The Bad Batch: 5 Asajj Ventress Clone Wars episodes to watch before season 3

Somehow, Asajj Ventress has returned.

Despite sacrificing herself to save Jedi Quinlan Vos in the novel Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, Asajj appears in the trailer for The Bad Batch season 3, even though the series takes place after the events of Dark Disciple. There are already several theories about how Asajj has returned, including a resurrection via Nightsister magick, cloning on Mount Tantiss, or that she will appear via a flashback prior to her sacrifice.

Regardless of what the answer is, it is the perfect time to look at some of Asajj's most important stories in The Clone Wars television series to understand her journey before she makes her long-awaited return in The Bad Batch.

1. "Cloak of Darkness" (Season 1, Episode 9)

"Cloak of Darkness" is one of the first The Clone Wars episodes that captures how dangerous and formidable Asajj truly is. The episode opens with Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Master Luminara Unduli, and Republic forces transporting the captive Viceroy Nute Gunray to Coruscant so he can stand trial.

Count Dooku dispatches Asajj to prevent Gunray from staying in Republic custody. When she boards the Republic ship, she is absolutely ruthless as she slaughters clone soldiers, even decapitating one of them. Later in the episode, she impales someone else after they are no further use to her. Both Ahsoka and even Jedi Master Unduli are no match for Asajj and are fortunate to survive.

This may be the best episode showing Asajj in her prime as a Sith assassin faithfully serving Dooku and being successful in her mission as she escapes with Gunray and kills anyone who gets in her way or who she no longer deems as useful.

2. "Nightsisters" (Season 3, Episode 12)

"Nightsisters" is where Asajj's story heads in a different direction, ultimately making her a more nuanced character. Concerned about Asajj's growing power, Darth Sidious commands Count Dooku to eliminate Asajj. Dooku obeys his master, but Asajj survives the assassination attempt.

She returns to Mother Talzin and her Nightsisters, returning to her roots, as she seeks vengeance against Dooku and even goes to Dooku's home to kill him. This marks a crucial turning point in Asajj's story as she embraces her identity as a Nightsister and fixates on destroying the Sith despite being their trusted assassin.

There are also flashbacks in the episode that reveal new information about Asajj's past and put her in a more tragic light, such as how she was taken from her home when she was a young child and how she trained as a Jedi before tragically losing her Jedi Master.

3. "Massacre" (Season 4, Episode 19)

"Massacre" begins with Asajj rejoining the Nightsisters and becoming a full-fledged member of their order. Unfortunately, this development is short-lived as Count Dooku sends General Grievous and an army of Separatist droids to Dathomir, intent on destroying the Nightsisters after their betrayals and attempts to kill him.

Asajj valiantly helps lead the Nighsisters and their army of the dead in the battle against Grievous and his droids. She bests Grievious in one-on-one combat, yet this isn't enough to save Dathomir due to the overwhelming numbers of the droid army as they massacre the Nightsisters. Any hope of survival is lost when Grievous kills Old Daka, the Nightsister whose magick is controlling the army of the dead, and without them, the rest of the Nightsisters are butchered.

While Asajj survives the massacre, she has now lost her people and is once again left feeling alone, this time more uncertain than ever about what to do with her future.

4. "Bounty" (Season 4, Episode 20)

As the title suggests, "Bounty" finds Asajj getting involved in bounty hunting. She works alongside several familiar bounty hunters, including Bossk, Dengar, and a young Boba Fett. They have been hired to protect a large chest from a band of raiders, whose contents are a mystery to Asajj.

When Asajj learns that the chest contains a captive young woman being delivered to a tyrant she is being forced to marry, Asajj reconsiders whether she will do her part in carrying out the mission. What Asajj decides shows that despite all of the horrific things she has done, she is now developing more of a moral code, and there are certain lines she is unwilling to cross. Her decision also shows her cleverness and how she can still take matters into her own hands and be the victor, even with everything she's lost.

For The Bad Batch season 3, this episode could also prove to be significant because of Asajj's history with Boba Fett and her decision to double-cross, outsmart, and humiliate him. While the bounty hunter is not confirmed to be in The Bad Batch season 3, his clone sister Omega and many of his clone brothers will be in the season. Her experience with Boba may influence Asajj's perception of them.

5. "To Catch A Jedi" (Season 5, Episode 19) & "The Wrong Jedi" (Season 5, Episode 20)

"To Catch A Jedi" and "The Wrong Jedi" mark Asajj's final appearances in The Clone Wars. When Ahsoka Tano is framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and the murder of numerous clone soldiers, a bounty is put on her, and Asajj is only too eager to collect it.

Initially, Ahsoka thinks that Asajj may have framed her but quickly realizes she is mistaken. Ahsoka and Asajj unexpectedly end up working together and even find common ground, two individuals who feel abandoned by their mentors and betrayed by the orders they served. When confronted by clones, Asajj even makes a point of not killing any of them to prove she is on Ahsoka's side.

When Ahsoka is captured and put on trial for her supposed crimes, it is only because of information that Anakin Skywalker gets from Asajj that he realizes that Barriss Offee is the true culprit, ensuring that Ahsoka is proven innocent.

This was not intended to be Asajj's final appearance in The Clone Wars because Dark Disciple was originally going to be an extensive arc in the final seasons. Yet, "To Catch A Jedi" and "The Wrong Jedi" do provide a fitting temporary conclusion for Asajj, demonstrating how much she has changed from being a Sith assassin while also showing she still has room to grow further.

Just as Asajj's team-up with Ahsoka felt unexpected at the time, fans should expect some unexpected team-ups between Asajj and other characters in The Bad Batch season 3.