Star Wars Celebration 2025 dropped quite a lot on us, from a new movie set to open in May 2027 to an animated series that will follow Darth Maul in the criminal underworld. Before that, however, we have more Star Wars TV shows to enjoy, starting with the anthology series Tales of the Underworld.
After 2024’s Tales of the Empire made it clear this new format had been a win for both Disney Plus and Lucasfilm Animation, it was only a matter of time before these shorts explored more of the galaxy far, far away’s seedy underworld. After all, it’s been built up over the decades, many fan-favorite characters belong to it, and The Book of Boba Fett didn’t quite deliver on the promise of having fun with the mafia and other space criminals.
The six-episode anthology focuses on Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane — two fan favorite characters who showed up throughout The Clone Wars (and later in The Bad Batch). Both of them have met their ends already (though Ventress did manage to cheat death), but that doesn’t stop Disney from telling interesting stories here. Plus, the Star Wars timeline is massive, and with the Maul-centric show showing us more of the galaxy’s criminal activity under the reign of the Empire, the door is wide open for both Clone Wars veterans to hang around a while longer.
Below, you’ll find a ranked list of all six episodes and our take on each and all of them. While Tales of the Underworld certainly is no Andor season 2, it’s yet another reminder of all the value Lucasfilm Animation constantly adds to the ever-evolving sci-fi fantasy universe.
Mild spoilers ahead for all episodes of Tales of the Underworld and previous Star Wars media.
6. ‘A Good Turn’
The penultimate episode of the bunch presents ruthless Duros bounty hunter Cad Bane just as he’s getting the hang of the criminal business, before his bounty hunter days. It comes after a playful introductory episode and jumps forward in time to revisit both Bane (still using the name Colby) and Niro after their paths in life have diverged. Colby is a gangster wannabe, and Niro has become a lawman, leaving the ‘street rat’ life behind.
Considering this episode is (or should be) the pivotal moment of Cad Bane’s entire arc in this miniseries, we’re sad to say it lacks a punch. The inciting incident happens quickly and off-camera, and there just isn’t much going on before the final showdown that leads Colby down a path of hatred and evildoing.
It’s interesting to see the two main characters embrace different lives in spite of their shared background, and lack of the love and support of a family. It’s often said Star Wars is all about redemption and empathy, but these stories also make the point that some people are irredeemable, and Colby is the kind of person who made the wrong (and easy) decision at every turn, even when he had a chance to turn his life around.
5. ‘A Way forward’
The first Ventress-centric episode starts with a long-awaited scene that adapts the ending of Dark Disciple, a canon novel that diehards thought had been ‘written off’ as non-canon when the former Sith assassin was introduced into The Bad Batch. The scene shows us exactly what happened after her apparent death. The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural, especially when we’re talking about the Witches of Dathomir and their magicka.
Fast-forward into the early days of the Empire, and Asajj has been given a big second chance… as long as she doesn’t reunite with her only loved one: Quinlan Vos. Easy, right? After all, Order 66 has just wiped out the Jedi Order. Well, things get hard again when a young Jedi named Lyco causes a ruckus and the Empire targets the two Force wielders. The Jedi: Survivor (one of the best Star Wars games) energy is through the roof in this one, yet it isn’t particularly interesting or thrilling past the prologue, and the brief duel with a new Inquisitor isn’t enough to make a lasting impression. We liked Asajj’s new yellow lightsaber, though.
4. ‘The Good Life’
The first of Cad Bane’s episodes is refreshing from the get-go: We get to see the planet Duro long before the Clone Wars, following two mischievous orphans in the streets for a while before they run into a gangster who can change their lives. We’ve all seen this story before: the promise of riches and power, an ‘easy’ way out… Despite the mafia-era New York City-like setting, it’s a familiar Star Wars story, and spending a fair amount of time with Colby before he chose a life of crime was a good call.
This first chapter in Bane’s tale isn’t exceptionally fun or deep, though. It’s exactly the sort of thing that could’ve been a short prologue or a small line of dialogue, and since we don’t get to see much of Duro at its supposedly lowest time, buying into the whole “these kids can’t escape poverty” angle isn’t as easy as it should be. It’s less of a tragedy and more of a cautionary tale, which isn’t a problem per se, but at roughly 15 minutes, ‘The Good Life’ takes a bit too long to get going, squandering much of its potential in the process.
3. ‘Friends’
‘Friends’ keeps things simple but is the most action-packed episode in Tales of the Underworld, giving this small collection a much-needed jolt of energy. The moral of the story is simple: Don’t trust folks who steal and kill for money. Despite what the title of the anthology may suggest, Lucasfilm Animation isn’t glorifying mercenaries and bounty hunters here… even if most of this episode is an awesome, explosive heist scene.
The Imperial MacGuffin that Asajj, her new Jedi companion, and her ‘friend’ are after doesn’t really matter. What matters is how everything plays out. For a solid few minutes, you’ve got stormtroopers, massive Imperial vehicles, and gunships causing chaos, all while the protagonists are trying to survive. They plan to steal an item to gain knowledge of the Hidden Path, a secretive network that’s moving Force sensitives to safety.
The best bit is Star Wars going full Dead Man’s Chest for a spell, with a fantastic action scene involving a giant rolling chunk of scenery and plenty of acrobatics. The conclusion could’ve been more tense for sure, but this one’s a great example of how far Lucasfilm Animation has come with its technique and expertise.
2. ‘One Good Deed’
The best thing about Tales of the Underworld is that both three-episode story arcs end on high notes. ‘One Good Deed’ doesn’t feature a lot of action, but that’s not why this tale works. As Colby and Niro’s feud comes to a head, the dramatic tension and weight are better felt, and long-time Lucasfilm Animation fans will appreciate the unrestrained Western vibes at the forefront of this one.
The biggest question going into a Cad Bane-centric story arc that happens entirely in the pre-Clone Wars era of the galaxy was: Why should we care? We’ve seen him plenty of times over the years, and he died at the end of The Book of Boba Fett, so what do we gain with this one?
It can be intriguing to see where heroes and villains come, but only if there’s a space to tell their previously unseen stories. Lucasfilm delivers here, with a surprise conclusion that opens up several exciting possibilities and turns Cad Bane into a modern Star Wars legacy character. It definitely wasn’t on our bingo card, but the surprise works so well thematically and on a purely emotional level that we must applaud it.
1. ‘One Warrior to Another’
Asajj Ventress’ tale also gets a shockingly restrained third act, which sees her and the young Jedi come across an ex-Separatist leader who can’t let go of a conflict with no winners. Star Wars has circled such ideas before with varying degrees of success, but the ‘no winners but Palpatine’ angle was worth bringing up again to give Ventress yet another push away from her past life. It also works great to remove the blindfolds from Lyco’s eyes, as he was too young to understand what suddenly happened when the Jedi Order was wiped out alongside the Separatists by a larger, more sinister force.
The setup is also familiar but effective: A water conflict on a backwater planet. There are small aliens even more vicious than the Ewoks, and a massive misunderstanding. It quickly leads to a fun action sequence involving speeders that’s nicely choreographed, and both the plot and emotional conclusion land their shots. It’s all peak Star Wars on a small scale, and a fantastic reminder of how well this format works when there are clear objectives in sight. After the disappointment of Tales of the Empire, the Force is strong with this third anthology series.
