Tales of the Underworld‘s First Episode Gives Us the Return of Asajj Ventress

When Asajj Ventress someway returned in The Bad Batch, her communicative glossed implicit precisely what that someway was, aft Asajj had perished during the caller Dark Disciple. Now, arsenic she prepares to co-lead the latest Star Wars anthology series Tales From the Underworld, we’re acceptable to get close into it.

Shown to fans at Star Wars Celebration Japan arsenic portion of a sheet celebrating 20 years of Lucasfilm Animation, the archetypal occurrence of Underworld, “A Way Forward,” is chopped into 2 chiseled acts. The archetypal is acceptable instantly aft the climax of the ending of Dark Disciple, arsenic Quinlan Vos and Obi-Wan Kenobi hole to laic Ventress’ assemblage to remainder successful the Nightsister pools connected Dathomir. After a tearful farewell, Vos places Asajj’s veiled assemblage into the waters… lone for her to instantly travel backmost to life, astatine slightest from our perspective.

Able to spot Vos and Kenobi arsenic they hole to permission supra her, Ventress goes to scope retired of the h2o and to Quinlan, lone to find that she is enshrouded successful spectral fume and flames—she tin spot them, but they can’t spot her, arsenic she is nary longer of the carnal world. She’s told this by the acquainted dependable of Mother Talzin, the Nightsister leader, who offers Ventress a choice: enactment with the spirits of Talzin and her deceased sisters, oregon instrumentality to the mortal world. The cost? Her heart’s desire.

The prime is seemingly casual for Ventress. She steps forward, stumbling backmost into the onshore of the living, which is present itself emptied and decayed, with neither Quinlan oregon Obi-Wan successful sight.

The occurrence past cuts successful clip and determination to a engaged larboard metropolis connected an chartless world—but we cognize it’s during the emergence of the Empire, arsenic the engaged marketplace streets are littered with patrolling Stormtroopers. We find Ventress (now sporting her hairsbreadth from Bad Batch) moving information for a tiny transit station, scanning rider tickets and past getting decidedly much Ventress-y erstwhile passengers effort to marque it done without one. After a Rodian rider tries to propulsion a blaster connected Ventress’ boss, she violently beats him up, overmuch to the owner’s concern.

A small aboriginal on, Ventress walks successful connected a young lad trying to unafraid transition connected a shuttle. When helium lacks the funds to pay, Ventress watches with interest and intrigue arsenic helium attempts to usage a Jedi caput instrumentality connected Ventress’ boss… and it fails spectacularly. Just arsenic Ventress is astir to flip him retired however, she spots an approaching Stormtrooper patrol, and decides to effort and fell him instead.

Using a caput instrumentality herself connected the Stormtroopers, everything looks similar it’s going well, lone for her presumption brag to recognize that determination could beryllium a reward connected the boy’s head. Chaos ensues arsenic some Ventress and the lad propulsion retired their lightsabers, easy carving done the troopers.

As they effort to flight done town, the lad explains that he’s searching for the Path, the hidden ex-Jedi web introduced in Obi-Wan Kenobi, mentioning Quinlan Vos’ transportation by name, getting Ventress’ attention. Later on, arsenic Ventress is acceptable to get the lad connected a transport, they’re interrupted by the accomplishment of an Imperial Inquisitor, who goes to halt the lad lone for Ventress to gully her lightsaber and duel him. The combat is short, but impressive, the Inquisitor noting that Ventress doesn’t combat “like a Jedi.”

However, it’s not enough. The Inquisitor bests Ventress, getting her lightsaber (and adjacent the boy’s) distant from her. As helium prepares to onslaught the sidesplitting stroke however… some lightsaber blades burst done his thorax from behind, leaving his lifeless assemblage to autumn retired of the mode and uncover the young lad lasting there, lightsabers present unignited.

Eager to person recovered a surviving Jedi, the young lad begins babbling, lone for Ventress to drawback backmost enactment him, introducing herself properly. She’s a erstwhile commandant of the Separatist armies, arsenic she archer the boy, the closest idiosyncratic bodyguard of Count Dooku: Asajj Ventress!

It’s a promising commencement to what is acceptable to beryllium a promising subdivision of the Tales series. Audiences yet get to span the spread betwixt the events of Dark Disciple and her quality in The Bad Batch, portion Lucasfilm Animation gets to support fleshing retired 1 of the Clone Wars‘ astir mysterious, and often unexplored, characters.

We’ll find retired much when Tales of the Underworld returns to Disney+ May 4.

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