Who Is Director Barsha In ‘Star Wars: Crimson Reign’?
Though Star Wars: Crimson Reign has officially ended, numerous questions remain unanswered. The comic miniseries from acclaimed Star Wars writer Charles Soule served as a direct sequel to the comic crossover event War of the Bounty Hunters. In the event, we followed Qi’ra, the current leader of the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, as she took the frozen Han Solo from Boba Fett and auctioned him off to the criminal underworld. Despite losing Solo to Fett and his employer Jabba the Hutt, Qi’ra’s daring display helped her organization regain its former reputation. This led to Crimson Reign, in which Qi’ra used her newly-gained power and followers to carry out a series of operations in preparation for her ultimate goal; the death of Emperor Palpatine.
In the final issue of Crimson Reign, we see the Emperor look over everything occurring within the Empire throughout the miniseries. From the assassination of his royal guards to the break-in at Fortress Vader on Mustafar, Sidious has come to believe these events are connected. To confirm his suspicions, the Emperor calls in one of his most trusted agents, Director Barsha, who leads a unique division within the Imperial Security Bureau. Barsha reports his findings concerning a rumor that the galaxy’s most powerful crime syndicates were fighting one another for an alliance with the Empire. Barsha claims that the rumor came from a single source; Crimson Dawn. This confirms for Sidious that the crime syndicate has targeted the Sith and leads him to declare Crimson Dawn their next primary target. But one question still remains; who exactly is Director Barsha?
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In an interesting artistic choice, Barsha’s face and head are kept entirely in shadow for every panel he is featured in. Clearly, this has been done to obscure the character’s appearance. Though if Barsha is indeed a new character, then what purpose is there for any kind of anonymity? Could Barsha’s look or species be a spoiler for a future story? Or is Barsha actually a character we’re familiar with who Soule has chosen to be a mystery for the time being? Personally, I favor the latter idea since Soule has previously obscured a known character’s identity until the reveal of who they were, that character being Qi’ra in the first issue of The War of the Bounty Hunters. So if Barsha is a character we know, then who is he? These are just a few possibilities I’ve come up with for who Barsha may be.
The father of General Armitage Hux in the sequel trilogy, Brendol, served Emperor Palpatine during the Galactic Civil War and would eventually become a part of his contingency plan to create the First Order. Brendol was also involved in Project Harvester, which involved the dark side training of young Force-sensitives in an academy on the General’s home planet of Arkanis. However, Brendol was looked down upon by Sidious and the rest of the Empire and didn’t seem to be highly involved in the Imperial Security Bureau.
A high-ranking Imperial Moff with a reputation for ruthlessness, Gideon has been involved with the Empire for a long time. We also know him to be a part of the Imperial Security Bureau and even the more mystical aspects of the Empire’s research and technology. Plus, Gideon is a tactical genius who knows how to infiltrate the enemy lines and get under his opponents’ skin. Though Barsha’s Imperial outfit doesn’t match Gideon’s usual attire, Lucasfilm seems to have specific plans for Gideon and his backstory, meaning that Gideon may be less available for appearances in comics than lesser-known characters from the films.
“As I served you in the old wars, I serve you now.”
Enric Pryde remains an enigma within the Star Wars galaxy. Introduced in the very final film of the Skywalker Saga, he is established as an Allegiant General who has served the Empire for decades. Yet we have yet to see him working for the Emperor at any point before the sequel era. So I think the current comics would be an excellent place to see the character in his prime and give him the backstory and buildup he very much needs. Even the name Barsha could easily just be a codename he uses due to his involvement with the future Final Order on Exegol.
Whoever Barsha is, Charles Soule clearly has a plan for the character. If he turns out to be a wholly new character, I’ll be satisfied if he’s still well-written and intimidating. But, on the other hand, if he turns out to be a pre-established character, I’ll be excited to find out who he is and how he connects to the larger Star Wars universe.
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