14. Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order and Anakin (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
I’ll gladly admit that I’m putting this high on the list because of how much I grew to love Ahsoka’s character. I do truly believe, though, that her choice to leave the Jedi Order (and by association, Anakin) behind had a huge impact on Anakin in particular.
By the end of The Clone Wars, we could see the dark side seeping into Anakin. His anger was getting harder and herder for him to control and Ahsoka could tell that he was going down a path that she didn’t want to follow him down. She also felt that the Jedi Order was keeping her from helping people in the way she wanted to.
As we watch her leave, it’s a bittersweet moment and you know that her departure means a great deal to others, too. Padmé knows that this is a big blow to Anakin, so it’s clear that Ahsoka’s importance was well-known to others tied to Anakin. While it may have been the right move for Ahsoka at the time, I can’t help but wonder if things would have turned out differently for Anakin had she stuck around. Could Ahsoka have kept Anakin grounded even as things began to fall apart for him? We’ll never know, but it is fun to think about.