By: Eric Pfeifer
Star Wars is like the Hydra Dragon in Greek mythology. Cut off one head, two more grow back. While this analogy may seem like a stretch, hear me out. For over forty-three years, Star Wars fans have debated the “great mystery” that is the Force. Every time we get a question answered, two more questions arise. For many fans, it’s this constant quest to learn more about the mystical energy field that is created by all living things that continues to give Star Wars its charm.
Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (released in 2019) was the final installment of the Skywalker Saga. What does this mean for the Jedi? In the final minutes of the film, we see Rey bury Luke’s and Leia’s lightsabers, refer to herself as a “Skywalker”, and look into the distance at the setting twin suns of Tatooine. Where do we go from here? The story of the Jedi after Episode IX is something that I feel we will get eventually, but what will that narrative look like?
Pictured above and below is Temiri Blagg (a.k.a. “Broom Boy”) from Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi. One of the most significant themes in Star Wars (in my opinion) is the sense of destiny - Luke Skywalker looking out into the distance at the Twin Suns, or Rey donning an old Rebel helmet as she looks up into the sky at ships leaving the junkyard world of Jakku. Each of these instances portrays that sense of destiny. Luke was meant to be more than a moisture farmer, Rey is not just a junkyard scavenger, and there’s a lot more to Anakin than being a slave boy. I feel the final scene of The Last Jedi portrays this sense of destiny for the Jedi Order. In the concluding scene of Episode VIII, Temiri uses the Force to grab a broom, holds it like a lightsaber, and proceeds to look up at the night sky as a shooting star makes its way across the darkness. Temiri Blagg is meant for more than being a Fathier stable boy. Odds are we won’t see Temiri again, but this scene suggests many Force-users are still out there and that there is an opportunity for the Jedi to once again become the keepers of peace and justice throughout the galaxy.
In The Last Jedi, there are many areas of dialogue that describe the direction the Jedi Order appears to be going. “It’s time for the Jedi to end,” says Luke. “Time it is… for you to get past looking at a pile of old books,” exclaims Yoda to Luke, referring to the Ancient Jedi Texts. It’s clearly a time for change. Will the Jedi become extinct? I do not believe so. Luke says, “I will not be the last Jedi”, and then the film cuts straight to Rey lifting rocks. Is Rey meant to take up the mantle? While she may seem like the most logical choice based on what we see in the films, Star Wars is more than just the movies. Animation has become a huge platform for Lucasfilm storytelling as of late. What could the Jedi Order look like now that the Skywalker Saga has concluded? Let’s take a look.
1) Ezra Bridger
First introduced to us in Star Wars: Rebels, Ezra acted as the Jedi Apprentice to Kanan Jarrus, a Jedi Knight who sacrificed himself to save his loved ones. The Force is strong with Ezra Bridger, and without Maul’s temptation or the Sith Holocron, one could make a case that this former Lothal street rat has the potential to carry on the legacy of the Jedi. Ezra is roughly the same age as Luke and Leia, and seemingly understood (in the final episode of Rebels) what it truly means to be a Jedi. What’s the catch? Well…we have no idea where Ezra is! In the final episode of Star Wars: Rebels, Ezra and Thrawn get jettisoned through space via the Purrgil (space whales).
In an episode of Rebels Recon, a web show where the cast and crew discuss Star Wars: Rebels following the most recent episode, Dave Filoni (Supervising Director) confirmed that both Thrawn and Ezra are not dead. Fans have continued to look for any clues as to the whereabouts of the two major characters, but have been unsuccessful. Timothy Zahn, author of the Thrawn trilogy, has given us nothing in his latest novels as the third installment (Thrawn: Treason) overlaps the events of Star Wars: Rebels, but does not go beyond the events of the show.
In the last couple of minutes of the Star Wars: Rebels series, Sabine Wren states, “Ezra’s out there somewhere and it’s time to bring him home.” The Battle of Endor is now over. The Rebels have won. As Sabine is narrating, Ahsoka Tano makes an appearance. As the viewer, we are led to believe that Ahsoka and Sabine will embark on a quest to locate Ezra Bridger.
2) Ahsoka Tano
Fan favorite, Ahsoka Tano, has come a long way since her snippy days as Anakin Skywalker’s young padawan learner. Ahsoka was framed in The Clone Wars and made a huge decision not to return to the Jedi Order. It’s no secret that this Togruta feels as though she has no place within the Order. Ahsoka left the place she called home for most of her life, she left her Master who would do anything to keep her safe, and she entered a galaxy where not everyone viewed the Jedi as peacekeepers.
