Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is an anthology series released on Disney+ in May 2024. The show delves into stories featuring Morgan Elsbeth and Jedi Barriss Offee. It uses the same high-quality CGI animation featured in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).
Unlike Legends, which represents the original Expanded Universe, the modern Disney Canon (aka the official continuity) makes no apologies for its blatant discrepancies in screen media vs. print media.
TLDR: Take Tales of the Empire with the same grain of salt as you would Star Wars: Visions (2021) and Tales of the Jedi (2022).
Fortress Inquisitorius
Much about the Fortress Inquisitorius featured in Tales of the Empire is out of line with other canon media.
Construction of the Fortress Contradicts the Star Wars Comics
The Imperial Inquisitors debuted in Star Wars Rebels. Comics revealed later on that they were originally based in a skyscraper tower in The Works district on Coruscant. After a chase across Coruscant targeting two of their own resulted in the death of a senator, The Inquisitors were relocated to the Mustafar system on the planet Nur. Darth Vader (2017) by Charles Soule revealed that the Inquisitors moved to Nur in 14 BBY, some five years after Empire’s rise to power.
Barriss Offee and other former Jedi appear to have been brought to the Fortress during its construction within days of Order 66 (19 BBY), according to Tales of the Empire. This is because elements of the lore surrounding Fortress Inquisitorius have been retconned over the years, with difficult contradictions to straighten out.
The only likely explanation is that Darth Vader led two different groups for a time, one based in the unfinished Fortress and the other on Coruscant.
Appearance of the Fortress is different each time
The Fortress Inquisitorius has made a physical appearance three times in Star Wars canon, looking different from the outside each time. Rather than try to make it appear how it does in Jedi: Fallen Order (2019) or Obi-Wan Kenobi (2022), Tales of the Empire avoids both designs by keeping the Fortress under construction.
Yet, the interior of the Fortress Inquisitorius in Tales of the Empire is nearly identical to the way it appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi. It seems based on a Star Destroyer, focusing on red lighting consistent with the show. Conversely, Jedi: Fallen Order features catwalks. Although it was possible Cal Kestis was in a different part of the Fortress, it is odd given that he and Obi-Wan infiltrated the same levels, breaking in with the same method.
Morgan Elsbeth’s Story
Three episodes in Tales of the Empire focus on Morgan Elsbeth in a timeline spanning 30+ years, which means there is a significant part of her life unexplored and unexplained. Morgan is on a quest for revenge and joins the Empire as a result, but the target is unknown.
Timeline of Revenge
Although Count Dooku ordered the destruction of the Nightsisters with General Grievous carrying out the orders, both characters died before the Empire. Morgan is right to be frustrated about the massacre of her people, but the confusing timeline does not explain her desire for revenge and joining the Empire.
Timeline of becoming Magistrate
Tales of the Empire has Morgan already serving as the Magistrate of Corvus, but the way she acquires this position is unknown. Furthermore, it does not explain how Morgan was able to run Imperial shipyards on Corellia when she had not been outside her compound for a time.
Involvement in the TIE-Defender (TIE-D) Project
It is revealed in Tales of the Empire that Grand Admiral Thrawn’s TIE-Defender project originated with Morgan Elsbeth. This was later emphasized in Star Wars Rebels when Thrawn was looking to construct the ships on Lothal. Morgan had likely visited the planet, or at the very least worked with Imperials to help her create the design. It was previously believed that Thrawn alone was the one responsible for the construction of the TIE-Ds, but this changes with Tales of the Empire. Unfortunately, after Thrawn went missing in the series finale of Rebels, the Empire decided to focus its assets on the construction of the Death Star instead.
Grand Admiral Thrawn’s Relations with Pellaeon
Thrawn was first introduced in the classic Legends novel Heir to the Empire (1991), written by Timothy Zahn, in which he worked closely with Captain Gillad Pellaeon.
When Thrawn was reintroduced into the Disney canon, Zahn wrote new novels to flesh out the rewritten backstory. In this revised version, Thrawn worked closely with an Imperial named Eli Vanto, only crossing paths with Pellaeon later down the line. Pellaeon’s voice appears in Star Wars Rebels, revealing himself as a member of the Imperial Shadow Council in The Mandalorian (season 3).
Tales of the Empire retcons Pellaeon’s story, showing how he recruits Morgan Elsbeth on Thrawn’s behalf.
Mountain Clan of Dathomir
Tales of the Empire introduced a new Dathomir clan, called the Mountain Clan, which was adapted from Legends. Prior to now, this group had never been seen before in the canon, and the Separatists clearly did not realize they existed.
Because of the way the show ties the Mountain Clan to the retconned Nightsister history of Ahsoka, it raises the possibility that the first Dathomiri were aligned with the light side rather than the dark.
There is a relationship between the Nightsisters and the Mountain Clan but is unclear aside from their difference of opinion when it comes to the use of violence. Due to the ending of Ahsoka (2023) in which Thrawn takes refuge on Dathomir, it is possible that the Mountain Clan will make a return in live-action.
Tales of the Empire, like Tales of the Jedi before it, subtly changes the canon to more easily fall in line with the direction of the story it is trying to tell.
Barriss Offee’s Aging
Barriss Offee is shown working as a healer in episode 6 of Tales of the Empire, which takes place about a decade after episode 5.
The issue is that while Barriss Offee does show age, it is done in excess given that her species, Mirialans, live for centuries if attuned to the Force.
Inquisitor Titles and Numbers
When former Jedi join the ranks of the Inquisitors, they are branded a new name in the form of a number and a gender. For example, Ninth Sister, Fourth Brother, etc.
It is important to note that Inquisitor numbers are generally not reused after death. Yet, the order in which Inquisitors appear by number appears to be out of order. For instance, Fourth Sister Lyn Rakish is an Inquisitor from the start of the Empire, given that she interacts with Barriss the day after Order 66. However, Third Sister Reva appears in Obi-Wan Kenobi and was only a child during Order 66, not joining until she was older.