REVIEW: ‘Star Wars: Tales of the Underworldʼ Is An Uneven Ride

Since 2022, May the Fourth has been celebrated by the release of a new animated mini-series from Star Wars: The Clone Wars creator and showrunner (as well as Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer) Dave Filoni. Following Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire comes Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld. Spanning six episodes, the series tells two unrelated stories about two unrelated characters. This is a departure from the previous two installments in the Tales of… series, both of which told an overarching story throughout all the episodes, entwined in anthology-styled moments.

The two stories told in Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld take place during significantly different periods of time and do not intersect in any way. It’s jarring, on the heels of Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire, to not have a dedicated through-line of story from episode 1 to episode 6. The themes don’t align either, which leaves a dissonant viewing experience.

The first three episodes focus, inexplicably, on Asajj Ventress, the former Dark Side assassin who ends up out from under Count Dooku’s thumb only to encounter tragedy. The opening of the series is baffling, as it contradicts even established Disney canon, and then simply does not do anything to explain or give closure to how we find Ventress in the beginning of the series.

Finding the Path

Ventress’ story of helping a surviving Jedi Padawan find the Path feels out of place in a series purportedly about the underworld of the Star Wars universe. In a galaxy filled with Hutts, Pykes, bounty hunters, smugglers, and slavers, another story about a rogue Jedi escaping the Empire feels almost lazy. Obi-Wan’s line in A New Hope about the Jedi being “all but” extinct is starting to have to do some very heavy lifting.

All of the character beats throughout the three short episodes feel particularly weak; Ventress’ conflicts are entirely external, and her prickliness towards her new companion seems like a weak attempt to make her seem unwilling to be helpful. Lyco, the companion in question, remains fairly static the entire time as well, the only change to his goals coming at the very last minute. Overall, the story has little new to offer.

The Man in the Hat

Once Ventress and Lyco have achieved their goal, the series does an abrupt shift to a completely different time and place, and a character who has become a behatted fan-favorite: Cad Bane. There is something to be said about the absurdity of Star Wars, and the Cad Bane episodes are the best parts of this absurdity.

The story is as weak as the preceding one; predictable with both plot points and character arcs. However, unlike the previous story, there is a level of fun to be had with Bane which simply does not exist with Ventress. It also fits far better as an offering for Tales of the Underworld. It gives another interesting glimpse of day to day life in the galaxy far, far away - this time prior to the rise of the Empire. The tale of two close friends going in different moral directions is one as old as time, and one that repeats throughout Star Wars canon like a virus, but it’s one that works. There is an emotional vulnerability to a young Cad Bane that is unexpected and welcome. While Bane is not quite the villainous powerhouse of Darth Vader, seeing a sweet if mischievous young boy make increasingly poor decisions in the name of survival is similarly gut-wrenching, even if the outcome is a little bit goofy. The fact this story arc is literally about Bane attaining his signature headgear, Indiana Jones-style, is ultimately hilarious and just the sort of fan service to expect from Star Wars in general, and Filoni in particular.

Overall, Tales of the Underworld is an uneven ride of two disparate stories. While fun, it does not do much to expand anyone’s understanding of the world or the characters in it. After the strength of other recent Star Wars offerings, Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld is a bit of a let down. While the animation, acting, and music are all high quality, the stories themselves were predictable and too short. If Ventress had been given her own mini-series, or arc on a different show, and if Bane’s story had been entwined with another truly underworld character, it would have been a far more satisfying experience.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

About Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld

From creator Dave Filoni comes “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld,” an all-new anthology series of animated shorts which will premiere May 4, 2025, exclusively on Disney+. The popular series, which began in 2022 with “Tales of the Jedi” and continued in 2024 with “Tales of the Empire,” this time focuses on the criminal underbelly of the Star Wars galaxy through the experiences of two iconic villains. Former assassin and bounty hunter Asajj Ventress is given a new chance at life and must go on the run with an unexpected new ally, while outlaw Cad Bane faces his past when he confronts an old friend, now a Marshal on the opposite side of the law.

Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld” is executive produced by Dave Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, and Carrie Beck. Dave Filoni is supervising director, Josh Rimes is co-executive producer, Alex Spotswood is the senior producer, and Matt Michnovetz is the writer. “Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld” stars Nika Futterman, Corey Burton, Artt Butler, Lane Factor, AJ LoCascio, Clare Grant, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, and Eric Lopez.