"Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi" Season One Talkback (Spoilers)

[Fone Bone]

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi "Life And Death"

I have reservations.

I thought it was too dark and scary. The killing of the deer creature and the giant tiger-looking thing stealing baby Ahsoka were both deeply upsetting. And regardless of whether I'm an adult or not, when I see that in a kids cartoon I'm still deeply affected by that. It's why I hated The Good Dinosaur.

This show was not off to a great start. **1/2.

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi "Justice"

Dooku was a Jedi? Interesting. Equally interesting that Qui-Gonn Jinn was his Padawan.

Dooku's fury at the end was righteous, which is again why the episode is interesting. ****.

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi "Choices"

Yet more proof that the Republic was unfathomably corrupt and was for decades. If Palpatine bought the Empire lock, stock and barrel by destroying the Republic, it's simply because the Republic was begging to be destroyed. If not for the fact that cronyism and corruption ruled the day, Palpatine could never have gotten the foothold he did.

You want more proof that the Galactic Senate is corrupt? Jar-Jar Binks, an utterly incompetent fool, was given a seat just because he was friends with Padme. The stink from the Republics rots from the head down. It's very interesting this show is suggesting Dooku Had His Reasons. ***1/2.

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi "The Sith Lord"

Yikes!

A female Yoda named Yaddle? Um, okay.

It's interesting they got back Ian McDiarmid and Liam Neeson. It's also interesting how conflicted they made Dooku over his betrayal. This series is really pushing some of the morally gray buttons the saga used to refuse to push. ****.

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi "Practice Makes Perfect"

It's like a lost episode of The Clone Wars.

Great (and confusing) ending too. ****1/2.

Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi "Resolve"

That was, in a word, GOOD.

It speaks to Ahsoka's fundamental decency that she helped the Village Brother and Sister even after the Brother's betrayal.

This answered a lot of questions as to what happened to Ahsoka right after The Clone Wars. It was cool. ****1/2.

 

[Yojimbo]

I think this show is more for those who watched Clone Wars but there still some interesting nuggets for people like me who never watched it (I know I should but I could never get into it for some reason). Looking ahead, I guess it makes sense they want to focus on Ahsoka with her streaming series coming up and keep her in the audience's minds. Neat foreshadowing that the elder knew infant Ahsoka would be a Jedi because she tamed the sabretooth. Anakin was a brutal master but I think his point was the Jedi training was archaic and not enough to prepare the apprentices-to-be and apprentices for true warfare. Post-Order 66 Ahsoka tried to be a farmer but she slipped and used the Force and the ignorant brother did the dumbest thing he could have. But that was pretty amazing that Ahsoka fought an Inquisitor unarmed and beheaded him with his own saber. And I see this led her to decide to join Bail Organa in being a rebel agent which I take led to her role in the Rebels animated series which in turn led to her showing up in the streaming series now soon her own series.

Dooku was an unexpected choice for the other 'star' of this mini-series. His stuff seemed to fill-in the lack of back story he got in the prequel trilogy and intimated why he turned to the dark side as well as some unresolved stuff like what happened to Yaddle after Episode 1 or why Kamino wasn't in the Jedi archives. It's interesting it made Dooku less of a mustache twirling villain the movies made him out to be and showed the broad timeline of his turn: dealing with corrupt senators, mourning Qui Gon's death, his inner conflict and anger, and the moment he proved himself to Sidious.

One other thought I had was man, the score was amazing.

 

[Frontier]

"Life and Death"

Nice to see some more Togruta culture. I thought the episode might have them speaking their native language the whole episode but I guess shifting to Basic was easier from a writing perspective.

We got other Plo Koon cameos but it was weird not seeing him at the end there picking Ahsoka up.

A baby riding a giant tiger. Can't beat that visual.

"Justice"

Ah, a classic Dooku/Qui-Gon adventure!

It's funny how Dooku kind of mirrors Anakin in a way. Unconventional Jedi with a moral code who has to be restrained to an extent by their Padawn and has a Master that ultimately wasn't able to steer him on the right path, and ended up serving as Palptaine's #2.

Liam's own son playing young Qui-Gon is cute.

