Seven characters and actors have been confirmed for Lucasfilm's upcoming Disney+ animated series, Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.
Fans were surprised when Disney announced that Season 2 of Tales of the Jedi would shift its focus to exploring the Empire's era. More importantly, these stories would center on some of the franchise's more villainous characters.
Tales of the Empire will drop its full season on Disney+ on Saturday, May 4.
Confirmed Characters for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire
Thanks to official documents provided by the studio, Disney confirmed seven cast members for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.
Diana Lee Inosanto - Morgan Elsbeth
Morgan Elsbeth, played by Diana Lee Inosanto, is getting the spotlight in three episodes of Tales of the Empire, which will flesh out the character’s story with never-before-seen content:
The show will explore how Elsbeth came to know and become close to Thrawn.
Inosanto can also be seen in Ashoka, The Mandalorian, The Tiger’s Apprentice, and more.
Rya Kihlstedt - The Fourth Sister
While Rya Kihlstedt’s Fourth Sister was first seen onscreen in Obi-Wan Kenobi, the character herself, a deadly Inquisitor, was first introduced in the Return to Vader’s Castle comic series.
Little is known about The Fourth Sister’s backstory besides her being a former Jedi named Lyn. Hopefully, Tales of the Empire will help flesh that out more.
Some of Kihlstedt’s most famous roles were in Home Alone 3, Deep Impact, and Dexter.
Meredith Salenger - Barriss Offee
Meredith Salenger will return to voice Barriss Offee, a former Jedi with a complicated history with Ashoka Tano.
While the two used to be friends, during the Clone Wars, Barriss ended up framing Tano for an explosion at the Jedi Temple. This event eventually led Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan to leave the Jedi Order.
Her fate after those events has been unknown for years, but now, Tales of the Empire has revealed she survived to become an Inquisitor.
Salenger’s voice work can also be heard in Robot Chicken, The Secret Life of Pets 2, and, most relevantly, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Wing T. Chao - Wing
Governor Wing, played by Wing T. Chai, has only made brief appearances in the Star Wars franchise, the first being in The Mandalorian’s "Chapter 13: The Jedi."
Wing is known for his work as a former Disney Imagineer.
Lars Mikkelsen - Grand Admiral Thrawn
Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn is one of the biggest villains in Star Wars lore, both in the previous Legend canon and Disney’s current canon.
The brilliant Chiss tactician was first introduced on-screen in Star Wars: Rebels as a Grand Admiral for the Empire, hot on the heels of the show’s leading heroes. From there, he was seen in live-action on Ashoka, performed by the same actor who originally voiced him.
The character is also the main subject of a handful of Star Wars books.
Mikkelsen can also be seen in The Witcher, Sherlock, and House of Cards.
Jason Isaacs - The Grand Inquisitor
The Grand Inquisitor, brought to life in animation by Jason Isaacs (Rupert Friend played the character in live action on Obi-Wan Kenobi), is the top Inquisitor.
While the character appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi, he died at the end of Star Wars: Rebels Season 1. Given that, the story told in Tales of the Empire will occur before those events.
Fans can also see Isaacs in Archie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Awake, and more.
Matthew Wood - General Grievous
Matthew Wood will return to voice General Grievous, everyone’s favorite lightsaber collector.
While he may be working for the bad guys and can use lightsabers, the four-armed, cybernetic-enhanced Kaleesh (an alien species) cannot use the Force and is technically not a Sith.
Wood is more known for his work as a supervising sound editor, including on projects like Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, Glass Onion, and Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire will stream all of its six episodes on Disney+ on Saturday, May 4.
Keep up with other Star Wars news on The Direct:
Star Wars Just Reversed a Beloved Clone Wars Character’s Death
Loungefly’s New Star Wars Collectiv Collection Is Absolutely Worth Getting (Review)
