“Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” is set before Luke Skywalker arrives to destroy the Death Star. Its tale is of a lone, rebellious Jedi. Shown is Jedi Cal Kestis on a zipline. (Lucasfilm/Respawn/Electronic Arts/TNS
If “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” is an anthology series about the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, then the saga’s new “Tales of the Jedi” serves as an anthology series of “The Clone Wars” itself — focusing on the moments behind moments, like when Count Dooku clears Kamino from the archives memories, and what Ahsoka Tano did after escaping Order 66.
Divided into two trilogies, the six-episode miniseries explores three unique moments in the lives of characters Dooku and Ahsoka, sometimes intertwining with events from the movies and TV shows.
Dooku’s arc is perhaps the more interesting of the two. At first, he is portrayed as a misunderstood idealist who saw himself — and later the Sith — as a necessary evil to eradicate the galaxy of corruption. Indeed, this is roughly the same angle Matthew Stover took in his 2005 novelization of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.”
These Dooku episodes are the farthest back in time seen on screen within the “Star Wars” universe — set several years before the prequel trilogy — and it‘s immediately noticeable as conflict and galactic decay occur in the periphery, and the Jedi are primarily peacekeepers, not military generals.
Dooku’s first conflict is with a corrupt senator who ignored his people in favor of a more lavish lifestyle. His apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, arrives with him and snaps Dooku out of his anger right before he crosses the line. The bond between the two is obvious, and one wonders what could have happened if Jinnhad survived.
The second episode finds Dooku on a mission with Mace Windu despite them being on opposite sides of the same ideology. Dooku holds in himself a hubris for galactic peace on his own terms, while Windu is more indoctrinated and would rather find peace by following the Senate and the Council.
By the end of the second episode, Dooku has become disillusioned with the principles of the Jedi Council and Galactic Republic, and the show asks if Dooku, in his early criticisms, could have been right.
When the third episode, titled “The Sith Lord,” starts, Dooku is already serving Darth Sidious from within the Jedi Order. Titled, “The Sith Lord,” the episode is the highlight of the series as Dooku’s story intertwines with “The Phantom Menace.” When conflict is finally brought to the forefront of the Jedi, Dooku has already dug himself too deep and is torn between what he wants to do and what he has to do to get there. Sidious manipulates Dooku’s own hubris against him, urging him to give into his anguish and anger. Dooku must choose, and thanks to the prequel trilogy, we already know what he decides.
It is a story of how and why a Jedi, who sought only good, could fall so far. One that eerily physically and metaphorically parallels Anakin’s own fall to the darkside 13 years later. Alas, the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
While the Dooku trilogy may contain more emotion than Ahsoka’s, the latter contains more heart.
Ahsoka is a toddler in her first episode, and it feels like a Studio Ghibli film set in space. Blue-green forests cascade down mountains, amber-glowing lanterns are strung outside stone huts and the villagers don’t disrupt nature — they live in harmony with it. Every scene is filled with palpable love for its main character and her life. It’s a corner of the galaxy you won’t want to leave, partly because of Kevin Kiner, who returns to score this series and whose work has rarely been better.
Ahsoka’s second episode is short but sweet, a sketch that demonstrates Anakin Skywalker’s passion for his padawan and his fear of losing the people he loves. It is only fitting that Ahsoka saves herself during Order 66 because Anakin forced her to survive an onslaught of clones for practice; and it begs the question: what went through Darth Vader’s head when he picked up her lightsaber in “The Clone Wars” finale? Was a part of him hoping she survived and that his practice made her perfect?
The third episode, “Resolve,” is the least interesting and was done better in the “Ahsoka” book by E.K. Johnston. Howeverwe do see her briefly cross paths with an inquisitor on screen.
In the end, “Tales of the Jedi” is a concise and mostly interesting exploration of stories that adds depth to the moments behind moments. It is a format I hope Lucasfilm returns to again.
Rating: 4/5
