Star Wars: Tales of the Empire release date, cast, trailer and news
Never before seen histories will be unveiled in the new shorts.
It's the day that Star Wars fans around the globe patiently wait for every year and to mark May the 4th, what better way to celebrate the franchise than with a new release?
Well, the expansive Star Wars timeline grows even richer with the launch of animated series Tales of the Empire, which follows two characters on parallel journeys – separated by time, but connected thematically.
A successor to 2022's Tales of the Jedi, which explored tales of Count Dooku and Ahsoka Tano, this latest edition will shift focus to The Mandalorian's Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and The Clone Wars' Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger).
We'll learn about Morgan's harrowing past, which led her into an unholy alliance with the cold and calculating Admiral Thrawn, while the story of Barriss picks up years after her turn to the dark side, as she is taken in by the sinister Grand Inquisitor.
We can expect cameos from prequels favourite General Grievous and original trilogy icon Darth Vader in what is sure to be an exciting insight into the complex villains of the Star Wars universe.
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Read on for everything you need to know about Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire release date
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is one of this year's Star Wars Day offerings, launching in full on Disney Plus on Saturday 4th May 2024 – May the Fourth be with you!
The series will consist of six episodes in total, with runtimes likely to be between 15-20 minutes (if it follows the same format as precursor Tales of the Jedi).
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Star Wars: Tales of the Empire cast
The cast of Star Wars: Tales of the Empire includes familiar voices from across the franchise's live-action and animated entries.
Centre stage are the show's two anti-heroines: Morgan Elsbeth, voiced by Diana Lee Inosanto (of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka fame), and Barriss Offee, played by The Clone Wars and MODOK alum Meredith Salenger.
Rya Kihlstedt reprises her role of Lyn aka Fourth Sister from 2022's Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries, while Lars Mikkelsen, Jason Isaacs and Matthew Wood return to the iconic roles of Thrawn, Grand Inquisitor and General Grievous respectively.
Eagle-eyed fans should also keep an ear out for architect and Disneyland Imagineer Wing T Chao, who is back in his cameo role of Governor Wing – last seen in The Mandalorian season 2.
What is Star Wars: Tales of the Empire about?
The series is set at two different points in the Star Wars timeline – Morgan Elsbeth's origins begin in The Clone Wars era, involving a confrontation with the formidable General Grievous, while Barriss Offee's story picks up after the fall of the Republic.
Fans will remember Barriss as the fallen Padawan who attempted to frame Ahsoka Tano for a bombing; a traumatic turn of events that ultimately led Anakin Skywalker's apprentice to turn her back on the Jedi Order.
Barriss was arrested for her crimes, but we now know that the Empire saw enough potential in her Force-wielding abilities to train her as a Jedi-hunting Inquisitor. But how far does she walk down this treacherous new path?
The official synopsis reads: "After losing everything, young Morgan Elsbeth navigates the expanding Imperial world toward a path of vengeance, while former Jedi Barriss Offee does what she must to survive a rapidly changing galaxy.
"The choices they make will define their destinies."
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire trailer
Check out the trailer for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire here:
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire is available to stream on Disney Plus from Saturday 4th May 2024. Sign up to Disney Plus from £4.99 a month.
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