By George Bate
After months of rumors, Tales of the Jedi, an upcoming Star Wars show, was announced following the reveal of Star Wars Celebration 2022’s panels. Very little is officially known about the new series. Tales of the Jedi will be an animated anthology series, presumably reminiscent to the structure of Star Wars: Visions. Star Wars maestro Dave Filoni is involved in the project, although the extent of his involvement remains unclear.
Fans of the expanded universe will likely recognize the name Tales of the Jedi. The new Star Wars TV show shares a name with a classic Dark Horse comic series that revealed more about the ancient history of the Jedi and the Sith. Tales of the Jedi was spearheaded by Tom Veitch, whose work on Dark Empire set the stage for an exploration of ancient Jedi and Sith lore. Set approximately 4000 years before the Skywalker saga, the Dark Horse series was also an anthology series spotlighting various Jedi. The primary focus is Ulic Qel-Droma, a Jedi from Alderaan whose battles with the Sith Empire lead to his eventual fall to the dark side. Also of note in Tales of the Jedi is Exar Kun, who originally appeared in the Jedi Academy trilogy of novels.
Although considering non-canon (or Legends now), Tales of the Jedi’s influence on greater Star Wars lore remains impactful. The series introduced fans to the Old Republic era, the ancient Jedi/Sith wars, the warriors of Mandalore, and more. It set the stage for the acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic series of video games, and features characters still spoken about today among fans.
Given this, it remains unclear what the focus of the upcoming Tales of the Jedi series will be. Will the show merely share the title of the Dark Horse comic series or will it be an adaptation of the series? There’s a few possibilities. Star Wars moved the clock back over the last few years to open up the era of the High Republic across various books and comics. Although the era will be explored in the upcoming Disney+ live-action series The Acolyte, it has yet to be portrayed in animation. It’s possible Tales of the Jedi will provide a glimpse into what the Jedi of the High Republic were up to outside of written and drawn formats. Another possibility is for the show to adapt a Star Wars: Visions approach in not restricting itself to any one time period, or even canon altogether for matter.
This format allowed for various filmmakers to create some of the most unique adventures in Star Wars to date. It’s also possible the series is an anthology show focusing on the Jedi of the era following The Mandalorian. With The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka, Disney+’s reign of Star Wars shows really kicked off by focusing on the era between Episodes VI and VII. Filoni and colleagues may wish to continue mining this era in canon by offering animated shorts of what the likes of Ahsoka, Luke, Grogu, and others are up to.
Stay tuned to The HoloFiles for more about Tales of the Jedi following its official reveal at Star Wars Celebration in May!