The relationship between Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano was key to The Clone Wars. It defined both characters during their time at war and continued after it came to an end. But there was still something about it that just didn’t add up.
For the most part, the Jedi Council didn’t seem to trust Anakin. As such, it seems odd that they even gave him a padawan in the first place. The only way it makes sense is if their plan was to plant Ahsoka as a spy of sorts, monitoring Anakin’s activities and keeping him in check.
Anakin becomes a Jedi, not a Master
When Qui-Gon Jinn met a very young Anakin on Tatooine, he knew the boy was powerful. But the Jedi Council did not want to train him. Ultimately, it was Qui-Gon’s death at the hands of Darth Maul that Obi-Wan Kenobi used to cajole them into letting him train Anakin.
The darkness in Anakin was apparent to everyone, including Obi-Wan and Yoda. Even as he grew up, his inability to control his emotions remained. In fact, it got worse. This allowed Chancellor Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious, to manipulate him and create Darth Vader.
At the same time, the Jedi High Council’s treatment of Anakin encouraged his darkness. Mace Windu in particular seemed to be almost actively working against him at times. Anakin frequently ignored the council because of this, often actively pursuing his own interests.
If Anakin generally ignored the council and they seemed to have little faith in him, it makes no sense to give him a padawan. And it’s not like there weren’t plenty of other choices to mentor Ahsoka, particularly Plo Koon.
Ahsoka joins the Jedi Order
Ahsoka Tano was born on the Shili as part of a Togruta settlement that was devoted to art and culture over violence. Oddly enough, she wasn’t the only person from her home to become a Jedi. Shaak Ti, who helped oversee the Clone Troopers on Kamino, was also from Shili.
When Ahsoka was brought to the Jedi temple on Coruscant as a child, she ended up becoming the padawan of Anakin Skywalker. At the same time, there was another Jedi who was involved in her origin story who would have been a more obvious mentor for her.
Jedi Master Plo Koon was the one who found Ahsoka on Shili and brought her to Coruscant. A highly respected Jedi, Plo Koon was a member of the council during the Clone Wars and perished alongside thousands of other Jedi during Order 66.
There was an obvious bond between Ahsoka and Plo, possibly a more natural one than the relationship between Ahsoka and Anakin. Given the respect he commanded and the depth of his experience and skill, Plo Koon would seem to be the better teacher for Ahsoka.
Ahsoka may have been sent to monitor Anakin
The Jedi High Council was quite clear in that they didn’t want to train Anakin in the first place. And they certainly didn’t have any faith in him during the Clone Wars. So, giving him a padawan seems like an odd choice unless they had a more nefarious reason for doing so.
Throughout the Clone Wars, the Jedi High Council proved that they were not above sending out spies. They used Padme Amidala to spy on Rush Clovis. The council even used Anakin to spy on Chancellor Palpatine as the war ground on.
Ahsoka could have been put in place to monitor Anakin’s actions, even without her knowing it. She would have had to report back to the Council on a regular basis in regards to the war effort and Anakin’s actions. The Council could have then gotten all the intel on Anakin they needed.
Unfortunately for them, Ahsoka’s bond with Anakin was quite strong, and she followed in her master’s footsteps. Without his training, it’s unlikely that she would have survived Order 66. If she was unknowingly part of a Jedi High Council plot, it was yet another failure on their part.
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