As we see in The Last Jedi, it is clear that if the Jedi Order is to resurface, it will be drastically different than what we’re used to. Perhaps the ideologies will change. Perhaps Jedi will be allowed to love and get married. Perhaps, even, the Jedi will be allowed to study the Dark Side and its potential dangers to the galaxy. In my opinion, Ahsoka Tano is the embodiment of what the Jedi should be. Violence is a last resort for her, and as we see in the Siege of Mandalore arc in the final season of The Clone Wars, Lady Tano spares the lives of every clone despite them shooting to kill. Remember what Yoda did when the clones came after him? That backflip decapitation move was pretty epic, but was it the Jedi way?
If my math is correct, Ahsoka would be about seventy years old if she survives through The Rise of Skywalker. What’s the average lifespan of a Togruta? I have no idea.
Here’s one area that worries me: In The Rise of Skywalker, Rey struggles at the beginning to connect with the “Jedi who came before”. In her final battle with Palpatine, Rey enters what Rae Carson’s novelization, The Rise of Skywalker Expanded Edition, refers to as “the place between places”, and she hears the voices of the Jedi of the past. Each voice Rey hears, belongs to a Jedi who has died with the exception of one mystery: Ahsoka Tano. If Rey is hearing Ahsoka’s voice, does that mean that Ahsoka has died by the time Rey is battling her grandfather? If this “place between places” is the same thing as the World Between Worlds we see in Star Wars: Rebels, anything can happen.
In Season Four of Star Wars: Rebels, Ezra enters the World Between Worlds through a portal attached to the Jedi Temple on Lothal. While inside, Ezra hears voices. Some of these voices come from people who aren’t Jedi, like Jyn Erso. The voices are specific lines from different Star Wars movies and shows and don’t seem to be directed at Ezra in any way. In Rey’s “place between places”, she’s specifically being spoken to. So, maybe the “place between places” and the World Between Worlds aren’t the same after all. Ezra alters the events in the timeline by removing Ahsoka Tano from her battle with Darth Vader. The World Between Worlds acts almost as a way to alter events in time rather than speak to the deceased. Then again, we know very little about this portion of Star Wars.
Earlier in the year, rumors invaded news feeds highlighting casting news for The Mandalorian Season Two - Rosario Dawson is to play the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano. Season One of The Mandalorian begins five years following the Battle of Endor, so this would be the latest point in the Star Wars timeline that we’ve seen the former Jedi. Lucasfilm hasn’t confirmed anything, but Ahsoka has had a history with the Mandalorians, and you may have heard about a small, green, Force-user that may need some mentoring.
3) The Child
The Mandalorian was recently nominated for fifteen Emmys and has been the hottest new piece of content for many fans since Disney+ launched in November of 2019. The Child, or “Baby Yoda” as he’s often referred to, is not only extremely cute, but he’s our outlet for the Force in the show. We’ve seen The Child “do the magic hand thing” on multiple accounts, and despite having the stature and the mental maturity of a toddler, he appears to be extremely powerful with the Force.
Yoda and Yaddle are the only other canon characters that are the same species as The Child. Both of them were once members on the Jedi Council, and Yoda was widely regarded as one of the strongest Force-users we’ve seen in Star Wars. “Its species can move objects with its mind,” says the Mandalorian. Does every member of this species have the ability to use the Force?
The Child is fifty years old in Season One of The Mandalorian, which means following the events of The Rise of Skywalker, he’d be about seventy-six years of age. The aging process of his species is a mystery, but we know Yoda dies of old age at nine hundred. Perhaps once they reach a certain point in their life-cycles they mature at a faster rate.
In Episode 108 (Season One, Episode Eight) of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin (a.k.a. “Mando”) seeks counsel from a Mandalorian Armorer. The Armorer tells stories of battles between Mandalore the Great and an order of sorcerers known as Jedi. The Jedi are enemies, but The Child is not. The Armorer goes on to explain that it’s Mando’s duty to reunite The Child with its own kind. What does this mean? The Jedi? Members of the same species? Both? Mando will need to search the galaxy, acting as The Child’s father, until he becomes of age or is reunited with his own kind. A clan of two. If Ahsoka is truly going to make an appearance in this show, perhaps The Child will be her way in. This is the way.
4) Jacen Syndulla
In the final scenes of Star Wars: Rebels, Sabine details what happens to all the main characters as time goes on. Spectre 7 was the newest member of the team - Jacen Syndulla. “Born to fly just like his mother and well, we all know what his father was like,” Sabine narrates. Jacen Syndulla is the son of Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus. With Kanan as his father, it is likely that little Jacen could have a strong sensitivity to the Force. Hera is a General in the New Republic following the events of Endor, and there is no mention of her son in any of the canon books during this time period. He’s only a few years old when we see him at the end of Rebels, but he’d be close to thirty years old following the events of The Rise of Skywalker.
