26th October sees the one year anniversary of the anthology series Tales of the Jedi. Sadly for this series it seems to have been largely left behind. When it made its debut last year, all six episodes were released on the same day as episode eight of Andor titled ‘Narkina 5’ and we all know how popular that story arc turned out to be.
Right from the off when I watched Tales of the Jedi the release just didn’t make sense. There was no room for this mini-series to have its moment in the spotlight. No hype or anticipation. Admittedly, no one knew what to expect but what we got in the end was nothing short of A+ Star Wars. Andor wrapped up season one by mid-November so why couldn’t this show have had a Christmas release to really break it all up? A second season was announced by Dave Filoni at this year’s Celebration so let’s hope their scheduling can be a little wiser.
On the infamous Rotten Tomatoes, the show is actually one of the most critically lauded Star Wars entries to date, up there with Andor, The Clone Wars and The Mandolorian. The audience score stands at 93% while the TOMATOMETER stands at 100% and it’s genuinely easy to see why. This actually makes the show the highest ranked of all Star Wars entries. The six-epiodes total no more than 90 minutes of viewing time with essentially two story threads; Ahsoka and Count Dooku. There’s an argument to be made that aside from Lucas himself, no one knows these Clone Wars-era characters better than Dave Filoni. He did, after all, spend a decade of his life with them.
The series kicks off with ‘Life and Death’ which shows the very early beginnings of Ahsoka Tano and her clan’s realisation that she is force sensitive and destined to be a Jedi. There’s very little dialogue in this episode and not much is needed. Visually its gorgeous to look at and the character of Ahsoka remains as engaging as ever, even as a baby. We return to Ahsoka’s story for episode 5 (2-4 covers Count Dooku – more of which later) and we join her at vastly different stages of her life. ‘Practise Makes Perfect’ shows Anakin’s teachings to Ahsoka after he is frustrated with the ‘all-too-simple’ battle simulation against Battle Droids. Anakin puts Ahsoka through drills with Clone Troopers and through a montage we see that Ahsoka becomes more and more adept against the 501st Legion. Is this fate or simple luck that Anakin did this for his apprentice? One could argue fate as at the end of THE CLONE WARS this training is what would save Ahsoka’s life when Order 66 is executed.
The series ends with the simply brilliant episode entitled; ‘Resolve’. We open at the funeral of Padme Amidala and whilst attending the solemn occasion, Bail Organa spots a familiar face in the crowd – Ahsoka. They meet under the cover of moonlight before Ahsoka must make a speedy exit. As we flash forward, we find Ahsoka on a farm where she, like most of the other hiding Jedi, is living a simple life. This is turned upside down when she makes use of her force ablities and is outted as a Jedi. After being reported to the Empire, an Iquisitor tracks down Ahsoka and submits her into confrontation. This episode ends with Bail Organa recruiting Ahsoka to join the rebel cells that are rising up across the galaxy. This, of course, plays beautifully into Rebels where Ahsoka is revealed to be FULCRUM.
This episode is superbly executed with dense character development and genuine tension whilst showcasing the everyday citizens of Star Wars and how they see the Empire and the fallen Jedi Order. The score by Kevin Kiner is once again a joy to hear and he knows these characters just like Filoni and the voice cast. The wonderful thing here is that the show leaves you wanting more. They serve a vignettes to the larger story. An interlude to chapters of a book and they showcase what people can do when given creative freedom and are at the top of their game. The animation is on par with Season 7 of The Clone Wars and especially the colour pallet when Ahsoka verses the Inquisitor against the fire is something to behold.
As solid as these episodes are they are nothing compared to magnificence of Count Dooku’s three-episode showcase. These begin with ‘Justice’ where Count Dooku and his young apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn, voiced by Michael Richardson – son of a certain Mr Neeson, are sent to a moody and depressed village to help Senator Dagonet’s kidnapped son. Throughout this episode we can clearly see that Dooku does not reside totally in the light of the Jedi. His anger, frustration and future dark side leanings are clear to see. It’s obvious whilst watching this episode where Qui-Gon learnt his maverick ways but Qui-Gon knew light from dark and right from wrong. Qui-Gon’s compassion and understanding of the living and cosmic force is what put him at the epicentre of the galaxy’s events surrounding The Chosen One. The next episode, ‘Choices’, displayed how Count Dooku clashed with Mace Widu and the seeds of his frustration are truly sown. Once again, it’s thrilling to see this play out and makes me wish we had a full mini-series focusing on Dooku’s fall from the Order and characters we know so well like Mace Windu gain a more complicated arc.
The stand-out episode of the entire series remains episode 5; ‘The Sith Lord’. We are placed right at the events of The Phantom Menace and one of the highlights here is that Liam Neeson returned to voice Qui-Gon Jinn in his final days. Dooku is pensive right from the off in this episode and when we find him underneath the tree at the Jedi Temple he is clearly in aguish and despair over the loss of his former Padawan and friend. It’s fascinating to see this emotional side of a soon-to-be-villain and it’s something that makes him more human and more grey in terms of his choices. Dooku is deeply delusioned with the Jedi and their increasing involvement with galactic affairs and is now at a crossroads. The simplest option for him would have been to walk away like Ahsoka but of course Dooku’s strings have been pulled by his puppet master and his turn to the dark side is now inevitable. The confrontation that takes place between Dooku and Yaddle is nothing short of tragic and breathtaking all at the same time. Dooku’s blind rage is evident to see and the raw emotion that Yaddle displays is heartbreaking as she tries to save his clouded soul. This is what this series has done best. On a viewing of Attack of the Clones recently one can’t help but let images seep into your mind of Dooku’s past actions and this is where shows like this really serve the saga well.
So, come on Lucasfilm. Give this series its just credits and next time make more of fuss about it. The second series is scheduled for some time in 2024 but with recent strikes delaying everything no concrete date has been penned. The possibilities are endless with this sort of anthology show too. How about a series titled Tales of the Sith? We could jump between the original and sequel trilogies, perhaps see more of Sidious or Maul during his training or we could even delve back into the times of Revan or Malgus during the times of THE OLD REPUBLIC.
And so, if it’s been while since you’ve watched this minor masterpiece – do yourself a favour and settle in on a rainy night and do what we all love to do most…watch some excellent Star Wars.
- Hardcover Book
- DK (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 144 Pages - 12/05/2023 (Publication Date) - DK (Publisher)
