Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Ahsoka Episode 7.
It’s no secret that Ahsoka is closely tied to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The title character being introduced in an earlier show will do that, not to mention Dave Filoni‘s influential work on both series. But, rather than drawing a hard line between animation and live-action content, the Disney+ series has fully embraced this connection, throwing in familiar faces and references whenever possible. This was never more clear than when Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) found herself back in Clone Wars battles for an episode, along with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). Yet this is far from the only example.
Episode 7, “Dreams and Madness,” features a new addition to the ever-growing list of references to the animated Star Wars realm. Anakin appears again, but this time in an old holovid he made for Ahsoka, urging her to practice with lightsabers. Though his message is encouraging, he also expresses concern for the dangers she may face, including General Grievous (Matthew Wood), Asajj Ventress (Nika Futterman), and Count Dooku (Corey Burton). Though Grievous and Dooku appeared in the Prequel films, this marks the first direct reference to Ventress in live-action.
As a former Nightsister and Dooku’s apprentice, Ventress certainly posed a threat throughout Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and, as Anakin predicted, Ahsoka did have to fight her. Introduced in the animated film alongside Ahsoka herself, Ventress was originally a villain, working as an assassin and apprentice for Count Dooku. But eventually, she betrayed him, turning from that path and even helping clear Ahsoka’s name when the character was accused of treason. Though her mention in Ahoska is brief, the character’s journey and interactions with Ahsoka make it an interesting moment.
‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Shows Ventress’ Tragic Past
In the series, Ventress is an agile villain working for Dooku and the Separatists, often doing their dirty work, but she wasn’t always so cruel. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ventress’ history is explored. A force-sensitive individual born on Dathomir, Ventress was sold into slavery for the freedom of her people. On Rattatak, her master treated her with apparent kindness while training her as a weapon. But the man died while she was still young, and Ventress was found by Ky Narec, a Jedi who recognized her abilities. Trained as his padawan, Ventress took years learning the lightsaber combat. Throughout her appearances, she displays a talent for the Jedi fighting style as she wields two red lightsabers. However, her time with the Jedi ended abruptly when her master died, causing Ventress to embrace the Dark Side. In search of revenge, she waged war on Rattatak, fighting warlords until she gained the notice of Count Dooku.
Impressed by her abilities, the Sith Lord made her his personal assassin and secretly trained her as his apprentice for the day he overthrew Darth Sidious (Ian Abercrombie). In this position, Ventress fights the Jedi, encountering Anakin and Ahsoka on several occasions. In fact, after she kidnapped Jabba the Hutt’s child, Ventress became the first villain the two faced as a pair. Though her plans are usually foiled, Ventress is a formidable opponent for any Jedi who goes against her. Often failing in her missions assigned by Dooku, she gains his wrath at times, but she doesn’t question his orders until he betrays her.
Ventress Is Closely Connected to the Nightsisters in ‘Ahsoka’
After the appearance of the Nightsisters, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the most famous member of their number gets a mention, but it wasn’t done in the most obvious way. In fact, the name-drop had nothing to do with the Nightsisters, just the fact that Ventress opposed the Jedi during the Clone Wars. These creepy-looking witches are Ventress’ people, though she didn’t grow up with them. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ventress briefly returns to the society of Nightsisters, where she was born, looking for help, but things take a tragic twist. After Dooku leaves Ventress for dead, she seeks help from the Nightsister leader, Mother Talzin (Barbara Goodson), and together they plot to kill Dooku. But their plans go awry, and Dooku sends an army to Dathomir to slaughter the Nightsisters for harboring Ventress. This leads to a massacre that greatly depletes the Nightsisters’ numbers and leaves Ventress alone again. Though Ahsoka is many years later, the Nightsisters have a long history, and Ventress’ story is part of that.
Ventress Is More Than a Villain in ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’
Though she faced many challenges in life and often resorted to revenge and anger, Ventress did change. After the destruction of her people, she took up bounty hunting, as she was no longer invested in the war. This made for strange allies, including her rescuing Obi-Wan Kenobi (James Arnold Taylor). But even more notable is her adventure with Ahsoka. Hired by the Senate to capture Ahsoka, who was accused of treason, Ventress finds her former enemy but feels sympathy for the girl as she was also betrayed by those who should have protected her. Ventress agreed to help Ahsoka cleat her name, with the condition that, once in good standing, Ahsoka would advocate for Ventress’ pardon in return. Their tentative alliance falls apart as their enemy frames Ventress for betraying Ahsoka. But in the end, Ventress helps Anakin clear Ahsoka’s name, though, for all her trouble, she did not get the pardon from the Jedi that she hoped. Certainly not friends by any stretch of the term, Ventress and Ahsoka part ways as unlikely allies. It’s also interesting to note, at this point, that Ventress, like Ahsoka, is a Force User without affiliations to the Jedi or Sith.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars leaves Ventress working as a bounty hunter and un-pardoned by the Republic, but unproduced scripts of the series included a Ventress arc that was adapted into the novel The Dark Disciple. In this story, the Jedi Quinlan Vos (Al Rodrigo) uses his psychometry and undercover skills to get close to her, hoping to find a way to assassinate Dooku, but the two end up falling in love. During his mission, Vos gets taken by Dooku and turns dark. While Ventress fights to save him, she resists the temptation of the Dark Side that she had left behind, ultimately dying to save Vos and getting recognized as a hero by the Republic, giving the character a bitter-sweet conclusion. Ventress’ life is a series of tragedies that the brief mention in Ahsoka cannot begin to relate, but at least her complex and fascinating story is no longer totally ignored by the franchise’s live-action canon.
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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.
