One of the most exciting announcements to come from May’s Star Wars Celebration 2022 was the reveal of a brand-new Star Wars animated series – one with a unique format, no less. Arguably the franchise’s most beloved creator, Dave Filoni (The Clone Wars, Rebels, The Mandalorian) is back to spearhead Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, an anthology series that will explore the divergent lives of two iconic characters from the saga’s mythos.
So what do we know about Tales of the Jedi so far? Well, for starters, we know that it shares its name with a popular comic book series published by Dark Horse from 1993 to 1998 – the logo is even the same. The comic has been rendered non-canon these days, of course, but Disney paying homage to it in this way is a real treat for hardcore Star Wars fans.
That said, TV’s Tales of the Jedi is very much its own thing and promises to shine a light on new corners of the SW universe. Read on for a full debriefing of everything revealed about the animated show to date.
What is Tales of the Jedi about?
Dave Filoni dropped a few fascinating details about Tales during the series’ panel at SWC, including its intriguing tagline: “Two paths, two choices.” You see, the show is set to follow the lives of two Jedi, both of whom walked away from the Order’s way of life, but for very different reasons. And these two lead characters are the one and only Ahsoka Tano and Sidious’ second apprentice, Count Dooku.
Presumably, the episodes will interchangeably focus on Ahsoka and Dooku, as we know that the pilot tells the story of Ahsoka’s origins. The full first installment was exclusively shown to those in attendance at SWC. Without getting too deep into spoilers, breakdowns of the footage confirm that it portrays how the Togrutan heroine was first detected to be Force-sensitive as an infant.
Dooku’s storyline, meanwhile, will explore why he turned to the Dark Side, as well as revealing both the identity of his master and who his padawan was. So anyone who’s always wanted more of Dooku, as memorably played by Christopher Lee in Attack of the Clones, will not be left disappointed by Tales.
Who is in Tales of the Jedi?
A full cast list has yet to be unveiled for Tales of the Jedi, but a few exciting announcements were made at the SWC panel. The headline news is that Liam Neeson is finally making his return as Qui-Gon Jinn in the animated series. What’s more, Neeson’s real-life son, Micheál Richardson, is also on board to play a younger version of the wise Jedi Knight. Qui-Gon is believed to be an integral part of Dooku’s arc.
Elsewhere, Janina Gavankar is due to return to the Star Wars universe in the show, following her turn as Iden Versio in the Battlefront II video game. Gavankar is playing a key role in the mythology, too, as she’s voicing Ahsoka’s mother. Gavankar appears prominently in the first episode that was screened at SWC. Based on the footage, it’s clear where her daughter got her spirit and courage from.
In addition to the first episode, a trailer was also exclusively shown for the crowd, although a recording of it has since managed to leak online. The trailer features a number of shots of legendary Star Wars universe characters, so we can say that the likes of Anakin Skywalker, Mace Windu, Yoda, and even Yaddle will turn up in Tales. Clone Wars favorite Captain Rex is likewise glimpsed, as is vicious villain the Sixth Brother.
When will Tales of the Jedi air?
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi is set to be a relatively short-form series as each episode will clock in at 15 minutes in length. The first season — we hope there are more on the way — consists of six installments. The great thing is that we don’t have all that long to wait until the intriguing series debuts as it’s been confirmed that it will stream on Disney Plus as soon as fall 2022. Stay tuned for more news as we near its release.