The comic series Star Wars: Rebels, including the introduction of beloved Rebels characters. Among the important aspects brought over from Rebels was the planet Lothal and the first comic appearance of the “World Between Worlds.”
Ahsoka--written by Rodney Barnes with art by Steven Cummings--is a comic adaptation of the Disney+ series that marks Ahsoka Tano’s first solo adventure in the live-action Star Wars universe.
At the end of episode 4 of Ahsoka, the titular rebel finds herself in a place she’s been before, but with someone she has not seen in decades--her master, Anakin Skywalker. Following suit, issue #4 of the Ahsoka comic series ends the same way, with issue #5 officially introducing the World Between Worlds into the Star Wars comic world.
The World Between Worlds Shows Ahsoka her Master and her Past
Ahsoka; written by Rodney Barnes with art by Steven Cummings
After losing a battle with former Jedi, Baylan Skoll, Ahsoka awakens in a mystical place. Ahsoka first visited the same place after being rescued by Ezra Bridger and pulled out of another losing battle with Darth Vader in season 4, episode 13 Rebels, aptly titled “World Between Worlds.” In issue #5 of Ahsoka, she is greeted by Anakin, who looks exactly the same as he did during the Clone Wars when he first took Ahsoka on as his Padawan. Anakin explains to Ahsoka that she lost a fight, and if she wants to live, she has to continue her training.
Ahsoka is rightfully taken by complete surprise, as the last time she saw Anakin was before he set off to save Palpatine, as seen in Revenge of the Sith. For years, Ahsoka believed Anakin had been massacred with the rest of the Jedi on Coruscant during Order 66, until she sensed his presence upon her first encounter with Darth Vader. The Anakin in the World Between Worlds takes Ahsoka through her past, starting with when she was no more than a child during her first battle in the Clone Wars; the first time she experienced loss under her command.
Anakin talks to a young Ahsoka before striding up ahead of her, shifting momentarily into Darth Vader. Anakin takes her through another defining battle of her life--the Siege of Mandalore--where he tells her she has to choose to live or die before engaging her in a lightsaber duel back in the netherspace in the World Between Worlds. His lightsaber switches between blue and red, just as his personality shifts between Vader and Anakin, before Ahsoka proclaims that she wants to live. Proud of his Padawan, Anakin tells her there’s still hope for her before sending her back to the mortal plane.
What Exactly is the World Between Worlds, and What is its Significance?
Star Wars: Rebels, Season 4, episode 13: “World Between Worlds.”
The space that Ahsoka’s experiences with Anakin take place in--the World Between Worlds--is a place created by and existing within the Force that allows a Jedi to travel through events in their past. In Rebels, Ezra finds the entrance to the World Between Worlds in the Jedi Temple on Lothal behind a painting of the Mortis gods--the Father, Daughter, and Son. The Mortis gods are a whole additional can of worms with their own deep and complicated lore that was first introduced in what is known as the “Mortis arc” of Star Wars: Clone Wars (season 3, episodes 15-17).
"The World Between Worlds opens endless doors for revisiting significant moments in Star Wars history, especially when it comes to Anakin before he turns to the Dark Side."
During season 4 of Rebels, Ezra is guided by native Lothal animals--Loth-wolves--who are intrinsically connected to the World Between Worlds and can travel easily between the real world and the Force-created plane. Ezra, with his unique Force talent allowing him to connect to animals, is able to find the entrance and get inside, which is when the World Between Worlds is seen for the very first time in Star Wars lore. He quickly realizes that the mystical location allows one to travel through past actions, which is how he saves Ahsoka from her battle with Vader on Malachor that happened years earlier.
However, the implications of a plane of existence where one can change the events of the past is a dangerous thing, especially if dark forces are able to gain entry and alter their losses into triumphs, creating a world where the Empire is undefeatable. Eventually, Ezra and Ahsoka decide to close the entrance to the Jedi Temple on Lothal for that very reason. But the events of Ahsoka #4-5 and the Ahsoka series episodes 4-5 make it clear that there are other ways for Jedi--or past Jedi, in Ahsoka’s case--to enter the World Between Worlds in their time of need.
The World Between Worlds Opens Many Doors for Future Star Wars Stories
The Ability to Access and Change the Past Could be Both Helpful and Dangerous
The introduction of the World Between Worlds in both the live-action Star Wars world and the comics space has major implications. As with Anakin’s reappearance to complete Ahsoka’s training, other deceased Jedi could do the same. Specifically, Hera Syndulla’s son, Jacen, is a Force-sensitive child whose Jedi father--Kanan Jarrus--ed away before his birth. The existence of the World between Worlds provides a very significant space for Jacen to meet his father and learn about Kanan’s past as a young Padawan, a rebel struggling with his Jedi identity, and him eventually embracing who he is by taking Ezra under his wing.
Theories have been floating around positing that Ezra will take Jacen on as his Padawan, continuing the master-apprentice line that Kanan established with Ezra. Ezra ing along what he had learned from Kanan essentially allows Jacen to learn from his father through Ezra. This would not only be a touching plot, but could set up flashbacks to events that happened in Rebels during Ezra’s training, bringing beloved animated moments into live action. As it stands now, with what has been revealed in the comics, Jacen and Ezra's journey to World Between Worlds would be the most logical and emotional experience.
As Star Wars Eyes a New Series, Ahsoka Tano's Potential Is Limitless
With the announcement of a new Star Wars comic set after Return of the Jedi, a storyline following Ahsoka Tano could fill in gaps in her timeline.
More recent rumors about season two of Ahsoka have also been circulating around the internet stating that Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor are slated to return as Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, respectively. Considering that the World Between Worlds was a significant part of Ahsoka--both the series and the comic series--if the rumors turn out to be true, it points to a return to the Force-created plane and a return to the Clone Wars. The World Between Worlds opens endless doors for revisiting significant moments in Star Wars history, especially when it comes to Anakin before he turns to the Dark Side.
-
Star Wars Rebels
- Network
- Disney Channel
- Showrunner
- Dave Filoni, Simon Kinberg
- Directors
- Dave Filoni
Cast
David Oyelowo
Freddie Prinze Jr.
Tiya Sircar
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingBUYSet between Episodes III and IV of the Star Wars film franchise, Star Wars Rebels is a canon animated series that follows a group of ragtag heroes who band together to face the Empire. In an age where the Galactic Empire is hunting down the last of the Jedi, a teenage outcast named Ezra Bridger is discovered to be force sensitive by a surviving Jedi known as Kanan Jarrus. Agreeing to them and accept Jedi training, Ezra becomes a part of a small but growing crew of rebels determined to destroy the empire covertly.
-
- Alias
- Ashla, Fulcrum
- Created By
- George Lucas, Dave Filoni
- Franchise
- Star Wars
- Race
- Togruta
- TV Shows
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi, The Mandalorian, Ahsoka
- Cast
- Ashley Eckstein, Rosario Dawson
The apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano was an accomplished Padawan who served during the Clone Wars. Ahsoka left the Jedi after she became disillusioned with the Jedi Council, but returned to serve in the Siege of Mandalore at the end of the Clone Wars. She survived Order 66, becoming a Rebel agent during the Dark Times of the Empire's reign, and her adventures continue in the New Republic era. Ahsoka was last seen stranded in a distant galaxy, having failed to prevent Grand iral Thrawn's return.
