When Rey became “all the Jedi” at the end of The Rise of Skywalker, she was channeling the spirits of canonical Jedi who we’d all seen perish on screen. That is, all except one. When Ashley Eckstein provided the voice of Ahsoka Tano in a surprise audio cameo in The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars fans naturally had to wonder — did this mean that by the time of Episode IX Ahsoka was no longer among the living? Presumably, if Ahsoka had been around during all the chaos with Luke’s Jedi school, she would have been a big help. In fact, at the time, of the sequel trilogy, it was easy to assume that Ahsoka had possibly been taken out by Kylo Ren!
But now, thanks to the Season 1 finale of the series Ahsoka, it seems like there’s maybe a very clear way to reconcile the ending of The Rise of Skywalker without having to assume Ahsoka Tano is a ghost.
Spoilers ahead.
In The Rise of Skywalker, Ahsoka doesn't get to say a ton to Rey, mostly because there are so many other voice cameos to compete with. After Aayla (Jennifer Hale) says, “Let it [The Force] guide you,” Ahsoka (Ashley Eckstein) adds, “as it guided us.” At the time in late 2019, in our galaxy, Rosario Dawson had yet to appears in the live-action version of Ahsoka in The Mandalorian Season 2. But, because all the other Jedi who speak to Rey through the Force were deceased, several fans jumped to the conclusion that yes, Ahsoka must have passed on, too. However, Dave Filoni never confirmed this, and instead, said: “I remember in The Empire Strikes Back Luke speaking out through the force to Leia. Vader also does this at the end of Empire Strikes Back.”
Because Ahsoka was born in 36 BBY and is roughly 45 years old in the Ahsoka TV series, this would mean she’d been in her early 70s by the time of The Rise of Skywalker. In other words, there’s every reason to think Ahsoka could still be around, even after the events of Rise of Skywalker. Which leads to the question that the Ahsoka finale maybe just answered: If Ahsoka was alive when Rey and the Resistance were battling the First Order, and then, the reborn Palpatine, why didn’t she help?
It would seem the answer is clear: When Rey called upon all the energy of the Jedi, Ahsoka was still alive, and possibly, still living in the faraway galaxy we see in Ahsoka Season 1. In other words, Jedi can lend their power and communicate through the Force over great distances, but obviously, Ahsoka and Sabine can’t physically teleport themselves to the “regular” galaxy just through strength of will. The Force has its limits.
If Ahsoka is alive during the events of The Rise of Skywalker (and really, the entire sequel trilogy) it stands to reason that the only reason she wouldn’t have tried to help combat the First Order and Kylo Ren and all the other nonsense, is because she simply wasn’t nearby. By stranding Ahsoka, Sabine, Shin, and Baylan in this distant galaxy, several continuity problems that complicate the lead-up to The Force Awakens are suddenly solved. Yes, one has to wonder what will happen to Ezra and whether or not he and Luke Skywalker will ever meet. But, when it comes to Ahsoka communicating through the Force to Rey in Rise of Skywalker, we could now assume, that she’s quite safe and very much alive.
And, if Ahsoka is alive in Rey’s time, but simply far, far away, there’s almost nothing stopping these two great Jedi from meeting face-to-face. As far as anyone knows, the Rey-centric “New Jedi Order” movie starring Daisy Ridley is still happening. Maybe she could hop a galaxy and team up with an even older and wiser Jedi Master named... Ahsoka Tano.
