Warning - This article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian Season 2.
“Chapter 13” of The Mandalorian brought with it lofty expectations, but all prior concerns were quelled as soon as Ahsoka Tano entered the spotlight.
After months of rumors surrounding Rosario Dawson’s potential involvement, it was finally confirmed that the actress would indeed be portraying the fan-favorite character in live-action. Long time fans may have noticed that the character has had a slight change to her design since Star Wars Rebels, which was addressed by one of the artists of the show.
The episode featured many Easter eggs and references as always, including the potential appearance of a character related to Ahsoka. The Star Wars video games are getting a lot of love this season as well, with returning characters from Knights of the Old Republic having prominent inclusions. An episode of The Mandalorian would not be complete without a hint towards the future, with Grand Admiral Thrawn now supposedly on the horizon.
A conversation in the episode has also uncovered Ahsoka’s current feelings towards Anakin Skywalker…
NEWS
During Ahsoka and Din Djarin's conversation about Baby Yoda's Force-training in “Chapter 13 - The Jedi,” she opens up about her relationship with Anakin Skywalker and what she knows about his fall to the Dark Side:
Ahsoka: "I cannot train him. His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears, his anger."
Din Djarin: "All the more reason to train him."
Ahsoka: "No. I've seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. To the best of us. I will not start this child down that path. Better to let his abilities fade."
WHAT THIS MEANS
The last time Ahsoka saw Anakin in the flesh was the Season 2 finale of Star Wars Rebels, titled “Twilight of the Apprentice.” Even though Skywalker had turned, Ahsoka still had faith that her master was still hidden within somewhere. Her conversation with Mando demonstrates the tragedy of her relationship with Anakin, with Ahsoka being completely unable to prevent the downfall of her dear friend. She has clearly not been able to move past this, influencing her reluctance to train another.
Ahsoka has been disillusioned with the Jedi Order for a while, so her hesitance to train a powerful Force user with potentially dark feelings is understandable. If an organization as large as the Jedi Council was unable to prevent the creation of Darth Vader at the hands of Palpatine, then Ahsoka must not feel capable in doing so all on her own. The fact that Ahsoka had a connection to Anakin’s downfall would make this decision even more personal for her. Her perspective on this echoes that of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, who also, at least initially, felt comfortable letting the Jedi fizzle out.
While it is known across the galaxy that the second Death Star was blown up, it is unclear whether people knew of Darth Vader’s return to the light side. This conversation between Ahsoka and Din Djarin likely points to her being unaware of her old master’s sacrifice as well. Whilst Ahsoka clearly still grieves for the loss of Anakin to the Dark Side, her master has since returned to the Force and become a Force ghost. Therefore, perhaps it is time for the two to reconnect and rebuild the friendship that they once had.
Ahsoka Tano can be found in all her live-action glory, as “Chapter 13 - The Jedi” is currently streaming on Disney+.
