Star Wars
‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ brings back Asajj Ventress, sowing doubt, and contradicting canon
The character’s fate seemed sealed in the novel, but her appearance in the animated series may be a major departure from what was thought to have happened.
‘Star Wars’ fans have been excited by the appearance of Asajj Ventress in the trailer for the final season of The Bad Batch. They were excited, but they also expressed some concern. The novel ‘Dark Disciple: Star Wars’ (by Christie Golden), which takes place before the events of this series, suggests that Count Dooku’s former apprentice was killed by her master. Although she was a bitter enemy of the Jedi, her final arc was one of redemption, so the Council arranged a funeral and her body was given to the Witches of Dathomir.
In the trailer, the character has a yellow saber and a new hairstyle. Knowing that this would spark debate, Lucasfilm has hastily released a statement on the official Star Wars website. According to the company, ‘Dark Disciple: Star Wars’ is still canon, so they will respect the events narrated in the novel: “We love Asajj Ventress. She’s a character that we’ve been wanting to tell more stories about,” said Brad Rau, executive producer and one of the people overseeing the series. “We don’t want to spoil anything, but want fans to know that any new storytelling with Ventress will align with the events of Star Wars: Dark Disciple.”
An unexpected love story
In this novel, Quinlan Vos is tasked by the Jedi Council to assassinate Count Dooku. Asajj Ventress, wounded after being betrayed by the Sith, eventually collaborates with Vos in his quest to kill him. The young woman was saved by a Jedi in her youth, but after her master’s death, she was seduced by the dark side. When Dooku abandoned her, she became obsessed with revenge. The funny thing is, Asajj and Vos fell in love, she taught him the dark side techniques of the Nightsisters, and the Jedi succumbed to the darkness. He returned to the light in the end when the girl sacrificed herself for him. Dooku shot a bolt of lightning at Quinlan, and the witch stepped in and took the hit, presumably killing her.
How is Lucasfilm going to justify the return of Asajj Ventress? Maybe she didn’t die, or the Nightsisters used some kind of technology to bring her back to life. Maybe she’s a clone created on Mount Tantiss (although that seems less likely). What is clear is that Lucasfilm needs to do a better job of explaining the whys and wherefores of this situation. It is not the first time that the company founded by George Lucas modified facts narrated in novels or comics: in ‘Jedi Chronicles’ there are changes concerning Ahsoka’s novel. On the other hand, in the first episode of ‘The Bad Batch’, Kanan Jarrus escapes from Order 66 in a completely different way than in the comic book in which he is the main character.