Tales of the Jedi
Also known asStar Wars: Tales of the Jedi
Genre
Created byDave Filoni
Based onStar Wars
by George Lucas
Voices of
ComposerKevin Kiner
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
  • Dave Filoni
  • Athena Yvette Portillo
  • Carrie Beck
Producers
  • Alex Spotswood
  • Josh Rimes
Running time13–17 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkDisney+
ReleaseOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26) –
present (present)
Related
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Tales of the Jedi, also known as Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi,[1] is an American animated anthology series created by Dave Filoni. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, exploring different Jedi characters from the prequel trilogy era. The series was produced by Lucasfilm Animation, with Charles Murray as head writer and Filoni as supervising director, for the streaming service Disney+.

Filoni began writing the series while working on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, and revealed the first official details about it in May 2022. The series' first season consists of six episodes split into two "paths", one following the character Ahsoka Tano and the other depicting the character Count Dooku. Ashley Eckstein, Corey Burton, Janina Gavankar, Micheál Richardson, TC Carson, Ian McDiarmid, Liam Neeson, Bryce Dallas Howard, Phil LaMarr, Clancy Brown, Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, and Dee Bradley Baker provide voices for the series.

The first season of Tales of the Jedi was released on Disney+ on October 26, 2022. It received critical acclaim, with praise towards its animation, writing and musical score. A second season was announced in April 2023, which is set to be released in 2024.

Premise

Each episode of Tales of the Jedi tells a short story featuring Jedi from the Star Wars prequel trilogy era.[2] The six episodes featured in the series' first season are split into two "paths": the first following Ahsoka Tano across various points in her life, and the other depicting a young Count Dooku before his fall to the dark side of the Force.[3][4]

Cast and characters

Yoda, Plo Koon, Tera Sinube, Saesee Tiin, Caleb Dume, Depa Billaba, and Mon Mothma appear in non-speaking cameos.

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Life and Death"Nathaniel VillanuevaDave FiloniOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
A year after her birth, an infant Ahsoka Tano is taken on her first hunting trip with her mother, Pav-ti Tano. Both are surprised by a large predatory animal, which kidnaps Ahsoka. After Ahsoka subdues the animal and has it return her to the village, the village elder realizes that she has a strong connection to the Force.
2"Justice"Saul RuizDave FiloniOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
Jedi Master Dooku and his Padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn, are sent to a dilapidated village on a planet to retrieve Senator Dagonet's kidnapped son. There, they find the corrupt senator is starving his people and refusing to step down from his position, driving them to this desperate plot. Dagonet attacks and threatens to make an example of the city, but Dooku uses a Force choke to intervene. Qui-Gon and the senator's son convince Dooku not to kill Dagonet; however, the son sides with his kidnappers, and promises the villagers that he will help them.
3"Choices"Charles MurrayCharles Murray and Élan MurrayOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
Dooku and Jedi Master Mace Windu are sent to Raxus Secundus to recover the body of Jedi Council member Katri for burial. Against orders, Dooku insists on investigating the mysterious death. They discover that Senator Larik and Master Katri were attacked by Larik's own guards, who wanted to force the corrupt senator to stop draining Raxus' resources. The two Jedi subdue the guards, but not before the guards kill the senator. Following Katri's funeral at the Jedi Temple, Windu is promoted to the vacant spot in the Jedi Council instead of the older Dooku. Windu says this is likely because of Dooku's rule-breaking and aggressive methods.
4"The Sith Lord"Saul RuizDave FiloniOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
At the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, Dooku secretly uses access codes that belonged to Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas to infiltrate the Jedi Archives and erase all records of the planet Kamino. Shortly afterwards, Dooku is informed by Jocasta Nu about Qui-Gon's encounter with Darth Maul on Tatooine.[lower-alpha 1] Later, Dooku reunites with Qui-Gon and Jedi Master Yaddle; the trio discuss the encounter with the Sith Lord. Dooku warns his former apprentice that the Jedi Council is unlikely to take the concerns about Maul's threat seriously. Shortly after Qui-Gon's death, Yaddle discovers that Dooku has been collaborating with another Sith Lord, Darth Sidious. She attempts to reason with Dooku, but is unsuccessful. The two engage in a lightsaber duel in the presence of Sidious. Dooku subdues and kills Yaddle in order to prove his loyalty to Sidious, thus solidifying Dooku's fall to the Dark Side of the Force.
5"Practice Makes Perfect"Saul RuizDave FiloniOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
Disappointed with the too-simple battle simulation his Padawan Ahsoka has to train with, Anakin Skywalker devises a rigorous exercise, where she has to overcome a large group of clone troopers armed with stun guns. Over the course of the Clone War, Skywalker puts his Padawan through more training drills with the clones of the 501st Legion, under the supervision of both himself and Captain Rex. At the end of the war, Ahsoka utilizes the skills she gained during the drills to survive the enactment of Order 66 aboard the Republic cruiser Tribunal.[lower-alpha 2]
6"Resolve"Saul RuizDave FiloniOctober 26, 2022 (2022-10-26)
On Naboo, during the funeral of Padmé Amidala,[lower-alpha 3] Senator Bail Organa briefly catches sight of a familiar face: Ahsoka Tano. He follows her into a colonnade of the royal palace, and asks her why she came given the danger. Noticing that a clone trooper patrol is approaching, Bail leads her out of the palace, giving her a comlink in case she needs help. Some time after, Ahsoka goes into hiding and becomes a farmer. After the brother of a farmer she saved with the Force realizes her true identity and reports her to the Empire, the village she worked at is massacred and set ablaze by an Inquisitor. Ahsoka confronts and kills the Inquisitor. The day following the confrontation, she contacts Organa, who arrives to pick up the survivors of the Imperial attack. He asks Ahsoka if she is willing to join his fight against the Empire. She accepts Bail's request and joins his rebel cell.[lower-alpha 4]

