This article contains spoilers to Ahsoka Episode 5, “Fallen Jedi.”
We did it, everyone! We finally know where Ahsoka the White came from!
The epilogue of Star Wars Rebels revealed Ahsoka Tano’s meeting with Sabine Wren to find Ezra Bridger. She donned long white robes and a staff. It was a powerful moment that left fans chomping for more answers.
Then when Ahsoka’s early trailers were released, lining up with the Rebels epilogue, it was clear that these two events didn’t mesh up as Ahsoka wore her usual grey robes. There have been some theories of why, and I highly recommend you check out this piece by one of our Dork Side writers eloquently talking about the mythology behind the change. It’s a very good read.
It wasn’t until Episode 5, “Shadow Warrior,” that Ahsoka, on the brink of death, faces off against her greatest demon: Anakin Skywalker. In the World Between Worlds, she moves through her past to her present, facing a monster of shadow and fire.
I’m choosing these very specific word choices because Ahsoka’s journey purposely mirrors another famous wizard. Showrunner Dave Filoni is a huge J.R.R. Tolkien fan, which is why Ahsoka follows the narrative footsteps of Gandalf the Grey.
In The Lord of the Rings series, Gandalf the Grey battles a demon called the Balrog. These creatures cloak themselves in smoke and shadows, a motif used in Episode 5 to surround Anakin often as Ahsoka faced her past with him. The Balrog wields a great sword and a fiery whip as Anakin wields his lightsaber. He was Ahsoka’s demon to face as Gandalf squared off with his in the Mines of Moria.
Gandalf died in his battle and was resurrected. Ahsoka was brought to the brink of death and, narratively speaking, was baptized in the seas of Seatos as she was resurrected. After both characters have returned, they donned white robes to show their transformation. Like that, Ahsoka the White was born.
Perhaps we will have another scene at the end of Ahsoka with Lady Tano standing before Sabine Wren with her staff to make the two series line up. But honestly, I hope we don’t. Star Wars is a mythology, not a history. These stories should be allowed to shift and change to serve the story being told. While major plotlines should be respected, the myth around how a particular character gained her white robes was a powerful narrative.
I can let it slide if these little detail don’t fully add up.
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