We have more Star Wars to look forward to on May the Fourth this year, as Star Wars announced its return to animation with another chapter in the Tales anthology series. Fans had guessed correctly that the series would focus on bounty hunters next, after focusing on the lives of two Jedi, followed by two who worked for the Empire.
I'm thrilled to see more of Asajj Ventress, as she's been my favorite since The Clone Wars. The Bad Batch Season 3 brought her back and teased the possibility of her training Omega, but Tales of the Underworld seems to confirm that she will have a Padawan of her own. A young Padawan with a blue lightsaber is introduced in the trailer.
Ventress tells him about her past working as an assassin for Count Dooku. This was during the Clone Wars before Ventress left the dark side and changed her ways, and the change is what makes her such a powerful character. We know Star Wars has done redemption before, and they've done it well. Most recently, The Bad Batch Season 3 did a brilliant job of showing Crosshair's redemption.
Ventress is important as a Force-sensitive character who left the dark side, which Yoda believed was impossible. In Yoda's words, "Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will." She proved Yoda wrong, and I wonder what he would've thought of her. She has cleaned up her ways so well that she's ready to train a Padawan.
There's also Cad Bane, who I'm a bit unsure about. I think The Clone Wars handled Cad Bane the best, and his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett left something to be desired. His return in Tales of the Underworld could offer a chance to show unfinished arcs focused on him from The Clone Wars. The series could reveal how Cad Bane ended up on a shady path. Also, did anyone else catch a glimpse of an adorable baby Cad Bane?
My only gripe with the latest installment of the Tales anthology is that it won't focus on someone like Baylan Skoll or Shin Hati. With Ahsoka Season 2 coming up next year, I think a series focused on their backstories would've added much-needed context to these characters, so I was expecting a "Tales of the Jedi Part 2." I am a bit biased since I prefer Tales of the Jedi over Tales of the Empire, so I was secretly hoping for more Jedi tales.
Nevertheless, the voice of Ventress Nika Futterman already teased more stories featuring Count Dooku's old apprentice in the works, so this isn't too big a surprise. I'm excited to see what Tales of the Underworld means for Asajj Ventress and Cade Bane and what direction they will take by the end of the series.
Tales of the Underworld streams May 4th on Disney+.