This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episodes 1 & 2.
Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 set up a dramatic confrontation between Ahsoka and the forces assembled by Morgan Elsbeth – with Grand Admiral Thrawn as the prize. The greatest of the Imperial Grand Admirals, Thrawn was Palpatine’s top strategist and military tactician. He disappeared shortly before the events of the first Star Wars movie, in the epic ending of Star Wars Rebels, when Ezra Bridger hatched a desperate plot to defeat him. The Jedi Padawan summoned a flock of purrgil, Star Wars‘ space whales, to spirit Thrawn’s flagship off into hyperspace. He’s been missing ever since – and so has Ezra, who was also aboard the flagship at the time.
Thrawn has been gone for at least nine years (depending on exactly where Ahsoka fits into the Star Wars timeline, which is still debatable). But Imperial Remnants are working to bring him back to the galaxy, hoping he will be able to unify them and lead them into battle against the nascent New Republic. Ahsoka is the story of the quest for Grand Admiral Thrawn, and of the heroes who attempt to prevent his return.
7 Grand Admiral Thrawn Is In Another Galaxy
When George Lucas launched Star Wars, it all kicked off with the famous line: “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…” Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 blow this wide open, however, because the story is actually becoming intergalactic in nature. According to Morgan Elsbeth, one of Thrawn’s closest allies, the purrgil migration paths take them beyond the confines of the galaxy – and on to another, to a distant place called Peridea. Lady Morgan believes this is where Grand Admiral Thrawn is – banished to another galaxy, unable to return under his own power.
Related: Ahsoka: Release Date, Trailer, Story & Everything We Know
6 Morgan Elsbeth Has Found The Route To Thrawn
In another shock twist, Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 reveal the Star Wars galaxy was visited by beings from Peridea millennia ago. These visitors left behind a starmap, one that Morgan uses to chart a course to Peridea. Looking at the starmap, it’s reasonable to assume these extragalactic aliens discovered hyperspace by studying the purrgils and simply followed their migration paths across the void between the galacies. Now, Lady Morgan intends to do the same in reverse.
Related: Star Wars In Order: All Movies & Shows
5 Morgan Elsbeth Has Created A Ship To Reach Thrawn
Lady Morgan’s work seems to have been underway for years, taking advantage of her secret factories on Han Solo’s homeworld Corellia – a shipyard world in the galactic core. Imperial sympathizers have been secretly extracting hyperdrive cores from Super Star Destroyers, some of the most powerful hyperdrive units ever built. This in itself must have been a massive project, given the Empire only had 13 SSDs by the time of the Battle of Endor. These extracted hyperdrive cores have been situated in a massive hyperdrive ring, allowing them to be used in concert to propel Lady Morgan’s ship, the Eye of Sion, across the intergalactic void at speed.
The basic design of the Eye of Sion is fairly similar to the hyperdrive rings used by the Jedi during the Clone Wars. It’s also reminiscent of Outbound Flight, a Legends fleet designed for the purpose of traveling between the galaxies as well. Appropriately enough, Outbound Flight was created by writer Timothy Zahn – the same man who came up with Grand Admiral Thrawn himself.
4 Baylan Believes Finding Thrawn Will Give Him “Power”
Morgan Elsbeth has hired a group of mercenaries to help her find Grand Admiral Thrawn. Curiously, though, it’s already becoming clear Baylan Skoll – a former Jedi who somehow survived Order 66 – has his own agenda. Ahsoka episodes 1 and 2 deliberately style Baylan after Darth Vader himself, presenting him as a true force to be reckoned with. He believes the quest for Thrawn will give him and his apprentice Shin Hati tremendous power – and the episodes may have already revealed why this is the case.
3 There Seems To Be A Link Between The Nightsisters & Peridea
Morgan is able to activate the starmap through the use of Nightsister powers, which perhaps serves as a hint the Nightsisters of Dathomir are somehow connected to Peridea. Although their magick is rooted in the dark side, the Nightsisters’ power is very different to the Sith – so much so their very use of the Force appears to depend on different principles and rules. It’s possible this is because they are somehow linked to Peridea, and their affinity with the Force follows the patterns of this different galaxy. If that’s the case, Baylan is hoping to acquire mastery over the Force in ways Jedi cannot imagine.
2 Ahsoka, Sabine & Hera Uncover The Empire’s Plot
Unfortunately for Morgan Elsbeth, her plans have drawn the attention of Ahsoka Tano – and Ahsoka is not without high-level friends in the New Republic. Sabine is able to discover links between an assassin droid and Morgan’s factories on Corellia, and Ahsoka and Hera head to the shipyard to investigate. There, they swiftly discover Imperial loyalists who have been helping ship the SSDs’ hyperdrive units out to Lady Morgan. They take down this cell, and Hera manages to attach a tracker to the ship transporting the hyperdrive unit to the Eye of Sion.
1 Baylan Foresees A Confrontation With Ahsoka
Baylan senses a coming confrontation with Ahsoka, clearly one seen in several key scenes in the Ahsoka trailers. He clearly possesses a unique connection to the Force, one that allows him to focus on individuals and events, and perceive the future surrounding them. This may well be how he survived Order 66; it’s possible he sensed the clone troopers’ coming betrayal and slipped away before they turned on the Jedi. This foreknowledge now allows him to work with Shin and Marrok to set a trap for Ahsoka and her friends.
The stakes in Star Wars have seldom been this high. Trailers for Ahsoka have hinted at a coming darkness that feels as though it is greater than anything represented by Baylan and Lady Morgan. It’s now reasonable to assume this darkness will flow from Lady Morgan successfully finding her way to Peridea, and it is possible she will discover secrets of the Force that are far more dangerous than anything found in the main Star Wars galaxy. Viewers will have to wait a week to learn how Ahsoka and her friends survive the trap, and whether this ominous possibility becomes a reality.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.
