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Some thoughts on Barriss Offee: A Thread
This morning I was watching Weapons Factory (CW, S2, Ep6) and it made me notice some things about Barriss, her relationship with Luminara, and her experience with the Jedi Order, that I think give a lot of insight to her fall later on in the series. 1/
Barriss& #39;s betrayal of Ahsoka and the Jedi Order have always confused me some. Barriss and Ahsoka always seemed to get a long so well, and Barris seemed like such a dedicated Jedi, the ideal Padawan. So why the sudden betrayal of the things that should have meant most to her? 2/
In Weapons Factory, I think we get a lot of those answers, even though it& #39;s seasons before her actual betrayal. This is the episode where we first meet Barriss and even though she seems like the perfect Padawan at first, a deeper look shows something different. 3/
When you actually look at Barriss in this episode you see a Padawan who even now is hurting and maybe even doubting the Order she was raised in. There are several scenes where it would seem that she almost feels betrayed by the Order though she won& #39;t admit it. 4/
When Barriss and Ahsoka are sent to destroy the Separatist weapons factory on Geonosis, it& #39;s a dangerous beut necessary mission. There is a chance both Padawans could die, but they& #39;re willing to take the risk if it means saving others. 5/
The problem can first be seen in the attitudes of the masters. Anakin and Luminara handle the situation and their Padawans very differently, and this is where we begin to see the reasons for the difference in Ahsoka and Barriss. 6/
Anakin fully believes in Ahsoka and refuses to give up on her. He is willing to do whatever it takes to save her. Their relationship is more than Master and Apprentice, it& #39;s a friendship, a family almost. His complete and open confidence in her is what keeps her going. 7/
Anakin cares about Ahsoka and Ahsoka knows it. This is the reason for her success. Luminara handles her Master/Padawan relationship from a different approach. While her and Barriss may have been close, it& #39;s very formal, almost stuffy. Luminara seems almost aloof to her padawan.8/
While Luminara does care for Barriss she is also willing to give her up without a second thought if it means success in the mission. She takes the Jedi Code& #39;s bit about "no attachment" VERY seriously...and Barriss knows it. 9/
Even as Ahsoka is insisting that Anakin will come, Barriss knows that if it really comes down to it, Luminara won& #39;t come for her. She sees the relationship between Anakin and Ahsoka and knows she will never have that. 10/
She knows that while Luminara cares about her, she also sees her as expendable because the mission matters most. And this is the episode where I think this begins to truly dawn on her. You can see it on her face, her confidence slowly fades as she begins to realize this. 11/
So in the end, after years of war, it makes sense that Barriss is done with the Order, even willing to betray it. She has spent three years being told
(not with words but through actions and experiences)that she is expendable, that the mission is worth more than her life. 12/
(not with words but through actions and experiences)that she is expendable, that the mission is worth more than her life. 12/
The worst part is that even as the Order and her Master are shouting about no attachment and saying that it ruins a Jedi, the most well known and successful Jedi team of the War (Anakin, Ahsoka, and even Obi-Wan) was built on attachment. 13/
Their love for one another and refusal to give up on each other is what made them strong, helped them to push through even the hardest missions. They had each other. In the end Barriss didn& #39;t have anyone really, at least not anyone who would truly be there for her in the end.14/
I think realizing this shook Barriss& #39;s faith in the Order to the core. She felt betrayed, used, and alone. When the time came for betrayal she didn& #39;t have to think twice. And why Ahsoka? Why frame her of all people? Maybe it was resentment, even if unconscious. 15/
Barriss wanted what Ahsoka had: a family. And she never got to have it. I don& #39;t think she was necessarily angry Ahsoka herself, as much as at everything that Ahsoka represented. 16/
I think Luminara meant well. I think the Council meant well. But they were far too wrapped up in the ideals of the Code and the people that they were trying to protect across the Galaxy, that they forgot their own people, people like Barriss. 17/
And in the end, that was the downfall of the Jedi Order. That is what pushed so many Jedi away, made so many skeptical. The code that was supposed to be their strength became their weakness. 18/
That is what ultimately pushed Anakin away. He looked to Palpatine for the things he couldn& #39;t find in the people who were supposed to be there for him (his fellow Jedi), and that& #39;s what ultimately let him to the dark side. 19/
Anyway, if you& #39;ve made it this far thanks for reading. What are your thoughts on Barriss, the Jedi Order, and the Jedi Code?
