Review: Tales of The Jedi

Erika Lewis

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Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi! Read with caution!

 

Star Wars fans were thrilled on October 26, 2022, when Tales of the Jedi started streaming on Disney+. Tales of the Jedi consisted of six short episodes, three of which cover Ahsoka Tano, and the other three covering Count Dooku. The length of each episode varied anywhere from 13 minutes to 19 minutes. 

Now, I could just go through and give a summary of how each episode went, but I decided to also give my ranking of all the episodes. I do think that all of them were absolutely stunning but there were definitely some that I preferred over others. Please remember though that all of these are my own personal opinions and you’re able to have your own opinion. 

 

  1. Justice

Justice is the second episode in the series and it follows a young Count Dooku and his apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn. They went to a small town in search of Senator Dagonet’s son (we never get his name) who had been kidnapped. When they arrive, they find a very run down village with the streets being completely deserted. The Jedi master and apprentice then make their way to the cantina where they find several people. After talking with a couple they come to realize that most of the residents of the town were the kidnappers. 

Dooku and Qui-Gon are escorted to where the Senator’s son is being held and they find the young man to be in good health. His only problem is that he cannot believe that his father was allowing people to be living like this. Suddenly, they are informed that Senator Dagonet and some of his men arrived. Dooku and Qui-Gon hurry outside and try to negotiate peace. However, that doesn’t work and Dagonet’s men, and Dagonet himself, start shooting. Obviously, the village people fire back and the Jedi find themselves in a crossfire. 

After Dooku has had enough, we start to see a glimpse into his fall to the darkside. He starts force-choking the Senator. Realizing that something has to be done, Qui-Gon runs inside and frees Dagonet’s son. Dooku only stops using the force choke when the son begs him to stop. The episode ends with Dagonet reassuring Dooku and Qui-Gon that he will bring an end to his people’s suffering. 

 

Of all the episodes in the show, this was definitely the one that falls in last place. It’s not because it was particularly bad, in fact it was rather enjoyable, it’s simply because I like all of the other episodes a little more. 

 

  1. Choices

Choices is the third episode in the short series. This episode also centers around Count Dooku but it takes place a few years after the previous episode. In this episode, Dooku and Mace Windu make their way to the planet Raxtus to pick up the body of the recently deceased Jedi Master Katri. Even though they were told to just get the body, Dooku is intent on figuring out how a Jedi was killed and not the Senator that she was trying to protect. 

When they arrive at the planet, Dooku asks that he and Windu are taken to the place where Katri was killed so he can try and solve her murder. When they arrive, Dooku starts looking around and eventually comes to the conclusion that whoever killed Katri was standing with the ship. It’s then revealed the Senator’s guards are the murderers. The guards then shoot the senator causing Dooku and Windu to immediately jump into action to avoid being killed themselves. Eventually they kill all but one of the guards and demand to know why he did what he did. The guard then tells them, the Senator was corrupt and he cannot trust the Jedi because they’re the “senate’s lapdogs”.

The episode ends with Master Katri’s funeral and then Dooku speaking with Windu. He seems a little more than upset that Mace Windu was given Katri’s seat on the council. Mace tells Dooku maybe he would have gotten it, if he had used a more peaceful solution. Windu tells Dooku, “we are keepers of the peace, not soldiers”. Dooku responds by asking him if peace will really continue if the Jedi continue to take everything the senate says as law. Mace then concludes the episode by saying that the Jedi council, in the end, makes their own decisions and choices. 

 

This episode was again, absolutely amazing. I really enjoyed seeing what specific things led to Dooku losing trust in the Jedi order. I also thought that what Mace Windu said at the end was rather ironic because of what happens to the character Ahsoka Tano in the Clone Wars. The council expelled her because the senate told them to therefore go against what Windu believed. Like I mentioned, this chapter was very enjoyable and well written. The only reason it fell so low was because, similar to the previous episode, I just like the other episodes more. 

