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One thing that the Star Wars series has lacked from the very beginning (in addition to subtle characterization and cohesive plot) is a fine selection of alien booty. You heard me. The area in which Star Trek always beat Lucas' butt was the wide variety of green-skinned chickies that the hot-blooded American Men could lay pipe with. Say what you will about the prequels, they're at least covering that gap.
And, hey, look, here's a green-skinned chicky now!
Barriss Offee is the Padawan learner of Luminara Unduli, and similarly shares her Master's latticed facial tattoos. The youthful Jedi apprentice often prefers wielding a lightsaber to participating in diplomatic negotiations. During the Battle of Geonosis, Barriss must defend herself and her fellow outnumbered Jedi from the Separatists' impending droid armies. Her strong healing abilities make her an invaluable asset when the battle erupts into a full-scale ground assault and the beginning of the Clone Wars.
Barriss and Luminara made for a great pair in Attack of the Clones. They both had this cool Moorish "warrior nun" thing going on, which contrasted nicely with the monastic Jedi. We got a figure of Unduli when the film came out, a dynamically posed figure in flowing robes, and now we get her padawan to stand beside her.
Wearing her dark robes, Barriss Offee is not quite as dynamic as her mistress, but the "cloth" does have a nice preposed flare to them. While her textured cape is black, her dress is actually a very dark blue. The gold of her belt buckle stands out nicely, and her green skin is striking.
The black diamonds tattooed on her face are all crisp, and her blue eyes are looking slightly upward. The paint on her open mouth is very precise, giving us dark lips and bright white teeth. Barriss has short black hair hidden beneath that large hood of hers. The cape, covered with a blue wash, can be removed with a little bit of work, but it's not really designed to be.
The figure moves at the neck, shoulders, left wrist and waist - hardly the "super-articulation" claimed by the packaging. Her right hand has a magnet in the palm, capable of attracting the metal handle of her lightsaber for "Force action." Unfortunately, the handle seems much too big for its wielder, about 1/8" too long, which is actually a pretty big difference when you're only 3¼" tall. The actual blade is translucent green, molded with a bit of a flare at the base and glued gently into the metal handle - the glue is just intended to hold the 'saber together in the packaging, not keep it together forever.
One nice bonus with this figure is her 3½" x 2¾" display base. Showing the midst of the Geonosian arena battle, the base is strewn with Battle Droid parts. There are two flat spots for Barriss's feet, to keep her standing. In a really cool move, the base has a slot and peg to allow it to fit together with the bases of a few of the other Jedi, giving you the opportunity to create your own mini-diorama. It's a pretty clever idea, and I'd like to see it continue.
The real tragedy of the prequel trilogy isn't Anakin becoming Vader or the fall of the Republic. No, what's really sad is that all the cool Jedi, like Barriss Offee, are destined to be killed off. She can live on, though, in plastic form on your toy shelf.
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