, and a touch of the Dark Side for Cal, he learns the importance of letting that pain go, which no Lord of Pain can do. From Dagan, Cal Kestis learns the dangers of aimless ambition and sees the errors of throwing himself blindly into the war against the Empire alongside Saw Gerrara, which Dagan could never accept about his own flaws. And from Bode, Cal learns the importance of forgiveness—for himself and his enemies—something Bode could clearly not do.
Respawn will likely deliver a threequel in the coming years, and it'll be interesting to see how these lessons influence Cal Kestis as he likely becomes a Jedi Master—an unconventional one, but a Master of these lessons, which so many have fallen to, and in the ways of the Force.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
