Star Wars has always conveyed the message of trauma and grief as a fundamental way of life. In the original film, A New Hope, Luke Skywalker suffers three losses—the deaths of his uncle and aunt, Owen and Beru Lars and Obi-Wan Kenobi. He had to get over this significantly since his deceased Master helped him blow up the first Death Star from the netherworld of the Force. But let’s return to his father, Anakin Skywalker and his apprentice Ahsoka Tano, as they will be heavily focused on in the upcoming Ahsoka series.
Ahsoka became Anakin’s apprentice when she was fourteen during the first year of the Clone Wars. The relationship started frosty, but they soon became almost like siblings. Fast forward to the last year of the war, and Tano is framed for a crime she did not commit. Leaving the Jedi Order ultimately saved her life. However, it left a hole in her heart as she abandoned the one person who believed in her.
Anakin’s Fall To The Dark Side Haunts Ahsoka
His padawan’s departure was incredibly painful for Anakin, one of the many reasons he fell to the Dark Side. His hatred towards the Jedi council was evident when he was rejected for the rank of Master. While Palpatine wanted him put there, Ahsoka leaving was a massive part of the mistrust. Besides that, he was still dealing with the trauma of the visions he’d been having of his pregnant wife, Padmé Amidala, dying in childbirth alongside their unborn child. His fear of losing his family also stemmed back the grief he still felt from losing his mother, Shmi, three years earlier.
Ahsoka’s faith in the Jedi Order to do right by her diminished the second she was expelled. Anakin understood this and hinted that he knew the feeling of wanting to leave the Jedi Order, though he doesn’t say what exactly. Tano is smart enough to indicate that she knows what he is referring to, and that’s Padmé.
Moreover, after she journeys to Mandalore and fights Darth Maul, she senses Anakin’s fall but doesn’t realise this is what she feels until years later. It is also possible that she did know what happened to her Master but refused to believe it.
When she discovers the truth in the Rebels Season 2 premiere, she passes out in shock when she realises the Sith Lord chasing the Ghost is Anakin. For the rest of her time in Season 2, which is minimal, she is forced to confront her Master for the first time in almost 20 years, which hurts her, but is necessary.
Ahsoka Continues To Feel The Pain Of Losing Anakin
Given what the new Ahsoka trailer shows, Ahsoka still grieves Anakin much more than before. She never got the chance to see him again before he died on the second Death Star. However, she got to know his son, Luke. But it appears this wasn’t enough for her to somewhat recover from her grief.
It does seem like she is comforted by Luke having some of his father’s traits, such as his kindness. She saw a lot of Anakin in Luke; if she is aware of Leia, she’d probably know a lot of Padmé. Though, she has Anakin’s temper.
Anyway, Anakin felt grief everywhere he went, even before Ahsoka came into his life. He had been initially rejected by the Jedi Council when he was ten. His informal Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was then killed by Darth Maul. Then, a decade later, he lost his mother, having been away from her to pursue his dream. When Ahsoka left, part of him would’ve felt abandoned as he had already lost so many people.
With Ahsoka, losing Anakin was something she has struggled with even past Rebels. In her live-action debut, she refuses to train Grogu. She explains she doesn’t want him to suffer the same fate as her Master. In the conversation with Din Djarin, she refers to Skywalker only as “the best of us.” She further explains what full training could do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. Then, during The Book of Boba Fett, she only tells Luke that he’s like his old man and gives him advice when he asks.
Walking Out On Sabine Due To Trauma Of Anakin’s Fall
The recently released second Ahsoka trailer reveals that Ahsoka might have been training Sabine. This would have happened after Kanan’s death, but she walked away as she did with Anakin. Could it be possible that it was because of the trauma she expressed that she feared a repeat and left to prevent it? Quite possible.
During the trailer, a conversation between Ahsoka and Sabine occurs where the Mandalorian warrior says, “You never made it easy for me. Master.” The shock on the Togruta’s face is evident as she turns around. However, this might be a different shot from another scene.
Walking away from Sabine might’ve been why we saw Ahsoka on her own during The Mandalorian Season 2. There wasn’t even a reference to her during this time, nor was there any mention of her by Zeb during his brief cameo in Season 3. Though, to be fair, there wasn’t any reference to anyone else from the Ghost crew.
Any Appearance Could Heal The Trauma
If Anakin does appear in Ahsoka, we suspect he might be given constant namedrops. Hayden Christensen also sidestepped the question at a recent fan convention; the only way for Ahsoka to heal is to talk to Anakin about it. Sure, he’s a Force Ghost, but there is no reason he wouldn’t appear to if he were asked.
