Star Wars: Visions, the anthology series of anime shorts released last year, is one of the best things Disney has done with the franchise since the Mouse House acquired Lucasfilm in 2012. So it’s no surprise that the has company quickly set out to work on another animated anthology called Tales of the Jedi, which, despite its instantly recognizable name, has nothing to do with the Jedi Knights of the Old Republic who starred in the now non-canon ’90s comic book series of the same name.
Instead, this Tales of the Jedi explores the early lives of famous Jedi from the Prequel Trilogy and The Clone Wars, such as Ahsoka Tano, Count Dooku, Mace Windu, and Qui-Gon Jinn. Made up of six episodes, each installment tells a 15-minute short story that fills in gaps about each character’s history.
During last weekend’s D23 studio showcase, executive producer and animation veteran Dave Filoni hit the stage to present the trailer for the animated series, which features the same style of CG animation as The Clone Wars, Rebels, and The Bad Batch. Give it a look below if you haven’t already:
There’s no doubt that the big ticket item here is the story of Count Dooku and young Qui-Gon Jinn’s time as the future Sith lord’s padawan. The Dooku/Jinn episode seems set to explore events only previously alluded to in Attack of the Clones. The trailer teases fans how Dooku’s journey to the dark side began, as we watch Qui-Gon and Mace Windu trying to stop the Count from giving into his darker nature. In one shot, we see Qui-Gon trying to stop his master from Force choking someone, only to be pushed aside by Dooku. In another, Master Windu tells Dooku to stand down before decapitating an enemy with his lightsaber. But it seems Dooku believes his more extreme measures are the only way to bring “peace and order to the galaxy.”
“I’ve been warning them about the coming darkness,” says longtime Dooku actor Corey Burton later in the trailer. This of course refers to a key element of Dooku’s backstory in Episode II, where he was played by the late Christopher Lee. As you might remember, Dooku’s whole beef with the Jedi — and the reason he left the Order — was because he believed they now served a corrupt Republic, one heavily influenced by the dark side. Of course, the big twist is that Dooku ends up serving the very evil he warned against, becoming Darth Sidious’ apprentice and helping him execute his plans.
Interestingly, it’s in these Dooku segments of the Tales of the Jedi trailer that Lucasfilm has also hidden an even bigger tease connected to the Prequel Trilogy. At about 1:25, we get a series of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clips of Dooku dueling none other than Jedi Master Yaddle…
Why is this significant? Because it might finally explain what happened to Yaddle after the events of The Phantom Menace.
You see, despite being featured prominently during the Jedi Council scenes in Episode I, and being introduced as the only known counterpart to the legendary Master Yoda, Yaddle disappeared after her big screen debut, never to be seen or mentioned again in the Prequel Trilogy. Just go back and watch the Jedi Temple scenes in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith. Yaddle is nowhere to be found.
Now, it’s reasonable to assume that the tepid reaction to The Phantom Menace convinced George Lucas to change all kinds of things for his remaining two Prequel entries, such as embracing a CGI model for Yoda in Attack of the Clones as opposed to using the off-putting puppet from Episode I. Perhaps Lucas decided that animating two Yodas was too expensive? Or maybe two Yodas in the same movie felt superfluous to the Maker after the fact?
While we’ve never received an official explanation for why Yaddle was cut from the remaining Prequels, fans know even less about what happened to her in-universe. The Ultimate Star Wars reference book (via Wookieepedia) simply reveals that Yaddle chose to step down from the Jedi Council before Attack of the Clones but not what happened to her after.
That’s where Tales of the Jedi could come in. Since it’s clear Yaddle and Dooku’s duel is happening some time before the Clone Wars — Dooku hasn’t grayed and still wields a blue Jedi lightsaber — is it possible that this is the moment the Count truly falls to the dark side? And could Yaddle end up being his first victim? While Yaddle fans may finally get the answers they’ve been searching for, it might not be a happy ending awaiting the Jedi Master at all…
We’ll find out when Tales of the Jedi drops on Disney+ on Oct. 26.