Tales of the Jedi, the new Star Wars animated series on Disney+, dives into the stories of two Jedi almost reflective of each other. The series tells a tale woven in duality from its very start to the end. And interestingly enough, the story takes place within the same Jedi family. All of these tales are connected through a similar thread of the force that connects all these Jedi but, at the same time, inflicts upon them all unique trials, ones that will shatter the very foundations of the Jedi Temple.
Tales of the Jedi focuses on two Jedi: Ahsoka and Count Dooku. Both have unique journeys through the force, and the audience sees key developmental stages in both. In Ahsoka, we see her birth, training, and first serious lightsaber battle. In Count Dooku, we are introduced to him as Qui-Gon Jinn’s Jedi master, but we watch as each key moment slowly changes his sensibilities and draws him down to justify a darker path through the force.
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Tales of the Jedi takes us back farther in time than any Star Wars series has before as we journey beyond the realm of morality and face the decisions that shape our favorite Jedi.
Ahsoka’s Beginnings as a Young Jedi
Disney+
As Tales of the Jedi works well with its theme of duality, it begins with a vignette called “Life and Death,” in which we see Ahsoka’s birth. This is the very first time we’ve got a look at Ahsoka’s infancy and when she might have been discovered to be a Jedi. Ahsoka’s father comes running out in the middle of the night to proclaim in his native language that his baby has just been born. Then we fast-forward a few days to see her mother taking the young Ahsoka out on a ceremonial hunt.
While out in the woods, she carries Ahsoka in her front so she can experience the hunt in first person. Her mother gives her some lessons about life and death and how both are to be respected. While she kneels, trimming a recent kill, a giant saber-toothed tiger sneaks up behind and attacks. When the villagers come to help, the tiger grabs Ahsoka and takes off. As her mother sits back in the village and weeps, Ahsoka returns, riding the very tiger that took her away. It is now that the village elder reasons that “Ahsoka is Jedi.”
In her next episode, we take a quick look at her training with Anakin. As one would expect, it’s unnecessarily difficult. Anakin takes his padawan from fighting drones into fighting a group of clone troopers that shot stun blasts at her. Every time she fails, he demands she get up and try “Again.” But one wonders whether this is a productive method of training or merely Anakin being a touch sadistic.
In her final episode, we see her fight a Sith Inquisitor. She confronts this spooky-looking beast in a village surrounded by flames. We are now in the age after Order 66, and the inquisitors are out looking for Jedi. Ahsoka doesn’t know it, but each inquisitor is trained by Darth Vader, her old master. So, whoever this person is, they’ve been sent here specifically to find Ahsoka. The lightsaber battle is short but definitive, and it isn’t stated, but the Khyber crystals from this inquisitor’s dual lightsaber are what Ahsoka will take to make her own grey lightsabers.
Count Dooku’s Story Takes Us Far Back in Star Wars History
Count Dooku’s story begins with a young Qui-Gon Jinn settling a dispute between poor villagers and the rich and corrupt senator who is supposed to be representing them. Dooku does the natural Jedi thing and goes to defend the villagers. We notice his lightsaber blade is still blue at this point.
This time we might even see the very first force choke Dooku uses to punish a person. With this story starring young Qui-Gon Jinn, it’s also chronologically the farthest back we’ve seen in the Star Wars timeline.
Next, we see Count Dooku go to investigate the death of a Jedi master along with Mace Windu. Again, where Ahsoka’s story was about facing death and worshiping life, Dooku, when trying to find justice, seems to be more acquiescent to death. But as they investigate this accident, they discover it was actually a murder plotted by the locals. This hate of the Jedi in defense of the Republic only further strengthens Dooku’s resolve that his teachings may not be right.
In Count Dooku’s final episode, we see him erase Kamino from the Jedi archives, a plot point that will come up in Attack of the Clones. From how one Jedi mentions that Qui-Gon had a run-in with a Sith, this episode occurs around the time of The Phantom Menace. Indeed, later in the episode, after Qui-Gon leaves, one of the other Jedi masters, Yaddle, tells Dooku that the council is leaving for Naboo to participate in Qui-Gon’s funeral.
But, before any of this can happen, Dooku meets with his Sith Lord, who is also Emperor Palpatine, demonstrating his full commitment to the dark side. Here Yaddle almost reveals their entire dark plot, but Dooku kills her before she can escape.
Tales of the Jedi is now streaming on Disney+.
