Tales of the Underworld is yet another emotionally charged story that favors Asajj Ventress and leaves Cad Bane in the dust.
Happy Star Wars Day to all who celebrate. It’s May 4th, the day that all Star Wars fans wait for each year. We’ve just come off the cusp of Star Wars Celebration 2025 in Tokyo, where more news on The Mandalorian and Grogu, Ahsoka, and Star Wars Visions was revealed, with fresh announcements on a Visions spin-off show, a Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars Movie and a Maul animated show.
If it wasn’t obvious, there doesn’t currently seem to be a solid structure to the future of Star Wars with the last season of The Mandalorian being its weakest, the cancellation of The Acolyte, and the unfortunate low ratings of Skeleton Crew; it hasn’t been looking bright at all for the Star Wars universe.
The only hope that there has been with this franchise has been with Andor (which our writer, Erin wrote an excellent review for), but with that airing its final season currently, what do Star Wars fans have to look forward to?
Animation has proven to be the strongest format for Star Wars time and time again, as it allows for Dave Filoni and the many creatives on board to not only experiment but also tell stories that can’t be told in live action. A dream has been for Lucasfilm to adapt Charles Soules’ Darth Vader run, and Tales of the Underworld proves that that dream can now become a reality.
Tales of the Underworld is an anthology show that is the third part in the “Tales” anthology series that covers the stories of well-known characters from across the galaxy and the various factions that the Star Wars universe has to offer. This show follows Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) as we follow her post Dark Disciple and also follows Cad Bane (Corey Burton) as we look back at how he became the legendary bounty hunter.
Tales of the Underworld continues the tradition of sticking with the animation style from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which has quickly become a staple for Lucasfilm for their animated ventures. The first three episodes focus on Asajj Ventress and see her make a return after her surprising appearance in The Bad Batch, which revealed she was alive after the novel Dark Disciple, which adapted eight unproduced episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, originally had her to be deceased.
The first episode, “A Way Forward,” brings us to the end of that story and finally shows fans how Ventress came back from the dead as Mother Talzin (Barbara Goodson) gives her an offer to join her sisters or return to the land of the living, and for love, people will do whatever it takes. Matt Michnovetz acts as the head writer for this show, and he tackles it with an angle that allows you to feel empathy for these ruthless characters who have slaughtered thousands of people.
Asajj Ventress comes across this kid called Lyco (Lane Factor), who happens to be a Jedi and is searching for the Path, a safe haven for Jedi and Force-sensitive that’s hidden from the Galactic Empire. The common factor for both Lyco and Ventress is that Quinlan Vos (Al Rodrigo), the love of her life, might be there. Throughout her journey, we start to see a change in Ventress that shows a slightly softer side as she’s forced to take care of this kid that has been thrown into her arms.
Her being able to find love has changed her ever so slightly, although she still has that dark, brutal and gritty edge to her, which Nika Futterman brings to life with her visceral voice work. Unlike the previous “Tales” series, Tales of the Underworld leaves Asajj Ventress at a new place in her life, which opens up for more stories with a fresh new dynamic.
While Ventress’ episodes have a strong theme of connection and leaving the past behind, Cad Bane’s feels like the opposite as we witness how he gets torn apart from the various people he once loved. Asajj Ventress delivers us badass action against a new Inquisitor (Daniel Ross) and many adversaries that come along her way, but Cad Bane’s half of the show slows down to show us how Colby became Cad Bane, the notorious, ruthless bounty hunter.
They’re slower-paced episodes, which Matt Michnovetz still manages to write with such conviction, allowing for the viewers to really get deep inside the mind of Cad Bane and understand what caused him to be this man void of any emotion. The relationship between him and his ex-best friend Niro (Artt Butler) is one that’s a heartbreaking story to watch as you start to realize it becomes a cycle of revenge and payback. This half becomes a tragic western with a dramatically unfortunate ending for everyone involved.
Tales of the Underworld highlights why these stories in the world of Star Wars are some of the best additions to the franchise on Disney+. This show unfortunately peaks at Asajj Ventress’ story as they dive into Dark Disciple and leave her with an open ending, but Cad Bane’s story still packs a hefty punch with a gut-wrenching origin story for a character who has lost it all.
The ‘Tales’ series is always a welcome surprise on Star Wars Day, and Tales of the Underworld is another great addition to the lineup.