Production

Development

While traveling to work on the Star Wars series The Mandalorian, Dave Filoni began writing short stories about different Jedi characters from the franchise's prequel trilogy era. Carrie Beck, senior vice president of development and production at Lucasfilm, asked if Filoni wanted to turn these into a series, which he compared to her "find[ing] the money" for a revival of his animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars on the streaming service Disney+.[10]

In December 2021, the logo for Tales of the Jedi was included on holiday gifts for Lucasfilm employees alongside logos for upcoming film and television projects at the studio. This was also the name of an unrelated comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics in the 1990s.[11]

Lucasfilm confirmed the project in April 2022 when the company announced the schedule for Star Wars Celebration, with Filoni set to discuss the animated anthology series in a dedicated panel.[12] This was held at the end of May, and revealed that the series consists of six episodes,[3] five of which are written by Filoni and the other by The Clone Wars writer Charles Murray along with Élan Murray.[1][3] Each episode is approximately 15 minutes long.[13][14] Filoni also serves as creator, supervising director, and executive producer, with Athena Yvette Portillo and Beck also executive producers.[1]

In April 2023, during Star Wars Celebration London, Filoni announced that the series would receive a second season,[15] which will be released in 2024.[16]

Writing

Filoni described the series as exploring "two paths and two choices", with one following the character Ahsoka Tano and the other focusing on Count Dooku. Each character is explored in three different eras of their lives.[4] Comparing the series to The Clone Wars, Filoni noted that Tales of the Jedi was slower paced and like "a series of tone poems" with less dialogue and more visual storytelling. This was inspired by the works of Hayao Miyazaki as well as Filoni's mentor, Star Wars creator George Lucas.[2][4] Filoni's first idea for the series was to show how Ahsoka was brought to the Jedi Order by Plo Koon, but he changed this to a story about Ahsoka's first hunting trip with her mother because there had not been many stories about "moms being moms" in Star Wars.[2][17] He felt it was important that "Ahsoka's first experience with someone telling her, 'Don't be afraid,' is her mother."

