Star Wars has just announced a new series of shorts, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, which will be premiering on Disney+ next month. The new show will seemingly feature characters that have been seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, The Mandalorian, and Ahsoka. Characters like Morgan Elsbeth, the Grand Inquisitor, and Barriss Offee will be returning in Tales of the Empire. The six-episode season will follow these characters’ journeys to joining the Empire and will answer some major Star Wars questions that have been up in the air for years.
For years, there has been speculation over what happened to Ahsoka Tano’s nemesis Barriss Offee, and it seems like Tales of the Empire will finally be letting audiences in on her fate. The cast will see the return of Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, as well as Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn. Other Star Wars actors are also returning to their respective roles for their return in Tales of the Empire, a series that is honing in on one special Star Wars tradition.
At Star Wars Celebration 2023, Dave Filoni announced that Tales of the Jedi season 2 was in the works, but based on trailer footage, it seems Tales of the Empire will be replacing its predecessor. Tales of the Jedi followed the same format as a six-episode season of shorts, and surrounded two characters—Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku. This time, it seems Tales of the Empire will be focusing on Morgan Elsbeth’s Imperial origins, and Barriss Offee’s fate after being charged with bombing the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.
Trailer footage also shows what looks to be scenes on Dathomir when Morgan Elsbeth’s clan of Nightsisters were decimated by General Grievous and the Separatists. It will be fascinating to see this iconic The Clone Wars arc from a different perspective and to see exactly how Morgan Elsbeth survived the slaughter of her sisters. Additionally, Barriss Offee can be seen in her jail scene, meaning she survived the initial execution of Order 66. This will allow for a spotlight on how Darth Vader trained his Imperial Inquisitors.
While Tales of the Jedi was great, getting new and exciting perspectives of a diverse set of characters will really enrich the Star Wars galaxy. Additionally, this move by Dave Filoni and Lucasfilm is very reminiscent of the Legends era of Star Wars where books like Tales of the Bounty Hunters were told. This trend was popular and gave these characters time to develop and grow beyond their limited screen time, all without taking away from the stories of the original Star Wars trilogy.
With shows like The Acolyte coming in June that promise to highlight the rise of the dark side, it’ll be interesting to see the Empire be the heroes of their own stories. Hopefully, moving forward, Star Wars will continue to give audiences new and interesting stories that help fill in the gaps and plot holes from other shows. For The Clone Wars and Ahsoka enthusiasts, Tales of the Empire will certainly be a great treat to look at some amazing characters.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will release on Disney+ on May 4.