5) Rey Skywalker
For many fans, Rey is the clear choice to usher in the next generation of Jedi. As I stated earlier, if the Jedi Order is to rebuild, it will have a much different look to it. The same can be said for Rey’s new lightsaber. Rey turns a dial on the hilt she constructed using parts of her staff (instead of pushing a button or flipping a switch, and that’s a unique feature in itself) which produces a glowing yellow/gold blade. These yellow/gold blades are not often seen in current Star Wars, but they were wielded by the Jedi Temple Guards in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As you may expect from their name, the Jedi Temple Guards were the guardians of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant - the location where Jedi were trained, where some of the most sacred information was kept, and where some of the most powerful and wisest beings in the galaxy resided. Could the color of Rey’s new saber symbolize that she is now a “Guardian of the New Order”? She does still possess the Ancient Jedi Texts.
Nothing is set in stone, and while Rey may seem like the best choice as a Jedi leader, nobody is perfect. Rey is a very emotional person as we have seen in the films. Kylo Ren was able to push her to her limits and force her into positions of vulnerability. Ren is able to push Rey to the point where she nearly obliterates Chewbacca with Force lightning. Had there not been two ships, our favorite Wookiee would likely have been killed by friendly fire. What a terrible way that would have been for the mighty Chewbacca to have perished. “I pushed you in the desert because I needed to see it. I needed you to see it - who you are,” says Kylo Ren. As The Rise of Skywalker continues, Kylo Ren smashes the Sith Wayfinder Rey had been searching for. It’s almost like a flip switches in her mind and she snaps. The Rise of Skywalker novelization describes the battle between Rey and Kylo on the Death Star II as being frustrating for Rey. She gets increasingly infuriated as Kylo blocks every single strike she throws at him. On page 170, Rey mentions that she was determined not to leave until one of them was dead. For most of this fight, Rey was described as being on the offensive. “A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense. Never for attack,” Yoda states in The Empire Strikes Back. Whoops.
In the battle with the Praetorian Guards in Snoke’s Throne Room in The Last Jedi, Rey allows her emotions to get to her, and we see her scream in anger as she’s fending off the mysterious red-clad warriors. This behavior is not often seen amongst the Jedi. Perhaps Rey is different and she’s able to acknowledge her darkness, utilize it, and suppress it. Rey is a Palpatine after all, so I think she’s allowed to get a little angry from time to time.
In the final scene of The Rise of Skywalker, Rey adopts “Skywalker” as her last name and she sees the Force spirits of Luke and Leia in the distance. Rey’s biological parents saved her from her grandfather as a child, but it was through the training of Luke and Leia that she was able to defeat Palpatine later in life. “Some things are stronger than blood,” Luke says to Rey. If we see Rey continue on, I have no doubt the Force spirits of Luke, Leia, Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Anakin will play a role in assisting her pass on the knowledge of the Jedi to the next generation.
The sequel trilogy showed us that there is something unique called a “dyad in the Force” - two beings that share a special connection through the Force. They can touch each other despite being in separate places, they can speak to each other, and even hand off weapons. The connection between Rey and Ben is powerful, and each heals the other in The Rise of Skywalker (the novelization states that there was a tiny spark in Rey and the Force hadn’t taken her yet - I don’t believe that Rey was brought back to life). How will Rey deal with the loss of Ben moving forward? We don’t see this in the film, but in the novelization, through the Force Ben states, “I will always be with you” after he gives his entire self for Rey. I don’t doubt that Ben will continue to play some kind of role in Rey’s life as she presses on.
The Force works in mysterious ways. In some instances, Force-sensitive children are able to levitate things across the room as toddlers. In other cases, like Leia for example, she tells Luke in Return of the Jedi, “You have a power I don’t understand and could never have.” Leia was in her twenties at this time and while she says she always knew Luke was her brother, I don’t believe she truly was aware of her potential in the Force. Leia didn’t begin training with Luke until after the Battle of Endor. There is no telling what the Force will bring us moving forward. It is entirely possible, maybe even likely, that if Lucasfilm ever gives us the story of the Jedi following Episode IX, that it is hundreds of years into the future and the characters described in this article will be irrelevant. A powerful Force-user from the Unknown Regions of the galaxy could pop up out of nowhere, and spark another galaxy-wide conflict. The possibilities are endless. Whether we are treated to a movie, show, comic book, novel, or video game, I truly believe that there is a story to tell. The story of the Jedi is incredibly interesting, and there’s always more to learn.