Abandoned by her master, what’s next for Shin Hati?

Shin Hati has been a bit of an enigma so far. Most of our understanding of her as a character comes from her expressions and the questions she asks her Master. Along with Baylan Skoll, Shin is one of the intriguing new characters introduced in Ahsoka. As Baylan’s apprentice, Shin was probably taught from a young age, but seems confused about Jedi history. How much knowledge she has and how much she lacks is unclear, but what’s clear is that she’s on her own after Episode 7, as Baylan parted ways with her. Someone, or something, is calling out to Baylan, and he believes Shin’s path lies elsewhere. Shin has no say in what happens, and now that Baylan has left her on her own, what’s next for her?

Left in the middle of nowhere, quite literally, Shin was offered help by Ahsoka, which she didn’t accept. Whether she’ll change her mind later remains to be seen, however, with no friend in sight, she will have to decide a direction or be left stranded in another galaxy, on a planet that’s a graveyard. Thrawn wants to leave the place as soon as possible, and even Shin seems uncomfortable there. But after refusing Ahsoka’s help, the only thing she can do is to join Thrawn and Morgan Elsbeth. Joining them would be akin to turning completely to the dark side. That seems too predictable and extremely sad a fate for a character like Shin, who’s probably conflicted. Otherwise, Ahsoka would never have offered her help.

With that said, is there any chance of Shin taking up Ahsoka’s offer before the end of this season or will she have to suffer needlessly before she turns to the light? The answer lies in the history of Star Wars characters who’ve chosen the dark side, or walked a dangerous path. Based on characters like Darth Vader, Count Dooku, and Darth Maul, Shin seems destined for tragedy. But there are also characters like Asajj Ventress who turned from the dark side back to the light, and made up for her mistakes. Even Ezra was tempted to join the dark side by Maul but he resisted the temptation. Will something or the other push Shin to see the light before it’s too late?

Perhaps, by seeing Ahsoka’s concern for Sabine and Ezra, Shin will reconsider her choice and decide to join Ahsoka. From her point of view, Ahsoka was the enemy but she still offered to help her when Shin was at her lowest point in Episode 7, abandoned by Baylan and Thrawn, and left completely alone. There’s still so much to know about Shin’s history and it would be great if instead of the dark side, she begins to feel a stronger pull towards the light, and ends up becoming a very traditional Jedi, with a strict adherence to Jedi code.

While Ahsoka may not have been able to save Anakin from falling to the dark side, she can still save Shin. By helping Shin, Ahsoka can find some peace over Anakin’s fate, and her own choice to walk away from him. This will give Shin a chance to start over and become someone who understands her place in the galaxy and how her abilities as a Jedi can be used for good, so that no one feels alone and abandoned like she did in Episode 7.

Ahsoka is streaming on Disney+.