Beyond the first episode, which has a happy ending and features the "adorable baby Ahsoka",[4] Filoni warned that "these aren't just fun, happy stories. It gets rough at times." He particularly felt that Dooku's life was "surprisingly tragic", and attributed some of the series' darker episodes to them being written during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] An aspect of Dooku that Filoni wanted to explore was the relationship with his padawan learner, Qui-Gon Jinn, whom Filoni described as "one of the best and, in some ways, most interesting Jedi, because of his philosophy, which is different from the Jedi Council. And where did he learn that, if not from his mentor, Count Dooku?"[4]

The final episode of the first season, titled Resolve, loosely adapts the events of the 2016 novel Ahsoka, originally written by E. K. Johnston. Speaking about the production of the episode, Filoni noted that Resolve was "based on the same outline I gave publishing for the novel" and that the two works thus told the same story.[18] Ashley Eckstein, the actress who voices Ahsoka, stated that the novel had not come into discussion while Resolve was in production and that she never asked Filoni where the episode fell in relation to the novel. She regarded the episode as "an extension of the novel" and the beginning of "that chapter" of Ahsoka's life.[19]

Casting

With the series' announcement in May 2022, it was revealed that Liam Neeson would reprise his role as Qui-Gon Jinn, while his son Micheál Richardson would voice a younger version of the character.[7] Matt Lanter reprises his role as Anakin Skywalker from The Clone Wars,[3] while Janina Gavankar was cast as Ahsoka Tano's mother, Pav-ti Tano.[4] In July 2022, Ashley Eckstein revealed she would be reprising her role as Ahsoka Tano.[5] A day before the series' release, Bryce Dallas Howard revealed she would voice Yaddle; Filoni approached Howard, a fan of animated Star Wars projects, to voice the character after their experience working together on The Mandalorian.[20][21]

Animation

The series uses the same animation style as Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: The Bad Batch.[2] Charles Murray, Nathaniel Villanueva, and Saul Ruiz serve as directors for the series.[22][1]

Music

Kevin Kiner composed music for the series, after previously doing so for The Clone Wars, Rebels and The Bad Batch.[1] Additional music for the series is composed by Sean Kiner, Deana Kiner, David Glen Russell, Nolan Markey and Peter Lam. Walt Disney Records released the soundtrack for the first season of Tales of the Jedi digitally on October 26, 2022, alongside the premiere of the series on Disney+.[23]

Tales of the Jedi (Original Soundtrack)
No.TitleComposer(s)Length
1."Birth of Ahsoka"Kevin Kiner1:33
2."Ahsoka's Village"Sean Kiner2:47
3."Sanctity of Life"Deana Kiner2:45
4."Tiger"David Glen Russell2:19
5."The Bond"Kevin Kiner2:33
6."Ahsoka Returns"Kevin Kiner & Sean Kiner2:59
7."A Real Test"Sean Kiner3:28
8."Let's Go Again"Deana Kiner2:19
9."Training Pays Off"Sean Kiner & David Glen Russell1:36
10."Secret Mourner"Kevin Kiner2:10
11."No One Is Safe"Sean Kiner & Deana Kiner4:13
12."The Inquisitor"Deana Kiner3:45
13."Ahsoka Is Ready"Deana Kiner1:13
14."Dooku Arrives"Sean Kiner2:44
15."The Kidnappers"Sean Kiner & Deana Kiner2:34
16."Soldiers Are Here"Sean Kiner4:52
17."No More Suffering"Sean Kiner & Deana Kiner2:24
18."Murder Case"Sean Kiner2:25
19."Mystery in Raxus"Sean Kiner & Deana Kiner2:09
20."Dooku Investigates"Peter Lam3:10
21."Dooku Contemplates"Sean Kiner2:33
22."Qui-Gon and the Sith Lord"Sean Kiner4:59
23."Flight Into Darkness"Sean Kiner & Deana Kiner4:04
24."Dooku vs. Yaddle"Deana Kiner & Nolan Markey3:16
25."Dooku's Fall"Deana Kiner2:45
Total length:1:11:14

