One disturbing image of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars reveals what could have been had Ahsoka’s Star Wars story been slightly different. Audiences were shocked when Ahsoka was introduced as Anakin’s Padawan in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars movie, as the prequels hadn’t made mention of any such Padawan, nor had any of Star Wars movies and TV shows referenced Ahsoka. However, she ended up being an excellent addition to the franchise and a critical character in the Star Wars timeline.

Part of the impact Ahsoka’s character had was due to her strong bond with Anakin. Not only did this have implications for him, as she was a factor in the defining moments leading to Anakin’s fall, but also, Anakin had similar implications for Ahsoka. In fact, because of her loyalty to him, Ahsoka often turned a blind eye to the poor decisions Anakin was making. One moment in particular highlights how dangerous this could have been and how completely it could have changed Ahsoka’s path.

Ahsoka Was Loyal To Anakin Even In His Darker Moments

In the Star Wars: The Clone Wars TV show, the Jedi Order tricked everyone, Anakin and Ahsoka included, into believing Obi-Wan Kenobi had died so that Obi-Wan could carry out a mission undercover. This was an odd choice, given Anakin’s struggle with attachments and the fact that his mother had died not that long before. Unsurprisingly, Anakin became a loose cannon after believing his close friend to be dead, which was brought into very sharp relief in season 4, episode 16, “Friends and Enemies.”

In the episode, Ahsoka and Anakin were on the hunt for Obi-Wan’s supposed killers (one of whom was Obi-Wan in disguise), and they went into a cantina seeking answers. When the person working behind the bar asked for money in exchange for information, Anakin lost all patience and began Force choking him. While alarming that Anakin would Force choke a random citizen working at a bar, it wasn’t all that surprising; Anakin Force choked multiple people in The Clone Wars, including Asajj Ventress later on.

What was shocking was Ahsoka’s response. Rather than horror or even surprise at Anakin’s willingness to use this dark side Force ability, Ahsoka stood behind Anakin, glaring at the person Anakin was choking. This moment has rather terrifying implications for Ahsoka. Yes, she was always loyal to Anakin, but to see Ahsoka so willing to have Anakin’s back even when he was committing such a heinous act points toward a much more insidious issue underneath.

Would Ahsoka Have Followed Anakin’s Dark Path If She Stayed?

Little time passed between this event with the cantina worker and Ahsoka’s departure from the Jedi Order. In season 5, Ahsoka was falsely accused of murder, and, although Anakin cleared her name, the damage had already been done. Rather than believing Ahsoka, the Jedi Council had cast her out, leaving her fate in the Senate’s hands (which almost spelled her death). However, that moment in which Ahsoka remained loyal to Anakin as he choked someone raises interesting questions about what could have been had Ahsoka stayed.

Ahsoka was clearly disillusioned enough with the Jedi to walk away from the Order despite it being all she had ever known. Had events transpired in the same way except for Ahsoka deciding to leave the Order, she undoubtedly would have been much more susceptible to believing the Jedi were flawed, particularly if that perspective was coming from Anakin, the person she trusted most. Especially given her loyalty to Anakin even as he Force choked an innocent person, it’s not out of the question that Ahsoka may have stuck by Anakin’s side rather than the Order’s.

While, yes, it’s unlikely that Ahsoka would have remained loyal to Anakin knowing he had killed younglings, it’s difficult to say what Ahsoka’s corruption could have looked like or how much she would have known. Given Palpatine was able to make Anakin turn to the dark side and deceive some of Star Wars’ most powerful Jedi for more than a decade, Palpatine’s efforts combined with Anakin’s could have had serious implications for Ahsoka’s possible fall. This, combined with Ahsoka’s newfound distrust of the Jedi, could have sealed her fate.

Ahsoka Turning To The Dark Side Would Have Changed Generations Of Jedi

Had Ahsoka fallen, she would have had a profound impact not only on the Dark Times but also on the trajectory of the Jedi. After all, Ahsoka helped the Rebels significantly during Star Wars Rebels and went on to train Sabine Wren as her Padawan. Perhaps most significant of all, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett revealed that Ahsoka helped Luke Skywalker recruit Force-sensitive children to his Jedi Temple. Had Ahsoka instead been working for the Empire, who knows how much damage she could have done?

Ultimately, Ahsoka remained on the light side of the Force, explicitly choosing to live her life as a Jedi in Ahsoka season 1. Even so, this incredibly dark moment from The Clone Wars suggests that Ahsoka’s fate could have been quite different. Indeed, had Ahsoka Tano remained with the Jedi Order, this disturbing scene from Star Wars: The Clone Wars reveals that Ahsoka’s Star Wars story could have taken a much darker turn.

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