Unbreakable (almost) – Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker shared a Padawan-Master bond close to unshakeable. They forged a bond, unlike many Jedi pairs who were strictly professional throughout their two and a half years together as student and teacher.
Skywalker and Tano undertook many tribulations and parted as friends before Chancellor Sheev Palpatine was “kidnapped” by General Grievous and Count Dooku. They reunited almost twenty years later on Malchor but not on the same terms as before. Anakin had turned to the Dark Side, and Ahsoka had no idea until she felt Vader’s presence through the Force while on the Ghost.
Anakin was more than Ahsoka’s Master. He was her annoyingly overprotective big brother who thought the world of her. To feel him through the Force as being the enemy took its toll on the former Padawan. Many years after her near-death on Malachor, Tano would meet Skywalker’s son, Luke and watch him train the younglings, Grogu, a being of the same species as Master Yoda had been in life.
The question we have is, why didn’t Ahsoka refer to Anakin by name or say he was her master when she was a Jedi? That’s what we’re here to work out.
Brother
Losing Anakin to the Dark Side was like a gut punch for Ahsoka. She knew him as kind, opinionated and loyal. The coldness she felt from Vader was the opposite of what she remembered. She grieved him and wanted to avenge the man she had come to love as a sibling.
Her Master would’ve defended and protected her, and it was only fair she did the same for his legacy. So when she meets Din Djarin, the Mandalorian tasked with protecting Grogu, she attempts to avoid old wounds when he tells her she needs to train the child. However, she tells him that it is not for her to do as she feels the youngling’s attachment to him will push him to the Dark Side.
It’s here she makes an interesting comment. She says she has seen what attachment does to a fully trained Jedi Knight. Of course, Anakin is who she is referring to when she says this to Din. What’s fascinating here is the worry that enters her voice. There are two notable scenarios here she might be thinking about. The first is her fight with him [as Darth Vader] on Malachor, where she nearly died and was saved by a future version of Ezra Bridger. Number two is her sensing his Force presence while she was on the Ghost and then passing out in shock.
Having to avenge her master’s legacy is a bit of an insult for her. However, if it had not been because of Palpatine’s influence, she would not have had to fight him in the first place. What’s more, after defeating Morgan Elsbeth, Ahsoka visits Luke and watches Grogu’s training, remarking his training style reminds her of his father.
Ties To The Past Of Ahsoka’s Master
We need to look at why Ahsoka hasn’t said anything about Anakin being her master. This includes why she has not referred to him by his name. This jumps from the obvious explanation that it hasn’t been relevant enough to mention.
However, we believe that Ahsoka hasn’t mentioned Anakin by name or that he was her master because she wants someone to ask about him. Luke is already aware that she has ties to his father.
Ahsoka has ties to both Luke and Leia as she knew both their biological parents, not just Anakin. She also has links to associates of Anakin and Padmé. She was under the direction of Bail Organa, Leia’s adoptive father and served as a Fulcrum agent for the Rebellion. Another person she was familiar with was Cham Syndulla, who she and Skywalker served with during the Clone Wars. Tano would later work with Syndulla’s daughter, Hera.
In conclusion, we believe that Ahsoka chose to allow people to ask her questions rather than tell them the story.
