One of the series’ earliest cliches was avoided in Star Wars by having Reva, the Third Sister, give up on getting her revenge and live through the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother were two villains depicted in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but the programme also introduced Reva as a new Inquisitor in the Star Wars canon. As a result, the story of the Third Sister in Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the few plot points on which the programme could establish a sense of stakes, and it was rewarded in episodes 5 and 6 of the series.
Prior to impressing Darth Vader and rising to the position of Grand Inquisitor, the Third Sister appeared to be after Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the most potent Jedi who might still be alive after Order 66. Reva’s appearances in Obi-Wan Kenobi, however, hinted to the possibility that the Third Sister’s scheme involved more than only impressing Darth Vader and the Empire. Reva was one of the younglings present at the Jedi Temple the night it was besieged by a dead Anakin Skywalker, and it was later revealed that her ultimate intention was to murder Darth Vader. Reva did not have a chance against Vader even after getting close enough to him.
The second way Reva considered to exact revenge on the children was to try to assassinate Luke Skywalker. The Third Sister eventually broke down when she recognised herself and all the other youngsters in Luke. Reva was seen mourning her decision to abandon the dark side in the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale, and the character was finally prepared to let go of all the hate and revenge that had guided her for so long. The choice to not only save the Third Sister but also to let her story go on defies the Star Wars custom of promptly killing off a character who achieves redemption. This was true of Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker, Asajj Ventress in the Dark Disciple novel, and Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi.
Reva’s Fate In Obi-Wan Kenobi Fix A Star Wars’ Redemption Trope
Since Return of the Jedi, one of the main themes in Star Wars has been redemption. Yoda provided the first accurate explanation of the contrast between the light and dark sides of the Force in The Empire Strikes Back, which indicated that a person’s decision might take them in any direction. Luke’s cave experience in Dagobah, when he is shown what his future might hold if he ever turns to the dark side, serves as a metaphor for this. But after finding out that Darth Vader was Luke’s father, the hero never thought Anakin Skywalker was beyond forgiveness, which led to an unintentional galactic salvation. It is odd that some of Star Wars’ most significant redeemed characters invariably ended up passing away not long after they went to the light given how significant redemption arcs are to the franchise.
A similar Star Wars trope involves the villain being killed off after their redemption, which serves to end their story without having to worry about what will happen next or the repercussions of their redemption arc. Reva is the first chance for the Star Wars canon to examine a figure who abandoned the dark side and lived for a considerable amount of time, even though countless Sith and other dark side users survived after being redeemed in the old Expanded Star Wars Universe.
Reva’s Story Is Mirroring Ahsoka’s
Reva’s story resembles Ahsoka’s in some ways, including what would happen to her after Obi-Wan Kenobi. In contrast to the Third Sister, who worked for Darth Vader, Ahsoka was Anakin’s apprentice. As Reva did when she realised that her vengeance had turned her into what she was trying to destroy, Ahsoka abandoned Anakin after recognising the shortcomings of the Jedi. Similar to Ahsoka after the Clone Wars, Reva is now a trained Forced sensitive without allegiances, allowing her to make decisions based on her own moral convictions rather than those of the Jedi Order or Palpatine.
Reva’s Star Wars Future Could Make Her A Gray Jedi
Those who sought to establish a balance between the Jedi and Sith’s teachings adhered to a notion known as Gray Jedi in the old Expanded Universe. The code used by the Gray Jedi combined and mirrored both the Sith Code and the Jedi Code. Although the idea of Gray Jedi as it existed in the Expanded Universe was never incorporated into the new Star Wars canon, the concept of a Force-sensitive warrior caught between the light and the evil side is one that could work in a future Star Wars film or television programme. Since Reva had been trained by both the Jedi and the Sith but does not fight for any of them, she would be the ideal character for Star Wars to develop as a Gray Jedi, even if the name itself is never really used. The character Bendu from Star Wars Rebels, who identifies as “the one in the middle,” makes use of a similar idea.
What Happens To Reva Is Now Star Wars’ Most Promising Storyline
It is wonderful for both the character of Reva and the narrative as a whole that she is still alive and has been redeemed at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi. A long-term story about a character who abandoned the dark side and lived was never able to be told in canon because of the cliche in Star Wars that kills its redeemed villains. Outside of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Reva hasn’t appeared in any Star Wars material, hence her path is entirely undocumented. One of the most intriguing characters in the new canon is Reva since she is not constrained by the Star Wars timeline or even by an organisation like the Jedi or the Inquisitors. A trained Force user who exists throughout the Galactic Civil War and whose destiny is mysterious can make for an interesting trip, especially in a period when so many Star Wars assets function as tie-ins between stories audiences already know the outcome of, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor.
