The Big Picture
- Need more of The Wheel of Time? Check out the animated short films titled The Wheel of Time: Origins for a deeper dive into the show’s lore.
- These six mini-episodes, originally released alongside Season 1, cover topics briefly mentioned in the series, providing more explanation and understanding of the world.
- While there may not be more Origins episodes coming for now, the existing ones are a valuable resource for fans with lingering questions and offer beautifully animated glimpses into the lore.
As we near the end of Season 2 of The Wheel of Time, with just one episode remaining, no doubt you’re finding yourself wanting more of this world while not eager for the long wait for Season 3. Look no further than the array of animated short films titled The Wheel of Time: Origins that delve deeper into the lore of the show you might just learn a thing or two! These six mini-episodes have been around since 2021 when the first season of the series aired, but back then, they were majorly hard to find. Even us Wheel of Time superfans had a tough time realizing they were there. They are well worth a watch, and there may even be more on the way.
Where Can You Watch ‘The Wheel of Time: Origins’?
The Wheel of Time: Origins episodes can be found in the extras section of The Wheel of Time Season 1. Don’t go looking under Season 2’s extras, which only house special features tied to Season 2. Origins rolled out its six episodes alongside Season 1’s airing, so under the Season 1 tab of the show, all you need to do is scroll past the episodes and into the special features to find them.
While the Origins episodes were weekly drops alongside the first season, they do not need to be watched in any specific order. Instead, check out these three-minute stand-alone stories that provide more explanation if you’re a new fan who might be a bit confused about the world — or simply want to stay in the world of The Wheel of Time a while longer.
What Are the ‘Wheel of Time: Origins’ Episodes About?
The six mini-episodes span a myriad of topics only briefly mentioned in The Wheel of Time. Remember, this is a book series that spans 15 volumes; it would be impossible to fit everything Robert Jordan created into an eight-episode series. That’s where Origins comes in to save the day, shedding light on the lore that has yet to be fully discussed but is still very important to the series for the future. We may see some concepts more fleshed-out in the show, but it is always nice to get a headstart on understanding the world better.
The first Origins episode, “The Breaking of the World,” covers that significant event and will give viewers a chance to understand why exactly the male half of the One Power has been tainted by the Dark One, as well as expanding on the origins of the last Dragon, Lews Therin Kinslayer. “The Fall of Manetheren” follows the end of King Aemon’s life as he led the last of the Manetheren against the Shadow’s army of trollocs. If this sounds familiar, it should! During the group’s travels out of the Two Rivers in Season 1, Moiraine (Rosamund Pike) retells the history of Manetheren, including the demise of Aemon along with his wife, Queen Eldrene, who, upon feeling his death, drew so much of the One Power in her assault she burned herself right through. Episode 3, “The Greatest Warder,” is not about Lan (Daniel Henney), unfortunately (more on that later) but it is a tale about the legacy of, you guessed it, the greatest Warder who has ever lived.
“Saidin, Saidar, Stone” dives deep into the One Power and the differences between Saidin (the male half of the Source) and Saidar (the female half of the Source). This episode shows us how the power feels to the person channeling, and emphasizes the gender split. “The White Tower” is a history lesson on the White Tower and all the Ajahs of the Aes Sedai. The final episode of Origins, is titled “An Ogier’s Longing.” The Ogier are not much explained in the show apart from Loial (Hammed Animashaun), the Ogier Rand (Josha Stradowski) meets in Tar Valon — but the Origins episode offers more about them, like the recent treesinging in Season 2, as well as worldbuilding we have not seen yet, such as steddings.
What’s This About a Potential New ‘Wheel of Time: Origins’ Episode?
In July of last year, in the middle of the break between seasons, it was announced that Origins would be coming back for an unannounced number of episodes in August. This time, the Origins episodes were not to be released with Season 2, but as stand-alone episodes. Well, August came and went, and the episodes were never released on the platform, and they still haven’t been. It is safe to say that we may likely never see the extra Origins episodes. But what could have been? There was a trailer released that showed one important character who was going to get his own episode: Lan.
That’s right, Lan was going to have an Origins episode all to himself! Apart from only a few lines of worldbuilding about the fall of Malkier, Lan’s home, and Moiraine telling the story of how she and the Warder first met, we have not gotten much of Lan’s backstory in the show. This episode would have rectified that, telling the story of a young Lan and seemingly his parents. There are, of course, other Season 2 Origins episodes in that trailer that we don’t know much about — including one that seems to mostly be about trollocs. It’s disappointing that we will probably never get these episodes, but it was a cool feature of the show while it lasted.
Whether you want to dive in right now or wait until after the current season has ended, these Origins episodes are a great resource for certain lingering questions you might have about the world of The Wheel of Time that do not come with the risk of seeing major spoilers for the book series when searching on the internet. These mini-episodes, however short, are filled to the brim with lore and are beautifully animated. For book readers and show-only fans alike, The Wheel of Time: Origins is absolutely worth taking the time to check out.
The Wheel of Time is available to watch on Prime Video.
Denial of responsibility! TechCodex is an automatic aggregator of the all world’s media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
