Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld explores the lives of Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane in a six-episode mini-series!
Star Wars animated shows have become key when it comes to understanding certain characters or connecting the dots in the bigger picture.
The Clone Wars was Dave Filoni’s creation, its success allowed him to continue creating storylines that have led to The Mandalorian and the Ahsoka series.
The Clone Wars is a very important part of Star Wars for many of us, if you haven’t watched it, I recommend you to do so. I’ll help you understand better what happens in this series.
Before getting into the review I want to mention the awesome cast of the show:
- Nika Futterman as Asajj Ventress
- Lane Factor as Lyco Strata
- Dawn-Lyen Gardner as Arin
- Corey Burton as Cad Bane
- Imari Williams as Lawman
- Artt Butler as Niro
Music score by Kevin Kiner, Sean Kiner and Deana Kiner.
The article contains major spoilers from the series and references events from other Star Wars media.
A Legend’s origins
Cad Bane is arguably the most badass bounty hunter to live during the Republic/Imperial era.
He managed to kidnap Chancellor Palpatine, infiltrate the Jedi Temple, beat Hunter in a shootout, take the Senate hostage, and almost defeat Obi-Wan and Quinlan Vos in a 2v1. Bane’s nothing but a legend.
Bane’s origins can be called stereotypical. A young orphan who got into crime when society turned its back on him. What makes it so much more interesting to me is watching how his oldest and dearest friend became the exact opposite.
Ironically, the one who got arrested managed to turn his life around, while the one who escaped the heist got sucked into a life of crime.
Cad Bane is someone who has always portrayed himself as a cold-blooded gunslinger who cares for nothing but completing a job and getting paid for it. This is the first time we get to see him care for something and even become super emotional about it.
Losing his mentor and then being arrested was enough for him to seek revenge as if nothing else mattered. Personally, I found Bane’s motivation to be unconvincing. Finding out about Arin marrying his friend while he was in jail would have been a much more powerful reason. Though that’s just my opinion.
I also find it hard to believe that in a place that looks like a city, there are only two deputies and a few enforcer droids per district. It makes little to no sense to me in terms of world-building. Maybe if it were a very small town or settlement in the middle of nowhere, but this Duro, one of the Core Worlds.
While I’m always excited to see Cad Bane in action, the way this story was written didn’t convince me. I might be too picky, or perhaps it’s because after watching the last episodes of Andor, my bar was a little too high.
You either die a villain, or you live long enough to see yourself become the hero
Asajj Ventress has one of the coolest introductions in all Star Wars. A fallen Jedi seeking power and willing to do anything to get it. Ventress was merciless, powerful, and had a strange charm despite her antisocial nature.
While her appearances in Clone Wars were limited, we slowly saw how she went from being Dooku’s personal assassin, back to her Nightsister roots in Dathomir, and finally, a bounty hunter.
Asajj Ventress was born on Dathomir, home of the Nightsisters, but her clan was forced to give her up to a pirate named Hal’Sted when she was still a baby. When the rogue was killed on Rattatak, Jedi Knight Ky Narec rescued Ventress and trained her in the ways of the Force. But he, too, was killed, and Asajj was consumed with fury — raw emotion that led her to the dark side.
– source: starwars.com
The tone of the character went from vicious villain to anti-hero. Not someone you would call a good person, but certainly not a straight-up evil person.
Ventress served her own interests, regardless of whether that aligned with what many would consider good or bad.
Since her first appearance in the early 2000s, Ventress has turned away from darkness and slowly found a path that is closer to decency.
Tales of the Underworld continues that path and puts her with someone who might actually be her first friend.
Before this series, her story finished in Dark Disciple (Amazon affiliate link). Many people didn’t know about it because not everyone reads Star Wars books. Such an important character should have her last moment on the screen.
I can’t imagine how shocked many people must have been after learning that she died and that she was the love interest of Quinlan Vos.
It’s nice that the story began right after that, so the book continues to be relevant, but it must have been very strange for anyone unfamiliar with it.
Ventress joins the list of characters who were brought back for a series. Maul and Boba Fett had an important role when they returned, even if I don’t like how some of that was executed.
I believe that Ventress’ arc is a way to prepare us for another show. Just like how they introduced Clone Force 99 in Season 7 of Clone Wars before releasing The Bad Batch. Maybe not her standalone show, my guess is Maul: Shadow Lord.
The two are different sides of the same coin. Former Sith apprentices, imbued with Nightsister magic, Dathomirian, used and discarded by their former masters but with opposite paths. Maul gave in to his hate while Ventress was able to let go of her anger.
Since Ventress will be alive during the events of Maul’s upcoming series, it’d be something very interesting to see. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll even get her in live-action.
I enjoyed Lyco’s dynamic with Ventress, it was like watching two siblings. The younger and most annoying one is a bit of a smart-ass, while the older one is more serious and always looking after both.
At this point, we’ll have as many Inquisitors as Order 66 survivors. They introduce them almost as fast as they kill them. Some Inquisitors, like the Grand Inquisitor or the Second Sister, are good characters, but the majority have little to no impact when they appear.
They’re just another bad guy who is about to get killed by the Jedi of the respective story. I understand that it’s the easiest way to use someone who’s more dangerous than any trooper but not as lethal as Vader. Even so, I’m not a fan of how they’re using them.
The story was ok, though I didn’t feel that it belong to the Tales series. Every other character had their own arcs, with each episode covering different moments of their lives, without exception.
This is related to what I mentioned about Ventress potentially appearing in another show. I guess we’ll have to wait a few months to see if she is involved in Maul: Shadow Lord.
Final thoughts
Despite the title being Tales from the Underworld, we barely saw anything from the actual Underworld. Gangs, crime lords, and shady characters are a huge aspect of the underworld, and it’s a shame we didn’t see any of it.
While these six episodes were entertaining, they are my least favorite out of all the Tales series. Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire answered a couple of questions that I had, specifically about Dooku and Barriss Offee.
Out of all the things Bane did in his life, I am more interested in where he was during the time of the Galactic Empire. Two episodes to cover his early life would have been enough, with the third one showing him right before his appearance in The Book of Boba Fett.
As for Ventress, I’m only left with even more questions than before. There must be something in the works, otherwise, this was a wasted opportunity. Considering how they’ve brought back many characters in the past years, I’m confident that we’ll be able to see Ventress in another show.
Next up, check out what we hidden details and secrets have discovered between the lines and by rewatching the episodes several times.
Tales of the Underworld – Hidden Details and References
