Ahsoka Episodes 1 & 2 Ending Explained
Contains spoilers for "Ahsoka" Episode 1 — "Master and Apprentice" — and Episode 2 — "Toil and Trouble"
It's the live-action series fans of "Star Wars Rebels" have been waiting for. Rosario Dawson's iteration of Ahsoka Tano, former Padawan to Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), first made her debut in "The Mandalorian" Season 2, and now, she headlines the new series that sees her reunite with some old allies while making some new enemies. The Empire may have been destroyed, but there are still threats to the galaxy, including the prospective return of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). However, finding Thrawn may also lead the heroes to their old friend, Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi).
After the arrest of Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), Ahsoka sets her sights on acquiring a map that can lead her to both Thrawn and Ezra. But nothing in the "Star Wars" universe can ever be easy, so even after she gets it, she needs a way to unlock it to find out where she needs to go. This brings her back to her old comrade, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), but the two have had a bit of a falling out since fans saw them last.
There's a new war on the horizon if the rebels aren't careful. And while a two-episode premiere means fans get some more information about where the story is heading, there's still plenty they may be in the dark about. Here's everything to know about the endings of Episodes 1 and 2 of "Ahsoka" and what they mean for the show's future.
The map falls into the wrong hands
The last viewers saw of Ahsoka and Sabine together was in the finale of "Star Wars Rebels." Ezra stayed aboard Thrawn's fleet to ensure he was defeated once and for all as they disappeared. This allows the rebel forces to destroy the command center and carve out a victory, but Ezra is still lost in the wind. The ending sees Sabine and Ahsoka joining forces to look for Ezra, despite how much of a long shot that is. While it's a hopeful conclusion, things clearly turned sour between the two from "Rebels" to "Ahsoka."
After consulting with Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Ahsoka visits Sabine, thinking her "artist's eye" could help her figure out how they can access the map. Sabine's intrigued but doesn't want to spend much time around Ahsoka, so she steals the map and goes back to her hideout to work on it. The only problem is that Morgan instructs Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), the Padawan to Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson), to travel to Lothal to get the map Ahsoka took from the ruins. Unfortunately, Sabine's lightsaber skills are rusty, and while she manages to take out a droid, Shin is far too powerful for her. Not only does Shin manage to get the map from her, she deals a definitive blow to Sabine's stomach, severely wounding her.
Luckily, fans don't have to wait a week to determine Sabine's fate. She survives the attack and recovers in a medical center. More than likely, the lightsaber was slightly off-center from hitting any vital organs, so Sabine gets to fight another day.
Where does the map lead to?
After Sabine unlocks the map, she sees how it showcases a pathway between two points, but she doesn't get a good look at what's connected before Shin Hati attacks. More information comes to light in Episode 2 when she, Baylan Skoll, and Morgan Elsbeth visit a site designed by "an ancient people from a distant galaxy." She then shows the two an enlarged map that Sabine saw in the previous episode. A pathway connects one galaxy to another, and the destination is Thrawn's whereabouts.
The character's return has long been teased in "Star Wars" media. He didn't exactly die at the end of "Rebels," and he's been brought up a couple of times throughout "The Mandalorian." Ahsoka seeks information related to him in "Chapter 13: The Jedi," and his name comes up again in "Chapter 23: The Spies," when Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito) meets with the Shadow Council, who discuss his potential return in addition to Project Necromancer.
Thrawn's return to the galaxy has been heavily sought over, with the word "war" coming up repeatedly throughout the first two episodes of "Ahsoka." Remnants of the Empire remain, and this will surely play a role in the eventual revival of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) and the rise of the First Order. But what role will Thrawn play in all of this? That remains to be seen, as Baylan mentions the path forward is clouded. More will still need to be done for anyone to travel to the coordinates of Thrawn and Ezra, and Ahsoka is hot on their tail.
The Empire still causes Ahsoka trouble
Despite losing the map, Ahsoka isn't going down without a fight. While Sabine recovers, Ahsoka and Hera travel to Corellia where one of the droids came from. Fans likely recall Corellia is the home planet of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) that was last depicted in live-action in "Solo: A Star Wars Story." It's a shipyard for the New Republic after the fall of the Empire, which makes the presence of such a droid suspect. All Imperial technology should have been dismantled, but as the audience soon learns, the Rebellion didn't succeed in wiping out the Empire completely.
Ahsoka and Hera get a good deal of dubious information from Min Weaver (Peter Jacobson), who discusses how Imperial assets were taken in by the Republic and individuals who worked for the Empire now work for them. This clearly doesn't sit well with Ahsoka and Hera, as they question former Imperials' loyalty, which ends up coming to fruition when they're attacked while trying to prevent a transport carrying an HK-class droid from departing. The ship gets away, but not before Hera and Chopper manage to get a tracking device on it.
Fans should know the galaxy won't enjoy this period of relative peace for very long. The sequel trilogy establishes the First Order as the new threat, and "Ahsoka" Episode 2 provides a trail of crumbs as to how these nefarious forces were able to regain power so quickly. Their loyalty doesn't merely extend to whoever's paying them, and many individuals work behind the scenes to circumvent the New Republic. As Ahsoka points out, "It's not loyalty; it's greed."
The pieces are falling into place for Morgan Elsbeth to reach Thrawn
The New Republic assuming former Imperials would fall into line will prove to be its undoing. The machinations that will allow Morgan Elsbeth to reach Thrawn are already underway, and when she checks in with Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati, and Inquisitor Marrok (Paul Darnell), she reveals how the installation of the final hyperdrive is currently in the works. Once it's complete, the Eye of Scion will be finished, and that should allow Morgan and the other antagonists to reach Thrawn.
This ties into the scenes depicted on Corellia. While the Republic wanted to use Imperial technology for its own uses, the fact people still loyal to the Empire continued to work on it meant Morgan could still acquire what she needed.
Fortunately, Ahsoka and her team aren't giving up that easily. Huyang (David Tennant) informs them how the ship that had a tracker placed on it ended up in the Denab system. That ship was carrying a hyperdrive core, which is likely what Morgan needed to finish her ship. The bad guys may have what they need to reach their goals, but Ahsoka and Sabine are on the way. Their partnership may have been rocky initially, but things seem to be on the up and up between them.
Sabine becomes Ahsoka's Padawan
Throughout the first two episodes of "Ahsoka," Sabine talks about how the titular character left her. There's animosity, but Sabine appears to let go of the past to move forward and potentially rescue Ezra. At the end of Episode 2, Sabine cuts off her hair, puts on her Mandalorian armor, and joins Ahsoka in her quest. They're off to the Denab system, and Ahsoka even refers to Sabine as "Padawan."
This is the term for a Jedi apprentice in the world of "Star Wars." Sabine is well-acquainted with Padawans, seeing how Ezra studied under Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.) during "Star Wars Rebels." What's interesting is that Sabine has never demonstrated any penchant for using the Force, which is typically a prerequisite for becoming a Padawan. Could Sabine be Force-sensitive in Ahsoka?
She wielded a lightsaber in her fight against Shin Hati, but that hardly means she could be considered a Force user. Throughout "Star Wars Rebels," Sabine is around several Force users but never demonstrates the ability herself, and she's past the age where most become aware of their powers. However, there's still evidence from "Star Wars Rebels" and other properties that Sabine could be one with the Force. "Ahsoka" is just getting started, and with powerful antagonists and exciting new possibilities for beloved "Rebels" characters, there's plenty for fans to look forward to.