Will Ahsoka Tano’s fate in Star Wars Rebels impact The Last Jedi?

As Star Wars Rebels creator Dave Filoni continues to hint at Ahsoka Tano’s fate after the season 2 finale, perhaps he’s setting us up for some The Last Jedi mythos.

Yesterday, Dave Filoni, the showrunner of Star Wars Rebels, tweeted a picture of Ahsoka Tano meeting a Force entity known as Bendu. At first glance, it seemed like he released the picture in tandem with Ahsoka Tano’s Forces of Destiny episode. However, this isn’t the first time that Filoni’s mentioned Ahsoka Tano like so. He likes to tease her fate without really giving any answer aside from the promise that she will reappear in Rebels‘ final season.

Here’s the tweet that reignited the fandom:

And here’s the time he reiterated that Ahsoka Tano was not the wolf seen in Rebels, especially not the one that we see Ezra riding in the trailer.

So, how will this impact The Last Jedi?

Obviously, it’s clear that Ahsoka Tano didn’t die, we know this. But Bendu hints at a fate entirely different than death. While his words sound ominous, we know Jedi can use the Force to become different entities. Further, Star Wars Rebels—and the character of Ahsoka Tano, specifically, including her role in Clone Wars —did a really good job introducing a different mythology than how the saga films present how absolute the Force and being a Jedi is.

That is until we saw the trailer for The Last Jedi.

At the end of the trailer, Luke Skywalker says it’s time for the Jedi to end. Of course, most of us accepted that he meant “to end … their current ways.” Instead of strictly following the rules set forth by Yoda and the Jedi order, it’s more likely he will try to teach Rey a new Jedi practice.

Perhaps what Dave Filoni wants to prepare us for with Star Wars Rebels and Ahsoka’s return is a new way to tap into the Force. And maybe this idea will be expanded in December’s The Last Jedi. As many have stated, director Rian Johnson is taking the film a newer, bolder direction.

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There’s been a lot of talk in the media as to whether we can trust Kathleen Kennedy and what she’s got planned for Lucasfilm. But remember: every single Star Wars thing you see, from the animated series to the saga and spinoff films, even Forces of Destiny, is on her plate. What if the one common thread she’s been trying to sew into the franchise is simply Ahsoka Tano and what she can do? Qui-Gon, Yoda, Luke, Anakin, Obi-Wan, even Leia, have manipulated the Force in various ways before.

So maybe Ahsoka’s not a wolf or a rock. But her survival on Malachor may be the key to unlocking the mysteries of The Last Jedi when Star Wars Rebels premieres this fall.