In Star Wars: Rebels, Ahsoka Tano famously told Vader, “I am no Jedi,” and her Disney+ series shows fans that she is still so unbalanced in the Force.
One of the biggest surprises was that along with Ezra Bridger’s lightsaber, Sabine Wren was Ahsoka Tano’s Padawan learner. This revelation, along with the fact the training didn’t go very well, recontextualizes Ahsoka’s decision to refuse to train Grogu. However, that and Ahsoka’s demeanor throughout these first two episodes suggest she is still “no Jedi,” at least not yet.
Ahsoka is very powerful in the Force. She’s not only the beneficiary of training from the Jedi Order’s most powerful warrior, Anakin Skywalker, but also his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi. She has traveled to the World Between Worlds and led troops in battle on many occasions. With her lightsabers, she also seems unbeatable. Whether from a group of Sith Inquisitors or an entire battalion of Clone Troopers, Ahsoka is masterful in defending herself with or without lethality. However, from her impulsive nature to her quiet frustration and anger with Sabine, it’s clear she still has a lot of Anakin’s negative qualities present in her. Years after the Empire fell, Ahsoka is still struggling to find her place not just in the galaxy but the Living Force. The most practiced Jedi can control their emotions. While Ahsoka doesn’t panic or feel fear in the heat of battle, the quiet moments between conflicts are much more challenging.
Ahsoka Tano Would’ve Been One of the Most Powerful Jedi Knights Ever to Live
Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One by destiny’s hand. However, if Star Wars taught the audience anything about the Force, it’s that the will of the Force and destiny don’t always align. During the fall of the Republic, Ahsoka was a closer adherent to the tenets of the light side of the Force than even Obi-Wan or Master Yoda. Rather than quickly dispatching the clone troopers trying to kill her and Rex as her masters did at the Jedi temple, she spared them. Many clones died when their ship crashed, but none were killed by her hand. Ahsoka understood their behavior wasn’t their choice.
When Din Djarin and Grogu met her years later during her hunt for Morgan Elsbeth, she gave no quarter to the Magistrate’s mercenaries. She was one with the Force, and it was with her. She and Din Djarin helped free a village from Elsbeth’s control. Yet, she was not on a mission of mercy or peace. In the opening of Ahsoka’s series premiere, Ahsoka even implies she did something not in keeping with the tenets of the Jedi Order to get information from her captive. Yet, in The Book of Boba Fett, supposedly a year after her first meeting with Din Djarin, she’s patient and more serene.
Ahsoka will likely detail her journey from that first emotional state to the other. Her lack of balance is shown through her impatience in her search for Thrawn. It’s further established by her anger and frustration with Sabine, including walking away from training her. What their fallout out was about will also likely be made clear before the finale. Yet, these are all merely symptoms of the affliction keeping her from being the serene Jedi Master fans saw in The Book of Boba Fett.
Ahsoka Tano Won’t Let Go of Her Guilt and Regret for Leaving the Jedi and Anakin
In Star Wars: Rebels, Hera Syndulla was, effectively, the maternal figure in the found family of the Ghost. As a Rebellion General, she also knows how to talk to war-weary soldiers, especially those who think they don’t need anyone else. When Ahsoka talks about her difficulty with Sabine, Hera mentions that Ahsoka’s master likely felt frustrated with her. Her long pause before responding tells audiences everything they need to know about her feelings. The memory of her master doesn’t put her trouble in perspective, nor is it a fond memory. Hera, intentionally or not, jammed her finger into Ahsoka’s rawest open wound.
While still very powerful in the Force and her commitment to light side ideals, Ahsoka lacks balance. She blames herself for Anakin’s fall and, subsequently, the fall of the Jedi Order. In The Clone Wars, she was accused of murder and went on the run. Once she was cleared of suspicion, she chose to leave the Jedi. She walked away from the only family she’d ever known, including a pleading Anakin Skywalker. While not the catalyst for his fall, it was a step that put him teetering on the edge. In order to find her balance in the Force, Ahsoka has to forgive herself for the choice she made.
Even if destiny (read: canon) weren’t at work, Anakin’s fall would not be Ahsoka’s fault. He was her master, after all. Yet, this guilt has led to a fear that if Ahsoka failed Anakin, she will fail other Jedi like Grogu or Sabine. Ahsoka is nowhere close to falling into the dark side, but she will also never reach her true potential until she lets her unearned guilt and shame go. Perhaps, by the time Ahsoka gets to Luke Skywalker’s training temple, she will have learned this important, final lesson.
