Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Tales of the Jedi.The world ofStar Warsanimation continues to expand with the new projects on Disney+.Star Wars: The Clone Warswas responsible for introducing a generation of fans to the franchise, and currently the spinoff seriesThe Bad Batchseeks to honor its legacy.Tales of the Jediisn’t the start of a new story as much as it is an amendment that deepens our knowledge of the saga. The six-part anthology series fromDave Filoniexplores moments within the early lives ofAhsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein)andDooku(Corey Burton).
Tales of the Jediis both a celebration and a criticism of the Jedi Order. Dooku expresses his distaste for the strict rules of the Jedi Council when he encounters civil disturbances and corruption within the Senate. “The Sith Lord” shows how Dooku turns his back on his training altogether. After aligning himself with Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), Dooku duels and slays the Jedi Council memberYaddle (Bryce Dallas Howard). The dark path is now one that he will never be able to escape.
However,Tales of the Jedihas some sympathy for Dooku, as seen through his mourning of his former padawan, Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). Dooku reflects on his past with Qui-Gon Jinn, remembering that he once brought a young Qui-Gon to the garden to see the tree, as the young padawan was born on Coruscant and never saw a tree in his life.. It’s during these quieter scenes in the garden of the Jedi Temple that we catch a glimpse of the Uneti Tree, a species that has a strong connection to the history of the Jedi Order.
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The Origins Of The Uneti Tree
The name “Uneti” originates from the term Neti, which was first used in a 1990s Dark Horse comic book series also titledTales of the Jedi. The series explored the early days of the Jedi Order in events that take place almost 4,000 years before the Skywalker saga. The “Neti” are a shapeshifting species of trees with sentient intelligence. The Neti help guide the Jedi Master Nomi Sunrider as she decides to pursue the Dark Jedi Exar Kun and Ulic Qel-Droma.
The Uneti trees’ history was expanded further inStar Wars: The Last Jedi. Rey (Daisy Ridley) discovers Uneti saplings at Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) recursive cave on the planet Ahch-To. It’s explained in the official novelization that Luke traced the sight of the first Jedi Temple by tracing Uneti samplings. The trees were grown to house the Great Texts of the Jedi Order, which Yoda’s force ghost (Frank Oz) burns to flames. Luke may have sworn to protect the sacred texts, but Yoda jokes that they weren’t “page turners.”
The tree that Dooku sees inTale of the Jediis the Great Tree, which originates from the saplings of the first Jedi Temple. The Great Tree was already generations old during the time of the High Republic, and its inherent connection to the force allows the Jedi to mold their tools. Jedi Master Wishan creates incense from the tree’s petals that are intended to aid the Jedi during meditation. A staff carved of the same Uneti wood was wielded by Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), a member of the mysterious Order of the Whills.
A Symbol Of Resilience
Beyond their canonical role, the Uneti trees symbolize the passing of time and the erosion of the Jedi’s values. It’s critical that the same garden where Dooku reflects on Qui-Gon is where Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter) bids farewell to Ahsoka Tano when she chooses to leave the Jedi Order inThe Clone Warsepisode “The Wrong Jedi,” the last installment of the series. Similar to Dooku, Anakin questions his devotion to the Jedi Order if they wrongfully suspected Ahsoka of treason.
This connection to Qui-Gon is strengthened by the Uneti trees’ appearance in the sixth season ofThe Clone Warswhen Yoda travels to the Sith homeworld of Moraband and his future home on Dagobah. Yoda receives a cryptic message from Qui-Gon’s Jedi spirit telling him that he must understand the Living Force in order to resist the power of the dark side. It’s during a conversation with his fellow Jedi Council members that Yoda decides that there are some burdens he must bear alone. The Uneti tree represents his determination.
The Uneti tree also bookends Yoda’s journey in “Sacrifice,” another episode that served as a sort-of finale toThe Clone Warsbefore the seventh season aired in 2020. After learning about the conflicts that plagued the Jedi Order’s past, Yoda tells Obi-Wan and Mace Windu (T.C. Carson) that there may be a better solution to saving the galaxy than the Clone Wars. The Uneti tree shows how long the Jedi Order has existed. While Dooku confronts this legacy with hatred, Yoda accepts it and moves on.
