Ahsoka Tano

The Clone Wars show is....a mixed bag to say the least. It didn't exactly start off strong, but ultimately evolved into an enjoyable show despite its issues. To this day, it's still somewhat controversial because of the way it overrode the Clone Wars Multimedia Project and because of some contrived continuity with the films. And Ahsoka Tano probably embodies a lot of the show's best and worst qualities.

When Ahsoka showed up, she wasn't received with much warmth, to the point that Ashley Eckstein ended up crying because of the reception to her character. However, love Ahsoka or hate her, there's no denying that she's a character who has resonated with many people, and ultimately found a solid footing among the fans. I think a part of that is because many people grew up with her and got to see her grow alongside them, and I personally think she's a good character, although not necessarily a great one.

Overall, Ahsoka had a nice story in TCW, and I must praise the way *Rebels* built on it. Instead of Ahsoka overtaking the Ghost crew because of her popularity, she was used with restraint. She's only prominent for the second season, and I never felt that the show abandoned the Spectres to focus on her. She has her own character arc about coming to terms with Anakin's fall, a new role as a high ranking rebel agent aiding Senator Organa, some badass moments and an excellent final duel with her teacher. But the show still remains about the Ghost Crew through and through.

That is, until the World Between Worlds hits us.

*Rebels* has a place in my heart since it was my introduction to Star Wars, and it's probably still my favorite Star Wars show. However, I have my criticisms of it, and the way it handled the metaphysics of Star Wars is one of them. The World Between Worlds did not work for me conceptually, although I did enjoy the way it was used as Ezra's great trial. But the choice to bring back Ahsoka using it was bizzare.

For starters, it wasn't necessary. Twilight of The Apprentice already strongly implied that Ahsoka survived the explosion. And Vader (obviously) got to walk away, so one could assume that Ahsoka also managed to escape before the superweapon was destroyed. But the main issue is that Ahsoka surviving creates some rather remarkable problems. By the time the OT rolls in, Luke should be the last hope of the Jedi. Everyone else is either dead or has long abandoned the path and fight. You could say that Ahsoka likely wouldn't be able to save Vader or defeat the Sith, but she still doesn't work in that timeframe. Not only does she have connections to Vader, Obi-Wan and Yoda, but she's also been heavily involved with the rebellion since its infancy.

And yet we have no explanation for what Ahsoka had been doing between the Duel on Malachor and The Battle of Endor. She logically would rejoin the rebellion after Malachor. Then she would hear about Luke, one of the heroes of Yavin, and would want to be involved in his story. She'd either help train him, reveal Vader's identity or both. Yoda and/or Obi-Wan would also likely send Luke her way; considering we know that they'd been monitoring Jedi survivors since they knew about Ezra without meeting him.

But Ashoka simply blips. She disappears off the map and reappears with no explanation whatsoever. Because even Filoni seems to know that Ahsoka doesn't work in the OT period without wrecking things, but doesn't seem to have an explanation. Was she stranded on Malachor for years? We are never shown or told that. Funnily enough, an easy workaround would be her returning from the world between worlds at the moment of Anakin's death due to her connection to him and the balancing of The Force. It would explain both her disappearance and why Yoda and Obi-Wan didn't count on her; she was seemingly dead after the duel on Malachor.

I used to be in the "let's wait and see,because maybe they'll justify keeping her around" camp, largely because I liked the idea of Ahsoka as a "friend of the family" to Luke and his new order. But after three consecutive mediocre entries in the Mandoverse, I've firmly switched camps. I certainly don't mind seeing more of the Ghost crew, and having them team up with The Falcon crew for a new Thrawn Campaign is something I'd more than love to see. But Lucasfilm has largely ignored the OT cast when it comes to mainstream content, especially in the post-RotJ era were they are relegated to cameos and mentions.

I'm not okay with that. Giving new characters the spotlight doesn't mean neglecting the original cast. Not only does the Ahsoka show fail to explain her 'blip', it also doesn't really give her a particularly compelling storyline that justifies her continued survival against all odds. Live-action Ahsoka has very little charm or personality, which is amazing because she's portrayed by Rosario freaking Dawson. I get what the show was trying to do with her. I just don't think it was done well at all.

Honestly, it was *Tales of the Jedi* that made me firmly in the "Ahsoka is overexposed as hell" camp. The show only had 6 shorts, and Filoni dedicated half of them to a character who already had tons of screen time, instead of the many other deserving characters like, for example, Qui-Gon. Who would have worked far better as a thematic foil to his former master. Only the episode with Anakin training her was any good from her eps imo (because TCW surprisingly doesn't show Anakin training her, unlike Kanan with Ezra), and none of the episodes added anything meaningful to her character or story. The last one was just a continuity nightmare that served as a dollar store version of her book, which had already told the same story much better because it had far more room to tell it.

