An abandoned concept for Ahsoka series on Disney Plus. Before J.J. Abrams took the reins as director for the final film in the Skywalker saga, Colin Trevorrow was original on board as writer and director, and he had already done quite a bit of work on the script before much of it was discarded by Lucasfilm. However, some of these elements could potentially work for former Jedi Ahsoka Tano.
In the months after Rise of Skywalker's release, Trevorrow's script was leaked and verified, revealing large parts of the original plot, intended character arcs, and also the film's original title - Star Wars: Duel of the Fates, a reference to the score composed by John Williams for Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace. As a result, one of the biggest reveals from the script was that Rey and Kylo Ren would have both traveled to Mortis, as seen in Clone Wars. The mystical planet was featured in the series' third season, and during its three-episode arc, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and his apprentice Ahsoka Tano inadvertently found themselves facing the living personifications of the Force. This led to shocking revelations, and Kylo Ren and Rey would have likewise made discoveries as well in Duel of the Fates.
In any case, despite Lucasfilm's departure from the Duel of the Fates script, a return to Mortis could still be an incredibly engaging story to tell. With Ahsoka Tano getting her own solo series on Disney Plus, Lucasfilm now has the opportunity to take some of these discarded ideas and reintegrate them into Ahsoka's journey, providing an incredibly exciting arc (and possibly her ultimate fate) in the Skywalker saga.
Mortis is the Biggest Unresolved Part of Ahsoka's Story
Clone Wars season 3, episode 16, "Altar of Mortis" served as the second chapter of the Mortis trilogy. At this point, Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka had already met the Father, Son, and Daughter, each of them personifications of the Force's different aspects. The Daughter embodied the light, while the Son was the dark. Meanwhile, their Father served as the Force's balance, keeping his powerful children in check lest their power tear the very fabric of the universe apart. However, Anakin's refusal to replace the dying Father as the Chosen One led to the family's demise, which began with the Son corrupting Ahsoka against Anakin and Obi-Wan in this second chapter.
After Ahsoka's usefulness ran its course, the Son released his hold on her and she subsequently died. The Son was then going to kill the Father with the Dagger of Mortis, had the Daughter not sacrificed herself by stepping in front of the blade. While the Son temporarily fled, Anakin convinced the Father to help him bring Ahsoka back, and the dying Daughter agreed to share the last bit of her life force to do so. While Ahsoka was indeed brought back to life, it was unclear what this meant going forward for her and her future in the galaxy.
It seems as though Aksoka Tano still has a strong connection to the Daughter of Mortis all the same, as her continued adventures have also featured the convor bird known as Morai in the background. Morai was a companion and servant of the Daughter, and has since been keeping watch over Ahsoka, including the series finale of Clone Wars, as well as in episodes of Star Wars: Rebels. For example, Morai was circling overhead during the aftermath of her duel with Darth Vader on the planet on Malachor. Most recently, Morai was also seen in the trees of Corvus, observing Ahsoka's first meeting with Din Djarin and the force-sensitive child in his care known as Grogu in The Mandalorian season 2. However, it's not yet known if Morai's presence is indicative of a deeper significance.
Star Wars 9 Was Originally Going to Return to Mortis
In Colin Trevorrow's script for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, both Kylo Ren and Rey would have made their way to Mortis due to their strong connection in the Force. However, they wouldn't have immediately interacted with each other. While Rey would have learned in a vision that Kylo Ren killed her parents on Supreme Leader Snoke's orders, rather than the Sith Assassin Ochi of Bestoon, Kylo would have been given a vision of his father Han Solo, not unlike the interaction that did indeed happen in J.J Abrams' film. Eventually, the two would have found one another, and their final duel would have happened on a mountaintop on Mortis, resulting in Kylo being "extinguished" after Rey would have received aid from the Force ghosts of Luke, Obi-Wan, and Yoda.
The idea that Mortis would have been the stage for the ultimate battle between the light and dark, with balance being brought back once more, would have been incredibly dynamic, providing an additional layer of significant symbolism to the planet already so tied to the destiny of the Force itself. However, despite the fact that The Rise of Skywalker ultimately went in another direction, Mortis could still play a large role in the galaxy's future before the sequel trilogy even begins with Ahsoka Tano.
How Ahsoka Can Pay Off Star Wars 9's Scrapped Mortis Ideas
The Ahsoka series could be the perfect opportunity not only to resolve questions about Ahsoka's first visit to Mortis, but also to use some of these discarded concepts from Duel of the Fates. While The Mandalorian season 2 teased that the former Jedi is on the hunt for Grand iral Thrawn, it remains to be seen what Ahsoka's ultimate destiny will be. All things considered, Mortis could certainly be the answer. Currently, Ahsoka is neither Jedi nor Sith, choosing to operate by her own code after leaving the Jedi Order near of the end of the Clone Wars. While she helped form the Rebel Alliance in its earliest days, it seems as though she's working solo during the timeline of The Mandalorian and the rise of the New Republic.
Assuming that Thrawn is defeated at some point before the beginning of the sequel trilogy with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it would be incredible to see Ahsoka return to Mortis. It's possible that she holds a greater power over the Force on the planet due to her resurrection by Daughter's essence. Likewise, Ahsoka has since come to a place where she's evolved into the perfect candidate to assume the role of the Father, and could logically become a new Mother to maintain the balance. This would not only provide her a dynamic end and exit from the greater Skywalker saga's narrative, but it would still giving her a significant role to play.
The Father, Daughter, and Son were all described as anchorites, meaning that their actions in the Force created causalities for what transpires in the greater galaxy at large. Not only would Ahsoka's return to Mortis provide its rise to a larger prominence as it was meant to in The Rise of Skywalker, but it could also create an ultimate destiny for the former Jedi herself in the Ahsoka series, seeing Ahsoka maintaining the Force's greater cosmic balance.
