All cultures have their folk stories, fables, and fairy tales. And it appears that the Jedi are no exception. In Ahsoka Episode 2, Morgan Elsbeth reveals her plan to rescue Grand Admiral Thrawn by traveling along a secret path that bridges the Star Wars galaxy with a new one: the fabled Pathway to Peridea.
“The children at the Jedi Temple call it that,” Elsbeth’s lackey, the fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll, remarks. “It comes from old stories, fairy tales.”
So what exactly is the Pathway to Peridea? While there’s no previous mention of this myth in Star Wars canon (or non-canon Legends), one clue could reveal Ahsoka’s surprising endgame: a journey to the center of the Force itself.
What is the Pathway to Peridia?
Star Wars has a history of borrowing names from the Bible. Luke, Kanan, Gideon, and Ezra are just a few of the many examples. Dave Filoni consistently weaves religious and mythological references (see Skoll and Hati) into his stories and may have reached into the pages of the Bible to find the perfect name.
In The Book of Nehemiah (a book of the Hebrew Bible set during the era of the Second Temple in Jerusalem), a family with a surprisingly similar name is introduced. In Chapter 7 Verse 57 we find the word “Perida.” Perida is more than just a name; it’s a verb. In Hebrew, Perida means to divide, branch out, or spread out. It is often used to describe the delta of a river.
Filoni could have used this word to link the true purpose of the fabled Peridea. Combined with a bit of knowledge of how the Force works in Star Wars, it may explain the true purpose of the Pathway to Peridea — and how it could lead to the original source of the Force.
The Source of the Cosmic Force
In Star Wars, there are two aspects of the Force: The Cosmic Force and the Living Force. The Cosmic Force is the source of the Living Force (think of the Cosmic Force like a river that branches out into streams of the Living Force). The Pathway to Peridea lead to the location of the Cosmic Force that feeds the Living Force across the Galaxies. Or, taken a step further, Peridia might even be a branch of the Living Force.
We can find a precedent for this theory in The Clone Wars Season 6 Episode 12, “Destiny.” After receiving guidance from the Force ghost of Qui-Gon Jinn, Yoda travels to the Wellspring of Life (the source of the Living Force in that galaxy). He learns that the Wellspring connects the Living Force of that Galaxy and the Cosmic Force that flows through the entire Universe.
Peridea could be the source of the Cosmic Force spreading like a river delta across the galaxy and connecting to Wellsprings. These Wellspings are powerful in the light side of the Force. Like the Pathway to Peridea, the Wellspring was a legend until it was discovered by Qui-Gon Jinn. If the Pathway to Peridia leads to the center of the Cosmic Force, then Peridia itself may be that center.
This would also explain why Baylan sees their quest as a way to gain “power such as you've never dreamed.” He’s not interested in saving Thrawn. He’s interested in claiming the Cosmic Force for himself.
