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Review of the animated series «Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld»

Published by Denys Fedoruk

On May 4, the Disney+ service released the third season of the Star Wars Tales animated short anthology series, called «Tales of the Underworld». Each of the seasons was dedicated to two characters from the cult universe, of course, not as popular and hyped as Darth Vader or Han Solo, but interesting to the ardent fans of the «Star Wars» brand. In the review below, we remind you who the previous seasons were about, who the creators of the series, led by Dave Filoni, have focused on this time, and whether «Star Wars» still manages to be exciting in such a compact animated format.

«Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld» / Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

Genre short animation, anthology, adventure fiction
Creator Dave Filoni
The roles were voiced by Nika Futterman, Cory Burton, Art Butler, Lane Fector, AJ LoCascio, Clare Grant, Dawn-Lien Gardner, Eric Lopez, Tony Amendola
Premiere Disney+
Year of release 2025
Website IMDb

The tireless Dave Filoni continues to expand the story arcs of various characters in the animated short episodes of the «Tales» anthology. In the first season «Tales of the Jedi», released in 2022, the audience had the opportunity to get acquainted with the background of the Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. In the second, titled «Tales of the Empire», which was released last year, and on May 4, the unofficial «Star Wars Day», the story of Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee was also told. And now, in «Tales of the Underworld» (the title, which also includes «Underworld», is still circulating on the Internet), it’s time for Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane.

As in the case of the previous seasons (especially the second one), if these names don’t ring a bell, there’s probably no point in starting to watch the anthology, which requires the viewer to know the matching details and, accordingly, numerous nuances. But if you are, as they say, «in the topic» and are also familiar with the «Tales» series, then you already have an idea of what to expect from the next adventures in a galaxy far, far away. In particular, in the given format, there are six episodes lasting approximately 15 minutes, made in the branded animation style, three for each of the main characters.The first three episodes focus on Asajj Ventress, a former Padawan who renounced the light side of the Force and joined Count Dooku. She later led the Separatist Alliance drone army and fought against the Jedi during the Clone Wars. However, Ventress was later betrayed by the Sith Lord and became a bounty hunter. On the screen, the character appeared exclusively in animated projects: the «The Clone Wars» series of 2003, later — in the 2008 movie and series of the same name, and in «The Bad Batch».

To fully understand the picture that the first episode starts with, it’s worth mentioning the novel «Dark Disciple» by Christie Golden — an adaptation of the scripts written by George Lucas and Dave Filoni for the animated series «The Clone Wars», released in 2015. The film will quickly catch a glimpse of Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi and soon Asajj herself was introduced to the audience. Her further acquaintance with a young Jedi hunted by imperial stormtroopers will lead to a classic adventure within the universe — with shootouts, quests, travel, lightsaber battles, potential mentoring, etc.

This is a moderately engaging, compact story that shows Asajj Ventress’s attempts to end her past life and her willingness to lend a helping hand to a suffering person. There is also a side storyline that conveys the message that it is sometimes difficult to let go of war if you have been in it for so long that you no longer know how to live otherwise. This topic will resonate with the Ukrainian audience.

The second three episodes are about Ked Bane. He is a brutal bounty hunter who works for the highest bidder and is an extremely skilled marksman. His first appearance on the screens took place in the same «The Clone Wars» of 2008, and later the character could be seen in «The Bad Batch». Unlike Ventress, Bane didn’t limit himself to participating in animation projects and appeared in «The Book of Boba Fett».

«Tales» offers the backstory of the ruthless mercenary, starting with his hungry childhood, and then follows the story with an adult version of the red-eyed fool in the frame. In fact, this is nothing more than the path of the villain’s formation, made in the spirit of classic westerns, right down to the close-ups of the shooters’ eyes. It’s hard to call this a discovery, the story is rather formulaic, although not without a certain charm. And for many people, Cad Bane himself is a vivid enough character not to regret the time spent.The creators of the third season are falling into the same rake as with its Jedi predecessor — once again, one arch risks seeming more interesting than the other (write in the comments which one you liked better), but at the same time, I don’t want to make any significant criticisms of Filoni and company.

The series more or less keeps the set quality level, it is pleasant, short episodes are bursting like seeds, and bizarre creatures playfully walk around in the frame. A good aperitif for those who plan to binge watch second season «Andor», the final of which will take place next week.