In celebration ofStar WarsDay, aka May the Fourth, Lucasfilm releasedStar Wars: Tales of the Underworldon Disney+. Following the anthology seriesTales of the JediandTales of the Empire,Tales of the Underworldshines a spotlight on two fan-favoriteStar Warscharacters created specifically for animation, Asajj Ventress and Cad Bane.
The Asajj Ventress episodes pick up from the novelDark Discipleand connect to one ofStar Wars' more mysterious and game-changing story elements: The Hidden Path. The Hidden Path is a relatively recentStar Warscreation, featured in 2022’sObi-Wan Kenobiand the 2023 video gameJedi: Survivor. Here is everything we know about The Hidden Path, howTales of the Underworldfleshes it out, and its potential future inStar Wars.
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld
What Exactly Is The Hidden Path?
The Hidden Path, simply known as The Path, is a secret underground network that started after the great Jedi Purge of Order 66 to escort surviving Jedi and Force-sensitive individuals to safety from the Empire. This is overtly a reference to The Underground Railroad, an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used to escort escaped slaves from the American South to the Northern part of the United States or Canada.
The Path was first introduced inObi-Wan Kenobi, as the titular Jedi master came across a safehouse for The Hidden Path on the planet Mapuzo, and discovered the name of Jedi Master Quinlan Vos on the wall.Obi-Wan Kenobiwas being developed simultaneously asJedi Survivor, so the two projects are linked by their inclusion of The Hidden Past.
In Jedi Survivor,Jedi Cal Kestisdiscovered the path on Jedha, the planet that will be decimated by the Death Star inRogue One. Using the Path, Cal reconnects with other Force individuals from the first game, like Jedi survivor Master Cere Junda and the Nightsister Merrin. At the end ofJedi Survivor, Cal Kestis establishes the hidden planet Tanalorr as the end of The Path. In this paradise, those persecuted by the Empire could remain hidden safely.
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What ‘Tales of the Underworld’ Reveals About The Path
In the first episode ofTales of the Underworld, a former Jedi Padawan on the run from the Empire following Order 66 named Lyco encounters Asajj Ventress. He tells her about The Hidden Path and reveals thatJedi Master Quinlan Vos, the same Jedi that Ventress fell in love with, founded The Path. Quinlan Vos was previously established as having used the Path inObi-Wan Kenobi, but if what Lyco says is meant to be true and not just him repeating a rumor he heard, that means that Vos helped establish the path.
Quinlan Vos has a long, interesting history inStar Wars. He was retroactively made a background character inThe Phantom Menaceduring the scene where Sebulba threatens Jar-Jar Binks, as the role was originally meant to be a random extra. Vos became popular inStar Warscomics during the 2000s and was established as the Jedi master offan-favorite character Aayla Secura. Vos is also mentioned inRevenge of the Sith, where Obi-Wan tells Anakin he has moved his troops to Boz Pity.
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Vos appeared in one episode ofStar Wars: The Clone Wars, where he teamed up with Obi-Wan Kenobi. Vos was set to return in aClone Warsstory arc that would pair him with Asajj Ventress and make the two characters, known for not fitting in among their peers, fall in love.Star Wars: The Clone Warswas canceled in 2013 shortly after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, but the abandoned plotline would be adapted into the 2015 book,Dark Disciple, one of the first pieces of canon to the Disney era. This is whereTales from the Underworldpicks up.
Quinlan being the Jedi who founded The Hidden Path makes a certain amount of sense. During his time at the Jedi Order, he was typically seen as a bit of a rule breaker and had many connections to the criminal underworld.He likely had many contacts following Order 66 and was able to traverse the necessary dark corners of the galaxy to survive in the early days of the Empire, using his skills to begin a way to protect and help fellow Jedi. It is a good symbolic reference of how a balance in both aspects of the Force is stronger than just the Light and Dark sides.
The Hidden Path’s Timeline and Place in the Future ‘Star Wars’ Story
Obi-Wan KenobiandJedi Survivortake place in 9BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), which shows that this was a very active time for the Hidden Path. The Asajj Ventress episodes ofTales of the Empire, after the prologue, take place in the early years of the Empire, most likely 16BBY, given that Clone Troopers have been phased out in favor of Stormtroopers and the Empire is about to unveil the iconic Imperial Star Destroyer.This means it is three years afterRevenge of the Sithand about seven years beforeObi-Wan KenobiandJedi: Survivor.
The Hidden Path and its endpoint of Tanalorr now provide an in-story universe explanation for where Force-sensitive andOrder 66 survivorscould have gone afterRevenge of the Sithand explain their absence from the Original Trilogy,explaining why Luke Skywalker was the only hope to bring down the Empire. What exactly happens next to Tanalorr and the Path’s possible outcome in the lead-up to the originalStar Warstrilogy will likely come in the thirdJedivideo game, but it also opens the door for stories set afterReturn of the Jedito feature more Force-sensitive characters.
WithTales of the Underworldbeing the third major reference to The Path in just three years, it feels like this is a concept that many futureStar Warsstorylines will explore for years to come.
