The upcoming anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi marks the return of Ashley Eckstein to her fan-favorite role as Ahsoka Tano. Although it will be exciting to see a previously unseen chapter in Ahsoka’s journey both before and after The Clone Wars, the more intriguing storyline in Tales of the Jedi is the tale of a young Count Dooku, before he became the Sith Lord Darth Tyrannus. Although Dooku became the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the war against the Galactic Republic, he was once the wise Jedi Master who trained Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), the master of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The Star Wars franchise has let none of its villains rest easy; Darth Maul was resurrected for The Clone Wars, Temura Morrison returned to play Boba Fett in The Mandalorian, Cad Bane was brought into live-action for The Book of Boba Fett, and even Grand Moff Tarkin got more screen time in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. However, Dooku’s further exploits have been relatively unexplored. This is unfortunate, because the charismatic dark lord is a more complex villain within the saga who shows some of the moral ambiguities of both the Jedi and Sith.
Christopher Lee came in to play Dooku, making his first appearance in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones. Lee was facing an uphill battle; although Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace had been mostly regarded as a disappointment, the one thing people seemed to agree on was their approval of Darth Maul. Dooku was replacing a popular antagonist, and he’s not the type of villain who could easily sell action figures. Dooku wasn’t a monstrous assassin; he was an older, charismatic aristocrat who explored the political tension within the galaxy.
The Perfect Antagonist
Dooku was the perfect antagonist for Attack of the Clones, which is easily the most political film within the saga. What’s fascinating about Dooku is that a lot of the points he makes are seemingly correct; there is a brooding dissatisfaction with the Galactic Republic that has spread across the galaxy, the Jedi Order has become blind to their enemies’ rise, and the Dark Lord of the Sith really is pulling the strings. When Dooku confronts Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) on Geonosis and asks for his help in destroying the Sith, it feels as if he’s taking one last chance to resist the influence of Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid).
Dooku’s relationship with Qui-Gon is one that’s sadly been mostly unexplored before Tales of the Jedi; although their time together is briefly featured in the non-canon novel Legacy of the Jedi and the modern books Master & Apprentice and Dooku: Jedi Lost, they’re an unusual pairing that could certainly inspire more stories. Both are mavericks in their own way. Dooku is fascinated by forbidden knowledge that the Jedi Council has shielded from their ranks, and Qui-Gon is more interested in exotic life-forms and the “Living Force” than following orders. Perhaps they drew out a sense of rebellion in each other, and it will be interesting to see how Qui-Gon detects his master’s flirtations with the dark side in Tales of the Jedi.
The Tragedy of Dooku
The tragedy of Dooku in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith is that he realizes too late that he’s merely a pawn. After goading Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to accept his anger, Dooku realizes that the young Jedi Knight was always intended to replace him. In Matthew Stover's novelization of Revenge of the Sith and James Luceno’s Labyrinth of Evil, it’s implied that Dooku once fantasized about leading a battalion of corrupted Jedi after Palpatine took control of the Senate. There’s a look of horror on his face as he accepts his fate. Although the original script called for Dooku to beg for his life, Lee askedGeorge Lucas to change it, as he felt that the haughty Count would not have wanted to look weak in front of the man who bested him.
Casting an actor as experienced as Lee came to the films’ advantage. Lee has portrayed some of the most iconic villains in history, and Dooku serves as an amalgamation of all their best attributes. He has the captivating darkness of Count Dracula, the corrupted wisdom of The Lord of the Rings’ Saruman, the exacting precision of The Man With The Golden Gun’s Francisco Scaramanga, and the political charisma of The Wicker Man’s Lord Summerisle. Lee himself was a veteran of the armed services and has claimed that he’s been in more on-screen swordfights than any other actor; he came into the role with the confidence of someone who had seen their fair share of action.
The Count's Past in Canon
Details about Dooku’s past have been explored in some canon storylines. It’s known that he was once a wealthy child on the planet Serrano that chose to abandon his family to join the Jedi Order. This gives him a haughty sense of entitlement; Dooku chastises the Jedi Council for their inaction, and feels like he should be both a policy-setter and a master of the force. What Dooku doesn’t realize is that holding power over both politics and the force is too much for one person to bear; this is perhaps why he’s drawn to Palpatine’s teachings in the first place.
Although The Clone Wars expanded many elements of the prequel era, its characterization of Dooku (voiced by Corey Burton) left something to be desired. There are a few intriguing storylines where Dooku is forced to betray his protégé Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman) and cover up his murder of his former friend Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, but for the most part, Dooku was nothing more than a “villain of the week” that was often set aside in favor of Darth Maul, General Grevious, and new villains like Savage Opress (Clancy Brown) and Cad Bane. Although there was a planned storyline that would have featured Dooku’s relationship with both Ventress and Quinlan Vos, this was adapted into the novel Dark Disciple after The Clone Wars was canceled.
Hopefully, Tales of the Jedi won’t be the last adventures of Dooku. Considering that Disney+ Star Wars has gone back to nostalgia for the prequels, there are surely more stories about Dooku’s fall from grace that could be told. What drew him to Sidious, what was his own apprenticeship like, and did he ever have regrets about his actions? With new Star Wars projects in development almost every day, hopefully Dooku will factor into some of them.
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