The Star Wars prequels aren’t the best films to come out of the Star Wars franchise, but they did introduce fans to a cavalcade of new ideas and characters. Out of the prequels we got the Clones Wars animated series, which led to Rebels, which leads to the new Disney+ series Tales of the Jedi.
All six episodes of the new animated series released at once, giving fans a better look at two characters that went on very different paths: Dooku and Ahsoka Tano. Three episodes were dedicated to each character, with each episode following a specific, pivotal moment from each of their lives. Each episode is around 20-minutes long, so you can burn through the show easily in a couple of hours.
Going through the show, we learned a lot about both Ahsoka and Dooku, as the series follows their journeys chronologically in the greater Star Wars universe–and it’s bookended with Ahsoka tales. But the show isn’t just about them. It answers questions that we didn’t even know we had, up until now. Because of this, we found 13 moments throughout Tales of the Jedi that gave us greater insight into the Star Wars Universe.
Obviously, you’re going to find some spoilers for the show below.
For more on the world of Star Wars, check out every Star Wars movie and TV show ranked by Metacritic, 20 pivotal moments in Star Wars movie history, and every upcoming Star Wars game.
1. The lines on Ahsoka’s face
Episode 1: “Life and Death”
The Ahsoka we know today and baby Ahsoka have a few differences, obviously. However, one major difference is the white pigments on her face as a baby–ignore that blue line on her forehead, that was put there. When Ahsoka was born, she had four white dots: one on each cheek and two on the forehead.
2. Her first encounter with the Force
Episode 1: “Life and Death”
We know bits and pieces about Ahsoka’s life, but what we didn’t know was that she was kidnapped by a saber tooth tiger while hunting with her mother as an infant. It seems as though any other baby would have been lunch for the beast, but not Ahsoka, who used her Force powers to connect with the tiger, right before she would have been eaten. She returned to town afterward, riding on top of it.
3. Dooku isn’t that complicated
Episode 2: “Justice”
In the prequel trilogy, there’s an understanding that Dooku was a Jedi and became a Sith. He wasn’t flatout evil like other Sith, though. In Tales of the Jedi, we get a much better understanding of the character. He serves the people of the Republic, not the Republic itself. He wants to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves. However, what separates Dooku from other Jedi is that violence can be seen as a necessary action when defending those who need it.
4. That’s Qui-Gon Jinn
Episode 2: “Justice”
Some may have forgotten, but Qui-Gon Jinn’s mentor was Dooku. Throughout the episode, Dooku’s mentee is never named, up until the end when Dooku says his name. Why does every Jedi in training have the Luke Skywalker haircut?
5. The Republic is a mess
Episode 3: “Choices”
The prequel movies showed the Republic as a functioning body of government, and the Clone Wars animated series showed cracks in the demeanor–the Republic came off like a functioning Mr. Bean rather than a working government. However, throughout Episode 2 and 3 of Tales of the Jedi, we see another side of the Republic. It’s a mess. It’s corrupt. There are some bad people in seats of power. Then he sees the Jedi supporting this madness time and time again. There’s a reason he left the Jedi.
6. A familiar voice
Episode 4: “The Sith Lord”
When Qui-Gon Jinn first appeared in Episode 2 of this series, he had a different voice actor. Now, in Episode 4, none other than Liam Neeson has returned to reprise his role from The Phantom Menace.
7. Yaddle is back
Episode 4: “The Sith Lord”
The alien species known as “Whatever Yoda is,” Yaddle is the second known alien after Yoda’s introduction–and long before Grogu’s in Mandalorian. Making her first appearance in The Phantom Menace, Yaddle didn’t get a lot of screentime. However, being the only other member of this species, she’s long been suspected to be the mother of Grogu AKA The Child. It’s also important to note that Yaddle speaks normally, not in that weird backwards speak, which is Yoda’s signature style.
8. Yaddle is very important to Dooku’s story
Episode 4: “The Sith Lord”
Voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard, Yaddle isn’t just tossed in here to tell people, “See! That could be Baby Yoda’s mom!” Yaddle is central to Dooku’s pivot to the Dark Side. While serving the Jedi, Dooku was working with Darth Sidious. And while he was helping Sidious with his plans, Dooku still wants what’s best for the Republic.
While meeting with Sidious, he’s confronted by Yaddle, who overhears everything. Dooku knows he’s wronged the Jedi–who are trying to do their best, even though they’re constantly wrapped up in bureaucratic nonsense. However, this confrontation from Yaddle–along with her asking Dooku to turn himself in–pushes Dooku completely to the Dark Side. He knows he can never go back to the Jedi now, even though Yaddle says she agrees with him in so many ways.
9. Yaddle’s end
Episode 4: “The Sith Lord”
Since Yaddle’s story was never really explored, outside of her only appearance in Phantom Menace, but there’s always been speculation about what happened to her–especially after Grogu was revealed in the Mandalorian. It was suspected that she fled with her child during Order 66. That’s not the case though.
After confronting Dooku and Sidious, she was killed by a lightsaber strike. The events of this episode take place after Phantom Menace but before Attack of the Clones, so this raises more questions about Grogu, since his age in Mandalorian might not line up with when he was born.
Is Yaddle his mother? Is Grogu actually a Kamino clone?
10. Why these training droids exist
Episode 5: “Practice Makes Perfect”
Since A New Hope hit theaters, we’ve seen these Jedi training droids that fly around and shoot blasters. But why though? Why do these things exist? In Episode 5, we see Ahsoka training with them, and we learn why they exist. In the training room, Obi-Wan tells Anakin, “These are the new training remotes, designed to simulate battle droids.”
The Jedi know the war will continue with droids in the future, so the next generation of Jedi is training accordingly.
11. Ahsoka after Order 66 but before Rebels
Episode 6: “Resolve”
We know what Ahsoka is up to in the years before A New Hope, as she was featured quite a bit on the animated series Rebels. However, before Rebels and post-Order 66, that’s all a little bit of a mystery. We know she escaped the clone army during the rise of the Empire thanks to Captain Rex, whose inhibitor chip was destroyed thanks to Ashoka. But what happened to her in between? Well, she continued to be in hiding and worked as a farmer, under the name Ash-La–probably named after the woman who voices Ahsoka, Ashley Eckstein.
12. This “Sith”
Episode 6: “Resolve”
We meet a Force-sensitive villain under the employ of the Empire, with the logo emblazoned on his cloak. This is also the start of the Empire employing Force-sensitive baddies and calling them Inquisitors, a term we’re all wildly-familiar with now.
The show credits list this character simply as Inquisitor, and it’s voiced by none other than Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Dexter: New Blood). In the novel Ahsoka, by E. K. Johnston, this is Sixth Brother–as this sequence of events is in the book. However, this Inquisitor doesn’t look like the Sixth Brother much–as he’s appeared in some Marvel Comics series–and the two die in different ways. It’s probably just a new character for this one moment.
13. Why Ahsoka comes out of hiding
Episode 6: “Resolve”
While Ahsoka doesn’t flat-out say it, seeing the farm and village she worked in burned down by the Empire was her call to action. If she stays, there will be more Inquisitors searching for her and anyone she stays with. The only way to truly get freedom is to fight back.
