Tales Of The Empire Retcons Ahsoka Villain Into Star Wars Rebels

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire episodes 1-3

Summary

• Morgan Elsbeth’s dark path and secret role in Star Wars Rebels is explored in Tales of the Empire episodes 1-3.
• The reveal that Morgan Elsbeth created the TIE Defender designs explains her alliance with Grand Admiral Thrawn.
• The TIE Defender program and Elsbeth’s operations on Corvus are key plot points in Tales of the Empire, providing an exciting new context for her character and backstory.

Star Wars has just retconned a major Ahsoka villain into the events of Star Wars Rebels thanks to the new Tales of the Empire show. With Lucasfilm having released all six episodes on Star Wars Day 2024, Tales of the Empire reveals the never-before-seen origins of Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and finally reveals the ultimate fate of Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) after The Clone Wars. To that end, the new Star Wars show fills in some major continuity gaps for both characters while also revealing Elsbeth’s behind-the-scenes involvement in the events of Star Wars Rebels.

As seen in the first three episodes of Tales of the Empire, Morgan Elsbeth’s dark side path is revealed right up to the events of her most recent live-action appearance in 2023’s Ahsoka. Beginning with General Grievous’ massacre of the Nightsisters of Dathomir in the very with Morgan being one of the only survivors, Tales of the Empire episode 2 jumps forward to her role as magistrate to the people of Corvus. It’s here where Morgan Elsbeth’s hidden role in Star Wars Rebels is revealed.

Morgan Elsbeth’s Secret Role In Star Wars Rebels Revealed

Creating The TIE Defender

At the beginning of Tales of the Empire episode 2, Morgan Elsbeth is featured pitching her designs to an Imperial committee for none other than the TIE Defender with Star Wars’ surprising reveal that the Nightsister was the unique starfighter’s true creator. Offering shields and hyperdrives standard TIE models did not possess, the Defender was meant to protect its pilot and thus, more costly to produce. Regardless, the TIE Defender was one of the most powerful ships ever made by the Empire.

With its primary factories built on Lothal, the production of the Empire’s TIE Defender was a primary threat to the Rebellion as seen in Star Wars Rebels seasons 3 and 4. The new TIEs were so effective that they nearly overtook the Death Star’s Project Stardust as a top priority for military advancement. However, the Defender project was ultimately abandoned in favor of the Death Star when Rebel cells successfully sabotaged the Empire’s fuel depot on Lothal, halting production indefinitely.

However, Tales of the Empire reveals that despite offering her people and planet to manufacture the powerful ships for the Empire, Morgan’s proposal was denied by Moff Isdain and his fellow officers. However, not all hope was lost for Morgan and her ambitions even in the face of this initial Imperial rejection. Enter Admiral Thrawn.

The TIE Defender Brought Morgan Elsbeth And Grand Admiral Thrawn Together

Thrawn Valued Morgan’s Ambition

Shortly after her plans are rejected by Moff Isdain, Morgan Elsbeth is approached by Admiral Thrawn once she returns to Corvus. Following a surprise test where Morgan duels his enforcer Rukh, Thrawn reveals himself to Elsbeth. Recognizing her ambition and desire for Imperial favor, Thrawn accepts Morgan’s proposal as he sees value in her TIE Defender designs, a true means to bring about an enduring Empire. Not only does this explain how Morgan entered Thrawn’s service and his inner circle, but it also reveals why the future Grand Admiral was in charge of the TIE Defender program as seen in Star Wars Rebels.

Only an Admiral, Thrawn has not yet received the rank of Grand Admiral in
Tales of The Empire
episode 2.

While she might not have been featured in Star Wars Rebels directly, the reveal that the TIE Defender was the brainchild of Morgan Elsbeth is quite significant for the beloved animated series. She played a critical role, even if it was from the shadows. Likewise, it’s also the perfect narrative means to organically explain how Thrawn and Morgan met and forged their dark alliance, one that would become critical to the Grand Admiral’s return to the known galaxy as seen in Ahsoka (following his exile as seen in Star Wars Rebels’ series finale).

Tales of the Empire Explains Elsbeth’s Operations In The Mandalorian Season 2

Factories For Thrawn and the Empire

It’s also worth noting that Morgan Elsbeth’s newly revealed connection to the TIE Defender program helps provide context for her role on Corvus as its magistrate. Having been first introduced in The Mandalorian season 2’s “The Jedi”, Morgan Elsbeth received very little backstory regarding her oppressive rule over the people of Corvus, nor how she was connected to Grand Admiral Thrawn. Now, those answers have finally been revealed thanks to Tales of the Empire with the confirmation that her people were all but slaves under her rule, working to manufacture and provide resources for the Empire’s strongest starfighters.

All episodes of

Tales of the Empire

are now streaming on Disney+.