This article contains spoilers from Ahsoka episodes 1 & 2.
Summary
- Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice, represents the best of him and embodies his greatest success in training a Padawan without sharing his failings.
- Star Wars has redefined what it means to be a Skywalker, and Ahsoka is now even more a part of that legacy.
- Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 hint at her unconventional Jedi nature and her ability to veer close to the dark side while remaining a champion of the light. The return of the opening crawl signifies the importance of Ahsoka and her tie to the Skywalker saga.
Ahsoka continues the Skywalker legacy, four years after Lucasfilm wrapped up the Skywalker saga. Ahsoka episode 1 opened in style, with the return of Star Wars‘ iconic opening crawl. There’s a very good reason Ahsoka brought back the crawl – something that hasn’t been seen since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker released in 2019, something Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy insisted was reserved just for the movies. It signifies this particular Disney+ TV show is an important one, with a strong tie to the Skywalker saga itself.
There’s a sense in which that shouldn’t really be a surprise. Ahsoka Tano is Anakin Skywalker’s former apprentice, meaning she’s as much a part of the Skywalker legacy as Luke and Leia. In fact, there’s even a case for arguing there’s a sense in which Ahsoka should be considered a Skywalker in her own right, not least because Star Wars has redefined what that means in recent years.
Ahsoka Was Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan – And She Exceeded Her Master
Anakin Skywalker was knighted shortly after the beginning of the Clone Wars, with the Battle of Geonosis – seen in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones – viewed as more than sufficient for a Jedi trial. Shortly after, Yoda arranged for him to take an apprentice. In truth, Yoda envisioned this as something of a teaching moment, because he believed a Padawan would help Anakin find balance. He was sadly wrong – and yet, for all that’s the case, Anakin’s Padawan Ahsoka found the balance he wouldn’t gain until the moment of his death.
As similar as they were in character, Ahsoka conquered Anakin’s greatest weakness; his unhealthy attachments. Where Anakin found himself caught between two competing attachments – his love for his wife Padmé and his dedication to the Jedi Order, which pulled him in different directions – Ahsoka was able to walk away. She learned from her master, and then outgrew him, leaving the Jedi and becoming an agent of balance as the years passed. She even took on the codename “Fulcrum,” a word that denotes the balance between light and dark.
All this means Ahsoka represents the very best of Anakin Skywalker. Though she left the Jedi, Ahsoka remains the embodiment of his greatest success; that he managed to train a Padawan so well she did not share her master’s failings. That essentially means she is a vision of Anakin had he never fallen to the dark side, continuing to stand for the light even at times when the dark side was ascendant.
Star Wars Has Redefined What It Means To Be A Skywalker
Star Wars has redefined what it means to be a Skywalker, though, which means Ahsoka is even more a part of that legacy than ever before. In Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rey claimed the name for herself. The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker reveals this particular twist was planned from the beginning, becuase it includes an account of a meeting of the Lucasfilm Story Group held before the sequels even began. “I like the idea that she’s going to be our Skywalker, but she’s not a Skywalker,” Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo observed. “Then, for our purposes, ‘the Skywalker’ is really a metaphor. It doesn’t have to be something that’s directly connected to blood.“
According to this definition, to be a Skywalker is to be an agent of balance. There have been many Jedi who functioned in this capacity over the centuries, perhaps dating back to the Prime Jedi – founder of the entire order – themselves. By this interpretation, then, Ahsoka herself is a Skywalker. Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 contain several hints that she is a somewhat unconventional Jedi, one who veers close to the dark side but does not embrace it. She uses the power of psychometry, one steeped in the dark side that allows her to experience the emotions of the past. She hints she has used a dark side mind probe on Morgan, learning the location of an ancient starmap. And yet, for all that’s the case, Ahsoka stands as a clear champion of the light.
All this makes the decision to give Ahsoka episode 1 a crawl all the more fitting. This character isn’t just another Jedi; she is a key part of Anakin Skywalker’s legacy, serving the same kind of role he was destined to play in the galaxy. There’s even some evidence Hayden Christensen himself will return in Ahsoka, presumably as a Force ghost offering words of wisdom to his former Padawan. The crawl signifies this Disney+ TV show’s importance, and the significance of Ahsoka Tano herself. The Skywalker saga may be over, but the legacy lives on.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.