'Ahsoka' Hints the Most Terrifying 'Star Wars' Story Is Coming Soon

The new trailer for the upcoming Ahsoka revealed a lot of intense action, lightsabers, and Rosario Dawson, but it also hinted that the darkest, most terrifying Star Wars story ever is in the works.

Sharp-eyed Star Wars fans noticed that series villains Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), and Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) were using a certain device to locate the mysterious (and Elon Musk-like) Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), one that would be familiar to players of Knights of the Old Republic: a Rakatan Starmap.

This Rakatan Starmap:

As you can see, it is nearly identical (though much more highly rendered) than seen in Knights of the Old Republic, where it was a key part of the journey of the player character and their battles against (or, depending on your choices, for) the ancient Sith Lord Darth Malak.

But what Ahsoka is hinting toward is even more ancient than the events of that particular Star Wars story. In fact, it goes all the way back to the very beginning of the Jedi themselves and a very gruesome chapter of galactic history.

James Mangold Is Creating a New ‘Star Wars’ Movie

It has been confirmed that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny director James Mangold has shifted to the Star Wars side of Lucasfilm and is working on a new film that he says “will go back to the dawn of the Jedi.”

The specific phrase “Dawn of the Jedi” has already been used in Star Wars, as the title of a comic book series set long (long, long) before the Age of the Republic that fans are familiar with. The series followed the precursors of the Jedi (called the Je’daii Order) as they encounter and resist the Infinite Empire of the bloodthirsty Rakatans.

Rakata Star Wars — Rakatans in Battle
Credit: Marvel Comics

The very Rakatans who invented Hyperdrive and the Star Map seen above, in fact!

‘Andor’ Canonized the Rakatans

Previously, the Disney+ series Andor (which was recently nominated for three Emmy Awards) briefly referenced the Rakatans when the title character (Diego Luna) was given a Kyber Crystal said to be from an ancient time when the brutal species ruled the galaxy.

That brought the Rakatans into Star Wars canon (rather than the Legends category Disney shoves things into until it’s ready to use them), but now Ahsoka has confirmed that it was not just an Easter Egg to delight hardcore fans, but an emerging theme.

Combined with James Mangold’s description of his upcoming movie, it seems almost certain that we will be seeing the Rakatans on theater screens sooner rather than later.

Considering that the Rakatans were violent, cannibalistic Dark Force users who reigned over hundreds of slave planets and outmatched even the Sith in terms of sheer evil and malice, Star Wars seems like it is about to get very dark.

Will the Rakatans be in Star Wars soon? Use the Force and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!