Life and Death

Tales of the Jedi
"Life and Death"

Season 1

Number 1

Episode information

Written by

Dave Filoni

Directed by

Nathaniel Villanueva

Original airdate

May 28, 2022 (Star Wars Celebration Anaheim)
October 26, 2022 (Disney+)

*Tales of the Jedi* Episodes
Next
"Justice"

"Life and Death" is the first episode of the Disney+ Star Wars anthology series Tales. It was first released on May 28, 2022 at the Star Wars Celebration Anaheim before its official release on October 26, 2022. It is the first episode of Tales of the Jedi.

Synopsis[]

A child goes through a rite of passage with unexpected results.

Plot[]

A village on the planet Shili is bustling with joy. Togrutas Nak-il and Pav-ti are blessed with a newborn daughter, and they name her Ahsoka. A year later, Ahsoka is now a toddler, and her mother takes her out on her first hunting trip, though Nak-il questions the need to follow tradition. While walking through the village, Pav-ti and Ahsoka pass the village chief, Gantika. After confirming that over a year has passed, Gantika paints a speck of blue paint on both Ahsoka and Pav-ti's forehead while uttering a blessing. Mother and daughter then depart for the forest.

While walking through the forest, Pav-ti tells her daughter that they are surrounded by life and to honor it. She also walks past several plants with large white seedheads and disperses their pollen through the forest with her rifle. Young Ahsoka giggles with joy until her mother shushes her. They approach a forest clearing where they see several kybucks chomping on grass. Pav-ti takes position behind a tree and aims her rifle at the kybucks. As she fires, Gantika utters a prayer back in the village. With Ahsoka, Pav-ti approaches the kybuck she has shot. The animal is wounded and dying. Ahsoka is upset but her mother tells her that she must face death and not be upset by it. As the kybuck breathes its last, Pav-ti utters a prayer before slicing the creature's throat.

While preparing the dead kybuck to take back to the village, Pav-ti and Ahsoka are unaware that a raxshir is watching them from behind the thick grass. The sabertooth creature approaches them from behind. Pav-ti tries to fight off the sabertooth with her rifle but is outmatched by the feline beast. Pav-ti manages to fire a gunshot, which alerts her husband. With her rifle damaged, Pav-ti fights back with a knife. Several villagers, including Nak-il, race towards the forest clearing. Following a struggle, the sabertooth knocks out Pav-ti with a strike of its paw. Though the villagers arrive, they are unable to stop the sabertooth from carrying Ahsoka away into the forest.

In the depths of the forest, the sabertooth carries Ahsoka to its nest. The big cat licks it wounds and is initially hostile towards the baby Togruta. Before the creature can touch Ahsoka, she touches its nose gently, causing it to reconsider. Back at the village, several Togruta villagers, including Nak-il, gather with weapons to search for Ahsoka. Before they can depart into the night, the sabertooth returns. The villagers are about to shoot but Gantika convinces them to wait. As the sabertooth exits the forest clearing into the light, the villagers realize that Ahsoka is riding on the creature's back. The villagers are relieved and amazed that the toddler survived unharmed. The sabertooth bows its head, allowing Pav-ti to pick up her daughter. Pav-Ti thanks the creature in the Togruti language before allowing the sabertooth to return to the forest. Nak-il also embraces his daughter and wife. When Pav-ti asks Gantika how Ahsoka survived, Gantika replies that she is a Jedi.