Olivia Reed
Just as Dave Filoni never lets a piece of Star Wars concept art go to waste, he also never shies away from delving into every nook and cranny of the Star Wars universe, no matter how seemingly insignificant. This is evident in Tales of the Empire, a series of six ten-minute episodes that feel like the backstory a writer dreams up for the main script. It’s as if they decided to give this backstory its own spotlight, given the constant demand for fresh content.
Unveiling Morgan
The first three episodes unravel the intriguing backstory of Morgan Elsbeth, which would have been useful to know before her appearances on The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. The shows were keen on delivering big surprise reveals, so her connection with Thrawn was a shocker. However, the brief introduction we get here about their first encounter could have made their eventual reunion more dramatically compelling, rather than just another Twitter spoiler.
The next three episodes, unrelated to the first, explore what happened to Barris Offee after the Clone Wars and her imprisonment by the Jedi. Without giving too much away, she encounters a fan-favorite villain and must decide where her loyalties lie.
Despite the potential for darker themes, the Star Wars cartoon episodes never forget their primary audience: children. The battle between the Empire and the Rebels remains a clear-cut struggle of good versus evil. Any villain with a hint of complexity is usually someone who was once good but was manipulated or mistreated into turning evil. Morgan Elspeth’s origin story, particularly after Rebel Moon Part 2, feels like a familiar trope we’ve seen time and again. However, the series does manage to make the Battle Droids genuinely terrifying, which is a rare feat. The story becomes more intriguing once adult Morgan enters the scene, and Filoni gets another chance to recycle some old concept art.
Offee’s Odyssey
The Barriss storyline largely skips over her origins, focusing instead on her journey from her prison cell. Meredith Salenger’s English accent occasionally slips, but her character’s journey takes some unexpected turns, even if the final destination feels somewhat predictable. It seems that aside from Palpatine, no Imperial truly understands the full extent of the Empire’s actions and still genuinely supports it. It’s a wonder the Empire managed to stay intact at all. But remember, these are ultimately morality tales for children. When the shows veer too far into the realm of adult themes, we end up with the dreary and dull Andor. Despite its predictability, Tales of the Empire, designed for ten-minute segments, is anything but boring.
The highlight of the series is the appearance of familiar guest stars, which underscores the franchise’s struggle to create new iconic characters. Apart from The Mandalorian, which allowed Carl Weathers and Giancarlo Esposito to shine while introducing the endlessly marketable Din Djarin and Grogu, modern Star Wars has leaned heavily on familiar faces. These shorts won’t change that trend — they specifically revisit locations we’ve seen before. But here’s hoping The Acolyte brings something new to the table.
A Touch of Unreal
The animation style can be a bit jarring at times, with almost photo-realistic textures for dirt and fabric contrasted with the smooth-skin stylization of the characters. It’s not quite an uncanny valley effect, but there’s a slight mental disconnect when the locations look almost exactly like their live-action counterparts, but are now inhabited by animated characters. It’s a minor issue that you’ll quickly get over, and younger viewers likely won’t even notice. But it is what it is.
If you’re a fan of continuity, you’ll want to add episodes 2 and 3 to your rewatch list of the Morgan Elsbeth episode of The Mandalorian and all of Ahsoka season 1. Watching these episodes first will give you a deeper appreciation of the character, rather than viewing her as a human enigma. The rest of this microseries is light entertainment — but it’s certainly entertaining.
Grade: 3/5
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire premieres on Disney+ on May 4.
