Life and Death, the first episode, gives us an origin story of sorts for Ahsoka and her home world. The next three episodes, Justice, Choices, and The Sith Lord, shows us how Dooku begins to have issues with the Jedi Council and gives into his anger, leading to the Dark Side of the Force. Familiar characters join him along the way, like Qui-Gon Jinn and Mace Windu. A new character, Master Yaddle, is introduced in The Sith Lord, and she appears to be the same species as Yoda. The final two episodes, Practice Makes Perfect and Resolve, pick up with Ahsoka again, giving us background on her training and how she ends up coming out of hiding to join the Rebellion.
Big fans of Star Wars will love this show, and Filoni brings back the popular animation style from the Clone Wars show. The stories are interesting and help to build out the Star Wars universe a bit more, giving more explanation of characters we’re familiar with. And we all love the lightsaber battles. But for those not familiar with the Clone Wars, Rebels, and the Prequel movies, they could get confused as to the timeline.
Like the other Filoni animated shows, Tales of the Jedi is clear of any major issues. There is the usual sci fi laser violence and lightsaber battles, which Filoni does well. In the first episode, a space tiger type creature attacks a mother and baby, taking the baby away, which might be intense for very young viewers. Both characters go through interesting and complex arcs. Dooku is angry with corruption and the failure of the Republic, but his desire for justice is cause for temptation to evil, to justify doing bad things in the name of good. Ahsoka is placed through a hard training regimen and must overcome to be the Jedi she can be, a great example for all of us. And in the end, Ahsoka realizes that she can’t hide anymore and must fight the growing evil.
Watching this show could be a great opportunity for discussion between kids and parents. Do we understand why Dooku turned to evil? We can get angry at the corruption around us in various forms, but does that justify doing bad things ourselves? Why not? Looking at Ahsoka, are we willing to work hard and be the best we can be (at school, in a sport, for Christ)? Are we willing to commit to discipline? And finally, when we see suffering and bad things happening, do we have a responsibility to stand up and use our gifts and talents for the good of others? What would God want us to do? The movie has earned our Dove Seal for Ages 12+.
The Dove Take
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi is a great animated anthology series that will entertain big Star Wars fans and lead to great conversation on what it means to fight evil.
