ST New Canon Materials (novels, TV shows, comics, games) and Episode IX - SEE WARNING ON PAGE 41

https://nerdist.com/dave-filoni-star-wars-rebels-ahsoka-tano-return/

Monday night’s Star Wars Rebels opened a portal to a place where all of time and space is accessible, a world between worlds. As Ezra walked through the empty space, he heard snippets of quotes from all over the Star Wars timeline–Qui-Gon Jinn, Rey, Yoda. Everything is happening at the same time in this place. At a Q&A at Lucasfilm following a screening of “A World Between Worlds,” Rebels executive producer Dave Filoni communicated he wanted it to be ominous. “To me a very dangerous thing would be this world where all things are happening and possible and time is fluid,” he said. “So, we sound designed in a line from pretty much every single Star Wars film to be happening all at once in this void, to prime you for the idea that time is always happening in here. And all these events are happening.”

The idea of different portals came to Filoni through C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew‘s Wood between the Worlds; the story made an impression on him as a kid. He recalled it was powerful, and that’s why Ezra has to watch himself. He explained, “You have to be careful when you’re moving through these big powerful dimensions and what you’re wishing for. Everything he [Ezra] wishes for, out loud, is a dangerous thing to do. If you watch and listen when Ezra talks and he makes certain statements, there’ll be a thunder clap, and that thunder is representative of something else listening. There’s multiple things going on in there and everything becomes a choice between how you want to use power and control, and influence others.”

Ezra restrains himself when it comes to saving Kanan’s life, but he chooses to use his power to save Ahsoka Tano–which is something Kanan engineered. “What particularly excited me about this story was I could tell a story that takes place within the Malachor episode that shows you how she gets out of the conflict with Vader, and then puts her at the end of that episode, which is her going down the staircase and the triangle doorway,” Filoni said.

“So, you’re not technically further than you were before with her story, but you get an interesting part of that story. Because I’m not doing that story right now. I don’t want to interrupt it with anything that I might later go, ‘Oh, I have a better idea.’ The thing about Ahsoka you have to remember is that everything she does in Rebels has to service Rebels. If I don’t do that, it’s not true to what we’re doing here and then it will feel very fake, and flawed, and self serving.”

We don’t know Ahsoka’s ultimate fate, but we at least know she’s alive and well after Malachor. And it stems from what happened in “Twilight of the Apprentice.” Filoni said, “Kanan makes a decision on Malachor not to go with his gut–which is that Maul’s going to betray them. Because he’s not willing to step up and say, ‘No, this guy is evil. Let’s get out of here, let’s walk away from this,’ everything bad [falls like] dominoes after that. And Ezra says it. He says, ‘That’s when everything changed.'”

“In a way for Kanan, it’s like a big failure. He doesn’t pass this test of believing in himself and committing to what’s he willing to trade off to defeat evil in this moment. They should have just walked away from Malachor. But they didn’t. So, the only thing Kanan really engineers, that I think is questionably a little bit selfish, is he engineers the rescue of Ahsoka. He wants to see if Ezra can figure out that’s what he’s capable of doing in that moment. So, he puts him in this place where he can do that. That’s why the big wolf is saying restore the past and you redeem the future. Kanan’s correcting that thing where she otherwise dies. Now she’s back in play which is, I think, a good thing because she’s an interesting character.”

And in case you wondered, the Kanan Hera sees is not a Force ghost. Filoni said, “It’s more like a way to show her present memory of a presence that is of course around you, but not there in a way that she would intuitively know or see.”

 

So... yeah.

 

Without putting a lot of overthinking into it, i really enjoyed watching rebels since it first premiered. Some might take issues of how some things are canon but i mostly took from this series an expansion of jedi mythology, animation that reflected how star wars looked (like how ships flew, the camera angles, wipes ect), and i feel connected to the characters more than i thought i would when the first season ran through. Its strange how the animation improved (or its budget was increased) when you go back to recap older episodes but for a FIRST series under the Disney mantle, i thought they did well.
The time and space thing is pretty trippy but i enjoyed learning more about how jedi feel, see, and interact with the force or its force locations if you will via temples and all. I like the emphasis on living force and how it connects everyone regardless of their connection. I cannot wait to see the final next week and hope its a success, their success and telling the end of this story will affect other shows going forward im sure....i cannot wait for those shows to begin. I just wish there was something star wars on tv all year around and that there were no midseason finales/breaks etc. - it would make waiting for the films less tortuous.

