Tales of the Jedi: Bite-Sized Back Stories Satisfy More Than You’d Expect

By John Kirk

Rating: A

There’s more ambience in Tales of the Jedi than one would expect.

With a run-time between 10 and 17 minutes each, this anthology of six episodes is deceptively rich in Star Wars lore as it explores significant moments of some of the characters from the prequel era of Star Wars.

It’s actually quite surprising, given the size of the episodes, but what fans will appreciate is how important it is to the fabric of the franchise to explore these moments and provide the missing histories of a character like Count Dooku, or his apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn.

When one thinks about it, Count Dooku — a diabolically powerful Sith who was introduced to us in the prequels — barely got any service and was killed off so that Anakin Skywalker could usurp his place as Darth Sidious’s apprentice.

Simply put, the fans didn’t get to enjoy him as much and his appearances in the animated Clone Wars reminded us of how great a character he was. Tales of the Jedi gives fans that chance to see the important transitional moments in his history like the time when he was a respected Jedi Knight and some of the service he had given to the Republic. With Qui-Gon at his side, we get to see some of the affection he had for his former padawan and that reinforces his fall from grace for us.

But there’s more. We get to visit Ahsoka Tano’s history as well. We learn why she is special in the Force, her dedication to the path of the Jedi and moreover, we get even glimpses of her time during and after General Order 66 was engaged.

The fact that Ashley Eckstein is reprising her original role is also a great relief, given that it was Eckstein who brought this character to life in the Clone Wars. The only regretful thing missing was hearing the nicknames “Skyguy” and “Snips” bantered about. (Loyal fans knew they were there in mind, though.)

Ahsoka Tano, Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi; these are the characters fans love the most. The appeal in learning more about them is not only a testament to how well Dave Filoni knows Star Wars but how well he knows fans.

Not only does he carry the roles of Creator, Executive Producer and Director but he also has the credit for writing five out of the six shorts. The saying “In Dave We Trust” is not just a careless witticism. When it comes to how well Filoni is managing the continued story expectations for this franchise, its’s a literal supplication of thanks.

The music for these episodes is incredibly well-cultivated. Filoni has learned well from The Mandalorian. While the first episode has a pastoral music theme, to reflect the simple idyllic woodland where Ahsoka comes from, the fourth episode has a score that is dark, moody and incredibly reminiscent of Blade Runner’s Vangelis. The final episode definitely delves into the Western motif of music that Filoni tapped into in The Mandalorian. Whatever the story, the music perfectly fits and adds to the enjoyment of each episode.

While incredibly short, each episode focuses on key emotional moments for the different characters. It’s the intensity of these events that is so satisfying as fans have only been able to imagine them in the past. In these brief stories, fans experience a great sense of catharsis and relief with the long-awaited reveal of how these transitional moments in their lives occurred. For a long-time fan, there’s nothing like the reveal of a critical moment in a beloved character’s that explains or initiates their arc!

The return of familiar voices is also a huge factor that adds to the enjoyment of this series. Hearing Liam Neeson’s baritone as he reprises Qui-Gon Jinn is not only thrilling to hear again, but strangely comforting as another reminder of how close Filoni is to not just the nature of Star Wars but how connected he is to what fans’ wants and expectations.

Fans miss Qui-Gon, another character who was killed off way too early in the franchise. Pure speculation, but hearing more of Neeson’s voice, especially on the heels of Obi-Wan, might be another signal that Qui-Gon could return to the Star Wars universe as a Force-ghost? Hope is the essence of Star Wars, after all.

Short, but sweet. Tales of the Jedi perfectly captures the essence of not just the characters that fans love, but of the entire franchise.

Tales of the Jedi. Directed by Dave Filoni. Starring Ashley Eckstein, Liam Neeson, Ian McDiarmid, Clancy Brown, Phil Lamarr, and James Arnold Taylor. Available on Disney Channel on October 26.