Here’s What Ahsoka Tano Wanted to Tell Anakin
The bond between Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker has always been one of the best things about Star Wars: Clone Wars because Anakin was the teacher instead of the immature apprentice. In that regard, we saw a more mature side to Anakin due to his status as Ahsoka’s teacher. But we all know that Ahsoka wanted to tell her master something important near the end of the Clone Wars but could not do so because Anakin turned to the dark side. So, what did Ahsoka want to tell Anakin?
Ahsoka most likely wanted to reassure Anakin that he was a good master and that not everything that happened to her and to him was his fault. That’s because, out of all of the people close to Anakin, she was the one that knew how he felt about his failures and about how he felt about the future.
One of the things that Ahsoka was known for was being empathetic toward the things that Anakin felt and experienced during the Clone Wars. Unlike Obi-Wan, who was more of a strict and somewhat rigid master, Ahsoka could understand Anakin’s emotional side. So, with that said, let’s look at some of the possible things that Ahsoka wanted to tell Anakin.
She Wanted Him to Know That It Wasn’t His Fault
Even though Ahsoka was incredibly loyal to the Jedi Order, she still saw some of its flaws while fighting in the Clone Wars. But her biggest trial came when she was literally under trial. Barriss Offee pinned the bombing of the Jedi Temple on Ahsoka, as she was expelled by the Jedi High Council without even listening to her side. And we know that Anakin stopped at nothing to prove that his Padawan was innocent of the crime she was being tried for.
Anakin, of course, proved Ahsoka’s innocence by exposing Barriss Offee’s plot. But while Ahsoka’s name was cleared, she felt two betrayals. First, her close friend betrayed her by setting her up as the fall guy. Meanwhile, she also felt betrayed by the Jedi Council because the Jedi Masters, whom she trusted and looked up to, didn’t even bother to listen to her story before expelling her.
In that regard, Ahsoka left the Jedi Order even though the Jedi Council offered to reinstate her within the Order and even give her the title of Jedi Knight. She felt disillusioned and betrayed by the Jedi Order as she saw how flawed the Jedi can be. And Anakin felt guilty about it because, deep inside, he thought that he could have done something to stop his Padawan from leaving.
So, in that regard, it is possible that Ahsoka wanted to tell Anakin that it wasn’t his fault that she left. We all know that Anakin has always placed everything on his shoulders as if the entire galaxy was his responsibility. That was the reason why he thought that he might have done something to prevent Ahsoka from leaving and that it was ultimately his failure as a master that led to Ahsoka’s disillusionment with the Jedi Order.
But Ahsoka probably wanted to tell him there was no reason to blame himself for what happened to her. Her decision to leave the Jedi and the fact that Barriss set her up were never within Anakin’s control. And Ahsoka simply wanted her master to feel okay with her decision to leave the Jedi.
She Knows How He Felt
While the relationship between Anakin and Padme was a secret because the Jedi weren’t allowed to marry, the fact that they were married was one of the open secrets that those close to them knew. Obi-Wan always knew about the relationship between them but simply overlooked it. Meanwhile, Ahsoka had a hunch as well but wasn’t going to pry deeper into the relationship because she saw how happy Anakin was with Padme.
But because Ahsoka was close to Anakin, they bonded through the Force. It also doesn’t take a Jedi Master to understand that Anakin was becoming increasingly emotionally unstable because he feared losing Padme. After all, several instances in the Clone Wars occurred when Anakin let his emotions affect him when Padme’s safety was on the line.
That means there was a good chance that Ahsoka also wanted to tell Anakin she was there for him if he needed help regarding his feelings. Anakin didn’t have anyone to talk to regarding how much he feared losing Padme and all the people he cared for. And Ahsoka probably wanted to be her master’s support system so he wouldn’t feel lonely regarding his thoughts about the future.
So, in a way, Ahsoka might have wanted to reassure her master that everything would be okay and that he didn’t have to do anything drastic to keep Padme and everyone else he loved safe. After all, Anakin didn’t have anyone to confide his feelings at that time due to his status as a Jedi. And while Ahsoka may have been a Jedi, she would have chosen her master’s emotional health rather than the rigid code of the Jedi Order.
Would Anakin Turn to the Dark Side if Ahsoka Didn’t Leave?
One of the many things that Ahsoka regretted during the events of Star Wars: Rebels upon learning that Darth Vader was Anakin was that she wasn’t there when he needed him. Deep inside, she might have believed that Anakin wouldn’t have fallen to the dark side if she didn’t leave the Jedi Order. So, is it true that Anakin wouldn’t have fallen to the dark side if Ahsoka didn’t leave?
There’s a good chance that Ahsoka would have been enough to keep Anakin on the good guys’ side if she had stayed with him as his support system. As good of a friend and mentor as Obi-Wan was, he stayed true to the rigid code of the Jedi Order and wasn’t exactly someone that Anakin could confide his feelings with because Kenobi would always tell him to mind his feelings. But Ahsoka might have been different and might have tried to listen to what Anakin had to say.
Sometimes, all it takes is for someone to actually be there to listen to your problems. Ahsoka could have been that person to Anakin. Instead, he decided to confide his feelings with Palpatine, who was only grooming him to move over to the dark side of the Force. But unlike Palpatine, Ahsoka legitimately cared about Anakin. As such, it would have been possible that Anakin would have stayed good had Ahsoka been there for him.
Then again, there would still be a chance that Anakin would have gone to the dark side even if Ahsoka didn’t leave. His fears and anxieties were far too strong for anyone to control. We’re not even sure if Ahsoka would have been enough to keep him on the dark side because we all know that he eventually discarded his relationship with everyone he loved in the past when he turned to the dark side. So, as important as Ahsoka may have been to him before he betrayed the Jedi, Anakin would have still turned into Darth Vader regardless of who was there to help him.
That was why Obi-Wan Kenobi felt a moment of catharsis in the series after spending ten years blaming himself for Anakin’s downfall. He thought that his failures eventually forced Anakin down the path of the dark side. But when he realized that Anakin’s downfall was his own doing, Obi-Wan felt relieved as he understood that he could have done nothing to save his former best friend.
So, in a way, even if Ahsoka didn’t leave, her efforts might have been futile because, at the end of the day, Anakin’s downfall was his own doing. No one around him would have been able to prevent him from choosing the path of darkness as he chose that road himself. And Ahsoka would have just been an obstacle he would have tried to cut down.