Ahsoka & The Whale: Episode 5 Is A Star Wars Twist On An Infamous Bible Story
Contains spoilers for "Ahsoka" Season 1, Episode 5 — "Shadow Warrior"
"Ahsoka" Episode 5 follows Ahsoka Tano's (Rosario Dawson) inner journey within the World Between Worlds as she explores her past and confronts her guilt over Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) tragic fall to the dark side. With the encouragement of her deceased master, Ahsoka abandons her pride and finally forgives herself for Anakin's downfall. Ahsoka emerges from the sea a changed woman, choosing life and continuing the fight for what's right. The episode ends with Ahsoka allowing a purrgil to swallow her ship whole, and it's currently unknown where Ahsoka and the whale are going.
If this underwater tale of forgiveness sounds familiar, it's probably because it shares many qualities with the Biblical story of Jonah, a Hebrew prophet who fell into the sea and was swallowed by a whale. Jonah was instructed by God to spread his word to the enemy city of Nineveh but denied God's will and fled to sea. He was kept in the whale's belly for three days as punishment and only freed after asking God's forgiveness. Not only does Ahsoka undergo a similar trial of forgiveness and humility while under the water, but she also literally enters the belly of a whale to travel to enemy space.
Though Ahsoka's lesson in humility was much less aggressive than Jonah's, it's easy to see the similarities between these two whale-centric stories.
Religious allusions are a recurring theme in Star Wars
Although it might sound a little far-fetched to draw parallels between the Bible and "Star Wars," this epic space opera has previously made plenty of religious allusions in the past. Most obvious is the fact that Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) is the result of a virgin birth just like Jesus Christ — which is important because Anakin fulfills the "chosen one" or "messiah" role within the "Star Wars" universe.
Another obvious Christian allusion can be seen in the design of Darth Maul (Ray Park), whose red face and devilish horns recall the traditional appearance of Satan. Lucas confirmed the Satanic inspiration behind Maul during a 1999 interview with Bill Moyers, in which he discussed the role of religion and faith in "Star Wars." Lucas explained that "Star Wars" is not inherently religious but uses a variety of religious motifs and ideas to evoke spirituality and faith — particularly through the Force.
"I put the Force into the movies in order to awaken a kind of spirituality in young people," Lucas said. "More a belief in God than a belief in any particular, you know, religious system." Lucas also stated that he believes all religions contain some semblance of truth and emphasized the importance of faith in our society. Though "Star Wars" may not be inherently religious, it's clear that Lucas' musings on faith, religion, and belief clearly influenced this iconic science fiction story.