The Star Wars franchise has somewhat stagnated in recent years with some of its most high-profile projects failing critically and commercially. As a result, it is safe to say that the franchise needs an influx of new ideas, and exploring the tragic backstory of one important prequel trilogy character might be the way for the franchise to move forward.
While The Mandalorian and the shows adjacent to it have explored the era after Darth Vader’s return to the light side, the era before the prequel trilogy is ripe with storytelling opportunities. As a result, Kathleen Kennedy needs to develop a project focusing on the only character, who has a backstory as dark as Darth Vader that needs to be brought to life in the space opera franchise.
Count Dooku Has the Most Tragic Villain Arc Other Than Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars
Count Dooku was first introduced in 2002’s Attack of the Clones with the late Christopher Lee in the role. Dooku is a former Jedi Master who turned to the dark side and was eventually killed by Anakin Skywalker as the latter fell to the dark side under the manipulation of Palpatine.
Dooku’s backstory was later briefly explored in the animated series Tales of the Jedi, which provides more nuance to the character’s fall to the dark side. In the series, a young Dooku works for the Jedi Order while training his Padawan Qui-Gon Jinn.
However, Dooku soon becomes disillusioned with the corruption within the Jedi Order. Following a mission, Dooku loses the vacant seat on the Jedi Council to Mace Windu, which cracks his faith in the Order. Dooku’s family background is also neatly tied into the story of his fall to the dark side.
Ultimately, Dooku has a very tragic backstory as he finds himself consistently punished by the system for simply following his own path. His disillusion with the Jedi Order led to him becoming manipulated by Darth Sidious, making him a direct precursor to Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader.
Kathleen Kennedy Needs to Develop a Count Dooku Spin-Off Series
For a long time, Count Dooku was simply a side character in the greater Skywalker saga, which is primarily about the fall and redemption of Anakin Skywalker (excluding the disoriented sequel trilogy which has no clear fulcrum to its narrative).
However, as the Star Wars franchise experiences a downturn in its fortune, it might be worth exploring a character who has a similar character arc. Therefore, Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy need to look at filling the blanks with Dooku’s backstory.
Dooku’s friendship with Qui-Gon Jinn and his initial dedication to the Jedi Order could become the focal points of the story, starkly contrasting the early days of Anakin Skywalker.
At the same time, his fall to the dark side can be much darker and tragic because Dooku tends to break rules despite having noble intentions. As a result, Dooku has the potential to become a central figure in a potential series that explores the era directly preceding the prequel trilogy.
Unlike The Acolyte, which was set several years before The Phantom Menace, a Dooku series could follow in the footsteps of Andor and deliver a compelling character-focused drama serving as a bridge leading to the Skywalker saga.
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