Ahsoka continues to delight die-hard Star Wars fans with its deep-cut references. The series has featured the Witches of Dathomir, the Inquisitorius, and even referenced Darth Sion. But casual fans may find themselves iced out of the canon; the saga has decades worth of stories to respect, and even if not all of them are accepted, the universe remains vast and dense, so it’s incredibly easy for a casual fan to miss the introduction of a new concept.
These casual fans might have been confused when at the end of episode 4, “Fallen Jedi”, Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) finds herself in a cosmic landscape with none other than Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). How is this possible, you may ask? Well, let me introduce you to a little thing called the World Between Worlds.
What is the World Between Worlds?
The World Between Worlds is essentially what Darth Vader was referring to in A New Hope when he said, “The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.” The World Between Worlds, also known as the Vergence Scatter, is essentially a realm in the Force through which all moments in time were connected. When Ezra Bridger entered, he was able to rescue Ahsoka from an earlier moment in the time stream.
While this could have huge ramifications for how time travel might work in Star Wars, it’s important to note that Ahsoka theorizes that nothing that has already happened can truly be changed. While Ezra may have saved Ahsoka, he had never seen her die, leading her to comment that the timeline was always supposed to unfold in that manner. Now, it looks like the World Between Worlds may be more than a time travel device — with the appearance of Anakin, it appears to be an even more spiritually powerful place — one where it’s possible to commune with the dead. That is, of course, if Ahsoka isn’t dead or in some sort of limbo state.
Darth Sidious naturally had designs on gaining the power of the World Between Worlds. He was unsuccessful, with the only known entrance, a Jedi temple on Lothal, being destroyed. Somehow, Ahsoka was drawn into the realm at the end of “Fallen Jedi”.
Who are the Ones?
The World Between Worlds appears to have a connection to a group of Force users known as The Ones. Also known as the Mortis gods, they consisted of a trio known as the Father, the Daughter, and the Son. Incredibly powerful, but confined to the Force world of Mortis, the Ones were representative of the Force as a whole. While the Father represented the balance of the Force, the Daughter represented the Light Side, and the Son represented the Dark Side.
Ahsoka Tano came into contact with these beings during her travels with Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. While on their strange, alien world, Ahsoka was actually killed. Had it not been for the intervention of the Daughter, who granted Ahsoka her life force, Ahsoka would have been dead many years before her self-titled adventure. Since then, Ahsoka can occasionally be seen with a strange, owl-like creature known as Morai, who has some sort of connection with the Daughter.
These beings were depicted on the Lothal Jedi temple, and even made a painted cameo in Ahsoka. Whatever these beings really are, it’s possible that Ahsoka’s foray into the World Between Worlds is on their shoulders.