This article contains spoilers for Tales of the Underworld episode 1, "A Way Forward."
One of the biggest mysteries of The Bad Batch Season 3 was how did Asajj Ventress come back to life after the events of Dark Disciple by Christie Golden, when she gave her life to save her love, Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. Now, we have an answer.
Let's recap everything you missed in Tales of the Underworld episode 1, "A Way Forward."
Tales of the Underworld episode 1, "A Way Forward," opens at the end of Dark Disciple with Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi returning Asajj Ventress' body to a burial pool on Dathomir. One of Quinlan's tears falls and lands in Ventress' hand, and he says, "I will always love you." With that, he lowers her body into the water.
Under the pool, a voice commands Ventress to "WAKE UP!" Her eyes immediately snap open. She sees Quinlan and Obi-Wan walk away. Bursting from the waves, she yells for her love to wait. But she is a spirit, and they can't hear her.
The voice, which is Mother Talzin from The Clone Wars, explains that Quinlan's love was a gift, presenting her with two paths. She can either stay with her fallen Nightsisters on Dathomir or she can return to the living. The cost is her heart's desire.
Ventress chooses life, pushing forward through the green mist and collapsing back onto the pool's path. Only, the once beautiful temple is now in ruins.
Ventress is alive once more.
We jump ahead years later, and Ventress is working a mundane job as security at the ticket booth for shuttles off a desert world. She's a bit overkill with some of the riders, much to her boss' dismay. The boss is impressed, though, and wants to monetize Ventress' bounty hunter skills. Ventress doesn't want that life anymore.
A teenage boy watches Ventress while on her break, following her into the ticket booth as some Imperial stormtroopers come by. He wants passage onto the next shuttle but doesn't have enough money. Then, he fails to Jedi mind trick Ventress' boss, but it does catch an ex-Sith assassin's attention. She tells him to leave, but he says he has lost everything and needs help. She, too, has lost everything and basically tells him tough luck.
They open the door and there are stormtroopers outside. Ventress drags the boy back in, shoves him behind the boss' desk, and tells him to hide. The boss is very confused as the stormtroopers come in.
Unlike the boy, Ventress actually uses the Mind Trick correctly, telling the stormtroopers to leave and check out another docking bay. However, greed wins over kindness. As the troopers are leaving, they mention a substantial reward for the boy. The boss rats out the teen boy hiding behind the counter.
Ventress and the teenager both pull out their lightsabers, making quick work of the stormtroopers. They leave Ventress' boss with the mess of bodies.
The teenager is very excited to meet another "Jedi," but this "Jedi" is miffed that he's brought so many stormtroopers around. As they sneak through the streets to avoid more troopers, he asks if she knows how to find The Path. He says that Quinlan Vos established it to help get young Force users to safety. That piques her interest. She agrees to get him out of there, but she won't come with him.
They arrive at a space port, and she gives him some credits to send him on his way. But it's too late:
A new Inquisitor has arrived.
Igniting her lightsaber, she sends the teenager to safety. It's a brutal battle, as this Inquisitor is quite formidable. The teen tries to help but is kicked down instantly. Ventress takes up his lightsaber, ready to duel-wield. As they battle, the Inquisitor recognizes Ventress and says, "You should have stayed dead."
He disarms her, advancing on the once assassin. As the Inquisitor is about to strike down Ventress...
The teenager stabs him with both of their lightsabers in the back, killing the baddie. They have no time to celebrate. Stormtroopers move in, and the duo must flee. They Force jump onto a ship that is leaving the port, helping each other get to safety.
Once inside, she reveals that she wasn't a Jedi, but a commander for the Separatists and Count Dooku's assassin during the Clone Wars. Her name is Asajj Ventress, and this is where Tales of the Underworld episode 1, "A Way Forward," ends.
You can watch Tales of the Underworld on Disney+.