Animation has always proven central to Star Wars' storytelling, with series such as The Clone Wars and Rebels becoming increasingly integral to the live-action stories. Lucasfilm currently has a number of animated projects in the works for the galaxy far, far away including The Bad Batch Season 2, the anime anthology Visions, and Disney Junior's Young Jedi Adventures.
All of these series are in development alongside Lucasfilm's expansive slate of live-action projects which includes The Mandalorian, Andor, and Ahsoka. But even with this slate, there has been one project shrouded in mystery for some time: Tales of the Jedi.
Lucasfilm recently accidentally revealed the series to be an animated anthology, although the exact concept remained unclear. Now, a panel at Star Wars Celebration officially unveiled the series, and it's coming far sooner than many once thought.
Star Wars Unveils Jedi Disney+ Show for 2022
During a panel at Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm officially announced Tales of the Jedi, a six-episode animated anthology series of shorts coming to Disney+ in fall this year from The Clone Wars' Dave Filoni. Three of the shorts will focus on Count Dooku and the other three on Ahsoka Tano - with other Jedi appearances including Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, and Yaddle.
One still shows a young Qui-Gon Jinn from the back alongside his former master Dooku. Liam Neeson will reprise his Jedi role in the shorts, while his son Michael will play a younger version.
Dooku will also appear at both younger and older ages, with the former fighting alongside Mace Windu based on one shot.
Attendees were shown one episode which saw a baby Ahsoka being raised by her mother, voiced by Janina Gavankar, in a village.
The short will see Ahsoka taken by her mother on a hunt, being attacked by a tiger, and arriving back home safely atop a tiger.
Ahsoka will also be seen during her early training - which looks to be observed by Mace Windu, Plo-Koon, Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Anakin Skywalker.
An older Ahsoka can also be seen preparing to face off against an unknown hooded antagonist with a double-bladed red lightsaber in the midst of a burning village.
The animation style looks to resemble that of The Clone Wars, which was also made under the direction of Filoni.
Tales of the Jedi will premiere on Disney+ in Fall 2022.
The Jedi Take the Lead Again
Over the last few years of Star Wars, the Jedi have been somewhat sidelined thanks to The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Fortunately, there are now a number of Jedi-centric projects on the horizon including Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka, and now Tales of the Jedi.
Ahsoka Tano taking the lead for three of the shorts once again reaffirms Lucasfilm's strong commitment to the character ahead of her solo series. Perhaps these episodes will help cover her story in a more concise sense ahead of 2023's Ahsoka, as opposed to making seven seasons of The Clone Wars and four seasons of Rebels required viewing.
Count Dooku ought to make for a far more intriguing lead for his half of the series, after all, his Jedi years have never been properly explored on screen. Fans will be elated to see him mentoring a young Qui-Gon Jinn, particularly with Liam Neeson and his son tackling the role - which is surprising since the actor recently expressed his lack of interest in joining a series.
With Ahsoka and Dooku taking the lead for the first season, the door is open to endless future opportunities with other Jedi, not just from the prequel trilogy, but across the saga. Tales of the Jedi could even offer an outlet to return to Rey's story or to see more of Luke Skywalker's downfall before the sequel trilogy.
Star Wars: Visions, an anime anthology series, was expected to release a second season later this year. But with Tales of the Jedi already offering an animated anthology series in the Star Wars universe for this year, the anime follow-up may be pushed into 2023.
Lucasfilm did not confirm exact release plans for Tales of the Jedi, other than its fall premiere, but if Visions is any indication, all six episodes are likely to premiere on the same day.
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