In Ahsoka Episode 4, “Fallen Jedi,” Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) is pushed from the Nightsister henge by Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) into the turbulent Seatos sea below. She awakes in a familiar yet impossible place: the World Between Worlds. Even stranger is the appearance of her former Master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). First off, The World Between Worlds is a puzzling location for her to be; it’s not the “heaven” of Star Wars, nor has it ever been accessible by near-death experience. So why has Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni placed her there? The inspiration for this could be found in America’s most iconic Christmas movie, the 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life.
Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life is ingrained into the public consciousness of America. Iconic on a level few films have ever reached, the 1946 film follows a hopeless George Bailey (James Stewart), contemplating suicide on a bridge on Christmas Eve. Disillusioned with a life of constantly giving up on his own personal dreams to put others first, he mourns the life that he could have had, believing he never fulfilled his true purpose and potential.
Before he can jump from the bridge, a Guardian Angel (2nd Class) intervenes. George laments to the Angel that he wishes he was never born. At this, the Angel shows him his past and all the people he has helped and saved. The Angel then doubles down, showing him a darker, corrupted alternate timeline where he does not exist. This glimpse into a world without him gives George the perspective and hope he needs to see how important his life really is. Ahsoka may pull a page from classic American cinema and give Ahsoka the same realization.
Ahsoka’s Legacy
Fans have noticed that Ahsoka is different. Gone is the spirited Ahsoka of The Clone Wars, replaced with a more guarded version of the character. She is colder, even keeping her padawan at arm’s length. This character change feels intentional. Ahsoka is older and wiser, but the weight of the past bears down on her.
During their duel on Seatos, Baylan angrily strikes her, saying, “Your legacy, like your Master's, is one of death and destruction.” Did he sense the guilt Ahsoka still carries over Anakin’s fall? If so, The World Between Worlds and Anakin’s appearance makes much more sense.
An Alternate Galaxy Far Far Away
Here’s where we are going into speculation territory. In Episode 5, we will see Ahsoka face the darkest part of her past, Anakin.
Ahsoka left the Jedi Order before Anakin fell to the dark side, potentially making the increasingly unstable Anakin more unbalanced. She may believe things would have been better if she had stayed with the Jedi Order; perhaps she could have prevented him from falling to the dark side and saving countless from war, death, and destruction at the hands of Darth Vader. Baylan speaks directly to her guilty conscience, saying of Anakin, “Few would live to see what he became. Surely that must leave a mark. Is that why you walked away? Abandoned him?”
This is why Anakin meets the defeated Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds. Anakin is the Guardian Angel to Ahsoka’s George. Using the portals of this World Between Worlds, Anakin will show Ahsoka the effects that her choosing to stay with the Order would have had on the Galaxy, and like George’s alternate timeline in It’s a Wonderful Life, it’s not pretty.
The "Death" of Ahsoka
The series has been heavily rumored to feature Ahsoka fighting Anakin alongside Obi-Wan on Mustafar. I believe we will see this scene as an alternate version of events of Order 66 in which Ahsoka was still with the Order.
In an alternate version of the events of Episode 3, Ahsoka goes with Obi-Wan to reason with the newly-minted Vader, but Ahsoka never makes it out of this fight alive. She sees that if she stays, her story ends there.
In the World Between Worlds, Anakin will show her how much worse her friends, the Rebellion, and the Galaxy are without her. Her death ripples out, causing darker and deeper consequences throughout the galaxy. Anakin will show her that she chose wisely and could do nothing to stop his fall. This revelation is the closure she needs to move on from her past and embrace the future.
In It's a Wonderful Life, the Angel gives George an invaluable gift: perspective. He shows his impact on the people around him and the darkness of a world without him. In the World Between Worlds, Anakin could give Ahsoka this same perspective. More than that, he can give her what she needs the most right now: hope.
