6 Ways Tales Of The Empire Twists Star Wars Canon
6. Spreading redemption
The sixth and final episode seemingly sees Barriss convincing Lyn to follow in her footsteps and return to the light. It’s unclear when this is set, since Barriss looks a little older, but it’s probably shortly before the events of A New Hope.
Living off the grid on a remote, snowy world, Barriss is acting as a healer for travelers. A couple seeks her out, seeking to protect their Force-sensitive child from the Empire. This isn’t outright stated, but it’s likely Barriss is affiliated with the Hidden Path.
This secret underground network, seen in the Obi-Wan Kenobi show and video game Jedi: Survivor, gets Jedi and other Force sensitives off the Empire’s radar by smuggling them to safe systems and setting them up with new identities.
However, Barriss’ situation takes a dangerous turn when she realizes that her old Inquisitor pal Lyn tailed the family. The Imperial ends up getting lost in a maze-like cave system, and Barriss encourages her to turn away from the dark side so she can find her way out.
Lyn flies into a rage and accidentally stabs Barriss. She lays down her weapon and promises to get her former colleague out.
The last shot sees Lyn carrying Barriss out, into an unknown future. It’s unclear if Barris survives, but she probably does because it gives Lucasfilm more storytelling opportunities. Maybe she and Lyn can track out Reva, the Inquisitor who turned her back on Empire in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s finale, and form some kind of ex-dark side support group?