The Ahsoka trailer may have subtly revealed the plot through details that have only become clear thanks to Empire's new cover image. Excitement is building for the Ahsoka Disney+ TV show, in which Rosario Dawson's Ahsoka Tano will return to the small screen as star of her own live-action series. Ahsoka increasingly feels like a sequel to Star Wars Rebels, set five years or so after the Empire's fall and bringing the band back together at last.
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The plot of Ahsoka is still something of a mystery. The Mandalorian season 2 confirmed Ahsoka is on the hunt for Grand iral Thrawn, the Imperial tactician who was lost in the Unknown Regions back before the destruction of the first Death Star. But there are a lot of other plot threads to for as well, most notably the inclusion of two new villains, Force-wielders with strange orange lightsabers who are working alongside Thrawn's agent Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth but may well have an agenda of her own. Still, the Ahsoka trailer may well have revealed rather more about the plot than most viewers realize, with the introduction of a key location - a mysterious ruined temple.
6 Ahsoka's Mysterious Temple Contains Hints Of The Mortis Gods
The Ahsoka trailer begins with a scene in which Ahsoka Tano explores the ruins of a mysterious temple. It's generally assumed this is an ancient Jedi temple, although that may not be the case; there are many Force cults that are not Jedi or Sith, and this temple could be associated with one of those groups instead. Whatever the case, though, it's clearly an important place for Ahsoka's plot, and the inscriptions and carvings on the pillars may well explain why. These were difficult to discern in the Ahsoka trailer, but Empire's recent cover has finally offered a closer look at them - and they appear to be similar to the phases of the moon.
Such imagery is actually very important to the Jedi, associated with the sacred Jedi texts Rey retrieved from Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. According to the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Visual Dictionary, one of these contained a page of sketches of the phases of a moon, outlining a theorem known as the Phases of Mortis. Introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Mortis was a realm where cosmic beings - avatars of the Force itself - dwelled.
5 The Mortis Gods Were Associated With The World Between Worlds in Star Wars Rebels
This isn't the first temple viewers have seen associated with the cosmic beings from Mortis. Star Wars Rebels introduced a mysterious Jedi temple on the planet Lothal, one that could be used to access a realm called the World Between Worlds. This enigmatic plane allows for the closest Star Wars has ever come to time travel, a place where there are portals throughout time and space. Ezra Bridger discovered the World Between Worlds in Star Wars Rebels, using it to save Ahsoka's life by pulling her into this realm before she was killed by Darth Vader. It's important to note it's currently unclear whether history can actually be changed, or whether the actions of beings in the World Between Worlds are woven into the will of the Force.
Andor hinted there are other temples that contain portals to the World Between Worlds; one of the most intriguing Easter eggs in Luthen's shop was a chunk of rock with the same kind of illustration seen on the walls of the Lothal temple. This seemed to hint there are other places where Jedi, and other Force-sensitives, can tap the power of Force vergences to enter the World Between Worlds - sites bearing the marks of the Mortis gods.
4 A World Between Worlds Portal Can Be Seen On The Floor Of Ahsoka's Temple
The portals found in the World Between Worlds are beautiful circular designs, and it is telling that the floor of the temple ruins Ahsoka explores are emblazoned with an insignia clearly inspired by them. This seems to indicate Ahsoka has found her way to another temple where the World Between Worlds can be accessed, although it's still unclear why she has sought it out. Ahsoka then uses her lightsabers to cut a hole in the floor, dropping through into a chamber emblazoned with more patterns that appear to be based on the Phases of Mortis.
3 The Empire Is Looking For The World Between Worlds
Later scenes in the Ahsoka trailer show Imperial forces attacking Ahsoka in the ruins of the temple. On close examination, the battle takes place in front of the hole Ahsoka made in the floor, confirming the sequence of events. The reasonable assumption is that the Empire is looking for the World Between Worlds; Ahsoka gets to the temple first, but she soon finds herself in battle against the Empire.
2 Thrawn May Not Be The One Looking For The World Between Worlds
Star Wars has built up Lars Mikkelsen's Grand iral Thrawn as the main villain of The Mandalorian era, but it's unlikely he's the big bad in Ahsoka's plot - not least because Thrawn is unlikely to seek out cosmic planes like the World Between Worlds. Rather, it's more probable that Ahsoka's primary antagonists are the mysterious Force-wielders Baylan and Shin, played by the late Ray Stevenson and Ivanna Sakhno. Recently-released interviews have seen the actors drop curious hints about their characters' backstories, confirming they have their own agendas. They could well have struck a deal to work with the Empire in return for finding this mysterious temple, and thus accessing the World Between Worlds. Fitting with this, one shot in the Ahsoka trailer subtly showed Baylan and Ahsoka facing off in what appeared to be the World Between Worlds.
1 Ahsoka's Experience In The World Between Worlds Leads To Her Quest For Thrawn
The Ahsoka Disney+ TV show certainly feels like something of a Star Wars Rebels sequel, with live-action verses of other characters from the animated TV show confirmed to appear. This will presumably pick up plot threads from Star Wars Rebels' series finale, in which Ahsoka approached her friend Sabine to ask for help searching for their lost friend Ezra Bridger (who went missing along with Thrawn). If this is the case, though, it's important to note the Ahsoka in Star Wars Rebels' finale was wearing a very different outfit; specifically, she was wearing a beautiful white-gray garb that seemed to shimmer in the light. Lucasfilm's Dave Filoni has suggested she experienced something analogous to Gandalf's transformation in The Lord of the Rings, in which he shifted from Gandalf the Gray to Gandalf the White.
The live-action Ahsoka has yet to be seen wearing the robes of Ahsoka the White - and this is a color often associated with the cosmic force. In fact, the World Between Worlds itself is characterized by the colors black and white. Drawing together all these strands, the logical conclusion is that whatever Ahsoka experiences in the World Between Worlds transforms her in an unprecedented way, setting up her new role in the Star Wars franchise - one far greater than simply being just another former Jedi. This will also be the point where Ahsoka begins to get the gang back together, confident now is the time to find Ezra and Thrawn. It will be fascinating to see how this all plays out in Ahsoka.