Created by Dave Filoni, Tales of the Jedi is an animated anthology series featuring Jedi in the prequel era of Star Wars. The six episodes are split into two “paths”: the first following Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) across various points in her life, and the other depicting a young Count Dooku (Corey Burton) before his fall to the dark side of the Force.
Anything in Star Wars that has Dave Filoni heavily involved will always be an instant win for me as he knows how to deliver really great stories in this universe, whether it be animated or live-action. So there was no way I was going to miss out on this short series, especially when it revolves around two characters of great importance. I am happy to say Tales of the Jedi is another beautifully crafted and masterfully written animated series. These shorts fill in various gaps within the prequel era of Star Wars while simultaneously offering great stories on their own. Since this is an anthology series I will be going over every short individually without going into major spoilers.
The first episode titled “Life and Death” focuses on the birth and toddler life of Ahsoka Tano, as well as her first awakening with the Force. It’s a small but beautiful early origin tale of a beloved character that also gives us an inside look at her people and culture before she was taken to the Jedi Academy. This episode heavily relies on visual storytelling rather than dialogue and it’s handled perfectly. It’s simple and straight to the point with no need for heavy exposition. This episode also gives a first glimpse at the gorgeous animation the series has throughout, showing incredible textures and popping colors that immediately have you absorbed into everything onscreen.
On top of that, we also get a very Japanese-themed score from composer Kevin Kiner that elevates the visual storytelling of this episode and carries it again without the need for dialogue. A really strong, beautiful start for the series.
The second episode titled “Justice” introduces us to a younger Count Dooku and Qui Gon Jin (Micheál Richardson) who are attempting to free a hostage but soon find out things are not what they seem. This episode takes a darker turn from the previous one as we get to see firsthand what Dooku was like in his early days, as well as witness the beginning of his turn to the dark side based on some interesting motives.
This short highlights how, even before the Clone Wars, the state of Republic rule on other worlds wasn’t as perfect or peaceful as many believed. While the animation of the previous episode was full of color and life this one was devoid of both, matching the darker tone and mood of the episode and giving it a somewhat medieval theme that I found to be really interesting.
The score once again really carries the episode along with some strong voice work by Corey Burton as Dooku who gives weight to the younger version of a character who is being tempted on the dark path.
The third episode titled “Choices” continues to follow young Dooku who goes on an assignment with Mace Windu (TC Carson) to investigate the death of a fellow Jedi, leading them both to a conflict that shakes Dooku’s faith in the Republic senate and the Jedi Order. This episode gives a deeper look into the motives and psyche of Dooku who begins to distance himself from the Jedi way. Even though we know the path he is choosing is bad I can understand now what pushed him to take that path. Like Anakin, his motives are not necessarily ill-intentioned and further shows the Jedi Order in the prequel was truly flawed in many ways.
This episode also had solidly animated action that was smooth, efficient, and intense, much like the best action scenes of Clone Wars. We also have very beautiful cinematography in this episode that oozed with beauty and made me forget I was watching animation at times.
The fourth episode titled “The Sith Lord” shows the true fall of Dooku to the dark side as he gives up the ways of the Jedi once and for all. This episode fills in many gaps that give context for the events of the films, as well as culminating Dooku’s turn in a heartbreaking yet masterful way. This was by far the most shocking and emotional episode that really showed how things could have been had certain events gone differently.
This episode features a strong voice performance by Corey Burton as Dooku but also a very surprising performance from Bryce Dallas Howard as Yaddle, making an official return to mainstream Star Wars. One of the darkest episodes by far that really brings Dooku’s story full circle and was crafted perfectly.
The fifth episode titled “Practice Makes Perfect” returns the focus to Ahsoka in her early years of intense training under Anakin (Matt Lanter). This episode felt largely like a missing filler episode of the Clone Wars that shows how Anakin really prepared Ahsoka for future fights better than any Jedi could, saving her life in future events. Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lanter reprise their roles perfectly as if they never left, giving us a great time with the pair that further enhances their relationship across the franchise and truly shows how much Ahsoka has grown as a character thanks to Anakin’s teachings. Not the strongest of the episodes but definitely still a good one.
The sixth and final episode titled “Resolve” follows Ahsoka after the events of Clone Wars Season 7 where she has gone into hiding until an inquisitor finds her. This short series ends on a banger that serves as a short epilogue chapter for Ahsoka, showing where she was in the direct aftermath of certain events and what leads her to begin the fight against the Empire. Once again it’s a really well written, well acted, and gorgeously animated episode, a great spotlight on the character of Ahsoka, and offers another sort of closure to her Clone Wars story.
Tales of the Jedi overall is a damn good anthology series that is consistently great in every episode, as well as beautifully crafted even for a short series. This offers the opportunity to explore other characters in shorts like this and I would honestly love to see more that address certain events or expand other characters, whether it be during the prequel era or even other eras entirely. Another fantastic series delivered by Dave Filoni. I’m going to give Tales of the Jedi an A+ = 100.
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