The animated Tales Of… series in the Star Wars universe started off two for two. After the show successfully explored the paths of notable Jedi and then took a walk on the dark side, this third set of short stories turns its focus to the underground, where Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) and Cad Bane (Corey Burton) reside. With the six episodes ranging from 12 to 17 minutes long, split evenly among the two headliners, it’s another slickly packaged Star Wars bundle from creator Dave Filoni that does a lot with a little.
Ventress’ story follows on from the in-canon novel Dark Disciple and sees her form a relationship with spirited Padawan Lyco Strata (Lane Factor) post-Order 66 as they look for a secret path to find hidden Jedi. The mismatched duo are a fun hang, with Lyco constantly picking away at Ventress’ hardened exterior on the inevitable path to genuine friendship across three episodes. It’s thin, but sweet.
While there is no narrative throughline between the two sets of stories, they both share wonderfully lush and detailed animation.
The more impactful narrative is reserved for Cad Bane. Unlike Ventress’ arc, his story takes place years apart; we first meet him as a young street rat with a different name and a best friend, before jumping ahead to an incident that has the quick-draw artist seeking vengeance years later. Along the way, we gain some fascinating insight into one of the galaxy’s most mysterious blasters-for-hire that goes far beyond his menacing look and fearsome nature. Pulling back the layers on the life he could have had and what he turned his back on only serves to enrich the character.
While there is no narrative throughline between the two sets of stories, they both share wonderfully lush and detailed animation. One high point comes in the second episode, as Ventress and Lyco try to execute a heist that gets more chaotic and creative as it goes on. Kudos also for the distinctive voice work, with Burton especially doing a good job of modulating his lines to take just enough raspiness out of a younger Cad Bane. It’s one of many smart choices made with this Tales Of… instalment. Filoni is three for three.