Lucasfilm has Star Wars fans on the edge of their seats after dropping the first official Tales of the Empire trailer. The animated series follows Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee in different timelines as they fall to the Darkside after experiencing tremendous loss. It also marks the first Disney+ project from the Sith’s point of view.
During The Clone Wars, Morgan loses everything after Count Dooku takes out a hit on her homeworld of Dathomir. Her thirst for vengeance eventually gets her tangled up in the sinister web of the Galactic Empire. Later on, Barriss Offee follows a similar path after Order 66 all but completely wipes out the Jedi Order.
Tales of the Empire, like Tales of the Jedi, looks at major Star Wars events from the perspective of smaller characters. What will become of Barriss now that anger has fully consumed her? How does Morgan’s grief lead her to the Empire’s proverbial front door? Let’s take a look at the trailer’s more promising moments!
The Massacre of the Nightsisters
Grief plays a big part in Star Wars, even in animated shows like The Clone Wars. In season 4, episode 19, “Massacre”, Count Dooku sends General Grievous on an assault against Dathomir. The resulting massacre of the Nightsisters puts Asajj Ventress on the run. But it becomes Morgan Elsbeth’s villain origin story.
Tales of the Empire takes us into the next stage of her revenge plot. As she allies herself with the Empire, the trailer shows her flashbacks to all she witnessed that fateful night. Viewers see in her mind’s eye the Nightsisters who fought back, the droids’ ruthless assault, and the trail of devastation they left in their wake.
Clone War Droids
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Star Wars fans and characters shouting “roger, roger!” has become a running joke within fandom. It mimics the silly way B1 Series Battle Droids would comply with orders. It also pokes fun at how awkward they could be even in the midst of battle. All jokes aside, though, the droids could handle business like anyone else.
The Tales of the Empire trailer reminds us of just ruthlessly they could wipe out opponents on the battlefield. Morgan’s flashbacks show B1 Series Battle Droids and B2 Series Super Battle Droids murdering the Nightsisters with any mercy. Luckily, their cold-blooded efficiency left Morgan alive for the next chapter of her story.
Morgan Elsbeth’s Survival Explained
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Yet, Star Wars fans still want to know how Morgan survived what so many of the other Nightsisters couldn’t. Asajj Ventress had the protection of Clan Mother Talzin. She left filled with regret that her attempts to hurt Count Dooku had backfired on her people. Her pain moved away from her Sith role and into something different.
Morgan, on the other hand, had no divine intervention on her side. She received no aid and no sense of direction that could usher her to safety. So, she walked towards the path of the Sith. Tales of the Empire will hopefully shed light on how she got all the way from the ruins of Dathomir to working with Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Morgan Elsbeth vs. General Grievous
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General Grievous remained a formidable Star Wars opponent until his death meant more to Palpatine this his life. Before his demise at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, he went toe-to-toe with Morgan. The new Tales of the Empire trailer shows her confronting him after his massacre of the Nightsisters during the Clone Wars.
Unlike his usual opponent, she has no Jedi code stopping her from tapping into dark magicks. She just knows he has to pay for what he has done. She attempts to make him do so using some kind of glowing sickles instead of the beskar spear we see her use against Ahsoka Tano in season 2 of The Mandalorian.
Working With Thrawn
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The Tales of the Empire trailer opens with the iconic voice of Grand Admiral Thrawn speaking to Morgan Elsbeth. She has come to him “seeking Imperial favor,” and he wants to know why. Morgan explains the injustice she has faced and the strength she offers to the Empire in exchange for seeking vengeance against her perpetrators.
Most villainous alliances don’t end well in the Star Wars universe. Just look at Darth Vader and Palpatine. This one must beat the odds, though, since they reunite in season 1 of the Ahsoka series. She helps him return to power after Ezra Bridger banishes them to the hard-to-find planet of Peridea at the end of Rebels.
The Magistrate
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When The Mandalorian introduces Morgan Elsbeth in season 2, she has already taken over the city of Calodan on the planet Corvus. It looks like Tales of the Empire has some prequel exploration in store for showing how she became the Magistrate, or leader of Calodan. (Hint: she doesn’t ask politely.)
In fact, she grabs power the way anyone would expect. She tells the Calodian people her evil plans and gives them no way to fight against them. Their attempts to escape lead to destroyed ships and murdered innocents. In the end, they become merely pawns in a bigger scheme to bring back someone even worse than her.
