Why Darth Vader Didn't Kill (SPOILER) In Tales of the Empire

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars: Tales of the Empire episode 4, "Devoted"

Summary Darth Vader sees Anakin Skywalker as the Jedi he killed, explaining why the Dark Lord doesn't kill Barris Offee for what she did to Ahsoka.

Vader's beliefs now align with Offee's, sharing a mutual hatred for the Jedi Order post-prequel trilogy.

Barriss Offee's devotion to the Inquisitorius and Vader in Tales of the Empire episode 4 result in the Dark Lord seeing her solely as a weapon against any remaining Jedi, rather than someone who caused him pain back when he was Anakin.

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire has been released on Disney+, featuring a brand-new appearance from Darth Vader himself. However, there may be some initial confusion as to why the iconic Dark Lord of the Sith doesn't kill a presumed rival in Tales of the Empire episode 4. Connecting to his rise as a Sith Lord and his past as the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, there's a very important reason why Vader does not perform an execution in front of his new Inquisitors at the dawn of the Empire.

Every episode of Tales of the Empire has been released for Star Wars Day 2024 with three episodes revealing the origins of Morgan Elsbeth, while the other three finally reveal the fate of Barriss Offee following her Clone Wars-era bombing of the Jedi Temple and framing of Ahsoka Tano. Because this played a huge role in Ahsoka's decision to leave the Jedi Order and Anakin, one might assume Vader would simply kill Barriss out of revenge, despite her confirmed recruitment to the Imperial Inquisitiorius post-Order 66. However, there's a very important reason why Darth Vader doesn't kill Barriss Offee in Tales of the Empire.

Barriss Offee's last Star Wars appearance was in the Clone Wars season 5 finale, "The Wrong Jedi".

Related Star Wars Movies In Order: How To Watch Release Order, Chronologically & With The TV Shows What's the best way to watch Star Wars? Here's everything you need to know to watch in release or timeline order, and how to include the TV shows.

Darth Vader Believes Anakin Skywalker Is Dead

He No Longer Cares About What Barriss Did During The Clone Wars

Close

Having been trained and brutally tested by the Grand Inquisitor, Barriss Offee is featured in Tales of the Empire episode 4 wearing black armor and her very own spinning doubled-bladed lightsaber, the traditional weapon of the Imperial Inquisitors. She also has a brand-new helmet, though she notably doesn't put it on until after she and her fellow Inquisitors kneel before their new master, Darth Vader. This means that Vader could clearly see Barriss before him, the rogue Jedi who tried to frame his old apprentice, resulting in Ahsoka Tano's decision to leave the Jedi Order (and him).

However, the Jedi he was and the Sith Darth Vader has become are two separate entities in the Dark Lord's mind. Anakin Skywalker is dead, and Darth Vader is the one who killed him, a concept that has been shown and proven multiple times in the established Star Wars canon (particularly in Obi-Wan Kenobi's finale). While one could easily imagine Vader giving into his emotions and killing Barriss out of revenge, it tracks that he simply doesn't care the same way Anakin would have prior to his corruption to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith.

Related Hayden Christensen's 10 Best Lines As Anakin Skywalker And Darth Vader Of all Hayden Christensen's incredible lines as Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader throughout his Star Wars appearances, these 10 are the very best.

Darth Vader's Logic Now Matches Barriss Offee's

They Now Share The Same Hatred For The Jedi Order

Close

It's also worth noting that Darth Vader has certainly come around to Barriss Offee's way of thinking following the end of the prequel trilogy. Regardless of the animosity the two had during The Clone Wars when Vader was still Anakin Skywalker, his seduction to the dark side of the Force certainly led to their beliefs aligning regarding the Jedi Order. At least in Tales of the Empire episode 4, Offee is willing to fully commit and devote herself to the Inquisitorius and Darth Vader as her new master.

In Tales of the Empire episode 4, Barris embraces the lie that the Jedi tried to kill Chancellor Palpatine and take over the Republic, a deception that certainly supports her own frustrations and disenfranchisement with the Jedi whom she believed compromised themselves during the Clone Wars. While that perspective does evolve and change her her story progress in subseqnet episodes, it makes sense that Darth Vader didn't kill her. With Anakin Skywalker dead, Barris was nothing more to Vader than a weapon to be wielded against any Jedi who were left in the Star Wars galaxy.

All episodes of Tales of the Empire are now steaming on Disney+.