 

I liked it more than I thought I would. I really like the trippy force stuff. I'm not 100% on changing the past. I do hope that Filoni has a plan for Ahsoka that involves her dying - she feels too major to leave in play. But I could see why he brought her back - to impart the lesson that Ezra needed to take onboard. And I love how the importance of Jedi being prepared to give everything in service of a higher cause resonates through to Old Ben and Luke in TLJ. I feel Ezra will now go the same way. But yeah, Filoni should lay off the Ahsoka fixation. She's not that interesting (IMO).

 

I really liked how they saved Ahsoka. Sure I still wish Vader had killed her, but it is what it is and we will just have to live with it.

 

I'm glad the temple is destroyed and that knowledge lost. Opening up that kind of power is a slippery slope.

 

What do we think is going to happen to Ahsoka now? At this point in the story (in Rebels) she returned about 2 years in the past. So she could really be anywhere, assuming she could get off of Malachor. I am a huge fan of what they did last night with her (I can NOT believe Filoni actually pulled that off) but I would really like some closure for her character on screen. I think her character deserves it.

 

Okay they moved Ahsoka into the past and killed Kenan... It seems they ARE taking measures not to trample on the OT too much.

 

If we take Filoni's topps cards as a clue then it seems like she went through another portal thanks to Morai's guidance.

 

Maybe I'll change my mind when I watch but I liked Ahsoka wandering mysteriously into some netherworld and for it to never be covered again! I wasn't totally happy with the idea of dead Ahsoka, so this gone but not exactly dead thing was working for me.

 

A lot of people are saying that, but I don’t really see it. Idk, I guess I just saw Filoni’s cards as a hint of what might happen to her in the episode that just happened. I mean, she did find the portal, but she just got pulled into it instead of walking through it. Unless the temple’s holocron explosion created another portal, I don’t see any reason to think that she’ll just stumble upon another.

 

Yeah... I didn’t “like” your post because I liked the idea, but rather because I have fears you’ll be right.

Also: NOOOOOOOOOO

 

I've seen the episode now. Really Vader was going to kill her so I don't think that's a concern in the sense of his intent. Also his Sith eye had turned red again.

I liked how they tied it into her disappearing at the end of the episode she fought Vader in.

I feel like it's likely she'll show up again in the show because otherwise her being brought back serves no purpose. I don't really understand the point of bringing her back TBH.

 

I liked the episodes over all but it’s a very slippery slope. I always end up with the hitler argument which in this case would be Palpatine. Why not go and influence his rise to power. It’s too heavy a concept for what Rebels is though.

As others have said I feel that it was somewhat...shoehorned in as a way to save Ahsoka. It works as a means to what Palpatine is after and if it was just that it would’ve been perfect, despite being a little convenient. Similar to how having a Jedi temple on Lothal felt convenient to the story at the time. Unfortunately Filoni does what he’s known for and brings back his pet character.

I can only hope she has an actual purpose in coming back or if it’s more on the “I want to tell more Ahsoka stories later on”. I felt that her coming back as Fulcrum and learning the truth about Vader was a fitting end to her character so I guess I can only hope for the best going forward.

 

So long as she doesn't show up in Resistance.

 

To save Ezra from the Emperor?

 

One thing nagging at me is why the Emperor would leave the Lothal temple to incompetents. I'm sure he could have went there and opened it.

Another thing I'm wondering is if the emperor had anything to do with the relationship between Ezra and Maul.

 

Yeah, that could fit I guess. Part of me thinks she'll show up in the finale and they're just playing coy for now. I really would like her out of the picture around the time of the OT. Same with Ezra. The Jedi fire should be out when Luke comes into play. I think force users or Jedi in hiding, fine - but Ahsoka has been shown to be a key ally to the Rebellion - and she would no doubt be a powerful ally in the fight. It would be weird for her not to show up, and yet there is no sense in the OT that someone like her is in play. I did like that she realises she can't save her master any more than Ezra can save Kanan. And this - like the theme of sacrifice - ties to Luke knowing he cannot save Kylo.

 

I just think that because they brought Ahsoka back in the SW Rebels show there had to be a purpose within that show, otherwise bringing her back (this entire plot about healing the past that had spanned several episodes culminating in her return) is meaningless on SW Rebels itself.

 

I agree. From a technical POV, she does help Ezra understand the lesson Kanan wants him to learn. But It does feel like a bit os special pleading on Filoni's part if she's brought back purely to not be dead. I don't see her as that interesting a character moving forwards - her story wrapped up naturally in season 2. Unless she plays a part in the finale.