High-Octane
Summary
Tales of the Jedi is everything a Clone Wars fan could want filling in some of the backstory to characters and events that were never previously explained but it also has plenty of lightsaber battles and the return of Liam Neeson is also a welcome addition. It’s too bad it’s all over so quickly so here’s hoping we get a few more seasons.
Plot: “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” is an anthology of six all-new animated shorts produced by Lucasfilm Animation and created by Dave Filoni (“Star Wars: The Clone Wars,” “Star Wars Rebels”). Based on Star Wars and characters created by George Lucas, the series is set during the prequel era and spotlights important moments in the lives of fan-favorite characters Ahsoka Tano and Jedi-turned-Sith Lord Count Dooku as they embark on respective paths toward heroism and villainy. “Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi” features the voices of Ashley Eckstein as Ahsoka Tano; Corey Burton as Count Dooku; Janina Gavankar as Ahsoka’s mother, Pav-ti; Micheal Richardson as young Qui-Gon Jinn; TC Carson as Mace Windu; Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious; Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn; Phil Lamarr as Bail Organa; Clancy Brown as Inquisitor; Matt Lanter as Anakin Skywalker; and James Arnold Taylor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Dave Filoni is the creator, supervising director, executive producer, and writer of five of the six shorts: “Life and Death”; “Justice”; “The Sith Lord”; “Practice Makes Perfect”; and “Coda.” Charles Murray and Élan Murray are the writers of “Choices.” Nathaniel Villanueva directs “Life and Death”; Charles Murray directs “Choices”; Saul Ruiz directs “Justice”; “The Sith Lord”; “Practice Makes Perfect”; and “Coda.” In addition to Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo and Carrie Beck are executive producers; Alex Spotswood and Josh Rimes are producers.
Review: Watching Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi reminded me of how much I loved The Clone Wars series and makes me want to watch it all over again. Although it’s only 6 short episodes Tales of the Jedi fills in some of the blanks from the prequel era including what motivated Dooku to turn to the Dark Side as well as Ahsoka’s rise through the Jedi Order.
If you’re a prequel fan then this will feel like classic Star Wars as it features lightsaber battles, Liam Neeson returning as Qui-Gon and an epic version of the Force theme during the best episode entitled The Sith Lord. I always wondered what happened to the character of Yaddle who we saw in The Phantom Menace but then she disappeared… well, this answers it and explains why we didn’t see her again.
It’s funny how Ahsoka started out as a rather annoying character when she was first introduced in The Clone Wars but she has since grown to become one of the most beloved in Star Wars. If you’ve read the novel Ahsoka then you’ll love this series and that’s all I’ll say on the matter. It’s hard to discuss anything without spoilers but everything I’ve mentioned is in the trailers so I’ve not ruined any major surprises.
It’s great to hear some familiar Star Wars musical themes again as it’s been a while as Andor has been doing its own thing.
The only complaint I have is that Tales of the Jedi leaves you wanting so much more as the 6 episodes go by so quickly; I hope we get another season or two as revisiting that era feels like returning to old friends. Although the original trilogy are still the best Star Wars films I do love the prequel era as it expanded the universe in so many ways and there are an endless amount of stories that could still be told.
Overall, Tales of the Jedi may be over too quickly but it feels like classic Star Wars and having lightsaber battles, Qui-Gon and Dooku’s younger days and filling in some of the blanks makes it an easy watch so Prequel fans especially will love it. More please.