Morgan’s Destiny
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In the Tales of the Empire trailer, a voice says, “You’re path is set, Morgan Elsbeth.” She has had a bigger part to play in Star Wars since her first appearance in the live-action series The Mandalorian. Even when unclear, it obviously tied her fate to that of the calculating Grand Admiral Thrawn.
Ahsoka Tano fought her in season 2, episode 5, “The Jedi” for information on Thrawn. Morgan later returned in the Ahsoka series working with Sith Master Baylan Skoll, his apprentice Shin Hati, and the Inquisitor Marrok. Her task? Discovering Thrawn’s last known location and returning him to full galactic power.
The Fourth Sister Recruits Barriss Offee
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Barriss Offee’s betrayal of Ahsoka Tano in the finale of The Clone Wars season 5 still rubs Star Wars fans the wrong way. In her words, she took desperate measures to reveal what the Jedi had become during the war. It landed her in prison indefinitely, and we never saw or heard from her again, even after Order 66 went out.
In a shocking turn of events, Barriss has returned in the new Tales of the Empire trailer. Lyn, the Fourth Sister, one of many dark agents of the Empire, turns up at Barriss’ cell to break her out of prison. What does this mean for the former padawan? We don’t know yet. But when Inquisitors get involved, nothing good will follow.
Clone Troopers in Action
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The Tales of the Empire trailer then shows clone troopers transporting a still-imprisoned Barriss Offee. To where? We have no idea. Like all good trailers, this one doesn’t reveal enough for even the most devout Star Wars fan to make predictions. It shows us the footage, gets us hyped, and leaves us wanting more.
Still, clone troopers featured so prominently gives viewers an idea of when this part of the story takes place. The Empire has only recently come into power and still relies on their use of clone troopers as muscle. As one of the unidentified troopers says to Barriss, she should “just be glad [she’s] not a Jedi anymore.”
Barriss Offee, Inquisitor in Training
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Barriss’ betrayal of the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars showed her ability to tap into dark means of achieving justice, or what she considered justice. Her reckless assault on civilians and willingness to frame her friend revealed a sinister side to the former padawan. No wonder she has caught the attention of Inquisitors.
With Luminara Unduli no longer guiding her toward the Light, Barriss has hopped on the fast track to embracing the Darkside. The Tales of the Empire trailer shows her one-on-one training with the Grand Inquisitor. Only time (and other prequel shows) can reveal where this new disturbing path takes her.
Barriss and Anakin Cross Paths Once More
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The last time Barriss Offee shared space with Anakin Skywalker, he’d given her the fight of her life. His anger at her betrayal of Ahsoka had him chasing her all over the very Jedi Temple she had recently attacked. Years later, the Tales of the Empire trailer shows them side by side again after his transformation into Darth Vader.
In her own way, Barriss has also fallen very far from everything she once held dear. Maybe she has truly embraced the darkness. Or maybe, like Reva the Third Sister, she has a completely different plan up her sleeves. Either way, we can’t wait for the moment they recognize each other on this dark path.
Inquisitor Training
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Any Star Wars fans unfamiliar with the novels might be a little confused by Darth Vader’s presence. They don’t realize that part of his job as Darth Sidious’ Sith apprentice includes overseeing the Inquisitors—including their training. Like the Jedi, they work hard to perfect their skills and seek promotion within their field.
Unlike the Jedi, though, things get a lot bloodier between initiates. The trailer doesn’t reveal just how bad things can get, but overall vibe of Tales of the Empire suggests chaos and heartlessness. Even the lighting fills fans with a sense of foreboding that will not end well for anyone involved, especially young Barriss.
The Path to the Darkside
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One does not simply fall to the Darkside one day. Rather, they make a series of choices that lead them away from the Light. They continuously lean into emotions in a way that consumes them instead of letting them go. Remember all those scary talks Master Yoda used to give to Anakin Skywalker? Exactly.
Fear leads to anger, which leads to hate and, later, to suffering. Barriss’ fear for the Jedi turns into anger at the Jedi and hatred toward her peers. Morgan’s fear of what happened to the Nightsisters turns into anger at and hatred toward the world. The Tales of the Jedi trailer only hints at the suffering that awaits them in the end.
Disney Plus drops all six episodes of Tales of the Empire on May 4th, Star Wars Day!