The latest entry into the hallowed halls of Star Wars animation is Tales of the Jedi, a series of six shorts that tell a surprisingly compact story asking what it truly means to be a Jedi in a time of war. Drawing on the popularity of several key characters, this series elevates the Republic Era of the franchise.
Many Jedi appear during the six episodes of Tales of the Jedi with varying degrees of importance. While certain characters, like Ahsoka and Dooku, prove vitally important, there are many more recognizable personalities littered throughout the episodes whom Star Wars fans ought to know.
Ahsoka Tano
Ahsoka Tano is one of the leading characters in the first season of Tales of the Jedi. The first episode features the events surrounding her birth and the discovery of her Force powers, with the fifth and sixth episodes adding to the story of her survival through Order 66 and the Empire's subsequent hunt for the Jedi.
Longtime Star Wars fans know that Ahsoka would endure a life of hardship and pain after the fall of the Jedi Order. However, as the final episode in Tales of the Jedi sets up, she would spend years moonlighting as the Rebel informant Fulcrum, who would be instrumental in bringing down the Empire. Her life after the Galactic Civil War remains a mystery but will be explained further in the upcoming Disney+ series, Ahsoka.
Count Dooku
Many fans knew that Count Dooku was a Jedi before becoming a Sith Lord, but the events of this transformation had never been seen onscreen before. The second, third, and fourth episodes of Tales of the Jedi amend this oversight, depicting Dooku's journey to betraying the Jedi Order.
After the events of this series, Dooku went on to spearhead the Separatist movement that would eventually become the opposing side during the Clone Wars. Of course, Dooku was working under the advisement of the Sith Lord Darth Sidious the entire time, who eventually would betray him and have him killed at the hands of Anakin Skywalker during the events of Revenge of the Sith.
Qui-Gon Jinn
Qui-Gon Jinn is the Padawan of Dooku, who accompanies his master on a mission to retrieve the kidnapped son of a Republic Senator in the second episode of Tales of the Jedi. A much older Qui-Gon is also seen in a following episode, in a scene that takes place during the events of The Phantom Menace.
Fans know that only hours after his final scene in Tales of the Jedi, Qui-Gon is killed in a lightsaber battle with the Sith apprentice Darth Maul on Naboo. However, he would be the first Jedi to retain his consciousness after death, being able to manifest himself as a Force ghost in the years that followed.
Mace Windu
The Jedi Master Mace Windu appears in the third episode of Tales of the Jedi, accompanying Dooku on a mission to investigate the mysterious death of a fellow Jedi Master. Unlike Dooku, Windu plays things according to the rules, angering his partner but earning himself a promotion to the Jedi Council.
After ascending to Master Katri's seat on the High Council, Mace Windu would become one of the leading voices in the Jedi Order. He would remain on the council until his death just before Order 66, when Anakin Skywalker and Sheev Palpatine betrayed him and threw him from the Chancellor's window.
Katri
Master Katri is a new character and a member of the Jedi High Council, introduced for the first time in the third episode of Tales of the Jedi. It is her death that Dooku and Mace Windu are investigating in the Raxxus system, with the character never physically appearing onscreen during her lifetime.
Over the course of the episode, it is revealed that Katri was killed while trying to defend a Senator from his traitorous guards. After the conclusion of the investigation, Katri's body was returned to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and Mace Windu was given her seat on the council.
Ki-Adi-Mundi
Master Ki-Adi-Mundi is a Cerean Jedi who served on the High Council for many years. He appears in several episodes of Tales of the Jedi, most notably leading the funeral service for Master Katri after she was murdered in the Raxxus system.
Ki-Adi-Mundi would go on to be a leading general during the Clone Wars while simultaneously completing his duty to the High Council. He became one of many Jedi killed during Order 66, dying after his clone troopers betrayed him during the Third Battle of Mygeeto.
Plo Koon
Plo Koon is a Jedi Master who is seen briefly during the events of Tales of the Jedi. He is seen in attendance of Master Katri's funeral and later at Ahsoka's training exhibition in episode five. Though it isn't shown in the series itself, it was also Master Koon who found and brought Ahsoka to the Jedi Temple as a child.
Most Star Wars fans will recognize Plo Koon as a member of the Jedi Council at the time of Order 66. He was killed along with the other members of the council when his clone troopers betrayed him, shooting him down while flying a mission over Cato Neimoidia. Recently, his iconic mask and goggles were seen on display in Luthen Rael's shop during the events of Andor.
Saesee Tiin
Saesee Tiin was a powerful Jedi Master known for his deep connection to the Force. He makes several silent cameos in the third and fifth episodes of Tales of the Jedi, most prominently in his attending Master Katri's funeral.
Though Tiin is not featured heavily during the Star Wars saga, he is nevertheless one of the most powerful Jedi ever depicted onscreen. Eventually, he would join Mace Windu on his mission to arrest Chancellor Palpatine, only to die in battle against the hidden Sith Lord.
Ima-Gun-Di
Ima-Gun-Di makes a surprise cameo appearance in the fifth episode of Tales of the Jedi, marking only the second time that the character has ever appeared in a film or series during his lifetime. He is in attendance at Ahsoka's training showcase, where he watches the young Padawan excel at fighting training droids.