Marketing

Filoni revealed the first details about the series at a Star Wars Celebration panel in May 2022, where a teaser was shown and the full first episode screened.[2]

Release

Tales of the Jedi premiered on Disney+ on October 26, 2022, with all of its six episodes.[24]

Reception

Audience viewership

According to Parrot Analytics, which looks at consumer engagement in consumer research, streaming, downloads, and on social media, Tales of the Jedi was the 4th most in-demand streaming show in the United States during the week of October 29, 2022, to November 4, 2022.[25] According to Whip Media's TV Time, Tales of the Jedi was the 9th most streamed original series across all platforms in the United States during the week ending October 30, 2022.[26]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 100%, with an average rating of 8.3/10, based on 22 reviews for the first season. The website's critics consensus reads, "Under the reliable stewardship of Dave Filoni, Tales of the Jedi is an absorbing expansion of Star Wars lore that will delight Padawan-level fans and encyclopedic Force scholars alike."[27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 78 out of 100, based on six critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]

Brian Young of /Film asserted, "These episodes are full of pathos and interesting connections to the broader Star Wars lore. The quality of work from the writers, from Lucasfilm Animation, and the music of Kevin Kiner has never been better. My hope is that these mini-episodes are popular enough to spin more Jedi into the limelight for more tales."[29] Kevin Fox Jr. of Paste gave the series a grade of 8.2 out of 10, stating, "The overall result, as overseen by Dave Filoni, is surprising and strong. Tales of the Jedi succeeds by saying exactly what it means to and then making its exit, sure to have viewers ready for more. Whether it's ultimately a one-off season or the start of something greater, it's worth Star Wars fans' time to check it out."[30]

Jamie Lovett of ComicBook.com gave the series a grade of 4 out of 5, saying, "These six Tales of the Jedi are beautiful, moving, and deceptively layered for their brevity while packing a few surprises and jaw-dropping moments along the way. Lucasfilm Animation managed to squeeze a lot of Star Wars magic into these shorts, and viewers will only be disappointed that there aren't more of them."[31] Alex Stedman of IGN gave the series a grade of 8 out of 10, writing, "Tales of the Jedi is a strong, tightly written showcase for two important characters in Star Wars lore: Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano. Dooku in particular gets a good amount of meat added to his character’s bones, while the other episodes feature a welcome look into Ahsoka at different points in her life. It’s moody and methodical at times, while still managing to weave in some beautifully animated action. It may not be absolutely vital Star Wars content, but there are certainly worse ways to revisit these characters before Ahsoka gets her own series."[32]

Accolades

Tales of the Jedi received a nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Broadcast Animation at the 2023 Golden Reel Awards.[33] It was also nominated for Outstanding Short-Form Program at the 2023 Producers Guild of America Awards.[34]

