The following contains spoilers for Tales of the Jedi Season 1, which is now streaming on Disney+.
Star Wars is known for its expansive lore and in-depth background about every character, place and object. Yet, for many years a major Star Wars figure has stayed mostly a mystery: Count Dooku. The Sith Lord was a crucial figure in the Clone Wars and helped to orchestrate Order 66 and Palpatine's subsequent rise to power. His history with the Jedi Order remained shrouded in mystery until now. Tales of the Jedi has finally dedicated screen time to bringing the tragic story of Dooku to light and creating a far more compelling history for this character.
Count Dooku made his first appearance in Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones in 2002. His introduction made it seem like he had a rich history with the Jedi Order, yet that was never explored. Even as he played a big part in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it never looked into his backstory. While parts of his history were explored in novels, Tales of the Jedi marks the first time that his past with the Jedi has been brought to the screen. Tales of the Jedi turns him from a B-list character to one of the most tragic characters of the Prequel era.
The Tragedy of Count Dooku
Tales of the Jedi goes to great lengths to show how Dooku's fall to darkness was a difficult and devastating choice. It was born out of wanting to free the Order from corruption, but ended in their destruction. He goes from being a good nurturing master who religiously upholds the Jedi Code, to a broken and hurting man who strikes down the only person trying to help him. Through Tale of the Jedi Season 1, Episodes 2, 3 and 4, Dooku is shown to be a multifaceted character who becomes broken after years of political corruption and ignorance by the Jedi council.
What makes him so compelling across these episodes is how he feels about Qui-Gon Jinn. For many years, fans have known that Dooku was Qui-Gon's master, but it was unclear what kind of relationship they had. Yet, Tales of the Jedi makes it clear that Dooku loved Qui-Gon like a son. He saw great potential in Qui-Gon and was beyond proud of the Jedi he had become. Dooku placed the blame for his death at the feet of the Jedi council. If they had not been ignorant and arrogant, then Qui-Gon may have been alive. His death was the final straw for Dooku, and it's what truly broke his spirit and sent him to the dark side.
Dooku is One of Star Wars' Most Interesting Jedi
Dooku went from being one of the most boring Jedi of the Prequel era to one of the most interesting overnight. Tales of the Jedi transformed his character by showing that he was more than a puppet for Palpatine. He had sincere emotions for the Jedi, he loved the Order and fiercely protected their values. Yet, the people within the Order continued to fall further and further from the light. Dooku became disenfranchised and sought to make things better. His entire life was the Jedi Order, yet he lost sight of his goals and became the very evil he swore to destroy.
Dooku's life was not as cut and dry as was once thought. He was an extremely complex Jedi who was devoted to defending the innocent and caring for his Padawan. Without Qui-Gon's death, he may have stayed with the Order, but Qui-Gon's death was caused by the council's political appeasement and arrogance of believing the Sith could never return. Dooku wanted to serve the people, but he ended up only serving himself and the growing darkness in the galaxy.
Stream all of Season One of Tales of the Jedi now on Disney+.