WARNING: Spoilers for Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1.

By having Reva, the Third Sister, give up on her revenge and survive the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars avoided one of the franchise’s oldest tropes. While Obi-Wan Kenobi featured villains whose fate audiences already knew, such as the Grand Inquisitor and the Fifth Brother, the show also added a new Inquisitor in the Star Wars canon, Reva. As such, the Third Sister's story in Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the few elements on which the show could build some sense of stakes, which was paid off in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s episodes 5 and 6.

Initially, the Third Sister seemed to be after Obi-Wan Kenobi - one of the most powerful Jedi who could still be alive after Order 66 - only to impress Darth Vader and become Grand Inquisitor. However, Reva’s scenes in Obi-Wan Kenobi also suggested that there was more to the Third Sister’s plan than just to impress Darth Vader and the Empire. It was later revealed that Reva’s true goal was to kill Darth Vader, as she was one of the younglings who were at the Jedi Temple on the night it was stormed by a fallen Anakin Skywalker. However, even after getting close enough to Vader, Reva did not stand a chance against the villain.

Related: Kenobi's Leia Ending Makes Obi-Wan's Death Even More Tragic

Reva’s second alternative to avenge the younglings was to try to kill Luke Skywalker. However, the Third Sister saw herself and all the other younglings in Luke, which led to her breaking moment. The Obi-Wan Kenobi finale saw Reva regretting her decision to give up on the dark side, and the character was now ready to move on from all the hate and vengeance that had guided her for so long. The decision of not only redeeming the Third Sister but also allowing her story to continue breaks the Star Wars tradition of killing a character right after they find redemption. That was the case for Darth Vader in Return of the Jedi, Asajj Ventress in the Dark Disciple novel, and Kylo Ren in The Rise of Skywalker.

Reva’s Fate In Obi-Wan Kenobi Fix A Star Wars’ Redemption Trope

Kylo Ren and Darth Vader.

Redemption has been one of the central themes in Star Wars since Return of the Jedi. The dichotomy between the light and the dark side of the Force, first properly explained by Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, meant that a person’s choice could lead them either way. This is symbolized by Luke’s cave moment in Dagobah, in which he is presented with what his future could be should he ever fall to the dark side. However, after learning that Darth Vader was Luke's father, the hero never assumed that Anakin Skywalker was beyond redemption, a decision that indirectly saved the whole galaxy. Given how important redemption arcs are to Star Wars, it is curious that some of its most important redeemed characters always ended up dying not too long after they returned to the light.

That sort of Star Wars trope has to do with an even more common trope of killing off a villain after they are redeemed, which serves to wrap up the villain’s story without having to worry about what happens next or the consequences of that redemption arc. While several Sith and other dark side users lived after being redeemed in the old Expanded Star Wars Universe, Reva is the first opportunity for the Star Wars canon to explore a character that ditched the dark side and remained alive for a long period.

Reva’s Story Is Mirroring Ahsoka’s

Ahsoka Tano leaving the Jedi in The Clone Wars.

In a way, Reva’s story mirrors Ahsoka’s – including her future after Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ahsoka was Anakin’s apprentice, while the Third Sister worked for Darth Vader. Likewise, Ahsoka left Anakin after seeing through the failures of the Jedi, while Reva left Vader and the Empire upon realizing that her revenge had made her the very thing she was trying to destroy. Similar to Ahsoka after Clone Wars, Reva is now a trained Forced sensitive with no alliances, meaning that she can act based on what she believes to be the right thing, and not on what the Jedi Order or Palpatine decides.

Related: Kenobi's Reva Twist Makes Luke's Failure To Save Kylo Ren More Tragic

Reva’s Star Wars Future Could Make Her A Gray Jedi

Obi-Wan Reva Jedi Symbol

The old Expanded Universe had a concept known as Gray Jedi, a philosophy of the Force followed by those who wanted to find a middle ground between the Jedi and Sith’s teachings. The Gray Jedi had their own code, one that mixed and mirrored the Jedi Code and the Sith Code. While the concept of Gray Jedi as defined in the Expanded Universe was never brought into the new Star Wars canon, the idea of a Force-sensitive warrior who finds themselves in the middle of the light and the dark side is a concept that could work in an upcoming Star Wars movie or show. As such, Reva would be the perfect character for Star Wars to develop as a Gray Jedi, even if the term itself is never actually used, as she had been trained by both the Jedi and the Sith and yet does not fight for either of them. A similar concept was used with Star Wars Rebels’ Bendu, who claims to be “the one in the middle.”

What Happens To Reva Is Now Star Wars’ Most Promising Storyline

What happened to Reva

Reva being alive and redeemed at the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi is exciting not only for the character but for the saga as a whole. As a consequence of Star Wars’ trope of killing its redeemed villains, the series never had the chance to tell, in canon, a long-term story about a character who gave up the dark side and survived. Reva has not appeared in any Star Wars media outside of Obi-Wan Kenobi, meaning that her journey is a completely blank slate. Reva is not limited by the Star Wars timeline, much less to an order like the Jedi or the Inquisitors, which makes her one of the most promising characters in the new canon. At a time when so many Star Wars properties serve as tie-ins between stories audiences already know the end of, such as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Andor, a trained Force user who exists during the Galactic Civil War and whose future is a mystery can make for an exciting journey.

Next: Was Obi-Wan Kenobi Worth Rewriting Star Wars Canon For?

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