Fans of the Force-wielding togruta were hopeful that the former Jedi would make an appearance in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
This post contains Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker spoilers.
The conclusion of the Skywalker Saga has now opened to the masses, and Star Wars fans everywhere are preparing for their second and third viewings, hoping they can catch as many small details as possible now that they know how the story will end.
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The fandom is particularly obsessed with one of the movie’s ultimate highlights — the moment when Rey must do whatever it takes to defeat Palpatine once and for all.
She realizes she must summon the strength of all the past Jedi that have come before her, and turns to meditation to get to connect with the Force in one of the film’s most critical moments.
“Be with me,” she whispers, and seems to enter the World Between Worlds — easily explained to those unfamiliar with the animated shows as a realm within the Force that exists outside of all space and time.
At this point, the voices of Jedi who have become part of the cosmic Force speak to her one after the other. Especially if you have only seen the movie once, it’s hard to pick out each one — the end credits did list each voice actor in a separate section though, which helped to identify who you may have missed.
Ashley Eckstein — the voice of Ahsoka Tano in both The Clone Wars and Rebels — is on that list. Whether you caught her line or not, it was there! Ahsoka lives! Well … sort of!
Other voices heard during the scene included that of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Qui-Gon Ginn (Liam Neeson), Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson), Yoda (Frank Oz) and more.
This does bring up an interesting (maybe worrisome) question among fans of the expanded universe: Does this mean Ahsoka is no longer alive?
And if she isn’t (she would have been quite old by this point), are we ever going to get the story behind how that came to pass? A story about her and Sabine venturing off to find Ezra (even though his voice wasn’t heard, implying he is still alive)?
One of many delightful things about this movie is that it has opened so many more portals (ha, get it?) for story exploration beyond the Skywalkers. Our most important questions have been answered, but there are so many more gaps that further stories can fill.
The Skywalker Saga itself may be over, but Star Wars? It’s really just beginning.
Did you recognize any of the other voices that spoke to Rey in the final act of the film? Who were you hoping to see or hear?