 

  1. Resolve

Resolve is the sixth and final episode in the series of shorts. This episode starts with Padme Amidala’s funeral which we also saw in Revenge of the Sith. We have a chance to see that Ahsoka Tano attended it to give one last goodbye to her friend and motherly figure. Bail Organa then spots Ahsoka in the crowd and follows her so that he can talk with her. He asks why she risked everything to come to the funeral and she explains it’s because Padme was her friend. Bail then tells her that if she ever wants to get back into the fight against the Empire, Ahsoka should contact him. 

Skip to about a year later, we see Ahsoka working on a farm that’s part of a small world. Things seem to be running smoothly until some bails of hay almost fall on one of the farmers. Ahsoka uses the force to save her and assumes nobody saw. Unfortunately, the girl that was almost squashed did see her and is curious to find out more. Evening rolls around and the farmer girl approaches Ahsoka and brings it up. Of course, Ahsoka denies it, but the farmer girl’s brother overhears. 

  The next day Ahsoka and the farmer girl go to sell some of the harvest. When they come back at the end of the day they are shocked to find the village completely on fire with dead villagers everywhere. In the middle of the fire, though, there are two survivors and an inquisitor. The inquisitor is asking the farmer girl’s brother where the Jedi is and the brother keeps insisting she’ll be back. Growing tired, the inquisitor goes to kill the boy when Ahsoka uses the force to stop them. The inquisitor then goes to fight Ahsoka but quickly get’s his butt kicked. 

The episode ends with Ahsoka calling Bail to bring the three survivors somewhere safe, where they’ll be able to live. Organa asks Ahsoka if she’s ready to get back into the fight and she confirms that she finally is. 

 

Much like all the other shorts in the show, this episode was absolutely phenomenal. I especially enjoyed seeing Padme Amidala’s funeral in animation. Plus, knowing that Ahsoka was there makes it even sadder. I Absolutely enjoyed the beginning of the short because it was just so heartbreaking. I would say that this episode would be higher on the list but the only reason it rests at number four is because of the fact that the Ahsoka novel is no longer part of the Canon Universe. Although I still thought this episode was amazing, it did make me a little sad knowing that one of my all time favorite books was shown to no longer be canon. 

 

  1. The Sith Lord

The Sith Lord is episode four in Tales of the Jedi. This episode once again focuses on Count Dooku. The episode starts with Count Dooku entering where the Jedi keep all of their information. Using the code of his old, now dead, friend Sifo-Dyas Dooku deleted Kamino from the archives. He then exits the room he was in to find a group of Jedi chattering and he asks what’s causing all the fuss. He learns that his old padawan, Qui-Gon, reported encountering a Sith Lord. 

Dooku then seeks out Qui-Gon and finds him speaking with Jedi Master Yaddle. He asks Qui-Gon about the Sith and Yaddle explains they don’t want to cause unnecessary worry among the Jedi. The next scene has Yaddle approaching Dooku to tell him that the council will be making their way to Naboo for Qui-Gon’s funeral. Dooku says that he won’t go and then walks away. 

We then see Dooku getting into his ship and leaving with Yaddle, following him close behind. Dooku makes his way down to the lower levels of Coruscant where he meets with Darth Sidious and asks him if it was really necessary for Qui-Gon to die. Yaddle then reveals herself and begs Dooku not to go down this path while SIdious is telling Dooku to kill Yaddle. Unfortunately, Dooku obeys Sidious and, after battling with Yaddle, kills her, completing his fall to the dark side. 

Once again, I absolutely loved this episode. I thought it was really insightful to have a chance to see the things that contributed to Dooku abandoning the Jedi and falling to the dark. I also thought that it was nice to finally get to know more about Yaddle. Before this, the only information we really knew about her came from the comics. In fact, after this episode, Yaddle has become probably one of my favorite members of the Jedi council. This episode only falls in slot three on this list because, just like all the other episodes, the final two I did like a little bit more. 

