Thomas Storai 
Morgan Elsbeth in a scene from "STAR WARS: TALES OF THE EMPIRE". © 2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & ™. All Rights Reserved.
“Tales of the Empire is another triumph for Lucasfilm Animation. This series expands on the lore while also being a compelling character study. With a short runtime, it’s able to tell concise and meaningful stories with breathtaking visuals! These are dark episodes that can be brutal at times.”
After Tales of the Jedi in 2022 with 6 shorts about Dooku and Ahsoka Tano, Dave Filoni returns to animation with Tales of the Empire, this time focusing on Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth. Each character has 3 episodes ranging from 11 to 15 minutes. The 6 shorts release on May 4th (Star Wars Day) on Disney +.
THE MORGAN ELSBETH EPISODES
Undoubtedly ever since Morgan Elsbeth debuted in The Mandalorian season 2 and then became one of the main antagonists in the Ahsoka series, fans have been wanting to learn more about this character. This is exactly what her 3 short episodes do. Indeed, the story dives deeper into what shaped Morgan Elsbeth and lead her to where she is when we first see her in live-action. It is pretty much a character study. And it is a compelling one for sure!
Like in Tales of the Jedi with Dooku and Ahsoka, we witness 3 important moments in her life. Three defining moments. These episodes add the necessary context for fans to understand who Elsbeth really is. When the credits roll, I am certain you will want more stories with her. There is still room for that. The advantage of the Tales format is that it explore different characters in a concise and meaningful way. These are stories that don’t require a full series. But at the same time, 3 episodes might feel a bit short when you are so invested in the characters.
Let’s not forget, Diana Lee Inosanto returns to voice the character to give us a seamless transition between the two medium. It’s really great to see this character again. On top of that, we get to hear Lars Mikkelsen’s Thrawn voice too, this is perfection! And we see the Grand Admiral for the first time in The Clone Wars animation style, we can’t say no to that!
THE BARRISS OFFEE EPISODES
Furthermore, Tales of the Empire finally answers the question everyone was asking – what happened to Barriss Offee? The last time we saw her, she was imprisoned after framing Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars season 5. Fans have been speculating that she might have become an Inquisitor and they were right! As the trailer revealed, she is recruited by the Inquisitorius. Her episodes dive deeper into the training of the Inquisitors. This allows us to once again hear the talented Jason Isaacs as the Grand Inquisitor. Between these episodes and the upcoming limited comics series, we are getting plenty of Inquisitors content, which finally reveal more about who they are. Barriss’ story also shines a light on who is the Fourth sister. She was first introduced in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Seeing Barriss Offee again is a fantastic surprise. Who would have guessed we’d see her again? With all these amazing series, it is a great time to be a Star Wars fan, the best of times. Whether it is the Barriss episodes or the Elsbeth ones, these are dark episodes that are brutal at times. The series expands on the lore while also being a compelling character study. With a short runtime, it’s able to develop characters in an impactful way. This is why I always say a runtime is not what matters, the content is what matters. Tales of the Empire also connects previous storytelling together and is full of exciting surprises. The choice of Barriss Offee and Morgan Elsbeth for these shorts makes sense. Like Tales of the Jedi, there is a parallel to draw between the stories of these two characters as they explore similar themes.
VISUALS
Moreover, if you thought The Bad Batch season 3 was the best they could do in terms of visuals, guess again. Tales of the Empire takes it a step even further. Honestly, the sky is the limit for Lucasfilm Animation, they keep pushing their boundaries with every new project/season. They could have stopped with The Clone Wars season 7 when they updated all the character models and upgraded the animation. But no, they improved it with the first season of The Bad Batch and then season 2, season 3 and Tales of the Jedi. Not only does Lucasfilm delivers great storytelling but they always strive to give us the best of what they can offer with animation. That’s called dedication!
And here we are with this new series which has an absolutely breathtaking animation. It fascinates me that they have reached a stage where they can even animate small details on the ground now. There is a shot of Morgan Elsbeth punching the ground and you can see all the little particles of soil moving. I am mind-blown! And let’s not forget the flames and its smoke. There’s something that feels so real about them. Some of these beautiful shots you have seen them in the trailer and others you’ll see them when the episodes release. You won’t be disappointed.
Finally, I do think it’s the right choice to keep using The Clone Wars animation style for the new canon animated series. Firstly, I’ve always thought this style is truly unique and stands out in the rest of American animation. There’s something special about it. Secondly, by using the same style for each series, it allows the team to focus on improving the animation again and again instead of starting from scratch each time.
VERDICT
Tales of the Empire is another triumph for Lucasfilm Animation. This series expands on the lore while also being a compelling character study. With a short runtime, it’s able to tell concise and meaningful stories with breathtaking visuals! These are dark episodes that can be brutal at times and that are full of surprises.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire releases on Star Wars Day on Disney Plus.
Collectables Editor at Future Of The Force.
Star Wars and Marvel specialist, anime expert
