Star Wars: Tales of the Empire trailer breakdown-3 key takeaways

Disney+ dropped the first trailer of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire on April 4, 2024. The trailer presents the story of two important characters, Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee. This is the second offering from the creators after Star Wars: Tales of Jedi, which offers explanations and story arcs of some of the beloved characters. While Barriss Offee has a reference to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, fans have known Elsbeth from The Mandalorian and Ahsoka.

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will be released on May 4, 2024, one month after the trailer release. Produced by Lucasfilm, the series has Dave Filoni as creator and supervising director. The executive producers are Filoni, Athena Yvette Portillo, Carrie Beck, and Josh Rimes.

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3 vital takeaways from the trailer of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire

The major takeaways from the trailer are:

1) Thrawn is not the Grand Admiral yet

Thrawn is yet to be promoted to Grand Admiral (Image via Disney+)

The first scene presents a conversation between Thrawn and Morgan Elsbeth. Thrawn, voiced by Lars Mikkelsen, is not draped in the grand costume that is known to be part of his image. However, he is seen wearing a grey uniform with his rank plaque visible. This indicates that he may have already gained the position of an Admiral. This could be before his rise as the Grand Admiral in the Imperial Navy.

The scene finds Elsbeth offering her services to the Empire. Moreover, she explains her desire to join the force and her anger about the destruction of her home and people.

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2) Fourth Sister Lyn releases Barriss from imprisonment

Fourth Sister releases Barriss to become an Inquisitor (Image via Disney+)

Lyn, who was in Obi-Wan Kenobi, is seen as an Inquisitor, though wearing robes that look like those of the Jedi. She seems to hold the power to release Barriss, the former Jedi padawan, from jail and offer her an opportunity to join the Empire.

It goes without saying that Barriss, who is already a fallen Jedi, will comply. The next scene depicts Barriss changing out of her prison uniform and head cover into dark robes as she is flanked by Clones who tell her that she is "not a Jedi anymore."

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3) The series connects to The Mandalorian through Elsbeth's transformation

Elsbeth is seen in her robes holding her spear as in The Mandalorian (Image via Disney+)

While one scene shows a young Elsbeth fighting with a pair of crescent blades in what looks like the burning forests of Dathomir, the next scene shows her wielding the beskar spear and wearing the magistrate's robes. In another scene, she is shown in the city of Calodan in a face-off with New Republic officials.

Morgan Elsbeth was introduced in The Mandalorian wearing the robe as she was the Governor of Corvus. Visible behind her is a fire raging, which looks like the woods of Corvus along with a burning ship. A later shot presents her battling General Grievous and she tells him how her world had been burning for years.

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What is the expected plot of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, according to the trailer?

The series is expected to showcase the journey of the two warriors Elsbeth and Barriss, as they chose the dark side for very different reasons.

The trailer of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire has many pointers that lead to assumptions about the plot of the series. Glimpses of Elsbeth in her robe indicate that the story will connect to The Mandalorian. Additionally, it will explain what happened to Barriss after she was convicted for burning down the Jedi temple and jailed.

Barriss' fights and tests imply she may be ruthlessly defeating other Jedi and fellow contenders to get accepted as an Inquisitor. The last few shots in the trailer present a "new master," who seems to be Darth Vader. Moreover, Marrok is seen greeting the new master along with Barriss. The series will possibly cover Marrok's arc as well.

Watch the newly released Star Wars: Tales of the Empire trailer and look out for the series arriving on Disney+ on May 4, 2024.