Disney+'s Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld is just around the corner, and it will feature even more of Asajj Ventress. While Ventress was first introduced to audiences in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, she was killed in the canon book The Dark Disciple.
Many found that twist disappointing, but with a bit of Star Wars magic, the character returned to life in The Bad Batch. Thanks to Tales of the Underworld, audiences will now get to witness three new animated episodes that further explore this renewed Asajj.
The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with Nika Futterman, the actress behind Asajj Ventress. They discussed how she felt when her character originally died and Asajj's new journey of atonement.
Actor Nika Futterman Was Angry & Bitter When Asajj Ventress Died
Futterman Was Hoping It Could Just Stay In the Books
- The Direct: "Dark Disciple killed Ventress off. How did you feel when you originally learned that your character was killed off in that book and you weren't going to be able to kind of get that closure yourself?"
Nika Futterman: Angry and bitter and like, okay, it's a book. That doesn't mean it has to be in the series. Okay, that's what I thought. And angry and bitter was I... Of course, I didn't like it. And I was like, 'Wait, please make it just be the book. Please make them come up with some magic. And if she ever comes back, make it be me, please. I beg of you universe,' being Dave Filoni.
Asajj Ventress & Her Atonement in Tales of the Underworld
"In the Beginning She Was Still Carrying Around a Lot of Her Anger
- The Direct: "I feel like atonement is a heavy topic on Asajj's mind. How do you feel her guilt, for her role in The Clone Wars frames how she goes through life in this empire-led world?"
Nika Futterman: Well, I think that she's grown a lot, because I think in the beginning she was still carrying around a lot of her anger, of her life, as she as she should, I mean, or I shouldn't say as she should. That's not how I really think of things...
But as I understand, as my compassion for her is, here's this person who, as a baby, is taken away by pirates, brought to another planet, and then it's saved by a lovely Jedi who teaches her the good way. And her life could have gone on like that, positively, but no such luck. He's killed.
She runs the planet for a little while, until she's forced by bad guys to go and be a gladiator. And then the bad guy comes and says, 'Oh, she's badass,' and then takes her away, and then she just kills for him. And she's not around anything positive.
This one person who she learned to love is no longer in existence, and so, she's this lone wolf just killing people and taking out her anger on whoever gets in the way of her lightsabers, and I don't think she thought anything of it, except that this is, I'm angry, My life sucks, and so I get to do this and kill people because my life is good.
But then little things start happening, and as she grows, connects more with the force, without even wanting to... She like, starts to have these feelings of, and I don't think she'd ever say is like guilt at the time, but maybe she just hurts to have some like, I can't help myself.
I want to help someone, or I want to protect someone, or I want to say something, and so then she has these little story arcs, or she does those kind of things, or even with Ahsoka, you know, saving her, or, all the little stories that happened in the 'Clone Wars' and then. But I don't, I still think she was not conscious of the good part of herself.
I think it took till she, this is where the book is, you know, what changes her, I think. Because she finds love and remembers what that is, and it doesn't matter who or what you are in the universe, that will mess anyone up, good or bad. And so I think that changes the trajectory in the universe of her life.
The Importance of Quinlan Voss to Asajj Ventress
Quinlan Might Be Absent, But He Isn't Forgotten.
- The Direct: "Quinlan Voss is obviously a very important part of Ventress' story. Now that she's kind of existing separate from him, without him knowing. What is that relationship to her at this point, and how is it influencing her as she's going around the world?"
Nika Futterman: If you think it as a visual road, that he is at the end of that road, and that she must walk down that path and keep following it. Because I think now that might be, if not, the most important thing, a very powerful force in the direction that she travels.
Nika Futterman on Asajj Ventress' Future
"It'd Be Really Interesting for Her to Have Her Own Show."
- The Direct: "They just announced a new animated show, Star Wars: Maul - Shadow Lord. Now that Ventress is alive and active, what are the odds that fans can expect to see her show up in his story that unfolds?"
Nika Futterman: I wish I could—People have been asking—I wish I could say what the odds are. And I wish I could say like, what I wish the odds are, but I don't know, and I think it would be really interesting. But I also think it'd be really interesting for her to have her own show... He could come visit her there."
The full interview can be seen below:
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld is streaming on Disney+ on Sunday, May 4, following the early premiere of the first two episodes in Fortnite on Friday, May 2.
