Asajj Ventress

When Asajj Ventress first made her debut in 2003’s Clone Wars animated series from Gendy Tartakovsky, one thing was clear: she was a dynamic and striking force to be reckoned with! In true George Lucas fashion, her introduction was a bold choice. How could Dooku have a Sith assassin?! Doesn’t that violate the Rule of Two™? But Lucas never let continuity stand in the way of blazing forward with his creativity. And because of that, we have a wonderfully complex character whose story unfolds interestingly and surprisingly over more than fifteen years.

     Ventress, at first, was a seemingly one-dimensional character: vampiric in appearance, she was motivated by her blood lust and desire to please her master. She seemed duty-bound to carry out Dooku’s bidding by commanding Separatist armies, more than capable of taking down her fair share of Jedi in situations where droids just can’t cut it. But when in the hands of brilliant creators in the Expanded Universe and in Dave Filoni's newer incarnation of the Clone Wars, Ventress took on a much more developed story-arc. Since then, we’ve seen her complicated and often flirtatious relationship with Kenobi, her rivalry-turned-mentorship with Ahsoka, her shattered expectations concerning Dooku, her developed backstory with both her former Jedi Master Ky Narec and Mother Talzin and the Nightsisters. She’s even been a bounty hunter teaming up with Boba Fett! Her story is heartbreaking, thrilling, mustache-twistingly villainous, and even heroic points along the way–with Asajj Ventress, there’s a little to love for everyone!

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