The return of Asajj Ventress in The Bad Batch has thrown up more questions than it has anything else. I’ve always enjoyed the character and she really developed into a strong favourite throughout her time in The Clone Wars. And then came along the novel Dark Disciple which was nothing short of brilliant and remains one of my favourites of the new canon.
For now, it’s been left up in the air as to how Ventress has returned from her apparent demise but there’s no better time to take a little deep dive into this fascinating character.
Conception
Early in the pre-production phase for Attack of the Clones, a female antagonist was being developed. The villain for the film eventually became Count Dooku but the idea was intriguing enough to Lucas and his team that they kept with it. When looking at a female Sith character to serve as an apprentice to Dooku during the The Clone Wars, Ventress was brought back into the fold – though with the original name of Juno Eclipse.
Clone Wars Micro-Series (2003)
Ventress first appeared in the much-acclaimed micro-series Clone Wars that aired on Cartoon Network between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. In her first on-screen appearance, Count Dooku arrives on the planet Rattatak and witnesses Ventress battling opponents in an arena with apparent ease. Dooku clearly eyes a potential apprentice and engages with Ventress himself. Though Dooku makes light work of the fight, he recruits Ventress to join him by appealing to her hatred of the Jedi.
Ventress would prove to play a pivotal role in the show during a thrilling battle with Anakin Skywalker. She is presented with curved hilts from her Master (of which will remain during The Clone Wars) and she engages in a fierce battle with Skywalker Yavin IV. She is sent there by Sidious as a test for Anakin – again, proving that Anakin is Palpatine’s end game and everyone else is a mere pawn in his grand plan. The battle is beautifully done and eventually Anakin uses his immense Force powers to throw Ventress over the edge of the temple.
She was gone. But not for long.
The Clone Wars (2008)
Ventress, voiced by Nika Futterman, played a massive role throughout the first five seasons of The Clone Wars and its kick-off theatrical film. She was a wonderfully complex character and well-realised yet always had an element of vulnerable humanity that made one quietly root for her.
Through the show, and specifically in season three, her backstory is explained. Ventress was born on Dathomir and as a child was sold by the Nightsisters to criminals. A little while later, during a pirate raid, she was saved by Jedi Ky Narec who began to train her in the Ways of the Force. Narec was eventually killed before Ventress could complete her training and left her susceptible to the Dark Side. She developed an intense hatred of the Jedi for whom she felt had abandoned her Master.
Ventress was involved in many crucial plots during The Clone Wars and engaged in battle after battle that tested her skill. She was constantly used as Dooku’s pet to do his dirty work. She was involved in the plot that saw the kidnapping of Jabba’s son and she was also successful in the mission to free Viceroy Nute Gunray.
Darth Sidious eventually came to see Ventress as a liability and ordered Dooku to eliminate her. Dooku thought this would be easy work, but he underestimated her power. A wounded Ventress then found her way to the Nightsisters in hopes of rejoining her initial birthright. This proved unsuccessful, however, as General Grievous launched an attack on the planet and Ventress was left to find her own way and goes the way of the Bounty Hunter.
A later episode sees Ventress team up with her formal arch-rival Obi-Wan as they attempt to take down Darth Maul and Savage Opress. In season five Ventress, now a true loner, helps Ahsoka Tano escape custody and later assists Anakin Skywalker discover that it was Barriss Offee who framed his padawan.
Dark Disciple (2015)
The events of this novel were originally intended to be an eight-part story arc for The Clone Wars before its cancellation. Katie Lucas was on of the original writers for the storyline, and she provides an introduction at the beginning of the novel.
The story sees Ventress team up with Quinlan Vos, himself a truly unique character who we need to see more of. As the novel progresses, the pair succumb to a feeling that neither of them ever thought they’d probably feel – love. They form a deep connection and care for each other in an intimate way.
If you haven’t read the novel, then I highly recommend that you do. It’s truly wonderful and the ending of Ventress and her sacrifice and ultimate passing is breathtaking. I remember an emotional feeling coming over me when I read this book for the first time. There was a real sense of closure for the character and it had been executed perfectly.
It seems, however, that no truer word in Star Wars has been spoken by anyone else than Luke Skywalker.
“No one’s ever really gone.”
The Bad Batch 2024
The trailer for season three of The Bad Batch showed us that Ventress was making a return. Brad Rau informed us that this would not break continuity in canon and therefore led many to speculate that perhaps she would return in flashbacks.
Not much has been revealed to us so far on how Ventress survived. If you’ve read the novel, then Ventress was dead. Well and truly. She did allude to something though. She mentions to the team that she’s “got a few lives left”. This meaning that perhaps she’s died before? An educated guess at this point could allude to the Nightsisters and their use of Dark Magick. Changes have been made to the Official Databank on the Star Wars website so it’s safe to assume that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Ventress.
During my research for this piece, I learned something that I had never known. Ventress was originally scheduled to make an appearance in Resistance and she was to duel with Kylo Ren. The plan was scuppered by Dave Filoni, however, as he felt her appearance would take away focus from the main characters of that show.
- Golden, Christie (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 400 Pages - 03/01/2016 (Publication Date) - Random House Worlds (Publisher)
