This article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi revealed six new details about Count Dooku and his fall to the dark side, some of which have changed the character's story. As portrayed by the late Christopher Lee, Count Dooku became one of the most iconic villains of George Lucas's Star Wars prequels. A former Jedi Master, Dooku had lost faith in the Republic and in the Jedi, believing them to be too tied to a corrupt political institution. He left the Jedi and fell under the sway of Darth Sidious, apprenticing to him in the hopes of bringing peace and order to the galaxy. An egotist at his core, Dooku was blind to the fact he was just another pawn to the Sith; Palpatine was focused on Anakin Skywalker, and Dooku would ultimately be sacrificed as part of Anakin's own fall to the dark side.
Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi animated series features several episodes exploring Dooku's fall to the dark side and sharing a number of details about his backstory. The episodes add further depth to Dooku's character arc, revealing he was under the dark side's influence for a lot longer than anyone had realized, and they make his final fate a lot more tragic. The series also contradicts some Star Wars tie-in novels when it comes to the character, raising many awkward questions about continuity that will surely annoy some viewers. Here are all the Dooku reveals in Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.
Dooku Had Always Been A Maverick Jedi
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi reveals Count Dooku had always been something of a maverick Jedi. Dooku may have trained under Yoda, but he seems to have lacked any sense of reverence for his old master. Instead, he concludes that Yoda — like the rest of the Jedi Council — was too wrapped up in the politics of the Republic. Two episodes of the Disney+ animated series show Dooku on missions involving corrupt Republic senators, and he seems to have increasingly sympathized with Separatist rebels even as he served as a Jedi Master. He also seems to have shown little interest in following protocol, a view that he passed on to his student Qui-Gon Jinn.
Dooku Seems To Have Long Been Aware Of Sith Teachings
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi episode 3 is clearly set several years before the prequel trilogy, and it details the mission that saw Mace Windu welcomed to the Jedi Council. Curiously, a subtle line of dialogue hints that Dooku was already aware of the Sith Code, because he's already using the word "victory" — a conflict metaphor that feels entirely inappropriate for a Jedi peacekeeper. Star Wars tie-ins have already suggested Dooku spent much of his time as a Jedi researching the Order's ancient past, and it's possible he looked back through the records beyond the schism that created the Sith, to a time when the Jedi served the balance of the Force and were not so fearful of the dark side. Interestingly enough, according to Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi episode 2, he knew how to use the Force to choke someone, and that episode is set even earlier in the timeline.
Dooku Felt Overlooked By The Jedi Council
Count Dooku had little respect for the Jedi Council, clearly believing Jedi should simply follow the will of the Force. Mace Windu correctly realized this was actually an excuse for Dooku to trust his own judgment, and he put it down to pure ego. His comments were proved correct when Dooku was angered at being overlooked for membership of the Jedi Council, a moment that seems to have been a key part of his fall to the dark side. Oddly enough, this appears to contradict the recent Star Wars novel Padawan, by Kiersten White, which strongly implies Dooku had been a member of the Council before he left the Order.
When Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012, they erased the old Expanded Universe from continuity. Lucasfilm then established a new rule, that from this point on everything would be equally canon. Modern Star Wars has started breaking continuity, however - sadly inevitable given the sprawling size of the Star Wars galaxy. This particular contradiction is quite remarkable, however, given Padawan was only published in July 2022.
Dooku Worked With The Sith Before The Prequel Trilogy - Betraying Fellow Jedi
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi episode 4 confirms that Dooku had begun with the Sith even before the events of the prequel trilogy. One scene is set partway through the events of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, with Dooku sneaking into the Jedi archives and deleting records of Kamino. Later, in a meeting with Darth Sidious, he reveals people have already died - and name-drops his old friend Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, a precognitive Jedi who had foreseen the Clone Wars and commissioned the clone army as a defense against the Sith. Dooku had already served as Palpatine's tool to have Sifo-Dyas killed and the clone army reprogrammed.
Master Yaddle Was Dooku's Sacrifice To Become A Sith
The second part of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi episode 4 is set shortly after Qui-Gon Jinn's death at the hands of Darth Maul, and it reveals the moment Dooku became a Sith Lord. Ancient rituals require a sacrifice of blood to join the Sith. For Dooku, this was accomplished when Master Yaddle followed him to a meeting with Darth Sidious. Dooku killed Yaddle, proving his allegiance to the Sith and becoming Sidious's new apprentice. Another Sith ritual requires an apprentice to slay a Jedi and use the kyber crystal from their lightsaber when they forge a new blade. Although Dooku seems to have kept his old lightsaber hilt, the kyber crystals were likely switched, with Yaddle's "bled" — a process that involves turning the crystal to the dark side, resulting in the red blade of a Sith lightsaber.
Dooku Left The Jedi Order After Qui-Gon's Death
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi episode 4 reveals Dooku did not leave the Jedi until after Qui-Gon's death, which is another major departure from established continuity. He was still a Jedi at the time of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, and presumably the Jedi believed his departure was in part caused by Qui-Gon's fate on Naboo. In reality, of course, he was returning to his home world of Serenno to build a power base that would become very useful to the Sith as the Star Wars prequel trilogy continued.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi is streaming now on Disney.