After last year’s successful Ahsoka/Dooku Tales of the Jedi series, Lucasfilm/Disney returned for a similar project, Tales of the Empire, this time focused on two lesser-known characters. There are six episodes of approximately 4-6 minutes apiece, but instead of dedicating one thought to each mini-episode, we’re doing a more general review.
The main reason for the format chnange is that not all of the six episodes elicit similar levels of intrigue or interest. The two focal characters this round – Morgan Esbeth and Barris Offee – are only known to the most ardent of Star Wars TV fans. And, although the episodes are similarly solid and well told, the two different stories serve very different purposes.
For Morgan Elsbeth’s trio of episodes, “The Path of Fear,” “The Path of Anger,” and “The Path of Hate,” the purpose seems to be to provide context for the character’s actions and personality when we meet her in The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. While I think that this trio of episodes works really well, I’m not sure that anything learned/gleaned from these episodes changes anything about Elbseth. Sure, her hatred and evil is a little more illuminated, she’s far from the only character in Star Wars to have a terrible childhood that leads them into bad choices later in life.
“The Path of Fear” does have a General Grievous cameo, which is always appreciated, and tells the most complete story in any of the episodes. It allows Elsbeth to be sympathetic as well as foolish, and shows the multiple tolls and layers of trauma that start from her family being wiped out. The next two episodes work to illuminate her path from the fringe of the Empire to a key player in Thrawn’s plans. “The Path of Anger” shows how her brilliance is eventually noticed and allowed to flourish, while “The Path of Hate” shows how the power has corrupted her even more and led her to a place where she seems totally unredeemable. The path (no pun intended) from orphaned child to monster is easier than it appears.
As for the Barriss Offee episodes, she’s an even more obscure character than Elsbeth, only featured (incredibly briefly) in Attack of the Clones and then in a prominent arc of The Clone Wars. Her disillusionment with the Jedi is an understandable trait, but the way she expresses that – by framing Ahsoka – is not. This trio of episodes – “Devoted,” “Realization,” and “The Way Out” – are the mirror image of Elsbeth’s journey. In “Devoted,” we see Barriss engage with the Dark Side for survival before eventually growing less and less comfortable with her role as an Inquisitor before leaving and returning to being an agent of hope and help.
Because Barriss is clearly a Force user and one who is tapping into different parts of the Force, we are seeing a very standard path for her. Many Force users from Anakin Skywalker to Assaj Ventress have walked along the entire spectrum of Light and Dark and have come to realizations about their past behavior. And so, seeing her course correction feels like a classic Star Wars story. In that way, her story feels more complete than Elbseth’s, however, Elsbeth’s story in some ways is more satisfying.
My thought for why these characters are the focus of these episodes is that Barriss will be a major part of Ahsoka season two, while Elsbeth meeting her end in season one needed a little more context. Regardless, these are enjoyable, well done episodes that were a lovely treat on May the Fourth. I wonder if next year we will get a third Tales of series. The Rebellion? The Sith? The New Republic? The High Republic? The First Order? The Resistance? We shall see.
