A Star Wars character is making a surprise return to the franchise, making an appearance in “The Bad Batch: Season 3” trailer. The complex Asajj Ventress.
Star Wars: Bad Batch 3 will kick off on Disney+ with a three-episode premiere on Wednesday, 21 February. The first trailer for the final season left some Star Wars fans rejoicing, and others scratching their heads. The end of the trailer shows the return of the Dathomirian Asajj Ventress – the new haircut can’t hide her distinct face and voice.
Ventress appeared on-screen in the animated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” as an antagonist. During The Clone Wars plot, Ventress shifts to more of an anti-hero role, with her story continuing in other forms – most notably, the “Star Wars: Dark Disciple” novel by Christie Golden.
Ventress’s Background
Asajj Ventress is a former Jedi Padawan turned assassin and trained by Count Dooku. For many years, she secretly acted as Dooku’s apprentice, yearning to be considered a true Sith. In “The Clone Wars,” she first appears fighting for the Separatists, clashing with Jedi such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
When Dooku was ordered to dispose of Ventress and left her for dead, she returned to her Nightsister clan and planned her revenge. She re-invented herself as a bounty hunter, identifying neither as a Sith nor a Jedi, and she even formed an unlikely allyship with Asoka Tano for a while.
Death and Rebirth
“Star Wars: Dark Disciple” continues Ventress’s redemption story, including her death. She sacrifices herself to save Jedi Quinlan Vos by taking the brunt of Dooku’s force lightning attack. Despite the atrocities she had committed, her body was returned to Dathomir for a respectful burial.
However, it seems that this is not the end of her story. Following her unexpected appearance in “The Bad Batch: Season 3” trailer, her official profile has been updated.
Brad Rau, supervising director and one of the show’s executive producers, addressed the return of Ventress: “We love Asajj Ventress. She’s a character that we’ve been wanting to tell more stories about… We don’t want to spoil anything, but we want fans to know that any new storytelling with Ventress will align with the events of Star Wars: Dark Disciple”.
The Bad Batch is set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, suggesting that Ventress survived the battle with Dooku and could now become an important character in the Star Wars narrative going forward.
Dave Fioni, CEO of Lucasfilm, is not afraid to contradict tie-in material like novels and comics, which has already been done with Ahsoka Tano’s story.
Retconning: The Light and Dark Side
Retconning has always been a point of contention amongst fans. Some are open to the idea – if it means their favourite characters can return, there are interesting stories to be explored, or there is a universally hated event in canon. Others refuse to accept any changes, considering it lazy writing or lessening the impact of plot and character points (such as a death).
Asajj Ventress is a complex character with a rich backstory, and there is still a lot to explore. The question is: should any story be retconned? If yes, how much is too much?
Do you like Ventress? Have you watched The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch? Are there other characters you want to see resurrected? Follow us for more Star Wars news.