Over the past couple of years, we’ve been getting a six-episode anthology series from the world of Star Wars. Tales of the Jedi was first, focusing on Ahsoka and Count Dooku (before he went all evil). Then we got Tales of the Empire, which shined a light on Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee. Now, for the third year in a row, we’ve got another entry into this recurring series, Tales of the Underworld. With a focus on Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, Tales of the Underworld aims to fill in the gaps of the characters’ histories that fans have been wondering about for years. But does it live up to the previous instalments? Let’s find out.
When Ventress appeared in Season 3 of The Bad Batch, many were confused about how she was alive. This is because in the canon novel Dark Disciple, she kinda died. That’s where the first three episodes of Tales of the Underworld come in, showing us how Ventress survived and what she’s been up to. Episode 1 even picks up right where Dark Disciple left off, with Ventress being laid to rest on Dathomir but after some Nightsister shenanigans, she returns to the land of the living. Having been given a second chance at life, she finds work on Tatooine and enjoys the peace and quiet. That is, until a young Jedi refugee drags her back into the chaotic galaxy at large.
While not what I would’ve expected from a Ventress story, these three episodes were enjoyable. Getting clarification on how she wasn’t dead later in the timeline was neat, and I appreciated how they didn’t retcon the novel. Overall, I liked how Ventress was presented, and it felt like a natural progression for her character. The introduction of the young Jedi Lyco Strata created an interesting dynamic, as he had to figure out if he could trust someone who had most definitely killed people he knew. This was unfortunately not touched on much outside of a few scenes, but those scenes were tense, so it was ok enough. The final episode did feel a bit lacklustre for an end to this story, but it did get a smile out of me when Ventress started to care for Lyco in her own way.
Nika Futterman returns as Ventress and absolutely kills it. She hasn’t missed a beat since The Clone Wars, and I loved that she was back again. I hope that she pops up in future Star Wars projects (maybe the Maul series), as she is one of my favourites. Lyco, voiced by Lane Factor, was pretty good, but kinda fell into the young Jedi knows everything stereotype (where they think they know everything). He does change a bit, but I wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t show up again. And what is the Tales of series’ obsession with introducing cool-looking Inquisitors and then killing them a couple of minutes later? Like, come on, at least let them have more than five minutes of screen time.
The focus of the second half of Tales of the Underworld is Cad Bane, and his three episodes were banger after banger. We get to see a young Cad Bane, whose real name is Colby, survive the crime-infested streets of Duro with his best friend Niro. After a chance encounter with the gangster Lazlo, the boys get their first taste of real money, and they thoroughly enjoy it. So when Lazlo comes around with a job offer and even more money, the boys accept. But after the job goes sideways, Colby and Lazlo escape, but the police capture Niro. Now, several years later and calling himself Cad Bane, the once best friends reunite on Duro, but can this relationship be rekindled, or have their paths diverged too far?
I really enjoyed these Cad Bane-focused episodes because they felt like the most consistent story the Tales of series has given us yet. Seeing Bane in three distinct phases of his life (childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood) brings a new perspective to the character that I never knew I wanted. His relationships with Niro, Lazlo, and the rest of Lazlo’s crew were well done in showing how Bane becomes the ruthless bounty hunter we know. The plot twist at the end was also something I did not see coming, and I hope it gets expanded upon in future projects.
Corey Burton hasn’t missed a beat when it comes to voicing Cad Bane. He still has that cowboy vibe that made him a fan favourite all those years ago. I enjoyed how he made the adolescent and young adult versions of Bane sound different yet the same; fantastic work. Artt Butler also did a phenomenal job as Niro, showing how different Bane’s life could have been. Both characters started at the same point, but one decision caused them to follow completely different paths. Their interactions were undoubtedly the highlights of these episodes.
Tales of the Underworld has the same art style as the other Tales of series, but this one looks even better than the rest. Lucasfilm Animation has spent 20 years honing its craft, and it shows in the level of detail put into these six episodes. Every character, every building, every world looks exquisite. The ethereal/evil look of Dathomir and the old-school New York feel of Duro are two of the standout locations we see in this series, and both have such incredible attention to detail that you could rewatch the series several times and still be discovering new things. The characters also receive the same level of care, with these being some of the most expressive characters I’ve seen from an animated Star Wars project.
The action set pieces are also fabulous, and each has a distinct vibe. The duel between Ventress and the Inquisitor brings back Ventress’s acrobatic style of fighting, and I enjoyed seeing her do all the flippy dips as they fought. In stark contrast, the final duel of the Cad Bane episodes is a lot less flashy and over in a fraction of the time. I adored both of these sequences, and I appreciate how we can get both of these styles in the one show.
Tales of the Underworld is a very enjoyable watch for not only fans of The Clone Wars but also for Star Wars fans in general. Revisiting fan favourite characters is what the Tales of series does best, and I love that Ventress and Bane got their turn in the spotlight. While I do wish the Ventress arc ended a bit differently, and I would’ve loved the episodes to be a bit longer, I still had a great time. Now I just need both of them to show up in Maul – Shadow Lord (mostly Ventress) and I’ll be a happy lad.
Have you watched Tales of the Underworld? What did you think? Which episode was your favourite? Let us know in the comments where we can talk all things Star Wars.