It’s been four years sinceStar Wars:The Rise of Skywalkerlanded in theaters worldwide. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what fans expected from the conclusion of the Skywalker story. The trilogy as a whole didn’t hit the mark, instead feeling disconnected and lacking direction. More importantly, certain impactful characters from theStar Warsmythos were missing, such as fan-favorite Ahsoka.
Just asThe Clone Warshelped improve the quality of the prequel trilogy,Ahsokacould serve to improve the drawbacks of the sequel trilogy. Already fans are seeingconnections to the sequel trilogy. TheStar Warsfandom is interesting, in that it often takes time for stories to become popular. Fans took some time to warm up to Ahsoka Tano before she became as loved as she is, and the same is true for the sequel trilogy. Learning why she failed to show up in the sequel trilogy could pave way for her to appear inThe New Jedi Order, Rey Skywalker’s standalone film in which she rebuilds the Jedi.
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What is Ahsoka’s Goal in Her Series?
While Sabine is gung-ho about finding her friend Ezra Bridger, Ahsoka’s goals only tangentially align with her apprentice’s.The Mandalorianmade it abundantly clearthat Ahsoka is trying to find Grand Admiral Thrawn due to the threat he represents. Thrawn was the greatest strategist in service to the Empire. He could unite the Imperial remnants, spelling trouble for the fledgling New Republic. Does that mean Ahsoka doesn’t care about finding Ezra? Not at all.
Ahsoka had a connection with Ezra since they were padawans together. Ezra also rescued her from certain doom against Darth Vader, pulling her into the World Between Worlds just before Vader struck her with his lightsaber. That would make anyone feel a sense of debt. Beyond that, Ezra saved the galaxy from Grand Admiral Thrawn. Without Ezra, Thrawn’s cunning and tactical genius would havebrought the Rebellion to its knees, serving them up on a silver platter to the Emperor.
Where Are Ezra and Thrawn?
Grand Admiral Thrawn proved a formidable foe for Phoenix Squadron inStar Wars Rebels. Ezra knew he had to remove the Chiss strategist from the equation if the Rebellion was going to have any success, and that meant sacrificing himself. Nobody knew how Ezra planned to succeed until fans saw the Purrgil wrap their tentacles around the duo and the grand admiral’s Star Destroyer. Once the lightspeed-traveling whales disappeared, that was the last the galaxy saw of the Jedi padawan and Imperial admiral.
Fans have since learned that Thrawn and Ezra are in a place called Peridea. It’s unknown if Peridea is the name of a galaxy or a planet, but the Jedi considered it the stuff of legend. Peridiea is only accessible through intergalactic travel, prompting Morgan Elsbeth to construct a vehicle capable of that very thing. With the Pathway to Peridea revealed and theEye of Sion’sconstruction complete, Morgan intends to use the same migration route the Purrgils travel and retrieve the missing grand admiral.
Why Isn’t Ahsoka in the Sequel Trilogy?
Ahsoka was noticeably absent from the sequel trilogy, leaving many fans with questions. It seems odd that somebody so powerful in the Force wouldn’t have a role to play against the First Order’s rise to power. Granted, she wasn’t in the original trilogy either, but her character didn’t exist at the time, andRebelsadequately explainedher role with the Rebellion.
Since the sequel trilogy takes place thirty years afterReturn of the Jedi, and Ahsoka was born 36 years before the events ofA New Hope, many fans assumed she died at some point before anyone ever heard the name Rey. Maybe she perished fighting Snoke and the First Order. It’s also possible she passed away from natural causes, but it’s unlikely due to the technological advances inStar Wars.What’s more, the Togrutas (Ahsoka’s species) have an average lifespan of over 90 years. Luckily, theAhsokaseries might have the answer.
Whether the titular character is going afterEzra or Thrawn, her journey leads her to a completely different galaxy from the one fans have grown to know since 1977. Traveling to another galaxy is no easy feat, even in theStar Warsuniverse where traveling faster than the speed of light is as easy as flipping a switch. Morgan Elsbeth constructed a hyperdrive ring with six hyperdrive engines just to make the trek, revealing that regular ships are unable to cross the great distance.
When Ahsoka inevitably makes it to this new galaxy, there’s no telling if she or anyone else makes it back to the galaxy far, far away.Ahsoka and Baylan Skollwill definitely have a rematch, which could very well destroy the ship that brought everyone to the new galaxy. Ahsoka sees Thrawn just as big of a threat to the New Republic as Palpatine was to the Republic, so she’ll do whatever is necessary to stop his return. Just as Thrawn was missing during the events of the original trilogy, Ahsoka may not be around for the events of the sequel trilogy because she’s trapped in another galaxy.
Ahsokais currently streaming on Disney Plus.
MORE:Ahsoka Episode 4’s Reveal Makes Yet Another Connection To The Animated Series
