Star Wars: Tales of the Empire season review
‘Star Wars: Tales of the Empire’ is the continuation of the ‘Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi’ animated shorts that Dave Filoni created in 2022. Instead of expanding more characters from the lightside, Filoni and his team have decided to focus on the Imperial side of things, picking up Barriss Offee’s and fill in Morgan Elsbeth’s background that audiences didn’t know before.
Structurally these are exactly the same as the lightside counterpart, with the shorts split between Elsbeth and Offee. They jump between key points during both character’s life. For Elsbeth, the aim is to give audiences knowledge about her past, and what made her turn to the Empire, and for Offee to close an arc Filoni started back in 2013 but was unable to finish due to the cancellation of ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’.
It is a shame that Lucasfilm chooses to stick to well-known characters and periods instead of broadening the horizons, but that’s not to say what’s on offer isn’t enjoyable, merely that it’s safe. The stories told for both characters are broadly compelling, especially Elsbeth’s descent into darkness, perfectly illustrating Yoda’s warning to Anakin from all the way back in ‘The Phantom Menace.’ It’s also great to see from a non-Jedi and non-Sith perspective. It shows how corruptive the Dark Times really are.
Offee on the other hand gets a more predictable storyline, but one that has its moments and is still fun to watch. Thematically, both characters pair well together, as both are forced to adapt to an Imperial world after the massacre of the only family they know, but because of the people they are, they go on divergent paths. This theming worked well in ‘Tales of the Jedi’ and does again in ‘Tales of the Empire’.
There are several easter eggs and references, and not just from other ‘Star Wars’ animated shows either. It goes beyond seeing the two newest Inquisitors to ‘Star Wars’ canon like the trailer for the show hints, which rewards longtime eagle-eyed fans.
The animation continues to be flawless, developing even beyond what audiences have seen in season seven of ‘The Clone Wars’ and ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’. Filoni and the team of talented animators at Lucasfilm continue to raise the bar, giving audiences stunningly rendered character models packed with details set against visually striking backdrops. It’s a joy to keep watching this style evolve.
Grievous is a perfect example of this, as audiences can track the changes his character model has received since he first appeared in ‘The Clone Wars’ all the way back in 2008. Every time it looks like Lucasfilm has reached the limit of developing this style, the artists prove they still have places to conquer, and that they can improve it further.
Speaking of production, the voice acting continues to reach the high bar Lucasfilm has set for itself, matching the quality found across all its animated titles. This is expected, as much of the cast are returning veterans from previous animated shows, like Matthew Wood voicing General Grievous, Lars Mikkelsen voicing Thrawn, Jason Isaacs as the Grand Inquisitor, and Meredith Salenger as Offee. Diana Lee Inosanto lends her voice to Elsbeth, bringing the air of authority she had as the character in live-action.
‘Tales of the Empire’, like ‘Tales of the Jedi’ before it, is an entertaining slice of ‘Star Wars’ animation, meeting the quality that many fans have come to expect from Lucasfilm. While the choice of focusing the story on two familiar characters is unadventurous, there are still worthwhile themes being explored. The show itself looks gorgeous, and the voice actors all bring their A-game. If this short format continues Filoni can push the boundaries of what tales are told while retaining the thematic link for its subjects.
