'Tales Of The Empire' Review
Image Source: Star Wars
Even though The Bad Batch recently had its series finale, Star Wars animation is alive and well. A few years ago, we were treated to some short stories of different Jedi throughout the Star Wars universe, called Tales Of The Jedi. It focused primarily on Count Dooku before he turned, and Ahsoka Tano. It expanded both their stories, and we saw their backgrounds play out on screen. Fans had been waiting for a second season but were surprised with the new animated series Tales Of The Empire instead. The new series brought back many familiar faces and expanded on two characters who never had their story arcs completed.
The season is split up into two stories, with the first three being about Morgan Elsbeth, whom we first met in season 2 of The Mandalorian. We see more of her backstory, and how she got close to Thrawn. The first episode showed us the massacre of the Nighsisters on Dathomir, led by General Grievous. She survived, and eventually made her way into the Empire's ranks. In episode 2, she meets, a young Thrawn. To back up a bit, the Empire rejected her ideas, so she returned home. She has to fight someone, as a test of the Empire, and once she passes, she is deemed worthy to meet and work with Thrawn. The area is very familiar, and where we first saw her and Ahsoka Tano fight in The Mandalorian season 2. The third episode takes place during the New Republic era. Magistrate Elsbeth hasn't been seen for a while and the New Republic is here to reason with her, to give up her hold on Corvis.
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The second half focuses on Barriss Offee and her journey to becoming an Inquisitor. Barriss’s journey is an interesting one. When we last saw her, she was a Jedi disillusioned with the Jedi Order and blew up the Jedi temple. She was serving a life sentence until she was “rescued” by an Inquisitor. Once she passes all of her tests, she becomes an inquisitor. However, her heart is not in it like the others, and starts questioning what’s happening around her. Eventually, she leaves and hides in a remote location, where she decides to help others. After helping the Inquisitor hunting her, her story ends on a cliffhanger.
I found both stories interesting, but Barriss's was the strongest. It was great learning more about Morgan Elsbeth, and how she climbed the ranks of the Empire. The Nightsister massacre was sad, especially seeing it on screen. General Grievous was terrifying during the massacre and absolutely ruthless. It was cool to see him wield, and fight, with his multiple lightsabers. I feel like her episodes would've benefitted from being a bit longer, especially with her being a newer character. Barriss’s story was my favorite. She was never a bad person, and never fully gave in to the Dark Side. It was great to see her grow and get a redemption arc. I do hope they visit her story in a later season, especially with how it ended.
Image Source: IGN
Tales Of The Empire is a nice treat. It gives us more insight into the inner workings of the Empire. I do think Tales Of The Jedi was much stronger when it came to the stories. No episode is over 20 minutes which makes it easy to binge. However, this doesn’t give enough time to get fully invested in the stories which leaves you wanting more. Overall, I enjoyed it and it is a must-watch for any fan of Star Wars animation.
Rating: 8/10
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