Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

When Disney and Lucasfilm began making their Star Wars: Tales of animated series, the idea was that this would be an anthology show, as the naming convention suggested. This began as such with Tales of the Jedi, presenting around six somewhat interconnected narratives that for the most part stood on their own as unique stories. This was then followed by Tales of the Empire, which did away with the anthological side of things to instead focus more on two characters, for better or worse. Now, as part of the very recent Star Wars Day, we've been introduced to Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld, and this series is like its most recent predecessor as it once again does away with the anthology side of things to instead focus on two of the galaxy's biggest outlaws, Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane.

Now, while I will say right now that both characters are well known and pretty beloved, and have a great conflicting personality balance that makes them perfect to spotlight in individual stories, I can't help but feel as though this series has lost its identity a tad. As it stands, the use of "Tales of" is the most stretched it can be, as for this latest batch of episodes, we're talking two tales spread across six episodes, and that's it. What was once a special anthology format has since become a smaller and more concise The Clone Wars/Rebels/The Bad Batch spinoff.

But anyway, format aside, is Tales of the Underworld worth a watch? If you're a Star Wars fan then simply put, yes. In total, this batch of episodes is around 90 minutes in duration, meaning you get around a short movie's worth of action spread into six bitesize packages. You can even split that further by watching the two arcs separately as they don't connect directly, meaning this season offers an approximate 45-minute story focussed on the former assassin Ventress and then similar for the bounty hunter Cad Bane.

Immediately, it's worth noting that the outlaw theme means that this is a much darker and more conflicting batch of episodes to watch. Ventress' story for one explores how the former Separatist villain has changed her spots and is now helping a young Jedi to safety while navigating the twisted criminal underbelly of the galaxy and while learning what it means to be a hero in this now imperial reality. It's an interesting and engaging turn of events that showcase a side of a character that we rarely get to see otherwise.

Cad Bane's story on the other hand is a challenging one to stomach because it's almost never positive. It documents how a poor street orphan became embroiled in crime and how he went on a different path to his best friend, with one becoming a law man and the other becoming the fearsome bounty hunter known all around the galaxy. While Cad Bane's other appearances have been quite calculated, in Tales of the Underworld he's vengeful, angry, cruel, and never once the hero of this tale. It's a sad affair from start to finish, one that shows that the galaxy was as much at fault for the creation of Cad Bane, as was his own actions.

Again, the two stories make for interesting enough entertainment, television that is bolstered by the still fantastic animation style that The Clone Wars once debuted. But, at the same time, to me, this isn't what the Tales of series should be about. It's really starting to miss its anthological structure, especially since this era of animated Star Wars seems to be as barren as it ever has been, and this doesn't quite satisfy my hunger in the same way as what previous projects did. Sure, it's short and easy to consume entertainment, but it also feels like a stop-gap and perhaps a series that has lost its identity due to the fact that Visions is also looking to operate in the anthological category.

Watch it or don't watch it. You won't miss a whole lot or gain too much with this series. It's simply fine and easy to digest television.