The duel between Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano will always be one of the most epic moments in Star Wars Rebels. After all, their fight allowed us to see an awaited reunion between a Master and a Padawan.
It is heartbreaking, though, that now they fight on opposite sides of the Force.
Moreover, we would dare say if someone had a chance against Vader, that would be his former apprentice. However, the duel was hardly kind to Ahsoka.
In her last moments, we saw Ahsoka push Ezra Bridger out of the Sith Temple and face Vader once more. We also got glimpses of both Vader and the Jedi after the fight. However, how did Ahsoka survive the battle with the Sith Lord and the destruction of the Temple?
Let’s see if the Star Wars universe has some answers for us.
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How Did Ahsoka Survive Malachor?
We see Ahsoka and Vader fight during the “Twilight of the Apprentice,” finale of the second season of Star Wars Rebels. Two haven’t seen each other in years after the Clone Wars have ended. However, they had to face off to get the holocron hidden in the Sith Temple.
We also know that Vader is arguably one of the most powerful beings in the franchise. It is no wonder that even Ahsoka struggled against her Former Master. As the fight progressed, the Jedi had to save Ezra whilst locking herself in the Temple with Vader.
You can find out why her lightsabers are white here.
We, as the audience, got only a small glimpse of her and the Sith, leaving us to speculate that the former Jedi survived.
Nevertheless, after an epic duel with Vader, Ahsoka disappeared for almost two seasons. Her fate was unknown until “A World Between Worlds” of Star Wars Rebels.
During the episode, Ezra and the Rebels discovered the plans of the Empire to use an old Lothal Jedi Temple. It turns out that the old relic held power over the past, present, and future.
Ezra found the way to enter the Lothal Jedi Temple and discovered a painting of the Mortis family.
The Mortis planet and the family living there first appeared in the episodes “Overlords,” “Altar of Mortis,” and “Ghosts of Mortis” in the third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. There Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka met the Father, Daughter, and Son, who symbolised the Balance, Light, and Dark sides of the Force.
The trio, however, has escaped the planet and not without seeing it in ruins before their take off.
Ezra, naturally, didn’t know the history of the Mortis family nor their true power. Thus, upon opening the secret gate at the Temple, he was only trying to stop the Empire. Instead, he got a chance to see the World Between Worlds.
The World Between Worlds is a realm where one can control the past, present, and future. It is a powerful weapon against the timeline itself. Naturally, the Empire was willing to sacrifice everything to get such power.
When Ezra entered the new realm, he heard the voices of many Jedi, including General Kenobi, Grand Master Yoda, and Qui-Gon. He also saw several portals leading to important events in his past.
The Young Jedi might have been sent there to stop the Empire, yet he did so much more than that. Ezra found a way to save Ahsoka, pulling her out of the fight with Vader just before he was ready to strike her down. The young Jedi tried to repeat his success of Kanan, yet not everything could be changed.
This is how Ezra changed the past and saved Ahsoka from her death!
Did Ezra Bring Ahsoka Back to Life or Save Her From Death?
Rebels never answered this question directly. Surprisingly enough, Ahsoka is shown in the same episode after the fight with Darth Vader. We saw only a couple of seconds until the credits started rolling. However, she definitely looked alive when she entered the Sith Temple.
In the same scene also appeared Morai. This female convor was connected to the Daughter until she died. After that, Morai is often seen following Ahsoka, especially if she is in trouble.
Considering the ending of the “Twilight of the Apprentice,” we already know that the former Jedi didn’t die. Even though it is almost impossible to tell how she blocked the final blow from Vader, she still managed to survive. At least, it is a natural conclusion as we see her almost unharmed.
However, there is still the tiniest possibility that she could have been a Force ghost. Therefore, it is hard to tell whether Ezra actually brought her back from the dead.
The rules of time travel are always blurry!
We can suggest that what Ahsoka experienced was a time paradox or a time loop. She survived every time because Ezra was there to pull her out. Thus, the shot from “Twilight of the Apprentice” and Ahsoka entering the Temple may actually come after Ezra saved her. This is confirmed when Ahsoka leaves Ezra and returns to the Sith Temple even after the Jedi saves her.
Overall, Ahsoka probably didn’t die due to the time loop. However, she might have died if not for Ezra.
Why Didn’t Ahsoka Go With Ezra?
We are never quite explained the rules of time travel. However, assuming the timeline cannot be broken is natural.
Therefore, the most obvious answer is that it wasn’t her time. It has been several years since Ahsoka fought with Vader. Going through the portal with Ezra would mean breaking the timeline.
The universe wouldn’t like Ahsoka to reappear after several years. Besides, it would actually mean that she was dead for a couple of years and never saved by Ezra in her timeline.
We also can’t forget that it is a show that always needs more plots. It is possible that Dave Filoni was planning to explore more of the Sith Temple with Ahsoka. However, we can only speculate that this can be done with the new Ahsoka show.
Source: Dave Filoni
Besides, Ahsoka relied heavily on the Force. Maybe the Force itself told Ahsoka to explore the Temple. Who knows what could even be buried underneath the Jedi temple and what power it would hold?
Sadly, the show was cancelled before this arc was ever explained.
Where Did Ahsoka Go After ‘a World Between Worlds’?
We don’t really see Asoka during the war after she fought with Vader. Therefore, nothing in the show can tell us what was going on with this character for almost 5 years.
At last, she met up with Sabine, looking drastically different from her normal form.
Her goal now is rather clear. She wants to join Sabine in finding Ezra, who sacrificed himself to save his friends and rebels.
Behind-the-scenes materials can give us a couple of hints why Ahsoka disappeared for five years.
How did she magically reappear knowing everything about Sabine and Ezra?
Considering all the references left by Dave Filoni to Gandalf and The Lord of the Rings, we can conclude that Ahsoka went through a spiritual journey when we didn’t see her.
Even though her time at the Sith Temple was never recorded, Filoni released digital trading cards that focused on Ahsoka. In most of them, we see the Jedi possibly escaping the Temple. Morai, Sister’s companion, also follows her.
At this point, we can only speculate. However, judging from Filoni’s sketches, there is every chance that Ahsoka escaped the Temple using another portal. Since Morai was there, the former Jedi might have needed help from Mortis.
This storyline would explain her new look at the end of the series.
That said, we will definitely find out more once the Ahsoka series airs. It will likely follow Ahsoka and Sabine, who will try to find Ezra.
For now, we will be mindful of the future, but not at the expense of the moment.
Conclusion
There is no denying that Ahsoka went through a challenging journey in Star Wars Rebels.
Ahsoka protected the Jedi with everything she got. She even faced her old Master, who fell to the Dark Side of the Force. Precisely their duel almost led the former Jedi to her death.
After the fight, Ahsoka’s story becomes hazy. We can only speculate that she was stuck in a time loop and was saved by Ezra in World Between Worlds.
The timeline after what happened in that episode was quite clouded as well, although it’s speculated that she went on a spiritual journey.
As of now, Ahsoka will be joining forces with Sabine to find Ezra. However, we won’t get more answers until the new Ahsoka series starts streaming!
You can find out more about why Ahsoka was initially disliked by the fanbase, and who thought she was innocent during the Jedi Temple bombing here.
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