The opening episodes of The Bad Batch season two saw the squad sent to Serenno, the homeworld of Count Dooku, to steal some of his wealth.
As they just begin to scratch the surface of his riches, Omega wonders aloud how one person could have so much. To that, Tech responds that, “It’s safe to assume that the majority of Dooku’s fortune came from the many worlds he controlled and exploited. All in the name of his war effort.”
It’s one of the dark sides of the Star Wars galaxy, one that reminds us much of real life, and it’s that war is a profitable business for certain people. As the leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems in a full-fledged war against the Galactic Republic, Dooku amassed great wealth. But that’s not the only way it happened. No, a more complete picture is given in the next episode, when a local in hiding, Romar Adell, tells them that Dooku took from them as well.
“You think Dooku funded his war efforts by only stealing from outside worlds? No,” Adell tells them. “He took from us, his own people. His quest for power is why our city is now buried in rubble.” Not only was the war profitable for Dooku, but so too was his influence and leadership of Serenno. He took from others, yes, but also from those he was entrusted to look after. He took from his own people, getting wealthy while they suffered.
It’s fitting that this series was released not long after Tales of Jedi, whether by intention or coincidence, since that series showed us Dooku during his days as a Jedi. It helped explain why he left the Order and fell to the dark side, and there’s a tragic irony in it. The series showed that Dooku came to leave the Jedi Order after he saw the corruption in the Republic and its Senators. The first Dooku episode showed him traveling with his apprentice, Qui-Gon Jinn, to a ravaged world that was made so by the greed of its senator. The second Dooku episode showed him and Mace Windu traveling to Raxus Secundus (which would later become the Separatist capital) where he discovers more people disgruntled with the corruption in the Senate. Dooku doesn’t condone their treasonous actions, but he agrees with their concerns.
So what happened was that Dooku left the Jedi because he was upset about the corruption of Senators using their power to rob from their people… and in turn Dooku would become the very thing he swore to destroy. He set out initially to correct the injustice he saw, but soon indulged in the very same thing. It’s a sobering warning of the danger and seduction of greed and power, and of the evil that lurks in the hearts of men. There’s a tragic irony to it, one that reminds how even in the quest to do something good you must be careful to watch yourself, lest you fall into that very same evil.
Star Wars Thoughts 