After reading This question, I wondered if Barriss fell to the Dark Side in order to frame Ahsoka Tano. In order to do it, she force-choked the witness from a far away distance, which is something we have only watched powerful Dark Side users like Sidious and Vader perform, and at the time she was only a Padawan.
This question lists her among the Jedi who fell to the Dark Side during the Clone Wars, but I don't remember if it was clearly stated by anybody in the council.
So, pretty straight forward. Was it stated anywhere that Barriss fell to the Dark Side? Or did was she just disappointed by the Jedi's actions during the war?
Answer
At first I too thought that Bariss had fallen to the dark side, but upon further investigation I believe it is at best inconclusive to say anything about the matter. Let's look at her actions.
Actions part 1: She Force-choked a suspect, fought with red lightsabers etc.
Those lightsabers were stolen from Ventress to frame Ahsoka earlier, and she hid them away. She used them only because they were conveniently within reach and useful for attempting to flee the Temple now that it appears she had been discovered and Anakin has her original lightsaber.
Force choke does not appear to be an exclusively dark side power, contrary to popular belief. It is merely using telekinesis - a basic neutral ability - to push in on all sides of a target's neck. Jedi such as Luke Skywalker had been known to use it as well, although usually but not restricted to non-lethal effect. So using Force choke isn't evidence of falling to the dark side either.
Actions part 2: She attacked the Jedi, isn't that because she has fallen to the dark side?
That's not a sound argument. Mandalorians had attacked the Jedi Temple in the past, and they can hardly be called dark siders. More to the point, Bariss had this to say while on trial:
"I did it. Because I've come to realize what many people in the Republic have come to realize, that the Jedi are the ones responsible for this War. That we've so lost our way that we have become villains in this conflict, that we are the ones that should be put on trial, all of us! And my attack on the Temple was an attack on what the Jedi have become: an army fighting for the dark side, fallen from the Light that we once held so dear. This Republic is failing! It's only a matter of time."
This seems to suggest that Bariss merely had twisted (or correct?) beliefs of reality and justice, and all this time she had merely been serving the light side in what she believed is the right way.
Falling to the dark side generally means allowing her emotions to rule her actions fully, especially in fear and anger, as opposed to complete discipline and control etc. as the light side instructs. Personal quest for ultimate power vs. selfless pursuit of what is right. Did this happen to Bariss? Nothing was decisively mentioned in this regard. The bombing of the Temple, the killing of the witness and the framing of Ahsoka are elaborate plots to combat what she believes is an order fallen to darkness, and her clash with Anakin is more survival than anything else, imo. Perhaps her fate after the trial sheds more light: After the events of the bombing, she appeared to have remained in the order, eventually taking a Padawan of her own and heading to Felucia on a mission before falling to Order 66. This suggests that she had either been perceived as misguided as opposed to fallen, or she had been turned back to the light. However, the source for this is unconfirmed Legends, and may very well be non-canon, so ultimately we've nothing conclusive about Bariss to judge her on.
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