The Ahsoka Disney+ TV show doubles down on one the most controversial scenes in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Released in 2017, Star Wars: The Last Jedi divided the fanbase in surprising ways. Rian Johnson’s attempt to pivot on the setup from Star Wars: The Force Awakens was hardly well-received, and there’s a sense in which Lucasfilm still seem to be recovering their confidence even now.
Kelly Marie Tran found herself facing a firestorm of criticism. One of the movie’s most controversial scenes saw her character, Rose Tico, intervene to save John Boyega’s Finn from sacrificing himself to save his friends. Explaining herself, Rose insisted this is how the Resistance will win; not fighting what they hate, but rather fighting to save what they love. The Ahsoka Disney+ TV show promotes the same message, and yet again it hasn’t been entirely well-received.
Ahsoka Was Making The Same Mistake As Finn – Fighting What She Hates
There are really two main characters in Ahsoka, the titular Ahsoka Tano and her Padawan, Sabine Wren. They may be on the same side, but these two have very different perspectives – at least when the story begins. Ahsoka has heard rumors of Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return, and she is determined to prevent it, even if that means destroying the starmap that could lead Ahsoka and Sabine to their lost friend Ezra Bridger. In Ahsoka’s view, allowing Thrawn to return would risk plunging the entire galaxy into war.
Ahsoka is making the same mistake as Finn in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. She grew up during the Clone Wars, and even years later still principally understands herself as a warrior first and foremost. Ahsoka has been traveling the galaxy serving as something of a ronin figure, seeking out threats to defeat them, and her experience with Anakin Skywalker has led to a reluctance to form attachments meaning she doesn’t really have many people left she loves. She is the embodiment of “fighting what you hate,” and – as seen in Ahsoka episode 4 – the outcome is inevitable. Sooner or later, she will find an enemy she can’t beat, and she will die.
Sabine Was Fighting To Save What She Loves
There is a striking contrast between Ahsoka and Sabine, with both reacting against their painful upbringing in different ways. Sabine has lost so much, with her “found family” from Star Wars Rebels now scattered and her homeworld of Mandalore destroyed. Despite that, unlike Ahsoka, she yearns for connection. This is the real reason Sabine is so focused on the starmap; she misses a friend she thought of as a brother, and she wants to get Ezra Bridger back. This ultimately leads Sabine to make one of the most shocking decisions in Ahsoka, when she hands the starmap over to Baylan rather than destroy it.
Sabine probably has a better understanding of what he is capable of than Ahsoka, because she actually fought against him. But her knowledge of Thrawn is nothing compared to her desire to bring back her friend. She is not fighting against the things she hates; like Rose in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, she is fighting to save those she loves. It’s telling that many viewers have reacted negatively to this, furious with Sabine for making a choice that is entirely consistent with her character. It seems some viewers are more comfortable with heroes like Ahsoka than they are with ones like Sabine.
Ahsoka’s Lesson In The World Between Worlds Taught Her Sabine Was Right
Ahsoka doubles down on Star Wars: The Last Jedi, insisting both Rose and Sabine are right. Ahsoka Tano learns this herself in episode 5, when she encounters what seems to be the Force ghost of Anakin Skywalker in the World Between Worlds. There, she finds herself realizing she needs to grow beyond her upbringing, to become more than just a ronin; it is a lesson that will decide whether she dies (at the hands of Baylan or simply the next big threat) or whether she lives (by changing, evolving, and growing). It is telling that, for all she believes Thrawn to be a terrifying threat, Ahsoka loses some of her intensity after this experience and becomes a lot more free-spirited. She has opened her heart to love.
This is why Ahsoka doesn’t have harsh words for Sabine when they are reunited. Her time in the World Between Worlds has had a transformative effect on Ahsoka, and she now dismisses Sabine’s guilt by suggesting her actions are according to the will of the Force itself – that she chose the path she was destined to take. There is a sense in which Sabine really couldn’t have made any other choice, because love is her motivation not fear or hatred, and Ahsoka has come to understand that. Little wonder Master and Apprentice are content to stand side by side at the end of Ahsoka.
