Star Wars: Tales of the Empire Trailer Finally Brings Back a Missing Prequel Era Jedi
After 10 years, former Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee will make her triumphant return to Star Wars.
A second season of Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi was first announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, and fans have since been eager to see which characters this season’s installments would be about. Would we see more stories from Ahsoka and Count Dooku, or different characters entirely? Nearly a year after it was first announced, we have a first look at the new season, now named Tales of the Empire.
Tales of the Empire will focus on the stories of The Mandalorian and Ahsoka’s Lady Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and, to the delight of many, former Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger), who was last seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Despite her checkered history, fans have long been awaiting the return of Barriss Offee. Many theorized that she would appear in Ahsoka, given their past, and she was one of many thought to be underneath the armor of the Inquisitor Marrok.
Barriss Offee is the reason that Ahsoka left the Jedi Order in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The pair were once close friends, having grown up together in the temple, but that didn’t stop Barriss from framing Ahsoka for her own crimes. Disillusioned with the Jedi becoming soldiers rather than peace keepers, Barriss bombed the Jedi Temple on Coruscant to send a message. Ahsoka was blamed, kicked out of the Jedi Order, and even faced the death penalty during her trial before Barriss was caught.
It’s been over 10 years since Barriss’ last episodes of The Clone Wars aired, and it’s been hard not to wonder what happened to her after she got arrested. Did she face the death penalty as Admiral Tarkin threatened to do to Ahsoka, or has she been in prison this whole time? Was she killed in Order 66? Did she become an Inquisitor?
Thankfully, Tales of the Empire seems to finally answer these questions, with the trailer showing an imprisoned Barriss being taken to train under the Grand Inquisitor, and eventually introduced to Darth Vader himself. This isn’t necessarily a surprising reveal given her previous dalliances with the Dark Side, but it’s nice to know that we finally seem to be getting some answers regarding Bariss’ life after she betrayed Ahsoka and the Jedi, rather than just having to assume she’s either dead or rotting in prison.
How Vader reacts to Barriss has yet to be revealed, but the two weren’t on the best of terms before he became the most feared Sith Lord in the galaxy. Anakin is the one who ultimately uncovered Barriss’ scheme and turned her in, and it’s likely that he still blames her for Ahsoka leaving the Order, and thus leaving him. Even though that’s in the past, and Anakin is an almost entirely different person now, anger is anger, and it’s doubtful that he’ll go easy on her just because they’re on the same side again.
Tales of the Empire is shaping up to be an intriguing look at the lives of two powerful women with complicated pasts. Their connections to Ahsoka, both past and present, could also give us some hints as to where her show could go in season 2. Whether you’ve been waiting ten years for more Barriss Offee or not, these six episodes look like the perfect way to spend Star Wars day, and we will be seated and watching on May the 4th.
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Brynna Arens (she/her) is a freelance writer who studies movies, TV, and pop culture through an intersectional feminist lens. She'll watch almost anything tbh, but it's…