Star Wars: Tales of the Empire

I'm no Filoni worshipper but I rather liked the refreshing brevity and continuity curiosity of 2022's Tales of the Jedi. This follow-up is... far less interesting and I'd hardly say The Mandalorian's Morgan Elsbeth and Clone Wars minor character Barriss Offee are of the same stature as Ahsoka and Dooku. Not only that but neither of them are particularly Empire-tastic. More... Empire adjacent. That being said, I still do like the shortness of the episodes, but it all feels very throwaway and more of an afterthought than a project in its own right or even a continuation of the first set of stories.

So for the good, the visuals are done well. There are new aliens and certain elements flow well, made some decent connections and ended a question of one empirial operative.

As for the bad, some returning characters were visually revamped which I found unnecessary. A chunk of what I watched left me failing to see the characters logic and connection from pre and post empire. I get the idea but the character came off hypocritical to me. It doesn't have to be a hard negative but it would be if this is where the trail ends.

Neutral, the final episode had me wondering if it's intended to be continued or if that was it. If it is good, if not well what happens next?

Overall I found it watchable and others may enjoy it more or less than I did. There's good about it but plot wise and doesn't have the same connection or feeling of how a character got to the point they were at in other shows, like tales of a jedi did.

It happens every year and we have finally reached May 4th aka Star Wars Day and Disney decided today to release the follow up to the successful Tales of the Jedi with a new show Star Wars Tales of the Empire and I have watched it this morning and this is my review of the show. The premise of the show documents the journey's of Morgan Elsbeth & Barriss Offee and how their lives were affected by different events.

Main Character The first 3 episodes of the show documents the journey of Morgan Elsbeth with Diana Lee Inosanto reprising her role from The Mandalorian & Ahsoka and she is great. It shows how she became the character that we met in those shows. She does a really effective job of showing the anger and the devotion that she has to her new mission, her character was great in live action and it continues here.

The latter 3 episodes focus on Barriss Offee who is once again voiced by Meredith Salenger. The show picks up after she was expelled from the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars. Salenger does a good job, we still see the inner turmoil of her character and that even though she was against the Jedi, she might not be fully on board with the Empire and it is just nice to get some follow up on her which people have been asking for years.

Supporting Characters To be honest this show is all about the two main characters and doesn't have too much time for the rest of the cast but everyone does a good job. Probably the main one is The Fourth Sister who has a good story with Barriss and gives some more character to this pretty dull character so that was good to see.

It was also nice to see cameos from characters from the Star Wars universe such as General Grievous, Thrawn & The Grand Inquisitor. They all offer something to the stories and it was just nice to see them make a return here.

Story The stories are good. Seeing how Morgan Elsbeth went from surviving on Dathomir to become a Magistrate is well realised and it does set up future events in Ahsoka which is appreciated. I also enjoyed seeing Barriss journey to becoming an Inquisitor and how it showed her different viewpoints of the galaxy. But, there is no doubt that there is something missing here, it just isn't as interesting as I wanted it to be. Morgan's story doesn't do enough to tell us more stuff about her, it probably would have come across better if we had seen it before Ahsoka was released and we knew what happened to her. Barriss story does feel a little bit like missed potential and I think maybe they could have had 6 episodes just on that and it would have been better and the ending is incredibly abrupt and doesn't quite work like I think Disney thought it would.

Script The script is okay, this show is incredibly mature and dark and that does work and I am glad that this show goes with that tone and the lack of humour isn't an issue. The issue is that none of the drama really nails the mark fully, similar to the story I think Disney expected more and it just fell a bit flat at crucial times.

Style The animation looks fantastic. We have seen with other animated Star Wars shows that the animation has got better and better and this is up there with the best yet. The character models look fantastic and the action flows incredibly well and feels very smooth. But the pacing is where the issue is, with us only having 3 episodes each with these lesser known characters, plenty is left out and it feels a bit janky especially with Morgan Elsbeth which made it hard to really get invested in it.

Overall Overall, Star Wars: Tales of The Empire is a good show that has some merit to it and will entertain fans of the franchise. But it doesn't hit the landing as much as it should and feels like a slight let down in that way but it is still a decent watch.

Rating - 7/10.

"Tales of the Empire" is a delightful gem in the vast galaxy of Star Wars content. As a fan who watched this series alongside the disappointing "The Acolyte," I was pleasantly surprised by the depth and storytelling prowess of this show. The intricate narratives, well-developed characters, and attention to detail in world-building truly set "Tales of the Empire" apart.

The series manages to capture the essence of the Star Wars universe while offering a fresh perspective on the Empire's inner workings. Each episode delves into the lives of characters with complexity and nuance, making it easy to become emotionally invested in their journeys. The production quality is top-notch, with stunning visuals and captivating performances that transport viewers to a galaxy far, far away.

After experiencing the lackluster storytelling of "The Acolyte," "Tales of the Empire" was a breath of fresh air. It proves that there is still hope for meaningful and engaging content within the Star Wars franchise. I wholeheartedly recommend this series to any fan craving a more fulfilling and satisfying Star Wars experience.

Here's to more content like "Tales of the Empire" that honors the legacy of Star Wars while pushing boundaries and exploring new horizons. May the Force continue to guide us on thrilling adventures through the galaxy!

The Evil at the Center. Just as we once accompanied Anakin Skywalker on his journey to the dark side, there are now finally two more characters we get to accompany into the abyss.

The approach of the Star Wars creators is emotional and profound. The atmosphere is truly dark, rarely seen except in Andor. Now, we are actually on the side of evil. Whether Morgan Elsbeth, seemingly a supporting character, needed to be chosen as the main character remains questionable. There are certainly much more intriguing characters in the Star Wars universe. But in the end, after the story of Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader, we witness another transformation into evil. And it is precisely this that makes this series so compelling in the otherwise rather cheerful Star Wars cosmos.

The most intriguing question in all of this is ultimately why they had to make the whole thing an animated series.