Oh hey, Josh Keaton! Although he seemed to be going along with it so willingly I'm surprised they even bothered cuffing him.

I don't think I've ever seen a Light Side Jedi do a Force Choke. That's always the warning sign.

I was expecting that Droid to do more.

"Choices"

Pretty well emphasizes Dooku's dissension with the Jedi Order to where he sees where they're ability to enforce justice and peace in the galaxy has eroded thanks to Senate politics to the point where people just don't have faith in them any more, and feels the council doesn't have any faith in him when they appoint Mace to the council instead of him.

Oh yeah, isn't this the same place the Bad Batch went to?

Gotta love two master Jedi wrecking Droids and killers.

"The Sith Lord"

This story definitely managed to fit in some major moments in Dooku's history that weren't in his Audio Drama. Specifically his last temptation and ultimate birth as Darth Tyranus.

Holy crud, a full, living breathing, CG Qui-Gon! And we got to see the last time he and Dooku met before his death and how hard Dooku took it!

I like how Bryce Dallas Howard was able to embody Yaddle without trying to emulate Yoda yet still not being just Bryce Dallas Howard. Also I guess Yoda talking like that is just his own thing and has nothing to do with his mysterious race. Yet both he and Yaddle had green lightsabers...

I also liked seeing Sidious in the flesh and how you can really see his eyes here, and how they shift from Palpatine's normal eyes to the yellow eyes of a true Sith.

Yaddle with that one final flex of the power of the Light Side of the Force versus the Dark...even if it didn't save her in the end.
"Practice makes Perfect"

Whatever you can say about Anakin, it turns out his unconentional training of Ahsoka helped her survive Order 66.

Nice to see some interim looks like Ahsoka's design and Obi-Wan's mullet.
Anakin knows a good burn when he reuses it himself.

I honestly expected this story to explain why Ahsoka upgraded to dual-wielding because it made her easier to dodge Clone fire.

"Resolve"
Of course Ahsoka would be at Padme's funeral. Also, Clone Wars Mon Mothma!

It's nice to hear Phil LaMarr as Bail again. The two Clone Troopers confused by his speech elicited a chuckle.

I feel like this was a...very abridged take on the Ahsoka novel? I think maybe the characters from it were actually here? Although it's been so long since I've read it. I think Ahsoka actually had her lightsabers back by the time she fought the Inquisitor and there was more going on, but when has Filoni ever really adhered all that much to non-cartoon/movie canon?

That has to be the most condescending "May the Force Be With You" I have ever heard. And then the guy ends up getting his entire village burned and killed. He practically deserved to get run through, but now he has to live with what he did. Up to the point where Alderaan gets blown up I guess.

I think I have my new favorite Inquisitor design, which makes it too bad that he got killed so unceremoniously. They don't even give him an Inquisitor number, he's just a generic Inquisitor. Felt like a waste. Also, that was Clancy Brown? Wow.

 

[ShadowBeast]

Dooku was a Jedi? Interesting. Equally interesting that Qui-Gonn Jinn was his Padawan.

This was revealed in the second prequel film.

 

[Yojimbo]

Filoni commented on Yaddle and Bryce Dallas Howard.

 

[Frontier]

Filoni commented on Yaddle and Bryce Dallas Howard.

So now the mystery of Yoda's master who talked like he does deepens...

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

I saw the series on Disney+ earlier today and it's definitely worth binge watching, given the runtime of each episode since the combined runtime is around 90-120 minutes long, so think of it as an anthology film.

That said, I like the decision to have Liam Neeson's son Micheál Richardson voice Qui-Gon in the second episode along with the inclusion of Ahsoka's parents and Bryce Dallas Howard as Yaddle. Can't wait to see Tales of the Empire tomorrow morning.

 

[khuddle]

I've just seen Tales of the Empire. Pretty good, not nearly as bad as some of the "internet crowd"
would lead you to believe. I really liked the Morgan Elsbeth episodes, although her character could have been fleshed out a little more. I also enjoyed the Barriss Offee story, except for the last episode, which
was cheesy, the direct result of lazy writing. Overall pretty good. 7/10.