Fans were first introduced to Jedi-apprentice-turned-dark-disciple Asajj Ventress in the 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars 2D micro-series. Since then, she has become a mainstay antagonist to the heroes of the Clone Wars, appearing across Star Wars media to tease, frustrate, foil, and, yes, sometimes even help, her Jedi foes.
It’s this ever-evolving character development — not to mention unforgettable character design — that has kept fans clamoring for more. While we await her re-appearance in Star Wars: The Bad Batch Season 3, celebrate the character’s journey so far with a new, limited edition Legacy Lightsaber box set, packed with unique features to match her animated weapons.
StarWars.com sat down with Cody Hampton, senior manager of merchandising at Disney, to talk about making this must-have set and why Asajj has managed to capture our hearts for all these years.
StarWars.com: The Asajj Ventress Legacy Lightsaber hilts (previously sold individually) have been retired for several years now. What makes this the perfect time to reintroduce them with this set?
Cody Hampton: We truly love making new Legacy Lightsabers for our guests to enjoy and for them to be able to grow their lightsaber hilt collection. Since Asajj Ventress is such a fan-favorite character, we wanted to find a way to reintroduce these hilts for fans that may have missed out.
The original hilt was sold as a single hilt, but as we all know, during the Clone Wars, Ventress always wielded two matching hilts and at times connected them to make a double-bladed lightsaber.
StarWars.com: The gorgeous wooden packaging is inspired by the box Count Dooku used to present Ventress with her hilts in 2003's Star Wars: Clone Wars 2D micro-series. What was it like going back to this series for inspiration?
Cody Hampton: The micro-series is special to so many fans. It originally aired between the theatrical releases of Star Wars: Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the same time the Clone Wars takes place in the story.
Meeting with Count Dooku is such a memorable scene and also showed the origin of how Asajj Ventress received her two red-bladed lightsabers. The box that held the lightsaber hilts was so unique and ornate that we thought it would make the perfect box for a limited-edition release.
StarWars.com: This new set is loaded with exclusive features, including printed character quote insert, double-bladed saber adapter, and the packaging itself. What are you most excited for collectors to experience with this set?
Cody Hampton: I would say the most exciting part of the “Disciple of the Sith” Limited Edition box set (aside from the detailed hilts themselves) is the wooden box and the way it functions. This set was more challenging to create than many of the previous sets. First, taking something only seen in animation to the real world and turning that into a product can be difficult. Next, we wanted this to look and function like we saw in the series, which included four pieces opening from the top to reveal the lightsaber hilts inside. Lastly, we wanted the presentation of the crossed hilts with the dark side red inlay to look like it did on screen.
Overall, we are excited about the execution as it truly is inspired by what fans see in the series. We also like to include an insert that features the individual number of the set, so fans know this is truly limited to the edition size. On each insert we also enjoy including a character quote from the film or series that continues the storytelling of the entire set. This set also includes that special adaptor, so fans can connect the two hilts for that double-bladed wielding action. The Legacy Lightsaber blades are sold separately.
StarWars.com: Asajj Ventress is no stranger to Star Wars media — from animated series to video games, books to comics, fans just can't seem to get enough of our favorite dark disciple. What about Asajj has given her so much staying power? And what, personally, is your favorite iteration of the character?
Cody Hampton: Agree, Asajj Ventress is one of the best characters in Star Wars.
In the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars film, we see Ventress as a dark side villain working with Count Dooku for the Separatists. As the series progressed, we saw Dooku betray her, we learned she was a Nightsister from Dathomir, and learned she was saved by a Jedi when she was a child and had trained as a Jedi apprentice. Then she became a bounty hunter working with young Boba Fett, Bossk, and Dengar. So much amazing story for one character.
I would say, personally, my favorite iteration of the character was seeing her and Ahsoka Tano team up to help each other when Ahsoka was on trial. During that time, I also love how Ventress compared herself to Ahsoka when confronted by Anakin Skywalker with the quote, “My Master abandoned me, and that is exactly what you did to her. You and your precious Jedi Order.” To see the shock on Anakin’s face during that moment and to see how Dooku’s betrayal affected her was so moving. As you can tell, I’m a big fan. We all are!
The Asajj Ventress Limited Edition Legacy Lightsaber Hilt Box Set will be available at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge beginning March 8 and on DisneyStore.com on March 11.