 

  1. Life and Death

Life and Death is the first episode in the show. The episode starts in a small Togruta village with an excited father, Nak-il, hurrying around telling everyone that his child was just born. That child turns out to be Ahsoka Tano. The episode then cuts to a year later with Ahsoka’s mother, Pav-ti, taking Ahsoka out for a ceremonial hunt. While leaving the pass the village elder, Gantika, wishes them good luck and safety. 

Ahsoka and Pav-ti make their way to the forest where we get to see Pav-ti being a wonderful mother. She explains to Ahsoka that everywhere there is life and it’s a wonderful thing. The two then reach a clearing with three deer-like creatures. Pav-ti kills one of them and she and Ahsoka go over to fully kill it. Ahsoka starts fussing over the death and Pav-ti tells her that she shouldn’t fear death. 

The episode goes to a little later with Pav-ti talking to Ahsoka and continuing to try and teach her things. Ahsoka then becomes curious about something behind Pav-ti and we learn that it’s a large sabertooth tiger-like creature. Pav-ti attempts to fend off the tiger and the people in the village come to her rescue. Unfortunately, as the tiger is fleeing it snatches Ahsoka.

Ahsoka is taken to the tiger’s den where the tiger starts to clean its wounds until Ahsoka sneezes. The tiger then starts approaching Ahsoka while licking its lips. As it goes to take a bite out of Ahsoka she rests a hand on its nose and it stops. Meanwhile, back at the village, a search party returns saying that they found no sign of the tiger. Nak-il declares he will not rest until they find it, when all the sudden they see it walking towards the village. Ahsoka is seen riding on top of it and Pav-ti quickly scoops her child into her arms. The tiger then leaves but Pav-ti and Nak-il are confused. Gantika then finishes the episode by explaining that Ahsoka is a Jedi. 

 

This was most certainly one of my all time favorite episodes. It was amazing getting a chance to see where Ahsoka came from and also seeing an adorable baby Ahsoka. I also thought it was really interesting the line Gantika says when she tells Ahsoka’s parents that “Ahsoka is Jedi”. I find it rather ironic because Ahsoka will later leave the Jedi behind and try to distance herself from the order as much as possible. Overall, this episode would probably have been in first had it not been for one other episode.

 

  1. Practice Makes Perfect

Practice Makes Perfect is the fifth episode in the six episode series. This episode starts with Ahsoka Tano practicing against some practice droids showing the Jedi masters how much she has been taught. Of course, she passes but Anakin is unimpressed. He thinks that the tests the Jedi have are too easy and won’t properly teach Ahsoka how to defend herself. It’s then when Anakin comes up with the idea that he will use the clones to train Ahsoka. 

Ahsoka comes to the hangar where Anakin is practicing and finds that she will have to block the shots that the clones fire at her. The first time she tries, she gets knocked out within seconds. However, as she continues practicing she gets better and better. After a while of training Ahsoka complains to Anakin that she doesn’t see why this is necessary. Anakin then explains that the best way he can protect her is by teaching her to protect herself. He also explained that if she can protect herself from the 501st, Anakin’s Battalion, she can protect herself from anything with a blaster 

The majority of the episode just focuses on her training and her improvement with it. It does however end with order 66 and Ahsoka and Rex preparing themselves to face the clones. Rex finishes the episode by saying “let’s hope all the training pays off”. 

 

This was definitely my favorite episode in the entire series. I really enjoyed being able to see Anakin, Ahsoka, Rex, Obi-Wan, and several other clones again. It definitely brought a bunch of feelings surging forward which I absolutely loved. I have probably seen this episode so many times and it never disappoints. One of my favorite things in Star Wars has always been Ahsoka and Anakin’s relationship and it was nice to see them together again.

 

All and all this show is one of my favorite things. I love seeing a more in depth look into Dooku and obviously I would never turn away new Ahsoka content. I would certainly recommend this show to anybody who was a fan of the Clone Wars TV show. I really am hoping that they decide to make a second season but whether they do or they don’t, may the force be with you!