Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld offers a darker glimpse into the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on the criminal underworld. This animated anthology series, consisting of six episodes written by Matt Michnovetz, and follows two notorious bounty hunters: the former dark side assassin Asajj Ventress and the outlaw Cad Bane.
For those familiar with Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, this series continues in a similar format, exploring the backstories and current conflicts of these intriguing characters. Ventress is given a new chance at life but finds herself on the run with an unexpected ally, while Cad Bane confronts his past when he encounters an old friend who is now a marshall.
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld is a series that will likely appeal to fans deeply invested in the lore of Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane, offering more insight into their lives and motivations, but one has to wonder how many of those are left given the treatment Cad Bane received in Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett and the fact that Asajj, a character created by Genndy Tartakovsky, has largely been maligned over the years as a result. Cad Bane’s origin story works reasonably well in this regard however Ventress’s journey doesn’t fully justify her return from the dead. Both stories feature an assertive pace however the overall premises are largely repetitive and not unlike every other origin story you’ve seen before with the lone exception being the funny ass plot twist in Bane’s story.