Star Wars has a rich collection of iconic characters. One has become very popular in the fandom since 2008, from Star Wars: The Clone Wars and in 2014's Star Wars Rebels. She was even in the second season of The Mandalorian briefly: Ahsoka Tano, the former young Pawadan of Anakin Skywalker and eventual rebel leader. The Ahsoka live-action series will focus on Ahsoka herself and her journey to find Grand Admiral Thrawn and will see her reunited with many of the characters from Star Wars: Rebels.
Updated July 19, 2023: This article has been updated with even more fan theories about the upcoming Ahsoka series.
The series is one of many Star Wars Disney+ series and is closely connected with The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, which will lead to a new film uniting the various corners of the Star Wars universe. Ahsoka is set for a two-episode premiere on Disney+ on August 23. Fans are already weighing the odds as to what the full plot will be and theorizing what is to come for the show and Ahsoka’s character. They have high hopes for this show. Disney will be sure to deliver, but how will they go about it? Here are a few of the most popular theories that are circling the series.
Return of Anakin Skywalker
It has been confirmed that Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in the Ahsoka series. Fans are speculating and theorizing about what Anakin’s purpose will be. Many believe that he will return as a Force Ghost. Force Ghosts are beings who obtained immortality after death by preserving their consciousness. The franchise has firmly established that only those who knew the spirits well in their past lives may see them. It would make sense for Anakin to appear for Ahsoka as a Force Ghost, possibly to aid her on her journey or continue to advise her. He could have prior knowledge that she is unaware of that can help her. Still, there is a chance Ahsoka might not accept Anakin’s help since he allied himself with the dark side.
Of course, fans also believe that Anakin may be present in the form of flashbacks or even dreams of the past. If this is the case, we could see scenes between him and Ahsoka from Star Wars: The Clone Wars in live-action. Or we could see events from their past that have not been shown on screen before. Anakin had a great impact on her before and after he turned to the Dark Side. It would only make sense that Ahsoka would think about her former master every so often and recall the times they spent together. These flashbacks could very well shape her character throughout the story if Anakin appears as such. Even if this does not come to fruition, fans have been having fun dreaming up possible live-action castings for young Ahsoka.
The World Between Worlds
The logo alone for the Ahsoka series was enough to stir the minds of Star Wars fans. Specifically, fans are paying close attention to how the letter “O” is designed for the logo. Many fans are hypothesizing that the “O” is referring to the portal to the World Between Worlds, also known as Vergence Scatter. The World Between Worlds has a connection to Mortis, a completely different realm that is extremely hard to get to on purpose. Mortis is where Ahsoka died in Clone Wars, but Anakin resurrected her with the Daughter’s Life Force. This World Between Worlds is what introduced time travel in the Star Wars franchise.
This opens up a whole range of possibilities if the portal to the World Between Worlds is in the plot of the story. Could Ahsoka go back in time and change Anakin’s fate? Does she use it to track down Thrawn? Will she use it to find out the whereabouts of Ezra Bridger? So far, one of the biggest theories surrounding this “O” in the logo is the events that happened on Mortis in Clone Wars. Fans are reflecting on Ahsoka’s death and how she was resurrected with the Daughter’s Force. This could mean that Ahsoka is the new representation of the light side and that it might be explored in her new series.
New Timelines
Building off of the World Between Worlds, some unsatisfied fans were speculating that Disney may use the series to undo some of their less popular titles. The sequel trilogy was both beloved by many but also hated by a few. While recent data suggest the hatred was exacerbated by bots, there were some hoping that Disney would reset the timeline and get rid of entries they deemed unworthy.
Yet those theories are not only unlikely but also rather ridiculous when thought about. Why would Disney erase films that grossed over $1 billion worldwide from the continuity? Despite some older fans not liking them, there are just as many young fans who love the sequel trilogy. So much so that Disney announced a new film with Daisy Ridley returning as Rey, which will be set after The Rise of Skywalker. This was a fan theory that seemed like wishful thinking by some unsatisfied fans who are still upset about changes made to the franchise.
What Exactly Are The Villains, If Not Jedi Or Sith
The main villains of Ahsoka are Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati, played by Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno, respectively. They both appear to be former Jedi that survived Order 66, as Baylan appears to have known Anakin Skywalker. The two are strong force users, and in between the events of Revenge of the Sith and the new Disney+ series have given in to the dark side of the Force to survive.
Yet notably, there are lightsabers on, not the classic Sith red. In fact, they are orange, with it as the full color with no hint of white in it like other lightsabers. Dave Filoni has confirmed they are not Sith, so what are they exactly? They could, in many ways, be Dave Filoni's commentary on the popular Grey Jedi theory. Grey Jedi are former force users who use both the light and the dark side and are not bound by either Jedi or Sith labels. The concept is popular among fans but has never been made canon. With Ahsoka herself being a former Jedi, this might be a concept to draw a parallel between heroes and villains and show that Jedi is not a label but a mindset.
Will Barriss Offee Get Redemption?
Another theory floating around in the minds of fans deals with Barriss Offee. She used to be a friend of Ahsoka until she turned traitor and bombed the Jedi Temple. Barriss tried to frame the crime on Ahsoka, but Anakin found out about it and turned her in. Since then, Barriss has been imprisoned and had no other appearance in the franchise. Ahsoka would be a good way of bringing Barriss’s character back and seeing how exactly she has been doing since she was imprisoned.
Some fans are theorizing that Barriss will have a redemption arc. Barriss might see the error of her ways and help Ahsoka in her search for Thrawn and even Ezra, who is still missing in action. Maybe the two will reconcile and be friends again. Others, however, are formulating that Barriss will deceive Ahsoka even further. They want her to be a villain if not the main villain, of the series and trick Ahsoka with false information. Both theories are great ways of reintroducing Barriss if Disney decides to include her, and it would cause some extra drama.