What Is The Purpose Of The World Between Worlds In 'Ahsoka'?
Image Source: IMDb
An interesting concept has been brought into live-action Star Wars from animation. With the introduction of the World Between Worlds to Ahsoka, many fans have been wondering what the realm truly is, what purpose it holds, and if Dave Filoni is working a time travel angle for the plot. To understand the purpose, first one should understand the origins. Of course, be warned: general spoilers are ahead.
The World Between Worlds didn’t originate in Ahsoka, the concept first appeared in Filoni’s Star Wars Rebels. Lothal housed a Jedi temple, and once Darth Sidious learned this he wanted to know all its secrets. This brings the Ones back into the conversation, the ancient beings who resided on Mortis. The painting of them at the Jedi temple was a key to entering, only accessible to a Force-wielder as Ezra Bridger discovered.
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The official description of this realm listed on the Star Wars website is that it is "a collection of pathways and doors between time and space." This, in classic Star Wars fashion, is an answer that doesn’t quite satisfy. In a special feature on the Star Wars Rebels season 4 DVD, Filoni explained how this realm works a bit clearer (via ScreenRant):
“It's not really a thing where you go through one door and out another in a different time. You can gain knowledge of the future or futures that may happen, and you can see things that happened in the past. You can at times choose to alter them, but it's perilous to do so and when you alter something you don't know if that's not the way it always happened.”
Image Source: Wookieepedia
It’s not quite time travel, as Filoni later asserts. In a different setting, he reportedly explained, “It's not about time travel ... It's just about a place where everything comes together ... everything is occurring all the time.” To avoid an oversimplified explanation, he tacked on that “it's not just this place of gateways and doorways that you just go in and out of.” Labeling the concept as just time travel can turn fans away and ignore what they are trying to build.
Oversimplifying this realm as just time travel doesn’t quite grasp what it is in actuality depending on how you define the concept. In the Star Wars Universe, the World Between Worlds is like a convergence point for time and space, and the way one interacts within the realm is borderline a lucid dream. While altering a visual of the past is possible, Filoni implies that those actions may have already been written into fate and were bound to occur, mildly negating the implication of changing the timeline entirely.
Image Source: IMDb
So what is the purpose of the World Between Worlds being featured in Ahsoka so heavily? In the barest of terms, it is an excellent tool for character development and plot progression. Ahsoka can convene with her former Master in a moment where he isn’t lost to Vader, as a Force ghost. It provides an outlet for the character to, as the official description touts, “confront her past.” Ahsoka can go elsewhere rather than die or succumb to anything too permanent following her duel with Skoll, and as an extremely powerful Force user who has past experience with the World Between Worlds, it is a reasonable plot direction.
The purpose of featuring the realm also helps to expand upon the concept. The time it was focused on in Rebels was brief in the grand scheme of things, especially for a concept with this much potential. It could easily come back in the future, especially with the further development of the MandoVerse. It isn’t a catch-all plot device, but a way for Force-sensitive characters to revisit the past and consider their future.
To see where this plotline goes for yourself, Ahsoka is currently streaming on Disney+. A new episode drops every Tuesday. There will be eight episodes in total, and the fifth was just recently released, so you have plenty to watch and time to catch up! If you want to go further into the lore that started in Star Wars Rebels, that show can be streamed in its entirety on Disney+ as well.
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