Tales of the Empire: A Middling Star Wars Series
The latest Star Wars show explores more of the Empire, but does it do that successfully? Or is it simply just a cash grab?
May the 4th has been christened “Star Wars Day” in honor of the iconic quote, “May the force be with you.” Since George Lucas directed 1977’s Star Wars, it spawned a franchise and global fandom near unparalleled in size. When Disney bought the rights to it in 2012, the amount of films and TV shows grew exponentially, the latter of which becoming fan-favorite content on Disney+. This May 4th, Star Wars fans have been treated to Tales of the Empire (2024), giving us more of an insight into the dark side of the Force, as well as more animated shows.
Animation in Star Wars
There were experiments in animation for the franchise around the original and prequel trilogies’ respective releases. In 1985, spin-off cartoons featuring droids and Ewoks were made, but they’ve faded into obscurity. The year 2003 debuted Star Wars: Clone Wars, which ran until 2005. It was meant to cover the time between the second and third installments of the prequels. It got good reviews, but it is ultimately a semi-blueprint for a later, more famous show.
In 2008, George Lucas helped shepherd an animated Star Wars movie to theaters called Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Although a movie, it was actually cobbled together from episodes developed for a TV series of the same name. Lucas brought animation director Dave Filoni to help this show, which would air the same year as the movie on Cartoon Network, beginning on October 3rd, 2008.
The series followed Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and others and their adventures during the titular war. It would last until 2014, with a final season coming out on Disney+ in 2020. But other shows would come and go to fill in that gap. Filoni helped create Star Wars Rebels (2014–18), which followed the adventures of a group of Rebels set before Lucas’ original movie.
Short-form content focusing on the heroines of the saga came in 2017 with Star Wars Forces of Destiny, and Star Wars Resistance (2018) fleshed out the era that the new sequel trilogy inhabits. And semi-recently, the last episode of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, which began in 2021, aired, concluding another show, this one focusing on a rogue group of clone troopers after Order 66. However, most of these series are serialized adventures. Tales of the Empire follows a different format.
Tales of… and the Anthology Format
In 2022, Tales of the Jedi came out. It is a six-episode anthology series, with three episodes focusing on a specific character, and each episode set at a different stage of their life. Half of the series focuses on Ahsoka Tano, from infancy, to Padawan learner, to rebel against the Empire. The other half focuses on Count Dooku, and his fall from grace to the dark side of the Force. The episodes are very short in length, but ultimately well-received by fans and critics.
Personally, I felt that Tales of the Jedi helped reinforce the notion that most of animated Star Wars content is enjoyable. Every project is well-animated, making that galaxy far, far away feel alive, and the music from composer Kevin Kiner is perfect as well. He does a great job of taking the themes of John Williams and making them his own, giving life to the action and power to the scenes that showcase character arcs.
So, with those sorts of expectations, my excitement was pretty high for Tales of the Empire. However, it was kind of drained after binging the series on May 4th.
How Does it Stack Up?
The main difference between Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire is that the former told mostly compelling stories. While I find the Ahsoka stories to be a bit too much due to how much we see of her across the franchise as a whole, they still had exciting moments. The stories about Dooku are nearly flawless, and they gave such a deep understanding to a villain in past movies and shows that might’ve once felt shallow.
Tales of the Empire focuses on characters that are most likely not as well known to fans. Three episodes are about Barriss Offee, a Jedi who fell to the dark side during the Clone Wars and dealing with the increasing presence of the Empire. The other ones are about Morgan Elsbeth, a young member of Night Sisters who is drawn to the Empire out of revenge and her troubled past.
The hardcore fans might know these characters, but the casual fans might not. Heck, I’m a huge fan, and I barely knew who Morgan Elsbeth was. However, even if you are to put that aside, the reasons to tell these stories feel non-existent. The episodes about Elsbeth feel like the best example of this. I can’t really find anybody who is clamoring for a more complete picture of her as a character.
The Barriss episodes are more compelling, essentially doing the opposite of Dooku’s story. Dooku fell to the dark, but Barriss is able to find the light once more. It is definitely intriguing, but even so, it is clear there are missed opportunities. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Barriss turns to the dark side, and has a brief skirmish with Anakin Skywalker, who brings her to justice.
In this series, Barriss briefly becomes an Inquisitor, a dark-side user who works for the Empire to hunt Jedi. Her boss? Darth Vader, who is Anakin Skywalker! We briefly see Vader come to meet the Inquisitors, but there’s no follow-through. Might Vader not remember Barriss? Could Barriss sense conflict with Vader himself? It just feels like there’s more dramatic depth to explore.
How Does it Compare to Other Star Wars Series?
Every single one of the Star Wars animated shows doesn’t really fit this new adult animation niche that has developed. Despite that, a lot of them have widespread appeal across the fandom for the franchise. Older fans and younger fans all find something to love. So, maybe there will be people who love Tales of the Empire. I will not be one of them.
It is a well-animated, well-acted series, but it tells sincerely forgettable stories. It is perhaps not a great sign that there are articles that have to explain which characters are which for this series. Compared to Tales of the Jedi, it is a very weak yin to that series’ yang. Compared to the other series they’ve made, it looks even worse.
Perhaps it is unfair to compare an anthology to a more narrative series like The Clone Wars or Rebels. It is a different style of storytelling, and telling various stories via four-episode arcs offers more possibilities. However, investment is key. If you introduce new characters, you have to make an audience care. If you are telling new stories about already existing characters that may have run their course, you must prove they are worth telling.
Is it Worth Your Time?
Tales of the Empire is a great concept for a show, ripe with the possibility to explore the dark side of the force. Unfortunately, it is an example of a premise not living up to execution. It is totally watchable, has great animation, and is far from awful, but I can’t help but feel underwhelmed. If the stories were stronger or about different people, maybe I would give it more credit.
Hardcore fans of Star Wars that want to expand their understanding of deeper franchise lore could perhaps find value in this series. If you are more of a casual fan, my advice would be to save it for later. There are far better movies and shows in this franchise that you should watch. If Disney wants to give us more Star Wars content on May 4th, I’m perfectly fine with it. However, they need to prioritize story to make it a gift I want to receive every year.
