I saw a rumor shared on the r/StarWarsLeaks subreddit where someone on a related Discord Server claimed to have seen a leaked solicitation for upcoming Funko Pops for the anticipated Ahsoka Disney+ show and Barriss Offee was listed as an upcoming Pop.
This is significant because, if true, it all but guarantees that we’ll be getting Barriss in the Ahsoka show. Here’s the Discord post that was screenshotted and subsequently shared to Reddit.
If you’re not sure who Barriss is here’s a very brief overview…
Barriss Offee was a Jedi that first appeared in Star Wars Episode II The Attack of the Clones but most of her screen time came after during the Clone Wars animated show by Dave Filoni. In the Clone Wars Barriss became disillusioned with the Jedi Order.
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She believed the Jedi order was losing its way and to make her point she planted bombs in the Jedi Temple. She eventually framed Ahsoka for the crime and Ahsoka ended up leaving the order because of that even after Anakin proved it was Barriss, not Ahsoka who attacked the temple. Barriss was then imprisoned on Coruscant for her crimes.
So could Barriss have escaped prison and survived Order 66? Well, there was some potential evidence of this during the Order 66 flashback scene in last year’s season one of The Book Of Boba Fett.
As Grogu watched the 501st gun down the Jedi that were protecting him you can see an insignia or crest on the right wall of the Jedi temple.
That crest looks identical to the Barriss Offee crest that was established in The Clone Wars show. The crest was in Barriss’ room during the show. Here’s what the crest looks like.
Even before the Funko Pop “leak” I felt that this inclusion during the Book of Boba Fett was intentional and all but confirmed that Barriss will be in an upcoming live-action show. One that features Ahsoka Tano. First of all Dave Filoni is deeply involved in both the Clone Wars and Book of Boba Fett. He knows what the crest is and that makes it very unlikely to me that it would have been added by accident.
Also, Filoni has said during interviews that Barrriss’ story is not done and that he had been waiting for the right moment and medium to tell it.
Finally, aside from Filoni and the crest, it just makes sense. Barriss and Ahsoka were connected from the get-go on the Clone Wars. Their friendship turned conflict was a core moment in Ashoka’s development.
Having her come back to either be redeemed and assist Ahsoka or remain an antagonist to give Ahsoka a Force user to battle against would be very fitting.
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The one piece of the puzzle that I do not know is… why and how would she get to the temple to protect Grogu? She was in prison. Even if she used the chaos around order 66 to example captivity (much like Maul) why would she then go into the heart of the battle and rescue Grogu from the temple? Could it be that she had a relationship with the little fella and wanted to ensure his safety?
Could she have gone back to retrieve some of her stuff or her lightsaber and then saw helpless Grogu and decided to sneak him away? Or could Palpatine have manufactured her escape with instructions on abducing Grogu for cloning?
Who knows? But I like the potential.
So what does this mean for comic readers, collectors and speculators? Well, if she does appear and claim a key role in the story her key issues will likely heat up.
Here are the Barriss keys to pay attention to:
First Cameo Appearance of Barriss Offee
The first “cameo” appearance of Barriss Ofee in a comic is Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones #1 from the Dark Horse adaptation from the movies.
Bariss appears in the background of a meeting on Coruscant with her Master Luminara Unduli. This comic is also the first appearance of Sly Moore, Kit Fisto, and Jango Fett (in a traditional comic.)
If you can find these cheap it may be worth the pick up.
First Cover Appearance of Barriss Offee
The first “cover” appearance of Barriss Ofee in a comic is the 2004 Free Comic Book Day issue of Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures from Dark Horse Comics. Finding high grade copies of this book is pretty tough since they didn’t really take off value wise for a while after release.
This comic is also the first full appearance of General Grievous so, aside from Barriss, it’s a legitimate key.
First “Full” Appearance of Barriss Offee
The first “full” appearance of Barriss Offee in a comic is Star Wars: Republic #65 published by Dark Horse comics in May 2004. It’s the first comic issue that features Barriss in the actual story.
This comic is also the first full appearance of Barriss’ Master Luminara Unduli and Clone Commander Bly.
Of all of the Barriss Offee keys this is the money book for me. It’s already not cheap. Last I saw high-grade copies were already going for ~$50-$60.
Honorable Mention: Star Wars Adventures #20 Cover B
Star Wars Adventures #20 from 2019 written by George Mann and Cavan Scott had a variant with really cool art by Valentina Pinto featuring Barriss Offee. While not a key based on the story… it’s been a hot cover in the past due to the cover art.
I have to agree. It’s beautiful. If you can find it cheap (good luck with that) I’d grab it.
That’s all for today1 What do you think? Do you think we’ll be getting Barriss in Ahsoka? I personally do. If not Ahsoka she’ll be in SOMETHING in my opinion.
I for one would welcome it because I think Barriss is a fantastically complex character.
Grand Admiral Frik
