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Is Ahsoka Tano a Skywalker? ‘Star Wars’ Fans Debate

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Posted on by Amanda Landwehr
Ahsoka and Anakin in Episode 5 of 'Ahsoka'

Credit: Inside the Magic

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Ahsoka “Part Five: Shadow Warrior.”

With the most recent episode of the Disney+ Ahsoka show highlighting the bond between the eponymous ex-Jedi (Rosario Dawson) and her former master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), perhaps more than ever, one question has left the Star Wars community up in arms: should Ahsoka Tano take the Skywalker name, and does she deserve it in the first place?

Ahsoka in 'Ahsoka' "Part Four: Fallen Jedi"
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: The Biggest Reveal in ‘Star Wars: Ahsoka’ Has Fans Freaking Out

Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano’s Complicated History

Master-Padawan relationships play a pivotal role in George Lucas’ galaxy far, far away, and the latest Star Wars spinoff show to hit Disney+, Ahsoka, is certainly no exception. From Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) to Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), to Anakin, and now, Ahsoka, linages are crucial to maintaining the legacy of the Jedi Order—a lesson Anakin imparts on his former apprentice in Ahsoka “Part Five: Shadow Warrior.”

 Just as Yoda (Frank Oz) taught Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) how to harness the powers of the Force, Anakin mentored Ahsoka, or, more affectionally, “Snips,” throughout the Clone Wars, despite initially being hesitant to take on a Padawan learner of his own.

Dark Side Anakin vs Ahsoka on Mandalore
Credit: Lucasfilm

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Over time, however, the pair formed an unshakable bond, though their friendship would end in disaster after Ahsoka decided to leave the Jedi Order in Season 5 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. While Anakin attempted to reconcile their relationship in Season 7, his fall to the Dark Side and subsequent rebirth as Darth Vader would haunt Ahsoka long after Order 66.

Anakin Skywalker Makes a Cameo in ‘Ahsoka’

Ahsoka sees the titular hero trying to come to terms with her violent past after the collapse of the Galactic Empire. She blames herself for the many atrocities she’s witnessed over the years, including Anakin’s fall, which prevents her from stepping up for her own Padawan, Star Wars Rebels’ Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo).

Ahsoka fighting Baylan Skoll in 'Part Five: Shadow Warrior' (Thrawn)
Credit: Lucasfilm

“Part Five: Shadow Warrior,” written and directed by showrunner Dave Filoni, is a beautiful lesson in self-forgiveness and learning to move on from mistakes. Taking place in the mysterious World Between Worlds, a mystical plane that exists within the Force, Ahsoka is confronted by the Force Ghost of her former master. Here, Anakin gives his old apprentice an ultimatum: “Live…or die.”

To officially finish her training, Anakin transports Ahsoka back in time to the Clone Wars, where she’s played by Marvel and Barbie (2023) star Ariana Greenblatt. Over three action-packed battle sequences, including one in which Anakin goes full-Darksider, Ahsoka slowly realizes that her violent history doesn’t define her, as light and darkness exist within everyone. Ultimately, she chooses to live and is “reborn” as a wiser and more confident Jedi who proudly carries her lineage within her.

Anakin and Ahsoka fighting in 'Ahsoka' Episode 5
Credit: Lucasfilm

Ahsoka and the Skywalker Family Are Irreversibly Linked—but Does She Deserve the Rank of Skywalker?

Emotional arcs like these speak to the true heart of Star Wars and drive home just how close Ahsoka and Anakin really were. And not only Anakin, but his loved ones as well. Before her tragic death in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), Ahsoka had also developed a close friendship with Anakin’s wife, Nabooian senator Padmé Amidala, and even attended her funeral, as depicted in the Tales of the Jedi anthology series.

Of course, we know that Ahsoka has met Anakin’s son—and perhaps, daughter—at some point in the timeline, with her and Luke hanging out outside of his new Jedi Academy on Ossus in Episode 6 of The Book of Boba Fett, making it a true family affair.

Ahsoka with Luke Skywalker
Credit: Lucasfilm

Ahsoka and the Skywalkers go way back, and with the latest episode of the Ahsoka show still fresh in fans’ minds, it begs the question: is Ahsoka Tano a Skywalker, and does she deserve the title more than Daisy Ridley’s Rey?

This very question was asked on Twitter by @ReflektSabers earlier this week and sparked some passionate responses from users, with some agreeing that yes, Ahsoka should’ve been the one to claim the Skywalker name instead of Rey, and others claiming that no, she’s strictly a Tano, and shouldn’t exist in Anakin’s shadow.

Would you accept it, if it were Ahsoka who took the Skywalker name?

Of course, Rey taking the last name “Skywalker” in director J.J. Abrams’s Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) will perhaps go down as one of the most highly-contested moments in pop culture history, leading some to claim that Ahsoka should’ve been the one to adopt the Skywalker moniker instead, given her relationship with the Chosen One himself.

This user explained how they think Ahsoka and Rey have “two very different stories,” arguing that the latter was “legit saved by the Skywalker family” while Ahsoka had a more traditional upbringing in the Jedi Temple:

Two very different stories. I think Tano is plenty for her. Rey legit was raised and saved by the skywalker family.

Along the same line, this fan noted that Ahsoka’s arc “wasn’t about finding family,” like Rey’s was in much of the Star Wars Sequel Trilogy:

Ahsoka’s arc wasn’t about searching for her family, so it would be weird if anakin or whoever brought her in. She doesn’t dwell on it.

On the other hand, this individual wrote that although Ahsoka “would want to keep her name,” she “earned” the Skywalker name and is “part of the family” after their many shared experiences together:

Although I feel that Ahsoka would want to keep her name, I believe that the Skywalker Family would say that she earned the Skywalker name. Especially Anakin. Technically, she is a part of the family.

This person agreed, stating that even though Ahsoka “doesn’t need” to ditch her family name of Tano for Skywalker, it still makes more sense for her to have the title than Rey:

I don’t think she needs it, but it would more sense for her to have their family name than Rey.

Finally, this user questioned why the franchise is seemingly so intent on “forcing” characters to be a part of the Skywalkers, and wondered why they couldn’t just exist separately from Star Wars’ most famous family:

why don’t we just have characters being themselves instead of being forced to be a skywalker

There’s plenty more to be debated here, but one thing’s for sure: fans are fiercely defensive of the Skywalker name and those associated with it.

Will Anakin Skywalker Pop up Again in ‘Ahsoka?’

As for the Ahsoka show, it’s hard to say whether or not Hayden Christensen will make another cameo in the remaining episodes. Many viewers have their fingers crossed for more live-action Clone Wars flashbacks, but it seems more likely we’ll see Anakin appear in the form of a Force Ghost, perhaps in Ahsoka’s hour of need as she prepares to go up against Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).

Grand Admiral Thrawn looks on aboard his Empirial Starcruiser during a scene in Ahsoka, streaming on Disney+ on August 23.
Credit: Lucasfilm

Skywalker or not, Ahsoka’s certainly undergone a lot of growth this season, and it’ll be interesting to see how she applies Anakin’s final lesson as she and Huyang (David Tennant) make their way to the mysterious Unknown Regions via hyperspace-traveling Purrgil.

The next episode of Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ on Tuesday, September 19.

Would you have preferred to see Ahsoka take the Skywalker name over Rey? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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