Tales of the Empire: Barriss Offee’s opportunity in perspective

In many cultures, there are certain events that are generational touchstones. When I was growing up, I heard it said “Everyone remembers where they were when Kennedy was assassinated.”  I remember being at a friend’s beach house when news of Princess Diana’s death came out and I was in my college dorm on September 11, 2001.

For many characters in the Star Wars universe, the fall of the Republic is one such marker that defines their experience. Revenge of the Sith hit its emotional turning point as we saw Anakin Skywalker lead clone troopers into the Jedi Temple, but we also witnessed Yoda’s overwhelming grief as he experienced the loss of his Order. The Bad Batch ended this week, but its first episode began with the moment Order 66 was relayed to clones across the Republic and somehow failed to compel the titular clones to begin the Jedi Purge.

In a new clip from the upcoming Tales of the Empire entitled “Opportunity,” we witness this turning point from a new and complicated perspective. This series depicts the Imperial experiences of two very different warriors and Barriss Offee is one of those subjects. First appearing in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and later featuring throughout the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series, she is found guilty of an attack on the Jedi Temple itself. Why? Barriss lays it out in her confession:

"I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize. That the Jedi are the ones responsible for this war. That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict. That we are the ones that should be put on trial. All of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become."

- Barriss Offee

Having confessed to this betrayal of the Order, Barriss goes to prison, a fallen Jedi and a criminal.  It’s a tragic turn of events for someone who found joy in healing others and stayed at the Temple to lessen her involvement in the war.  She had worked with those Jedi who were mentally suffering until her own mental health suffered in the process.

The framing for this scene, in which the Temple burns in the far distance beyond her window, is a crossroads. As Lyn, AKA the Fourth Sister, says the Jedi themselves have committed a crime. The tables have turned and as the sun sets on the Republic, those who attack the Jedi are on the side of justice.

This “opportunity,” which will be clarified as training to hunt down the Jedi, is a role in which Barriss is empowered to treat the Jedi as villains.  She is no Darth Vader, even if he will later become her master on the Dark Side. Much like Anakin Skywalker, her service to the Empire begins with the affirmation that she was right to turn on the Jedi. 

The clip is, in short, a moment of the world turning upside down and we can look forward to much more as Tales of the Empire premiers on Saturday, May 4, 2024.