The fan-favorite Disney+ anthology series, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, garnered much praise upon its release in 2022. But despite the series faring well with audiences, it seems Lucasfilm has officially “replaced” it following the surprise announcement of a new project, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.
There’s no denying that it’s an exciting time to be a fan of the galaxy far, far away, with several buzzy TV shows like Star Wars: The Acolyte and Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on the not-so-distant horizon. Whether or not you agree with Disney’s handling of George Lucas’ beloved IP, Kathleen Kennedy and Co. certainly know how to keep the new projects coming, and the brand’s latest announcement may be its most surprising yet.
Disney and Lucasfilm unveil new animated ‘Star Wars’ series
On Thursday morning, Lucasfilm unexpectedly dropped the first teaser for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire which, exactly as it sounds, will act as the followup to Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Instead of following the unexplored chapters of two prominent prequel-era characters, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) and Count Dooku (Corey Burton) as it did in season 1, this new story will see two notorious villains at the helm: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger).
As detailed by StarWars.com, viewers will “learn how a young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world towards a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy,” connecting the dots between the Prequel Era and Elsbeth’s appearances in The Mandalorian season 2 and Ahsoka, as well as—finally—addressing Barriss’ fate post-Clone Wars.
Much like Tales of the Jedi, Tales of the Empire is the brainchild of Lucasfilm CCO Dave Filoni and will consist of six 20-minute episodes. Along the way, it looks like we’re going to run into some familiar faces from different corners of the Star Wars universe, including General Grievous (Matthew Wood), the Grand Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs), and the conniving Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), among others.
The first Tales of the Empire trailer raised eyebrows, as many were left wondering whether or not the new shorts would replace Tales of the Jedi season 2, or act as a standalone series.
During last year’s Star Wars Celebration Europe, Dave Filoni confirmed that a sophomore season of Tales of the Jedi was in production, with its estimated release window being sometime in 2024. Of course, we now know that this was indeed Tales of the Empire, which is slated to premiere on Disney+ next month. Still, the question remains: will there be a second season of Tales of the Jedi?
Well, as unsatisfying as it may be, the short answer is … maybe? Lucasfilm going all-in on Tales of the Empire seems to suggest that the new show will take the place of Tales of the Jedi season 2 for the time being. It remains to be seen whether or not the new episodes will be listed under the pre-existing Tales of the Jedi banner or a new name altogether when it hits streaming.
Of course, the spotlight can always be shifted back toward Light Siders in future Tales of episodes. Lucasfilm’s shift to Tales of the Empire doesn’t necessarily mean that Tales of the Jedi can’t continue somewhere down the line. There’s even the off chance that Star Wars could explore other corners of the galaxy far, far away via the same format, à la Tales of the Clones, Tales of the Rebellion, etc.
For now, we’ll just have to wait patiently for an update on the fate of Tales of the Jedi season 2. Nevertheless, it’s important to look at the bigger picture. Disney’s Tales of the Empire announcement is still exciting news for lovers of Star Wars animation, even if we all need a moment to collectively mourn the loss of Tales of the Jedi.
Tales of the Empire launches on Star Wars Day, May 4, 2024, with all six episodes premiering exclusively on Disney+.
(featured image: Disney+)
