Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian finally brought us a live-action Ahsoka Tano. There was an incredible amount of expectation regarding her debut not only because of how fans like the character but also, as we’ve stated before, due to her connections to several other characters and the resulting storytelling options. Even though this episode probably ended up raising more questions than the answers it gave us, it has allowed for several hypotheses about the show’s (and Ahsoka’s) future to begin creeping up, some that may deserve elaborating on.
Bo-Katan will indeed return
Of all the relevant characters introduced so far this season, Bo-Katan is the one whose path seems to be most interlinked with Mando’s. So being, a future encounter is still very much on the table, and Chapter 13 helped to solidify that idea.
We learned that Ahsoka wasn’t really stationed on Corvus on a more permanent basis, and the fact that the heiress of the Mandalorian throne knew that she would be on there for just a few days makes us wonder if both of them are in constant contact. If that is so, it’s very much possible that if Ahsoka senses that Grogu is in any sort of peril she’ll call upon Bo-Katan and her group of fellow Mandalorians to show up and help out.
Moff Gideon obviously plays a huge part in all of this, since he’s the likeliest reason as to why Grogu might find himself in danger. Also, since he is both chasing Grogu and being chased by Bo-Katan, they are bound to meet up one way or another. There is no way that her line “Your bravery will not be forgotten” in Chapter 11 doesn’t mean she will show up in a time Din really needs her to.
Also, the spear Din is given by Ahsoka, that “belongs with a Mandalorian”, might end up being wielded by Bo-Katan as both she and Djarin take turns battling Gideon and his Darksaber.
Ahsoka is off on her own journey
It came as little surprise that Ahsoka wouldn’t be training Grogu. If she did that would mean that she would either have to become a series regular or that Grogu would leave the show, and none of those two choices seemed all that reasonable. Another reason is that Ahsoka seems to be on her own path. Her search for the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn has given her purpose and that is where her focus lies.
The Mandalorian won’t show us what comes next for her in regards to Thrawn as that is too good a story not to overshadow Mando’s own journey. So being, be sure to expect an Ahsoka Tano series where we will continue to explore what really happened at the end of Star Wars Rebels, as the search for Thrawn and Ezra Bridger continues.
‘The Mandalorian’ is set before the ‘Star Wars Rebels’ epilogue
Regarding the end of Star Wars Rebels, the exact timeline placement of its epilogue was always a bit murky. All we knew is that it was set after the events of Return of the Jedi, after the Empire had been defeated. There we saw an older Ahsoka returning to Lothal to pick up Sabine as they both set out to find Ezra. What The Mandalorian appears to show us is that, as the search for Ezra and the search for Thrawn are ultimately one and the same, Ahsoka seems to be trying to locate one so as to reach the other. She is then searching for Thrawn before seeking Sabine’s aid, later on, only reuniting with her after getting a better idea of where Ezra could be located, and the help needed to retrieve him safely.
The Darksaber will cut through Beskar
The show keeps both referencing Beskar’s abilities and bringing more of it into the fold. This time we got a spear of pure Beskar that is gifted to Din by Ahsoka since it “belongs with a Mandalorian”. This all fits with the conflict escalation theory after getting Moff Gideon’s Dark Troopers just last week. We’ve now learned how Beskar manages to hold back lightsaber strikes, but Gideon doesn’t have a conventional lightsaber. Since the Darksaber is not only of Mandalorian origin but the weapon of the ruler of the planet, it would make sense for it to be able to overcome Mandalorian armor, thus giving its wielder an edge over the rest of Mandalore. Having Din enter a fight with Gideon only to see the spear cut in half by a Darksaber blow will achieve several things: It will surprise both the audience and Din; It will up the stakes by putting Din in an unexpected tough situation; It will do all of this without compromising Din’s health since it’s the only piece of Beskar that isn’t attached to his body.
Grogu will reach out through the Force but no Jedi will come. For now.
After being instructed to go to the planet Tython, Grogu will try to establish a connection to whoever is listening so as to choose his path going forward. Even though Ahsoka stated that “there aren’t many Jedi left” we know that there are still quite a few out there. The show is preparing us for the chance of not having anyone answer Grogu’s calling, something that it will, later on, reveal not to be true. Without Ahsoka there to verbalize Grogu’s thoughts he won’t be able to know it for sure, and that will play a part in the twist down the line.
