What Is Star Wars' Fulcrum? Ahsoka & Andor's Secret Link Explained
The codename "Fulcrum" has made the rounds in the "Star Wars" universe, traversing different eras in the franchise's ever-expanding timeline. It's used for the first time during the era of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" as a subspace communications frequency created by Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter). He uses it to communicate with several notable names, such as Senator Bail Organa (Phil LaMarr) and the leader of the Onderon rebels, Saw Gererra (Andrew Kishino). Skywalker's former padawan, Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) later adopts it during the show's final season.
Tano continues to use Fulcrum on "Star Wars Rebels," specifically forming an underground network to counteract the oppression of the Galactic Empire. Following her supposed death, various Rebel agents such as Alexsandr Kallus (David Oyelowo) use it for various missions and to contact fellow Rebels about sensitive information. Even Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) of "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and "Andor" fame adopts it for a time while working to build the strength of the Rebel Alliance as the Galactic Civil War rages on.
Though it's far from a focal point of the "Star Wars" story, there's something poetic about the enduring nature of the Fulcrum name and how its use evolves throughout the franchise.
Fulcrum contributes to the demise of Anakin Skywalker's own empire
As noted previously, Anakin Skywalker creates the Fulcrum codename to provide aid to those in need. It famously allows him to communicate with Saw Gerrera, who leads the fight in attempting to free Onderon from the Separatist-backed Sanjay Rash (Kirk Thornton). Through it, Onderonian freedom fighters have a lifeline directly to the Republic to keep their rebellion from dissipating due to Separatist force. Little does Skywalker realize at this point, the codename he created to help out rebels is destined to work against him.
With the end of the Clone Wars and the establishment of the Galactic Empire, Anakin Skywalker becomes the Sith known as Darth Vader. Under the watchful eye of his master, Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), he becomes an Imperial figurehead feared across the galaxy — one who frequently crushes rebel activity personally. Right under his nose, Ahsoka Tano and various other members of the Rebel Alliance continue to use the Fulcrum name to undermine Imperial expansion, making him something of the architect of his own empire's destruction.
As long as Ahsoka is active in the "Star Wars" galaxy, it stands to reason that Fulcrum will continue to be a codename used by her and her closest allies, affording help and resources to those among the stars who need them most.