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Tales of the Empire: The Path of Anger

What is it ? : An Imperial Star Destroyer accompanied by 2 Venator Star Destroyers fly above Coruscant, within Morgan Elspeth is sharing the idea of the Tie Defender to a group of Imperial Officers. They are unconvinced as the price of production is too high and will require too many resources, but she explains that her system of Corvus is rich in resources and could produce them.
The leader of the group, Moff Isdain tells her that the Empire is not interested in the Defender, but does want those resources, telling Morgan to return to Corvus and prepare them for Imperial rule.
Later another Imperial Officer, Gilad Pallaeon, is looking at the designs complementing it. He notices that she has modified the engines from the standard Tie Fighter. Morgan tells him that the standard engines do not create enough power for her design. She also is worried that the Empire is just going to steal her designs, but Pallaeon tells her he is interested in her resolve and creativity, asking her why she wants to work with the Empire. She tells him that it is for the Glory of the Empire. He thanks her and leaves.
Morgan returns to Corvus, where villagers ask after the success of her mission, and she tells them the Empire is only interesting in their resources. When the villagers are unset and become belligerent, she is escorted into her compound by HK-87 Assassin Droids.
Later she stands looking over the village, commenting how the villagers are ungrateful she comes under attack from Ruhk, a Noghri Assassin. She fights against him, managing to defeat him using her spear. Holding it against his throat she demands to know who sent him.
Pallaeon emerges, dismissing Ruhk, and complementing Morgan on her combat skills while apologising for the theatrics, saying he wanted to be sure she could defend herself. He then leaves, and Admiral Thrawn arrives, telling her he had heard she was one of the Nightsisters and was curious about her skills.
She offers to display her combat skills, but Thrawn explains to her than Moff Isdain is shortsighted, and that the Empire is a magnificent construction with some weaknesses. It tends to think on a grand scale, while letting small problems grow. He wants Morgans help in combating the growing Rebellion.
She tells him the Empire is only interested in the resources of Corvus and not her innovative designs, and he tells her the Empire trades lives for profits, which he knows will long term lead to a disillusioned and ineffective military.
He then asks her why she seeks to work with the Empire, and remembering the way the villagers treated her, she responds that she is looking for revenge. Her people were defeated and their ways lost, and she seeks power to defeat her enemies. And it is this anger she offers to the Empire.
Finally seeing her tell the truth, Thrawn accepts her offer, and three Star Destroyers move overhead. Morgan asks if this is Isdains forces, and Thrawn tells her that it is just a portion of her forces, and as the villagers realise that Morgan now has powerful allies, she looks in the sky and smiles. . . .

High Points : The strongest element of this episode is Thrawn, and his proxy Pallaeon. We get to see Thrawn building his power base, and using his intellect within the Empire in a way that Vader, Palpatine and Tarkin never did. They make grand gestures, while ignoring the little things which will build and destroy the Empire. They make decisions which work against the Empire by thinking that it is all disposable, rather than protecting and inspiring what they already have. This is why Thrawn has always been a brilliant villain, because he's smart and doesn't make stupid mistakes.

Low Points : But Morgan? She doesn't come across so well. She come to the Empire saying she has loads of resources, and doesn't expect them to want to lay claim to those resources? She thinks her anger gives her power that will benefit the Empire, when angry people are all too common and are not a valuable resource
.
And... What The Hell?.... Let me get this right.... Morgan Elspeth....a Nightsister from a backwater planet where schooling didn't really seem to be a priority, designed the Tie Defender? Not a design team at Sienar?
She did this while refining her talents as a Force User, hand to hand combatant who can defeat a Noghri Assassin, becoming a Magistrate, and building the defences and industries of Corvus?
Why aren't we seeing this, as it seems pretty darn interesting and she really makes the main characters of most Star Wars series seem like underachievers.

So what do you really think ? : While the concept of Morgan being some kind of super starfighter designer as well as everything else seems a bit ridiculous. The episode has some strong character moments, especially involving Thrawn. And it makes me wish that the series was following him instead of Morgan.

Final Words : Where Tales of the Jedi excelled was filling in the gaps in the storyline, and we got to see how Ahsoka got from the end of Clone Wars, to where she is at the beginning of Rebels. And we got to see how Dooku went from being Qui-Gon's teacher, to being a Dark Lord of the Sith. But those are two major characters, and I really don't feel I need to know the backstory of Morgan Elspeth, and how she got to be magistrate of Corvus where Ashoka and Din Djarin encounter her in season 2 of The Mandalorian.
In fact this really feels like a lost opportunity, since there's probably no way we'll ever get the back story of Baylan Skoll due to the tragic passing of Ray Stevenson. It seems like this series would have been the perfect way of doing it. But alas no.

Score : 8.5/10

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