‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’ Review – Stories About Misfits Across the Galaxy
Tales of the Jedi gives us a peek behind the curtain of some very well-known stories from the galaxy far far away.
This week Tales of the Jedi landed on Disney+. The mini-series dropped all six episodes at once and followed two characters who both had very different fallings out with the Jedi Order. Star Wars has had uniquely high-quality animated shows, especially compared to some live-action offerings. The bar for this show was high; so how did it stack up to our previous favorites? Honestly, really well.
The Good
I didn’t know what to expect coming into this show. We knew that it would be a short series focusing on Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku, but that was about it. But if you’ve been watching the animated shows for at least a little while and you’re familiar with Dave Filoni’s work, you may have thought, like I did, that that is enough.
Tales of the Jedi was just that. The six episodes that gave us brief glimpses into missions or training sessions throughout Dooku and Ahsoka’s respective Jedi careers. Interestingly both of these characters leave the Jedi Order, but each does so under many different circumstances. Through watching this though, it’s hard not to realize that their reasons are that different. The Order claims to stand for peace and justice throughout the galaxy but instead acts like a private police force for the Senate and this leaves some Jedi feeling disillusioned and defeated. This is something that we get a sense of in other mediums, but in Tales of the Jedi Dooku more or less spells this out verbatim.
And if I’m being honest, this show made me like Dooku so much more. I got where he was coming from before, I understood why he made his choices and why he was something of a tragic character. But there are a few moments in this show where you fully empathize with him or even find yourself cheering his choices on. They may not be the “right” choices, but he’s not exactly wrong, either.
The Ahsoka scenes were equally poignant and delightful. But that’s less of a surprise. Most of us already love Ahsoka. She’s the basic pumpkin spice of Star Wars- and this isn’t a bad thing in my opinion. She’s universally popular because she’s great. But we expect her scenes to be likable and good… and they are.
Tales of the Jedi spends four of its six episodes filling in blanks in the timeline. Two take place well before the event of The Phantom Menace, but the rest take place within the climatic timeline. As fans, we know precisely what happened before and after these scenes. And in many cases, we’re looking at things from a slightly different angle or getting a peek behind the curtain. For example, one scene involves Anakin Skywalker training Ahsoka to defend specifically against clones. Neither realizes it will be a skill that will save her life in just a few years, but we as the audience know and it makes a fun and exciting episode with just a little melancholy around the edges.
The Bad
I had a hard time finding faults in Tales of the Jedi. It’s a project that set out with a specific goal, met that goal beautifully, and then wrapped it up. The episodes were short and there wasn’t a wasted moment or line, the scenes actually added substance to the lore, and the animation was familiar and comforting if you know the previous animated shows.
And that may be where the problem is. You need to be a Star Wars fan to enjoy this show. In fact, you may need to be pretty deep in the sarlacc pit for this one. My parents enjoy the heck out of Mandalorian and Andor, but I don’t think they’d appreciate Tales of the Jedi. A more casual fan just isn’t going to get the whole experience. While The Mandalorian can be enjoyed by anybody who’s seen a handful of Star Wars movies with very little background explanation needed, Tales of the Jedi almost requires you to have watched The Clone Wars and maybe even read Ahsoka (E. K. Johnston) and Jedi Lost (Cavan Scott) for the full experience. That said, I don’t think a more casual fan would necessarily sit down to watch this, I know my parents won’t be.
This isn’t a bad thing, though. There’s nothing wrong with having a more casual interest in something; it doesn’t make somebody a bad or a fake fan. And the Star Wars shows have managed to map out these waters; both making content to appeal to a broad audience and content that will mostly only appeal to the most invested fans.
The Rating
I adored this show. I liked it so much I’ll probably be watching it again very soon. And it was so short, that the re-watch will take no time at all. Seeing more of Ahsoka’s training and Dooku’s history gave the previous shows and movies a little extra depth and gave me new things to emotionally connect with. It was well-written, well-made, and expertly timed. If you’ve been a long-time fan of Filoni’s work in Star Wars, you’ll probably like this. And if you’re not and Tales of the Jedi is your entry point, I can’t suggest enough checking out The Clone Wars and circling back here. The first season is rough, I know, but it’s worth pushing through it. And then it will be doubly worth it to fully appreciate all of the spin-off shows, like Tales of the Jedi.
