credit: Tales of the Jedi
Count Dooku is one of the most underappreciated Star Wars characters. This character debuted in the massively underwhelming Attack of the Clones, where he was played brilliantly by the legendary Christopher Lee. Although his performance as the Jedi-turned-Sith Lord was one of the very few highlights of the movie, it was also the beginning of a new character arc. It didn’t take long for his story to become one of the most intriguing in the whole Star Wars universe. Even in the movies, Christopher Lee plays him as an antagonist to the Jedi, but not as a complete villain. It felt like his time in the movies ended as quickly as it began, but his character arc would continue in several forms of Star Wars media.
If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ve probably watched all of the animated shows. The Clone Wars made Count Dooku a prominent villain and one of the key leaders of the Separatists. Not only was he a great lightsaber duelist, but a master manipulator and strategist. But even after his most villainous moments, there were more moments where we would see an honorable side to him. It was proof that his old Jedi beliefs weren’t completely shattered, and they were still a part of him. In fact, it’s because of that you can argue he was more a “Dark Jedi” rather than a full-blown Sith Lord.
Was Count Dooku ever truly evil? You can argue yes and no. On the one hand, he did betray the Jedi and was one of the main instigators of beginning the Clone Wars. On the other hand, however, his intentions were not in the same league as his Sith master or out of selfishness. The sole motivation for Count Dooku turning away from the Jedi was his witnessing how ineffective they were at preserving peace throughout the galaxy. His perspective changed further as he continued to see how the Jedi Order was basically being handcuffed by the Senate. Believing that the Jedi would never stop being puppets of a failing and corrupt Republic, Count Dooku lost his faith in his comrades and turned from them.
This heel turn is arguably more interesting than that of Anakin Skywalker’s. While Anakin, for the most part, was a victim of cruel manipulation and deception, Count Dooku basically turned to the dark side voluntarily. By becoming the new apprentice of Darth Sidious and allying himself with the Separatists, he believed that he could enforce peace throughout the galaxy by being the strongest. Unlike Darth Sidious, he wasn’t obsessed with obtaining unlimited power or using it for the sake of evil. As misguided as his intentions were, Count Dooku truly believed that betraying the Jedi was the best way to pursue peace for the galaxy. And in a strange way, he was kind of right.
credit: Tales of the Jedi
Speaking of animated Star Wars shows, all of you fans out there need to check out the Tales of the Jedi series. The best thing about it was that most of the episodes centered around the heel turn of Count Dooku. We got to see a younger Dooku be a master to a very young Qui-Gon Jinn during his days as a Jedi padawan. Even during that time, Dooku began to show signs of excessive violence and disbelief in the Jedi Order. The subsequent episodes would show us an older Dooku, and as his time with the Order went on, so did his skepticism.
A very good standout episode was when he interacted closely with former Jedi Master Mace Windu. Seeing them go on a mission together was revealing, as it emphasized the difference in their opposing views. While Mace Windu was strictly devoted to the code, Dooku wasn’t shy to point out its flaws and break away from it. For the sake of not giving away any spoilers, no specifics will be given. However, if you’re sitting on watching Tales of the Jedi, I recommend watching it, especially the episodes revolving around Count Dooku.
But if you’re already familiar with the history of the character, you’ll have an idea of how things played out before he departed from the Order. With this new canon, seeing the heel turn of Count Dooku was certainly the highlight of the Tales of the Jedi series. If you were wondering if the series did the character any justice, it very much does. Seeing how and why Count Dooku lost his faith in the Jedi Order over time is essential to understanding his character and marked the beginning of a new time for the Jedi. Can you imagine if he actually stayed loyal to the Jedi? Maybe things would have been different, but the most interesting thing about this was that you could understand Dooku’s point of view. And honestly, he makes many good arguments that perhaps even most Jedi can’t disagree with.
credit: Tales of the Jedi
Tales of the Jedi covered the beginning of Count Dooku’s heel turn. If we do get a second season, it would be very cool to see what he was doing between the events of the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. This would be the time we would get to see him begin to embrace the dark side of the force. Some interesting stories we can see play out would be his first interactions with General Grievous and Asajj Ventress. Given that these two are pupils of his seeing how he met them for the first time would be essential for all three of their stories.
What are your thoughts, Star Wars fans? If you haven’t watched Tales of the Jedi, you’re missing out. If you’re curious about the Count Dooku episodes, you can just watch those, and you’ll see what lured him to the dark side.Mace WinduChristopher Lee
Follow Us