Ahsoka went from a hated character, to a beloved one, to an overexposed and almost aimless one that has left many of us exhasted. I still like her in *TCW* and *Rebels*, but it honestly feels like everything after RotJ is cursed to me in New Canon, both in and out of universe.

Is the Ahsoka book from 2016 (i think the are the year) still canon? I’ve heard mixed things so I’d love to hear what you guys think because I was considering reading it but was curious if it adds to the story.

I see Anakin and Padmé's relationship get a ton of hate, and while I do understand where this criticism and hate come from, I seriously think many people do not understand this relationship and what it is supposed to be. First things first, this relationship was DOOMED from the start. Since Anakin didn't really receive help and didn't see therapy because he clearly had serious mental issues, the relationship realistically was never meant to end well. There is a reason they are called 'star-crossed lovers.'

I do understand why people complain about the AOTC romance, and I do agree the dialogue was terrible and it should've been executed better. But people don't get one thing: why Padmé fell for him. Many people do not understand why, but I actually can understand why she did. One of Padmé's and Luke's biggest weaknesses is that they believed Anakin deep down was a good person. Both of them had too much heart and were too understanding. While on the outside it looks like Anakin is basically harassing Padmé, however deep down, Padmé did develop feelings for him as well. She was trying to fight her feelings because she knew it was against the rules and was wrong. I think she truly saw a strong man who she came to love but tried separating his bad deeds from his true personality too much. She was too understanding. She had too much empathy and didn't let Anakin's horrible deeds affect how she felt for him, and Luke had the same weakness too, willing to forgive Anakin for his crimes and truly believing he is a good person.

The Clone Wars makes Padmé falling for him make even more sense because it shows a more kind, caring, and even charming Anakin than the PT. At first, their relationship is shallow and it seems like they only have feelings for each other because they simply like each other for their looks. But later on, they appreciate each other for their character and who they are. A huge part that destroyed this relationship is Anakin's attitude. Anakin had serious problems, and since he didn't really receive any proper help, he couldn't manage his emotions. This led him to do horrible things because of Padmé.

In the Clovis arc in The Clone Wars, Anakin had terrible trust issues. Even though Padmé was clearly uninterested in Clovis, Anakin didn't trust her. Even though Obi-Wan gave his pretty good advice—considering how he understood how Anakin felt because he had feelings for Satine—Anakin did things his own way and decided to literally beat up Clovis. If it weren't for Clovis lying that Anakin saved him, Anakin would have gone to jail. It is toxic, but this relationship wasn't meant to be healthy in the first place. This relationship was vital to the plot for Anakin to turn to the dark side.

While it could've been better, this isn't the whole point of the relationship. It is because of Anakin's attachment and love for her. Anakin's relationships, in general, are never healthy. He had strong attachments to the people he loved and cared about, which included his mother Shmi Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and even R2-D2. While a lot of people complain about Anakin and Padmé's relationship being "unhealthy," this isn't a realistic way of thinking at all. I'm not justifying their unhealthy relationship, but their relationship being unhealthy is vital to the plot of Anakin's fall to the Dark Side.

Other turning points for Anakin are Shmi's death and the Tusken Slaughter, Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan's fake death while disguised as Rako Hardeen. These events brought the dark side out of Anakin and also shattered his trust in Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council when he finds out they lied to him about all of it. It was meant for Anakin to turn because of wanting to save Padmé and to be brought back to the Light by his son Luke, who believed in him the way Padmé did. While it isn't a healthy relationship by any means, it makes their relationship more deep with its own ups and downs.

All I'm saying is, life isn't all that simple, and I'm glad Star Wars is actually really deep and explores many interesting topics. People's reasons for love aren't always normal, and sometimes it's deeper than what it normally is. I'm not justifying any bad things Anakin has done either, but Anakin's story is deep, and he is a very conflicted character, which is why he is so important to Star Wars. I truly believe if Anakin had received therapy and some help, their relationship could have been much more healthy as well. I don't expect anyone to agree with me or for anyone's opinions on this to change. I am simply sharing my thoughts here on this topic and how I have come to see their relationship. Also, I'm a teenage girl, so don't be mad at me for this not being well-written, lol.

Note: I don't think Luke and Padmé having too much empathy and forgiving is entirely a weakness, to some extent it is.

“I Loved You.”

Poor Obi-Wan

“Rey Who? Rey Skywalker.”

I feel Han Solo would’ve been in her head as well.

“Goodbye, Dear Princess.”

Leia throughout the years