Ima-Gun-Di's next chronological appearance is in the Clone Wars episode "Supply Lines," where he and his Clone Troopers take a desperate stand against the Droid Army on Ryloth as they await the reopening of the Republic's supply lines to the planet. The Jedi Master and his army fought valiantly, eventually succumbing to their enemy's barrage and dying on the battlefield.
Depa Billaba
Depa Billaba, the one-time Padawan learner of Mace Windu himself and a member of the Jedi Council, appears at several points in Tales of the Jedi. She is present at Master Katri's funeral in the third episode and appears again, years later, alongside her apprentice, Caleb Dume, at Ahsoka's training showcase.
Billaba is remembered by many fans for her selfless sacrifice in order to save her Padawan's life during Order 66. She fought off the traitorous clones that sought to kill their Jedi generals, only to die herself as her apprentice escaped.
Tera Sinube
Master Tera Sinube is a Cosian Jedi who appears at Ahsoka's training exhibition in the fifth episode of Tales of the Jedi. Given the timeline of events in relation to the Clone Wars series, Sinube had likely already formed a bond with the young Jedi after helping her retrieve her lightsaber after it had been stolen.
Master Sinube's fate was left largely ambiguous for many years in the Star Wars universe. However, it was recently revealed in an episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi that, while Sinube had initially survived Order 66, he was eventually hunted down and killed by the Inquisitorious, who encased him in an amber-like substance to put on display in their vault.
Yoda
Master Yoda is a wise Jedi and a member of the High Council during the events of Tales of the Jedi. Though he does not have a prominent role in the series, Yoda is nevertheless present during several events throughout the first season, keeping to the background for much of the time.
Yoda would come into play in a more meaningful fashion during the events of the Star Wars films. He would become one of the few Jedi to survive the events of Order 66, going into exile on the planet Dagobah for decades thereafter. He would eventually die of old age after learning from Qui-Gon Jinn how to manifest himself through the Force after his death.
Jocasta Nu
Jocasta Nu is an elderly Jedi Master known for her work in the library at the Temple. She is seen during a brief encounter with Count Dooku after he erased the Temple's files on the planet Kamino. Master Nu would eventually become famous in the Star Wars community for her insistence that Kamino did not exist.
Master Nu continued her studies at the Jedi Temple until the execution of Order 66. Though she would survive for a short period thereafter, she would eventually be killed by Darth Vader shortly after his turn.
Yaddle
Master Yaddle is a member of Yoda's species and a member of the Jedi Council during the events of The Phantom Menace. She is heavily featured in the fourth episode of Tales of the Jedi, where she is voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard. She attempts to comfort Dooku after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, only to discover that he has thrown in with Darth Sidious.
Yaddle's fate was largely a mystery prior to the release of Tales of the Jedi, which revealed that Dooku murdered her on Coruscant after she discovered his treachery. Her death would be covered up, and her council seat, which she had abdicated only hours earlier, was given to Shaak Ti.
Anakin Skywalker
Anakin Skywalker is a powerful Jedi who fought in the Clone Wars beside his Padawan Ahsoka Tano. He appears in the fifth episode of Tales of the Jedi, where he relentlessly trains Ahsoka to fight against the clones, a lesson that would eventually save her life during Order 66.
Anakin is infamous for his betrayal of the Jedi Order and the subsequent murder of thousands of his fellow Jedi in the years that followed. As Darth Vader, he operated under the Emperor's fist for decades before eventually redeeming himself by killing the wicked Sith Lord and dying of his wounds.
Obi-Wan Kenobi
Obi-Wan Kenobi makes a short but memorable appearance in Tales of the Jedi. While he is mentioned by Qui-Gon Jinn earlier in the series, he isn't seen until the fifth episode, wherein Obi-Wan watches Ahsoka train and later taunts Anakin for arriving at the exhibition late.
Obi-Wan would later be forced into exile on Tattooine after the fall of the Jedi Order. Though he would embark on a few missions in the years that followed, Obi-Wan would spend the rest of his life looking after Luke Skywalker, eventually dying before Luke's very eyes in a duel with Darth Vader.
Caleb Dume
A young Caleb Dume is seen alongside his master, Depa Billaba, watching Ahsoka train in "Practice Makes Perfect." He excitedly watches her dispatch the training droids before turning to his master to convey his thrill. Little did Dume know that he would one day fight side-by-side with Ahsoka Tano against the Empire.
Dume would become one of the few Jedi Padawans who survived Order 66, escaping thanks to the selfless sacrifice of his master and the help of the Bad Batch. He would later change his name to Kanan Jarrus, serving as one of the main characters in Star Wars: Rebels. Shortly before the official beginning of the Galactic Civil War, Kanan sacrificed his own life to save his friends, but not before Hera Syndulla became pregnant with his son, Jacen.
Eeth Koth
Eeth Koth is a prominent Jedi Master who is seen briefly during the "Practice Makes Perfect" episode of Tales of the Jedi. The Jedi is still a member of the High Council at the time of this cameo, though he would be removed shortly thereafter and replaced with Agen Kolar.
After defecting from the Jedi Order, Eeth Koth would live in exile, starting a family and thereby surviving the events of Order 66. However, he was eventually hunted down and killed by Darth Vader and the 501st Legion, ending his extended escape from the Empire.