Check out our review of Star Wars Tales of the Empire!
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Whereas Tales of the Jedi focused on different Jedi Knights through the various periods of Star Wars history and their journeys to become who they are, Tales of the Empire’s focus is obviously focused on characters more associated with the Empire. In the six episodes that will be released on Disney Plus for May the Fourth, three characters are the focus: Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth, Inquisitor Barriss Offee, and Inquisitor Lyn Rakish (the Fourth Sister). Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth is voiced by Diana Lee Inosanto, reprising the role she played in live action for the Star Wars Disney Plus shows Ahsoka and Mandalorian. Meredith Salenger reprises her role as Bariss Offee from The Clone Wars and Rya Kihlstedt reprises her role as Lyn Rakish, the Fourth Sister, from Disney Plus’ Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The first three episodes focus on Morgan Elsbeth and show her origin and rise to Magistrate before we see her in season 2 of The Mandalorian. Each of her episodes’ titles begin “The Path of…” which follow the path to the dark side as stated by Yoda in The Phantom Menace: “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate…” The path that Morgan Elsbeth walks to becoming a magistrate for the Empire is a wonderful illustration of how being the victim of war can sometimes just beget more war mongers. Her first episode illustrates her planet being a casualty during The Clone Wars.
Her second episode is during the reign of the Empire where she is recruited by Admiral Thrawn (which obviously pays off later in the show Ahsoka) when she says, “My anger gives me strength.” Elsbeth’s third and final episode takes place during the New Republic Era where she is already the installed Magistrate on the planet Corvus. In this final episode we are given one of her best lines, “My world has been burning since I was a child.” Such a succinct statement which says everything you need to know about a person who has chosen the path to the Darkside out of fear, anger, and hate.
The next three episodes follow the characters Bariss Offee and Lyn Rakish. The Inquisitors are one of the lesser explored characters from the Star Wars universe and so to see the story of two former Jedi in their Tale with the Empire provides a great look as to what makes a jedi who was not a major player in the galactic battles did when Order 66 came through. Barriss Offee’s journey began in The Clone Wars as a kind of foil to Ahsoka’s journey in leaving the Jedi, so it makes all the sense in the world for her to get a continuation through Tales of the Empire.
Her journey through the final three episodes is juxtaposed with the journey of former jedi Lyn Rakish, who goes on to becomes The Fourth Sister. Both having very similar experiences and coming from the jedi order, their journeys are very different because of their beliefs more than their experiences. Their partnership is best illustrated in their second episode in which they are hunting jedi who escaped Order 66 and after a lightsaber duel the jedi says, “I’m so tired. I feel so alone.” Yet another very succinct line to encapsulate that experience for likely all jedi.
All six episodes are a beautiful exploration of nature versus nurture in terms of what makes us choose the paths we choose. More than that, they offer moments of redemption to each character along their paths and each character’s choice is interesting to observe. In the final episode, there is an exchange of dialogue between two characters which goes as follows: “There is no way out, is there?’ and then the reply, “That’s what the Empire wants you to think.” That exchange of realization and questioning if one is worthy of redemption is tragic, beautiful, and relatable.
In addition to the traditional themes of good, evil, and redemption that Star Wars loves to explore, each episode contains an action sequence just as dynamic as anything you see in animation today and par with some live action sequences. The animation also continues the Lucasfilm tradition of firmly showing you that it belongs in the Star Wars universe, but also pushes an aesthetic realism in other shots thus continuing ILM’s high standard in animation.
Tales of the Empire, like all Star Wars, remains entertaining and accessible for all ages and is a wonderful treat for fans to check out this May the Fourth.
Check it out on Disney Plus now!
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