Created by Dave Filoni, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is a six-part animated anthology series and sequel to the anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, focusing on the characters Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth. After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance; former Jedi Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy; the choices they make will define their destinies.
With the success of the anthology series Tales of the Jedi, there was now an opportunity to tell endless animated short stories about various characters in the Star Wars universe, which brings us to this new season that now focuses on characters connected with the Galactic Empire. This to me was a great idea as it’s a fun switch from the previous season as we get to explore the pasts of two characters that had yet to be explored before. The question is: does this season of Tales reach the same heights of success as the previous season? After watching all six episodes I will say that I found this season of Tales to be damn good even if it’s not completely on par with the previous season.
It is much darker and more mature season that is very well crafted in many aspects, proving that these short stories can be effective ways of expanding characters and lore in the Star Wars universe even with a short amount of time. Since this is an anthology series I will be going over every short individually without going into major spoilers.
Episode 1 “The Path of Fear” follows the traumatic beginnings of a young Morgan Elsbeth (Cathy Ang). After having barely survived the Massacre of the Nightsisters Morgan is set on a dark path of revenge after losing her mother and people at the hands of General Grievous (Matthew Wood). But her path of vengeance comes at great cost. This episode immediately establishes the dark tone of this season as a whole with perhaps the coldest openings of any Star Wars story to date. We get a horrifying perspective of the Massacre of the Nightsisters through Morgan’s eyes that is honestly far more mature and darker compared to when we saw the same battle back in Season 4 of The Clone Wars.
And for the first time since Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars series, we have Grievous evoking absolute terror and being treated as a monster that forever traumatizes Morgan and fuels her desire for immediate retribution. Even for a short, it’s such a beautifully crafted harrowing story that didn’t need much dialogue to explain what was happening and doesn’t hold back on going all in with its dark elements.
You initially feel bad for Morgan after what she endured but then you become shocked to see what she is willing to do to get back at the ones who took everything from her. She believes vengeance is the only thing to satisfy her grief but her need for it results in grand consequences that set her on her dark path forever. It is such excellent writing within a short time span and it is gorgeously animated with intense colors and cinematography that visually enhance the main theme of the episode, making an impact on viewers. On top of that, we also get a truly haunting score by Kevin Kiner that further enhances the dark elements. A brilliant but unexpectedly unsettling start for the season
Episode 2 “The Path of Anger” takes place years after the Massacre of the Nightsisters and follows a now ambitious Morgan Elsbeth who seeks to gain power in the Empire’s ranks for her own personal goals, leading her to her first meeting with her future master Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). This episode can be basically summed up as the short story of how Morgan met Thrawn, yet it offers a rich amount of lore in the process and is enhanced by stellar voice performances and dialogue by both Diana Lee Inosanto and Lars Mikkelsen.
Both of them command immense presence on screen together and they both share such an interesting conversation that felt engaging all the way through. You get a better understanding as to why Thrawn chose her to be a part of his team and how the two both prove themselves to be survivors of the fallen Empire with their shared intelligence as well as strength.
Additionally, this episode features new additions to the lore of the series Rebels as well as some brief but greatly choreographed and animated action involving Morgan herself, and even a significant supporting villain from Rebels that I didn’t expect to ever make an appearance again in Star Wars media. It may not be as strong as the first episode but it’s still a great one that gives a lot in a little amount of time.
Episode 3 “The Path of Hate” takes place after the fall of the Empire where the New Republic attempts to remove Morgan Elsbeth from her position of power on the planet Corvus, but Morgan defies them and firmly establishes her rule as dictatorial magistrate by any and all means. This episode fills in background context for Episode 5 of The Mandalorian and is where Morgan truly establishes herself as a full-on villain and brings her story full circle. We see the immense cruelty and power she can display in order to achieve her end goal, later revealed in the series Ahsoka.
Diana Lee Inosanto absolutely nails the voice performance of Morgan in this episode, really cementing her place as one of the best original villains we have had recently in Star Wars.
This episode features fantastic animation, haunting visuals, shockingly dark moments, and once again an incredible score making this on par with the first episode in terms of quality and impact.
Episode 4 “Devoted” follows Barriss Offee in the aftermath of Order 66 where she is approached by Lyn Rakish aka Fourth Sister (Rya Kihlstedt) with an offer to survive by being the first of several former Jedi to become part of the Inquisitor’s Program for the Empire. This episode excellently continues the long-awaited story of Barriss Offee following her fall from grace in the Clone Wars, revealing her path to the dark side that was taken out of necessity. We get to see the first steps of her brutal journey along with the origin of the Inquisitor Program through her perspective, shown and told so masterfully.
The voice cast truly shines in this episode with their respective performances, bringing this dark tale to life in fantastic ways. Meredith Salenger and Rya Kihlstedt are the major highlights alongside Jason Isaacs who returns to play Grand Inquisitor, bringing the terrifying presence of the fan-favorite villain of Rebels back once again in a new animation style.
This episode is visually gorgeous and haunting with its intense use of colors associated with the dark side, making the setting at Fortress Inquisitorius feel like the setting of a gothic horror film. It is a very powerful and fascinating start to Barriss Offee’s journey that only continues to get better and more interesting in the following episodes.
Episode 5 “Realization” follows Barriss and Fourth Sister Lyn on a mission to hunt after a Jedi fugitive, but complications arise that change Barriss Offee’s view of the Empire’s true nature forever. This is yet another excellent episode that has Barriss face the direct consequences of choosing to become an inquisitor, as well as showcasing the cruel villainy of Fourth Sister Lyn. Similar to the Dooku and Windu episode of the previous season we see both of these characters with conflicting views on a mission that leads to a major climatic moment with an unexpected outcome. Packed full of tension, intense action, and fluid animation this middle chapter for Barriss was incredibly well done.
Episode 6 “The Way Out” takes place many years later where Barriss has long since abandoned the Inquisitors but the past finally catches up to her, leading to a confrontation that reveals her ultimate fate. The story of Barriss Offee comes to an emotional yet beautiful conclusion that sees her redeem herself in one final act that would potentially change the fates of several individuals, including one close to her. I did not expect Offee’s story to end the way it does but I was immensely satisfied with what was given as it is executed brilliantly, thanks to strong performances, writing, animation, and a truly fantastic score that elevates everything.
Overall, I feel this season of Star Wars Tales is another short but successful addition to the animated realm of Star Wars. It gave two great arcs with their own points of view on grief, fear, isolation, and survival, both executed brilliantly in their respective ways. It is definitely a worthwhile watch for fans of the franchise and I hope to see more tales like this explored in this anthology format going forward. I’m going to give Tales of the Empire an A = 94.
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