‘Star Wars: Tales of the Empire’ Is an Enjoyable Ride With Two Exciting Characters

The following review of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire was made possible by advanced screeners provided to Agents of Fandom by Walt Disney Studios Canada.

Star Wars has always excelled with its animated properties and this continues with Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. The new miniseries comes after the major success of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. While the six episodes aren’t quite as strong as their predecessors, Tales of the Empire still adds exciting new lore to the universe.

The series of shorts focuses on the Nightsister of Dathomir Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and former Jedi Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) in never-before-seen portions of their journeys. Both voice actors give phenomenal performances in their return to their characters.

Diana Lee Inosanto Shines in Multiple Roles

Morgan Elsbeth burst onto the scene in The Mandalorian as the foe of Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) on her quest to find Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). The character completed her journey to find Thrawn in Ahsoka, but little was known about her past.

All of that changes in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire as Morgan’s history is finally revealed. The periods spent on Dathomir are some of the strongest of the entire series of shorts, with Diana Lee Inosanto starring not as Morgan but as her mother, Selena. Inosanto is the series’ highlight throughout; her portrayal of Morgan Eslbeth fits directly in line with her live-action character.

Elsbeth’s journey is, at times, infuriating. She personifies a character who never learns from their mistakes. However, her story emphasizes the oppressive power of the Empire while providing fans with some very exciting characters from previous animated projects.

Barriss Offee Returns for the First Time Since ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’

Barris Offee’s story in the latter episodes completely mirrors Morgan Elsbeth’s. However, although they both hold new roles within the Empire now that the Clone Wars have concluded, they navigate their paths very differently.

Much like Elsbeth, Barriss Offee will forever be intertwined with Ahsoka Tano. They were cast out of the Jedi Order nearly simultaneously in The Clone Wars and were once very close friends. Although Ahsoka and Barriss were pitted against each other in the past, their paths are incredibly similar. Neither of them fits in with the rules of the Jedi Order, and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire navigates Barriss’ authority-questioning nature perfectly.

It’s unclear whether or not Barriss Offee will have a role beyond Tales of the Empire, but fans of the character can finally have clarity on what happened to her following Order 66. The three episodes wonderfully peel back the layers behind one of Star Wars‘ more secretive characters.

‘Star Wars: Tales of the Empire’ Review: The Force Works in Mysterious Ways

Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee have near-opposite stories that complement each other wonderfully in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. While one character dives deeper and deeper into a dark path set for them, the other is more willing to question what they’re told and find their own way.

The episodes featuring Morgan Elsbeth do a great job of filling in the gaps from her past and revealing her origin before appearing in The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. While for Barriss, her story continued from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, detailing her future that hadn’t yet been portrayed on screen.

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire lacks the same scale as its predecessor, Tales of the Jedi, failing to connect to the overall Star Wars story in the same capacity. However, the intimate stories focusing on the trauma of two characters recruited by the Empire still make for fantastic television in their own right.

All six episodes of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire stream exclusively on Disney+ starting on May 4, 2024. Follow the Agents of Fandom socials for the latest Star Wars news and reviews.