David Bridges
Once we first met Normal Grievous 20 years in the past this month in Genndy Tartakovsky’s Clone Wars microseries, it gave him an rapid, chilling presence. However then Revenge of the Sith, and with it the Clone Wars 3DCG sequence, constrained what may very well be performed with the character. Grievous took on the air of a Saturday morning cartoon villain—twirling lightsabers quite than mustaches. Tales of the Empire is conserving the twirling lightsabers, but it surely may simply deliver again somewhat of that authentic menace, too.
Right now Lucasfilm launched the primary clip from the upcoming anthology sequence Tales of the Empire—its non secular successor to Tales of the Jedi, this time specializing in tales of the Darkish Aspect, together with the lifetime of Morgan Elsbeth earlier than she joined Thrawn’s service, and no matter occurred to Barriss Offee after her radicalization towards the Jedi’s position within the Clone Conflict. Leaning on the Morgan aspect of issues, the clip sees Tales’ personal riff on a specific second from the 3D Clone Wars sequence—the season 4 episode, “Bloodbath,” when as a part of an act of vengeance by Rely Dooku, Grievous and a military of Battle Droids launch a devastating assault on Dathomir to try to wipe out Asajj Ventress and her Nightsister comrades.
The clip is transient, however very enjoyable—if Star Wars is to insist on returning to tales of Clone Wars because it so typically is nowadays, on the very least having the ability to take action in animation, with the teachings and experiences realized because it got here to an finish in place, is sweet. Attending to see this second first glimpsed 12 years in the past with fashionable visuals and magnificence is nice! However it’s additionally as a result of, given free reign to behave right here because the catalyst for Morgan’s traumatic previous, Grievous simply will get to be unleashed as pure, sinister id.
Going up towards Obi-Wan or different Jedi in Clone Wars—by no means Anakin, after all, as a result of the 2 weren’t allowed to truly meet till Revenge of the Sith—Grievous was most frequently doomed to be a little bit of a jobber. He had his moments right here and there, positive (the early season one episode “Lair of Grievous” is all the time value shouting out), however in Clone Wars Grievous was normally removed from the charismatically petrifying agent of loss of life he was when he first stomped into animated canon within the 2D sequence. It would solely be for a short whereas, however no less than Tales of the Empire appears to be like prefer it’s bringing no less than somewhat little bit of that edge again.
Tales of the Empire begins streaming on Disney+ Could 4.
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Daniel Mercer
