Warning: Spoilers for Episode 2 of Tales of the Jedi Ahead
Episode 2 of the six-episode Tales of the Jedi mini-series takes us away from Ahsoka and to Dooku back when he was still a knight of the Jedi Order. He and his padawan Qui-Gon Jinn have been sent to rescue a hostage senator’s son and quickly discover that everything is not as it seems. This episode provides us with a look at the Republic before The Phantom Menace and the corrupt systems that are in place.
This three-episode arc about Dooku gives us a closer look at his fall to the dark side and his path to the man we see in Attack of the Clones and beyond. Some of this story was already explored in the audiobook Dooku: Jedi Lost, by Cavan Scott, but it’s nice to fill in some of those remaining gaps. From the start we can tell Dooku is not the average Jedi. He has a certain world view and as the title implies, he intends to maintain justice.
What I really liked about this episode was just how deep it was able to delve into Dooku’s character. When he discovers the hostage situation is not what it appeared to be, he quickly changes tack and isn’t afraid to use darker methods to accomplish his goals. Justice is a very important concept for Dooku. No matter what the cost he wants to uphold it and through that, we can see the seeds being planted for his eventual fall to the dark side. Qui-Gon also gets his own moment to shine in this episode. He displays his loyalty to his master but he also shows he is not going to shy away from holding his ground. In stopping Dooku from killing the senator, he saves many lives and brings Dooku back from the edge of the abyss. We don’t see much of the bond between them in any other media, so it’s nice to take a look at that.
The corrupt system of the Republic also gets to take a front-row seat here. We see the direct effect of a poor government and it’s not hard to see why Dooku started the separatist movement in the first place. This second episode starts off what promises to be a deep and thought-provoking arc.
All six episodes of Tales of the Jedi are streaming now only on Disney+.