After a season focusing on the Jedi in Tales of the Jedi, the series is back, and this time we'll get to see Tales of the Empire. The 6 animated shorts will focus on the Empire's side of things, and it's an unexpected departure for the series but carries forward the first season's darker tone.
I'll admit that I expected Season 2 to continue telling stories about the Jedi, but the trailer looks still thrilling regardless. Morgan Elsbeth and Bariss Offee are two characters whose lives we haven't fully explored yet so the show will fill in the gaps of their stories. Bariss's fate after she was arrested for bombing the Jedi temple and framing her friend, Ahsoka Tano, for doing so has remained a mystery. She should've been executed, but many fans hoped she would return.
Firstly, I think the decision to focus on Bariss is deliberate as Ahsoka Season 2 has recently been greenlit, and there's a good chance someone like Bariss can make a return in the series. As such, it's probably best to give fans an idea of where she's been. On the other hand, it's also possible that she dies in Tales of the Empire, but I like to believe the focus on her is because she's returning. Aside from the amazing action in the series, I'm extremely invested in the emotional aspect that comes with these characters.
A Darth Vader appearance could've been kept a secret until the shorts dropped on Disney+, but the trailer gives it away and I can't wait to see Vader's reaction to Bariss, and vice versa. He's aware of the outcome of her actions, and that what she did, was the beginning of the end for Ahsoka in the Jedi Order. Losing Ahsoka was a blow to Anakin, and at this point in Tales of the Empire, he probably thinks she might have been killed during Order 66. This is why a Vader and Bariss Offee confrontation should be a very compelling one.
I also find it strange that Dave Filoni decided to focus on Morgan Elsbeth's when this could've been a great opportunity to focus on Grand Admiral Thrawn's backstory. Thrawn is the big baddie of The Mandalorian timeline and for anyone who hasn't read the Thrawn novels and watched Rebels, these shorts could've provided some insight into who Thrawn is and why he's so important.
But perhaps the show will fill us in on Thrawn and Elsbeth's relationship. Morgan Elsbeth is a very interesting character and I'm glad that Diana Lee Inosanto will be voicing her in animation as well. The trailer also marks the return of the Grand Inquisitor, General Grievous, and lots of thrilling lightsaber duels.
I know Dave Filoni tends to focus on his favorite characters and eras, but even his biggest critics have to admit that he knows how to tell a Star Wars story. Tales of the Empire already looks like an outstanding second installment to the very emotional Tales of the Jedi.
Tales of the Empire streams May the 4th on Disney+.