Last October, Star Wars fans were treated to the surprise hit Tales of the Jedi. An animated series of six stories taking place in the decades before the Empire to its eventual rise. All of which of course, featured significant Jedi of that era.
Half of these episodes featured Jedi master turned Sith Lord, Count Dooku while the other half focused on Ahsoka Tano. The stories ranged significantly in what period of these Jedi’s lives were seen with Ahsoka’s stories taking place from shortly after her birth until after the end of the Clone Wars.
Dooku’s allowed us to see the old master as a true Jedi for the first time in animated splendor. Although this period of the Count’s life has been seen in books and comics, never before had we received more than a flashback of this mysterious era on screen which also gave us a glimpse at a young Qui-Gon Jinn, Dooku’s apprentice.
The animated show borrows its name from the excellent comic series of the mid 90’s by Tom Veitch taking place thousands of years before the original trilogy in the time even before the events of the Knights of the Old Republic games. Although no longer canon, they are an excellent read and are not to be missed.
Despite the series’ short length, its impact was staggering. The final season of The Clone Wars delivered exceptional depth and emotional impact, a trend which Tales of the Jedi doubled down on with certainty.
Fans were pleased to learn that the series will receive a second season in 2024. Details beyond this are forthcoming so for now we can just speculate. Seeing as the formula was a success, it is more than likely that the new season will follow the trend of the first and feature a small handful of notable Jedi who have had certain chapters of their lives shrouded in darkness up until this point.
Although the first season took place exclusively in the prequel era, this does not necessarily have to be the case for new additions. The possibilities really are endless. The life of the young Obi-Wan Kenobi has gained some attention recently in the form of last year’s novel by Kiersten White, Padawan featuring the young Kenobi in the years before The Phantom Menace. Seeing this period come to life would be a welcome addition to Star Wars animation.
Mace Windu or Yoda could also do with some attention in this regard. Windu’s past is relatively untouched in the new canon and Yoda, having been a Jedi master for centuries, carried tales ranging from the time before the High Republic era to the end of the Galactic Civil War.
Of course, to keep things fresh, the new series could also forgo the ‘double-feature’ trend and have a full series of one-off stories each focusing on a different Jedi. While this would certainly keep things fresh, a greater limitation on run time could mean losing some of the depth that season one achieved so well. Perhaps three sets of two-part episodes is the solution.
What are you wanting from a new season of Tales of the Jedi? Let us know in the comments below! For all things Star Wars, check out Dork Side of the Force!