Barriss and Fourth Sister are tasked to hunt down an Order 66 survivor.
Tropes:
- Accidental Truth: The fugitive Jedi accuses Inquisitor Barriss Offee of being a traitor and murderer, which is a very fitting description of Barriss in the past few episodes featuring her despite Barriss's insistence she's not. However, the fugitive Jedi likely didn't realize they were talking to Barriss because she's been wearing a face-concealing mask with a vocal distorter, and thus is likely referring to the general fact that all Inquisitors are traitors and murderers since they were once former Jedi who now hunt their fellow, former friends.
- Always Someone Better: Although Barriss is a terrible Inquisitor in terms of embracing the Dark Side, she's shown to be a far better Jedi hunter, lightsaber duelist, and Force user than Lyn. Rather than using threats of violence to make the villagers spill the beans on their quarry, Barriss sweet talks a child into giving her the location of the Jedi, even removing her helmet to show her gentle face. And unlike the Fourth Sister, who gets knocked out by the fugitive Jedi in their duel, Barriss is able to fend off the fugitive Jedi with relative ease and successfully convince them to surrender. Unsurprisingly, the Fourth Sister is easily defeated by Barriss when the latter betrays the Inquisitors.
- Believing Their Own Lies:
- Lyn certainly believes that the Empire will bring peace and order to the galaxy, despite using Insane Troll Logic to rationalize away all evidence suggesting otherwise.
- While Barriss has enough common sense to question the Empire's approach, she has convinced herself that the Jedi brought upon their own demise due to their hubris, that she isn't a murderous traitor, and that the Empire will bring peace to the galaxy. But in the end, the blatant contradictions prove too much for Barriss and she turns against the Inquisitors upon realizing that they and the Empire are both far worse than the Jedi could ever be.
- Blind Obedience: Pretty much the first bit of dialogue showing things aren't going well, as Barriss and Lyn set off for their destination. Barriss inquires as to just who or what their source of information is, while Lyn tells her not to ask questions.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: After Barriss renounces the Inquisitorius, she and the Fourth Sister come to blows. The fight doesn't even last five seconds as Barriss instantly pushes the Fourth Sister off the mountain with the Force when she ignites her lightsaber.
- Defector from Decadence: After seeing how cruel and murderous an Inquisitor has to be to hunt down Jedi survivors, Barriss deserts the Inquisitorius and goes back to being a Jedi.
- Demonisation: Before resorting to threats, the Fourth Sister tries to get the villagers to give up the Jedi survivor by presenting Jedi as terrifying monsters who use mind control to get their way. Since at least some of the villagers have actually met a Jedi, and the Inquisitors represent an Empire that has them living in squalor, none of the villagers are inclined to believe her or cooperate.
- Disproportionate Retribution: One villager lies about a Jedi having been present, while the rest stay silent. When Barriss coaxes a child into telling the truth and relays this information, the Fourth Sister responds by killing not only the villager who lied, but everyone present, save for the child who spoke up.
- Everyone Has Standards: Barriss, who believed (and still believes) the Jedi were too hubristic and felt the best way to solve that was to resort to terrorism and murder, draws the line at summarily executing rogue Jedi. She's also genuinely horrified when Lyn mercilessly butchers every villager in the area save for the child who gave up the Jedi's location.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: Barriss takes on the role of the empathetic good cop, using her kindness to persuade a child villager to share information about the Jedi fugitive. In stark contrast, the Fourth Sister is the intimidating bad cop, resorting to fear and direct threats to achieve her objective.
- Gory Discretion Shot: The Fourth Sister's slaughter of the villagers is mostly kept offscreen, cutting away as she begins her rampage to the outside of the plaza they are in as the sound of screaming townsfolk and her lightsaber carving through them is heard.
- Heel–Face Turn: The Fourth Sister's utter ruthlessness in slaughtering the villagers and trying to kill the Jedi survivor horrifies Barriss and convinces her to become a Jedi again.
- Heel Realization: It's right there in the title, no less. Bariss realizes the Empire is far worse than the Jedi, and turns her back on the Inquisitorius.
- In the Back: After Barriss talks the Jedi down into surrendering to them, the incapacitated Fourth Sister takes the opportunity to sneak up behind them and strike them from behind, albeit without bothering to ensure it is a lethal blow.
- Insane Troll Logic: Lyn's justifications for the Empire's horrendous treatment of its civilians are rife with shallow logic. Are the citizens impoverished? Their lack of loyalty to the Empire is to blame. Did one villager lie to her about the Jedi? The whole community is guilty of treason, and all are summarily butchered, save the one child who told them the truth. When Barriss points out that this reliance on fear will turn the people against them, Lyn remarks that they respect strength, and her violent display will gain them said respect. Eventually, Barriss can no longer ignore the blatant violations of her conscience and renounces her title as an Inquisitor to save the dying Jedi.
- Jerkass Has a Point: The Fourth Sister rudely shuts Barriss down for questioning the intel on their quarry, but the information turns out to be accurate, justifying the Fourth Sister's confidence, if not her attitude.
- Kick the Dog: Barriss successfully obtains the whereabouts of the suspected Jedi from one of the villagers, a child, through kindness and understanding. Lyn, upon discovering that the villager governor had lied to her, proceeds to massacre the whole village in retaliation. Although she spares the child, he's left without his community and caretakers. Had Barriss not been present, it's very plausible she'd have added him to the body count out of petty spite.
- Minion with an F in Evil: Even with nudging toward the Dark Side, Barriss makes a terrible Inquisitor. She's not as Ax-Crazy as some of the others, nor ruthless or delusional or even very devoted to the Empire. In fact, she's still thinking and acting pretty much like a Jedi, the very thing Inquisitor training was supposed to burn out of her.
- No Name Given: The Jedi fugitive is unnamed and credited simply as "The Jedi."
- Rule of Symbolism: Just as the last episode symbolizes Barriss putting on the Inquisitor helmet as the death of her Jedi identity, her discarding of the helmet in this episode symbolizes her rebirth as a Jedi once more. Furthermore, since the helmet also resembles her disguise as the Hooded Assailant, it also symbolizes Barriss overcoming her inner darkness that has plagued her since the Fugitive arc.
- Saved by Canon: Given that the Fourth Sister is still alive during the events of 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' set 9 BBY, it's clear she survives her fall.
- Uncertain Doom: The Fourth Sister lands a blow on the Jedi with her lightsaber, and as the episode ends Barriss tries tending to them and promises not to let them die... while they're on top of a mountain far from any medical tech that could conceivably help, but the next episode makes no answer of what became of them.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: After gently nudging a child into revealing the Jedi's whereabouts, Barriss tells the child that everything will be all right, then informs the Fourth Sister... who, to Barriss' horror, proceeds to go on a killing spree out of anger at the rest of the villagers lying about the Jedi having ever been there.
