Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

Wasn't expecting much from Tales of the Underworld, but I was pleasantly surprised. For a short-form miniseries, it delivers solid storytelling, cool visuals, and a darker tone that fits the underworld vibe of Star Wars perfectly.

Episodes 4-6 stood out to me the most-there's a deeper look into a familiar character that longtime fans will enjoy. The overall plot is decent, though some twists are easy to predict if you're paying attention. Still, it works and doesn't feel lazy.

It starts fast, ends fast, and never overstays its welcome. Not a game-changer, but definitely worth watching-especially if you're into the criminal side of the galaxy.

Part of what is slowly turning into an annual tradition of a slew of short Clone Wars-era minisodes loosely grouped by theme. This third time is that particularly 20th Century American aspect of the Wars universe, "the vague seedy underbelly". The bounty hunters and lawbreakers, none of it ever more than euphemistically gritty, especially compared to the shockingly raw contemporaneous Andor Season 2.

Here the first set are the strongest; following an unlikely resurrection, Asajj Ventress is walking the path between light and dark in aide of a likeable young Jedi played by the phenomenally brilliant Lane Factor (Reservation Dog's evergreen Cheese). The Filoniverse is as by-the-numbers as Star Wars gets but this was a deceptive little arc that surprised me. I'd like to see more of these two. I want a Strata subplot in the Mando movie.

The Cad Bane part is less interesting, he's always been more Scrappy-Doo than Clint Eastwood for me as a character, forever showing up and adding little beyond cliché and mannered vocal delivery. His three-part tragic backstory doesn't flesh him out much and plays out like any well-worn "two street-rats separated by destiny doomed to never reconcile" story. Eff.

After the first Jedi series I keep hoping these continuity stocking fillers are far more consequential than they are, but that's not what the Clone Wars era Star Wars was built for. It's there to keep the wheels turning, the content churning out, and to go nowhere particularly interesting in no particular hurry.

I have been a huge star wars fan since watching the prequel trilogy in the movies but i have not been that into star wars content in the past few years except for some shows mostly animated which i think almost always hit the mark when it comes to making star wars something that fits George's vision. Tales of the underworld hits all the marks that i think are needed for a quality star wars product and this makes me think every star wars show should be animated because quite frankly I think every animated show so far that has been created by filoni has been everything that the live action shows are not.

A welcome addition to the Star Wars saga, even if it doesn't break entirely new ground. It may not win over those fatigued by the franchise's expanding content, but for dedicated fans, it offers a surprisingly intimate and atmospheric glimpse into the darker corners of the galaxy. The animation is top-notch, the tone mature, and the storytelling focused. While its brevity leaves some arcs feeling a bit rushed, the emotional weight and character depth make up for it. This isn't Star Wars for newcomers - it's for those who've stuck with it and are looking for thoughtful, character-driven stories that respect the lore without relying on nostalgia.

I love what Dave Filoni does, but this one and Tales of the Empire were not as good as, lets say, Tales of The Jedi. Why?

I was happy to see Asajj Ventress, but I was hoping to see a more important part of her life. Here, we don't get any special story, just a random episode in her life. To avoid giving any spoilers, I won't say what she's doing, but it's really nothing special. I wish we had more of Asajj, she's a great character.

I wasn't happy to see Cad Bane. For personal, subjective reasons, I don't like this character. A cowboy in a galaxy far far away? Anyway, I also don't think this character is so important that it needs his own story, and neither did Morgan Elsbeth in Tales of the Empire in my opinion. Tales of the Jedi presented us two very special characters: Dooko and Ahsoka. And now we get Morgan Elsbeth and Cad Bane. Some characters deserve a better presentation, showing their beginnings, just not these ones. Again, this is a personal, subjective opinion.

Getting back to Cad Bane, his story presented here is just not interesting. They could've come with a better, more interesting story.

Anyway, the "Tales" could come back with many interesting characters that deserve more presentation. Can't wait for the next one (if there will be one).