The galaxy far, far away has greatly expanded via the Disney+ streaming service, with multiple Star Wars series making our list of best Disney+ shows. While The Acolyte is next among the live action upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows in the 2024 TV premiere schedule, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will arrive in less than a month as the latest new animated entry. And call me crazy, but I see a way for this newest Tales Of series – following Tales of the Jedi back in 2022 – to set up a Star Wars Rebels origin story that I've been craving since the Rebels-heavy Ahsoka Season 1 finale.
So, as the weeks count down before the newest animated project, let's start at the beginning for why I can see a future with a blast to the Rebels past.
What To Expect From Star Wars: Tales Of The Empire
Tales of the Empire arrives this year on – when else? – May 4, a.k.a. Star Wars day, with all six episodes streaming for Disney+ subscribers. The story will be told via two characters, one with strong ties to Ahsoka and one straight out of The Clone Wars: Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger), respectively. Morgan enters the Empire after losing everything and desiring vengeance, while Bariss has to adapt to survive in the post-Republic galaxy.
Although there's only so much that can fit into six episodes, the description of Tales of the Empire suggests that it will flesh out Morgan Elsbeth significantly from the villain of Ahsoka and – to a lesser extent – The Mandalorian, while answering some long-standing questions about Barriss after her shocking actions against the Jedi in Clone Wars.
The trailer revealed the returns of Thrawn and the OG Grand Inquisitor from Rebels with a dash of Darth Vader, as expected in an Empire-set show in the era between the prequels and the original trilogy. Dave Filoni both created the series and serves as supervising director. All in all, this isn't going to be a huge ongoing series, but it sounds like a worthwhile way to spend some time on Star Wars Day. And if my somewhat crackpot theorizing is anywhere near on the money, then it could be a launching point for a Rebels origin story... or at least include an allusion to that show's beloved Ghost crew.
How It Could Set Up A Star Wars Rebels Origin Story
After Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire, my mind immediately jumped to the idea of Tales of the Rebellion. The setting of Empire presumably between the prequel and original trilogies opens Star Wars up to telling stories in an era that hasn't been heavily showcased on screen so far. And what better way to continue that than by expanding the stories of Star Wars Rebels characters in another Tales?
Specifically, I'm thinking of a Tales show adapting or incorporating elements of Josh Jackson Miller's novel A New Dawn, which included Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus' first meeting. Not only would nodding to this story be a treat for Rebels fans, but it could shed some light for Ahsoka fans about who Kanan – who was mentioned in Season 1 – was and the origin of the relationship that produced a human/Twi'lek hybrid child.
So, how could Tales of the Empire set up a story incorporating major elements of Rebels, since it's about Barriss and Elsbeth? Well, for one way, I do look to two villains from A New Dawn: Count Denetrius Vidian and Imperial Commander Rae Sloane. All Tales of the Empire would have to do is include or even mention Vidian and/or Sloane, and my Rebels-loving heart would leap at the possibilities.
And if nothing comes from A New Dawn, there's another way. Since Rebels never truly explored how Hera and Kanan added Zeb and Sabine to their crew, a slight mention of an event from their pasts could open the door for a future series. After Zeb was the only living member of the Rebels main crew who was missing from Ahsoka, I for one would love to see it, not least because original voice actor Steve Blum voiced Zeb again for The Mandalorian.
Why I Need It After Ahsoka
Look, I enjoyed Ahsoka, for all that it may not be the favorite live-action show of every Star Wars fan. I also realized halfway through the first season that I was way more invested in the non-Ahsoka characters of her title show, largely because I wanted more of the Rebels crew and less of just Ahsoka.
Sure, that might partially be due to the fact that I maintain that Rebels is stronger than The Clone Wars from start to finish, but both of my biggest disappointments of Season 1 were related to the animated series. After the penultimate episode's clues, I had high hopes for a cameo from Zeb and Ezra meeting Jacen on screen, and I'm still bummed to this day that we didn't get a moment of the long-lost Jedi meeting Kanan and Hera's son.
A Tales of the Rebellion anthology series could deliver a fix of the Rebels characters ahead of the wait for Ahsoka Season 2, even though a blast to the past wouldn't exactly deliver what I was missing in the timeline of the first season. And I'm honestly prepared to grasp at straws, considering stories about Morgan Elsbeth and Barriss Offee are presumably tangential at best to Rebels.
So, whether or not this actually happens, I truly would love some kind of reference to A New Dawn, not least because it would add an optimistic tone to a show about the Empire, which surely isn't going to be a laugh riot for six episodes. For now, check out the trailer for Tales of the Empire:
Check out Disney+ starting on May 4, 2024 for the six episodes of Tales of the Empire, and feel free to check out Tales of the Jedi, Ahsoka, Star Wars Rebels, and plenty of other Star Wars projects on the streamer as well. Whether or not there's even a slight nod to Rebels characters, I'm looking forward to the show shedding more light on Morgan Elsbeth and filling in some blanks for Barriss Offee. If Barriss' story also drops some details about the death of her master, Luminara Unduli, all the better!
For now, we can only wait and see what's ahead sooner rather than later in the galaxy far, far away on the Disney streamer.