Notes

  1. ↑ "The Sith Lord" takes place concurrently with the events of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
  2. ↑ As depicted in the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
  3. ↑ Resolve's cold open takes place concurrently with the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.
  4. ↑ Note: "Resolve" loosely adapts the events of the 2016 novel Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tales of the Jedi Project Profile" (PDF). Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution. October 4, 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 17, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Schimkowitz, Matt (May 28, 2022). "Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi animated anthology series announced". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Whitbrook, James (May 29, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi's First Footage Teases Two Very Different Star Wars Stories". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Diehl, Daniel (May 29, 2022). "SWCA 2022: 5 Things We Learned From the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Panel". StarWars.com. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Wilding, Josh (July 15, 2022). "Ashley Eckstein Teases Tales of the Jedi And Sharing Ahsoka Tano Role With Rosario Dawson (Exclusive)". Sci-Fi & Fantasy Gazette. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 George, Joe (October 13, 2022). "Star Wars Brings Back Original Trilogy Legend for New Disney+ Series". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Villei, Matt (May 29, 2022). "'Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi' Images Tease the Origins of Ahsoka Tano". Collider. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  8. ↑ @perdidosenhoth (October 18, 2022). "¡Según @DanielRPK Bryce Dallas Howard será la voz de Yaddle!" (Tweet). Retrieved November 4, 2022 – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Bajer, Ted (September 12, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi Trailer Breakdown: Count Dooku and Ahsoka Take the Stage". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  10. ↑ Goldman, Eric [@TheEricGoldman] (May 28, 2022). "Dave began writing Tales of the Jedi on a whim flying back and forth to make Mando. Carrie Beck said "Do you want to make this?" and he said "If you can find the money!" Noted she had already proven she could do that to come back and finish The Clone Wars. #StarWarsCelebration" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ Arvedon, Jon (December 24, 2021). "Star Wars Employee Christmas Gift Hints at New Tales of the Jedi Project". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on May 14, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ↑ Whitbrook, James (April 27, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi, Whatever It Is, Is Star Wars' Next Animated Adventure". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  13. ↑ Boccella, Maggie (May 28, 2022). "'Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi': Liam Neeson to Return as the Voice of Qui-Gon Jinn". Collider. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ Brown, Jodee (October 19, 2022). "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Episode Lengths Surface". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ Haring, Bruce (April 8, 2023). "'Tales Of The Jedi' Series Will Have A Season 2, Dave Filoni Says At 'Star Wars Celebration'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  16. ↑ Freitag, Lee (April 28, 2023). "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Season 2 Confirms a Release Window". CBR. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  17. ↑ Goldman, Eric [@TheEricGoldman] (May 28, 2022). "Dave's first idea was to show Plo Koon coming to being Ahsoka to the Jedi but then he realized he wanted to focus more on Ahsoka and her mother, noting we haven't had a lot of stories about moms being moms in Star Wars. #StarWarsCelebration #TalesoftheJedi" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022 – via Twitter.
  18. ↑ "Dave Filoni on How TALES OF THE JEDI Explores Choices Between Light and Dark". Nerdist. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Star Wars Tales of the Jedi Ahsoka Tano Interview: Ashley Eckstein". Gizmodo. October 31, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  20. ↑ Panaligan, E. J. (October 25, 2022). "Bryce Dallas Howard Will Play 'Star Wars' Character Yaddle in 'Tales of The Jedi'". Variety. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  21. ↑ "Dave Filoni on Casting Bryce Dallas Howard as Yaddle in TALES OF THE JEDI". Nerdist. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  22. ↑ Volk, Pete (September 10, 2022). "First trailer for Star Wars' anthology Tales of the Jedi centers on Ahsoka and more prequel faves". Polygon. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  23. ↑ "'Tales of the Jedi' Soundtrack Album Released". Film Music Reporter. October 26, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  24. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (September 10, 2022). "'Star Wars: The Bad Batch' Season 2 Debut Pushed To January; 'Tales Of The Jedi' Gets Premiere Date & Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
  25. ↑ Latchem, John (November 7, 2022). "'Stranger Things' Still No. 1 on Parrot's Digital Originals Demand Chart, 'The Witcher' No. 2". Media Play News. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  26. ↑ Prange, Stephanie (November 1, 2022). "'Barbarian,' 'Andor' Top Weekly Whip U.S. Streaming Charts". Media Play News. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  29. ↑ Young, Bryan (October 26, 2022). "Star Wars: Tales Of The Jedi Review: A Series Full Of Stunning Animation, Pathos And Galaxy Lore". /Film. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  30. ↑ Fox Jr., Kevin (October 24, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi Is a Short and Surprisingly Strong Collection of Star Wars Stories". Paste. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi Review: Star Wars at Its Moody Best". ComicBook.com. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  32. ↑ Stedman, Alex (October 26, 2022). "Tales of the Jedi Review". IGN. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
  33. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (January 9, 2023). "'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Leads Sound Editors' Golden Reel Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  34. ↑ Pond, Steve (February 25, 2023). "'Everything Everywhere All at Once' Named Best Picture at Producers Guild Awards". TheWrap. Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
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