Tales of The Empire episode 3 "The Path of Hate" ending explained

Tales of the Empire continues Morgan Elsbeth’s story before the events of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. The third episode, “The Path of Hate,” tells a story of Morgan’s iron fist rule over the city of Colodan on the planet Corvus.

In this episode, we see Morgan’s path of fear and anger culminate in her path to hate. Let’s explain the ending of the “Path of Hate.”

Jedi Master Yoda once told a 9-year-old Anakin Skywalker that “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

The same can be said for Morgan Elsbeth, especially after having the forests surrounding Colodan scorched. This solidified the suffering she unleashed on the people under her leadership. Like Anakin, Morgan’s path from the time her people were massacred was very clouded and uncertain. And, like Anakin, she had a choice.

As we saw in “Path of Fear,” one has to question: had she heeded the advice of the Mountain Clan mother, who nursed her back to health, would she have been a benevolent leader or come to grips with the trauma she experienced? Just like if Anakin had heeded the words of Yoda, perhaps, his wife Padme Amidala could have still lived.

The ending of “Path of Hate” shows that the fear she faced from others and the anger she expressed led to her hatred of the people she swore to serve. She used the people of Colodan to fulfill her dark vision.

One can argue that each episode up to “The Path of Hate” showed Morgan a choice to be better, but because of the fear she experienced during her youth and her anger from her trauma, she chose a dark path at the expense of others.

However, “Path of Hate” also shows a glimmer of hope in the form of Nadura, a former citizen of Colodan who has since become an ambassador of the New Republic. Nadura represents the choice that Morgan could have made to be better for her people: to relinquish her position as Magistrate of Corvus to the New Republic. Similar to how Darth Vader chose to return to the light side as Anakin Skywalker and save his son Luke Skywalker from getting killed by Emperor Palpatine. However, Morgan refused because of her hatred towards those she felt she did everything for was so strong. This hatred would cause her to kill Nadura and her New Republic soldiers protecting her.

What is so fascinating about this episode is that Wing, the man who let Morgan rise to power, and Nadura were willing to be peaceful and diplomatic with the Nightsister despite how she had treated them. But due to her lust for revenge for what happened to the Nightsisters and her devotion to Grand Admiral Thrawn, Morgan saw Nadura and Wing as a threat to her goals and mission.

Another glimmer of hope in the episode comes from Nadura’s distress beacon in which Wing hears the voice of Mandalorian Bo-Katan Kryze, only for Morgan to pierce it with her Beskar spear. The Magistrate tells Wing, “No one is coming.” This symbolizes the Empire using any means to quell hope, even the resources of the people it claims to serve, hence, how they took the Beskar from the Mandalorians during the Night of a Thousand Tears.

One can argue that Morgan inflicted the same suffering on the people of Corvus that General Grievous, under orders from Count Dooku, inflicted on her people during the Clone Wars.  Like Dooku enacting vengeance against Asajj Ventress by ordering the massacre of the Nightsisters who fought alongside her, Morgan enacted vengeance against the people of Corvus for defying her.

Tales of the Empire is now streaming on Disney +.