Episode 4 of Ahsoka was packed full of battles, tense standoffs, and classic Star Wars verbal sparring. Before we give too much away, be warned there are major spoilers ahead for all five episodes of Ahsoka that have aired so far, as well as for Star Wars Rebels.
The glimpse of the showdown between Ahsoka and Baylan Skoll that we got in the trailer for Ahsoka finally came to light in episode 4, with Lord Skoll determined to protect the map leading to Grand Admiral Thrawn’s whereabouts (for a vague “greater good”) and Lady Tano determined to either steal or destroy said map before the coordinates could be fully calculated. The climax of the battle left Ahsoka’s fate uncertain—but let’s dig into how it transpired first.
At first, Skoll didn’t seem keen on fighting Ahsoka, apparently weary of violence. Nonetheless, a sweet lightsaber battle naturally unfolded, with the pair pretty evenly matched. Ahsoka managed to rip the spherical map from its position, preventing it from transmitting coordinates to the mothership above and burning her hand in the process. Resuming her battle with Skoll, the map is left on the floor—unguarded.
Fresh from a battle with Sabine Wren wherein she escaped in a cloud of smoke, Shin Hati returns to the scene, sparking one of the first notes of genuine emotion from Ahsoka we’ve seen in four episodes. Fearing Sabine is dead, she furiously uses the Force against Shin, leaving her crumpled on the ground. However, this also leaves Ahsoka vulnerable to Skoll, forcing her back against a cliff’s edge.
Of course, Sabine isn’t dead and appears moments later, only to have to watch as Skoll forces Ahsoka over the cliff and into a stormy ocean below. Poor decisions were made (I said what I said) and Sabine hands over the map to leave with Shin and Skoll—leaving behind a dead Ahsoka?
No one’s truly dead in Star Wars
Well, not quite. Simply disappearing over a cliff’s edge isn’t enough to have a secure death in a galaxy far, far away. We get a truly bizarre transition (even for Star Wars) at the end of the episode to confirm this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Ahsoka in her titular show.
She wakes up in the World Between Worlds, a mystical plane within the Force that acts as a meeting point for various doors and pathways. Ahsoka is standing on a glowing blue and white path herself, with a camera angle that just screams “someone is going to appear behind you, Ahsoka, turn around!”
And indeed, someone does appear, just after using his customary nickname for Ahsoka: Snips. It’s none other than Anakin Skywalker himself, de-aged and accompanied by Darth Vader’s theme.
So what does this mean for Ahsoka? Is she dead like Anakin? Of course not!
Not only has Ahsoka been to the World Between Worlds before, but episode 5 revealed that Anakin is actually there, in true dramatic Skywalker style, to “complete her training.” A series of tense flashbacks ensue, forcing Ahsoka to confront both her and Anakin’s intertwined histories. Ultimately, she chooses to live and returns to Hera and the ongoing plot of her titular show (as predicted).
Despite not having Ezra Bridger to pull her from her fight with Vader and then out of the World Between Worlds to save her life, Ahsoka is far from dead as she continues to hunt for her old friend, now joyriding her way across the galaxies in the mouth of a purrgil. Nope, you really can’t make this stuff up.
(featured image: Disney+)
