What Could We See in Tales of the Underworld?

On Wednesday, Star Wars announced the brand new miniseries coming to Disney+ on May 4th, Tales of the Underworld. Assuming it keeps the same form as its predecessors, Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire, we can expect to see three episodes on each of the focal characters- Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane.

The trailer seems to show us learning about the history of a young Cad Bane, while Ventress appears in her The Bad Batch costume looking after a Jedi youngling or padawan, and facing down a new Inquisitor. The poster for the series has Cad Bane's side filled with Duros like him, while Ventress' side features the return of characters like Latts Razzi and C-21 Highsinger from Krayt's Claw, as well as new characters that we see in the trailer and strange, smokey figures that evoke Nightsister magic.

The trailer and poster give us a lot to think about already, but one of the many joys of Star Wars is that nearly everything is touched by other media- other movies, shows, comics, books and more. So with our extra Star Wars knowledge, what else might we see in Tales of the Underworld?

How Ventress Survived

The return of Asajj Ventress in The Bad Batch caused quite a stir among fans of the novel Dark Disciple, a book based on unfinished The Clone Wars episodes where (spoiler alert) she is killed. Brad Rau assured fans that her story will align with the book, and it's possible we may learn how in this series. The ghostly figures on her side of the poster for the series suggest Nightsister magic is involved- which would make sense, given that she was laid to rest on her homeworld of Dathomir.

Cad Bane's Mentorship with Jango Fett

It's been mentioned that Cad Bane was mentored by Jango Fett in his youth, though it's not a story we've seen told. Given the trailer's indications that we will learn about young Cad Bane on his homeworld before he ranked among the galaxy's greatest bounty hunters, it's not impossible that we could see that mentorship between the two before Jango's death in Attack of the Clones. This would also lend itself well to the other story I think we may see in Cad Bane's episodes...

Quinlan Vos and the Hidden Path

We've known that Quinlan Vos, Ventress' love interest in Dark Disciple, survived Order 66 since the Darth Vader (2017) comics run included his name on a list of Jedi the Inquisitors were hunting. Obi-Wan Kenobi in 2022 included his name again when Obi-Wan was on the base of the Hidden Path, and we learned that Vos worked with the Path to protect young Jedi from the Empire. Considering the trailers show Ventress protecting a young Jedi herself, it isn't out of the question that she could seek out the Path and the two could reunite in this series as- and it would be the first time that Vos appears on-screen since The Clone Wars season three (six if you count Yoda's vision).

It's also not out of the question that the show could rehash some plot elements of Dark Disciple to help fans who don't read the books get up to speed on everything that happened to Ventress since we last saw her in The Clone Wars season five, similar to what Tales of the Jedi did for the Ahsoka novel. So maybe Sal of the Rogue Rebels could get his Gala Vos images after all!

Cade Bane versus Boba Fett

Many of the unfinished The Clone Wars stories we know of have come to fruition in their own ways- whether it was in The Clone Wars season seven, novels like Dark Disciple or comics like Son of Dathomir. Some of those stories had unfinished reels released publicly, and there are just two of those that have yet to be seen in a complete form- the Utapau arc, and Cad Bane versus Boba Fett. We'll see if anything ever happens with Utapau, but this series seems like a likely candidate to finally have two of the greatest bounty hunters face off in full glory.

Its a fight that was referenced when the characters had a final showdown in The Book of Boba Fett in 2022, but not one many fans have seen. If Tales of the Underworld includes this story, it can give them a new appreciation for their fight in The Book of Boba Fett, and also show everyone how Boba got the iconic dent in his helmet.

For the record- I have no idea what we might see in Tales of the Underworld beyond what they've shown us, this is all just some speculation on directions it could go. I would love to see all of this, but I would also love to be surprised! I always enjoy what Lucasfilm Animation brings to the table, and I can't wait for these stories to be told- whatever they may be.