Asajj Ventress Returns in Star Wars: Tales from Hell

Dooku's dark disciple has returned and, of course, brought her legendary voice actor with her.

Starting with the 2008 film Star Wars: The Clone WarsAsajj Ventress was brought to life by the incredible Nika Futterman. Futterman, who has voiced numerous characters across the galaxy, including Shaia Loquane and Sy Snootles, has always felt a special connection to the Sith apprentice as she told StarWars.com, “I feel like I’ve become her. We are one.”

But after the end of The Clone WarsVentress did not appear in animated shows for many years. “I lay under the covers for ten years, crying and saying: “Why is it all over! We haven't even finished my story!" - says Futterman.

One of the ways fans experienced some sort of "closure" to her character's story was in the acclaimed Star Wars: Dark Disciple, a canon novel written by Christie Golden and based on eight, never-released episodes of Clone Wars. The book traced the relationship between Ventress and Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos and ended with Ventress sacrificing herself for the greater good. But now she's back... and Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will help explain how it happened.

Fans have already gotten a small dose of Ventress since Order 66 in the final season of Star Wars: The Bad Batch (which the voice actress coyly calls a "snack"). And now it's time for more.As Futterman gleefully tells StarWars.com, "After The Bad Batch they told me they had this little idea for a 'snack.'"

The full six episodes of Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld will release on Star Wars Day, May 4th, but you can watch the first two episodes now through a special Fortnite event to see a preview of Ventress's next chapter. Along with three episodes featuring bounty hunter Cad Bane, the final season of the animated anthology includes three episodes that trace Asajj's journey from the Dark Apprentice back to the world of the living, as well as her bounty hunting adventures following Order 66. This format gives Ventress (and Futterman) an opportunity to further develop the character: “We spent all these years knowing her as a bad guy who was definitely multifaceted but didn't show a softer side. I don't want to say she's gone soft, but we're exploring a side of her that isbeyondthe lone wolf road warrior we're familiar with."

It's her aforementioned relationship with Vos that serves as an interesting catalyst for this new characterization. As Futterman explains, "No matter how hard she tries now, she can't just be dark anymore. Anyone who has experienced love can no longer just be dark. Everything was already there, lurking beneath the surface.”

Also just below the surface lay Futterman's take on the character. Was it easy for her to fit into those leather boots again? “I really went from just feeling and imagining it to exploring it more deeply.It was a quick jump back into who she is.”

One of the key differences in the new series is Ventress' menacing voice, which is still familiar but shows growth in the character. “Because so much time had passed, [the voice] was one of the first things I talked to Dave Filoni about when I got back,” Futterman said. “When I first started working with her, she was very regal. There will always be a little bit of that in her because she's a witch and a Danish Morcan, but now there's something new about her. She still has that guttural, deep, dark voice, but now with a little less melody."

The trailer for Tales of the Underworld promises a new look at Asajj Ventress, shown confronting the new Inquisitor, wielding the curved yellow light saber made famous in the novel Dark Disciple, and... protecting youngling? But don't confuse this "new" side of Ventress with a warm, venerable figure. Futterman emphasizes the word “guardian”: “We just couldn’t see it, based on the sneaky nature of her storyline. She had never been able to explore the softer part of herself before because it would have been too painful."

All this (seems) to have changed. What's next for Ventress? Is there more to her story? For now, Futterman and Ventress's loyal fans are hoping this isn't the last time we see her on screen. “Let’s do it, baby,” Futterman says. “Everyone seems to love her and want more.”