Tales of the Jedi Episode 2 review: Dooku before Dark

Tales of the Jedi Episode 2 mines the darkness that lay inside Count Dooku in his days training Qui-Gon Jinn, administering a brutal brand of ‘Justice’ on a corrupt politician.

The galaxy far, far away is bigger than ever: we’ve had three trilogies of movies, spinoffs, and several TV shows, including The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian, and currently, Andor.

Tales of the Jedi is a new Star Wars anthology series set during the prequel era, spotlighting important moments in the lives of Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku as they embark on their respective paths toward heroism and villainy. Each episode is around 15 minutes long.

Episode 2, titled ‘Justice’, takes a shift from the wholesome tone of the first installment, illustrating how the Dark Side can be used for good, even when those who’ve turned don’t realize the anger they’re channelling.

Spoilers for Tales of the Jedi Episode 2 to follow…

Tales of the Jedi Episode 2 review: Justice

We open on a spaceship soaring towards a planet, with Dooku (Corey Burton, doing his best emulation of Christopher Lee’s bassy, smooth-as-gravy cadence) and Qui-Gon Jinn (Micheál Richardson) landing in the charred aftermath of a fire in a village.

As they arrive, all that can be heard is the beeping chirps of clean-up droids, flies buzzing on whatever detritus they can find, and dogs barking into the smoky air. Doors open, but they shut just as abruptly when people catch sight of the two visitors.

They eventually enter a bar and ask for the location of “the senator’s son.” This scene could play out tensely, but despair is the overriding emotion of ‘Justice’. One woman complains about the senator’s neglect of his people, pointing to the “effects of his longstanding policies.”

When she offers to take them to his son, Qui-Gon asks: “You’re one of the kidnappers?” Just like Spartacus, the whole bar rises to its feet. “They all are,” Dooku says.

They’ve not tortured the boy, nor have they harmed him in anyway. His capture was purely to make a point, a cry for help more than anything else. “What choice do they have?” the son even says, just as his father arrives.

The locals accuse Dooku of betraying their trust, but it wasn’t him – it was another “hungry” villager forced to eat from the Republic’s hand. Similar to Andor, the smaller observations of the government tyranny are more effective.

Senator Dagonet (Mark Rolston), surely named after the coward of Lancelot, is desperate to exert his power, and a brief firefight ensues. Dooku grows angry at the politician’s disregard for his own people, and finally uses the Force in all the cool ways: the neck grip, pushing people back, and deflecting blaster shots with his lightsaber. He’s seconds from killing the senator, telling him, “Corruption like yours must be eradicated,” but Qui-Gon stops him just in time.

As the senator and his son leave the town, promising to help the people going forward, Dooku tells his padawan: “Well then, you’re a much wiser man than I, Qui-Gon Jinn.”

“Thanks to your teaching,” he replies.

Tales of the Jedi Episode 2 review score: 6/10

Tales of the Jedi’s animation style doesn’t lend itself well to Episode 2, with its bleak color palette and awkward character models, nor does the voice acting or dialogue leave much to be desired.

However, the overall tone is compelling enough, and seeing Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn on a noble pursuit with teases of the Dark Side is enough of a novelty on its own.

Tales of the Jedi is available to stream now. You can sign up for Disney+ here.