World Between Worlds: Ahsoka Episode 5 Wasted Its Wildest Sci-Fi Concept
And that’s a good thing.
Sometimes, it feels like there are two different versions of Ahsoka. There’s the version that Rebels fans see, the epilogue they were promised at the end of the animated series but in live-action. Then, there’s the version that fans who have only seen the live-action Disney+ shows have seen, a glimpse into Ahsoka’s past from before we met her in The Mandalorian Season 2.
Balancing these two levels of knowledge and emotional resonance has proven to be one of the most frustrating elements of the entire show. This reached a head in Episode 4, when Ahsoka has a near-death experience and wakes up in a mystical realm. This one location proves just how Ahsoka is dealing with its biggest issue — and why it’s the best-case scenario for the show.
Is Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds? Does it even matter?
When Ahsoka finds herself in this strange place, it was instantly recognizable to Rebels fans as the World Between Worlds, the plane outside of time and place that was used by Ezra Bridger to save Ahsoka’s life. But unlike the purpose it served in Rebels, this World Between Worlds scene was not used to manipulate time, just to explore the past in a new perspective.
But for Star Wars fans who haven’t seen Rebels, this plane was simply where Ahsoka woke up — it could be what purgatory looks like in the Star Wars universe, it could be related to Force ghosting, or it could simply be Ahsoka’s imagination. Does it really matter? It’s simply where Ahsoka manages to reconnect with her old master, no matter what form he takes. Wherever she is, it’s where she needs to be to heal from her past and choose to live.
Ahsoka and Ezra in the World Between Worlds in Rebels.
If that’s the case, then why did this space have to look like the World Between Worlds at all? What this series has done, essentially, is rendered an element that could have been incredibly hard to explain into nothing more than an Easter Egg for Rebels fans.
This could be interpreted as a waste of such a cool and powerful facet of the Star Wars universe, but this “waste” is a microcosm of what makes Ahsoka great — it rewards Rebels fans with cool choices like the memorial mural and references to Sabine’s past, but it doesn’t require that knowledge to understand exactly what is going on.
Ahsoka is working on two different levels to tell a story that satisfies both the die-hard fans and the casual watchers, and finding a way to include even the most complex moments from the animated series in a way that even the newest Star Wars fans can understand. It’s a tricky balancing act that shows just how genius this show really is.
