When Ahsoka Met Bendu…
Dave Filoni shares details of an unseen encounter between Ahsoka and the mysterious Bendu
If you follow Star Wars Rebels’ executive producer Dave Filoni on social media, you’ll know that he has a penchant for dropping bombshells when you least expect them… such as mere hours after Ahsoka Tano’s debut in Star Wars: Forces of Destiny.
Not content to let fans ride the euphoric wave of Clone Wars nostalgia, Filoni decided that this was as good a time as any to send a shockwave through the fanbase and casually mention that there was an unseen encounter between Ahsoka and the ancient Force-sensitive Bendu in the second season of Star Wars Rebels.
It just occurred to me that I never got to tell you all the story of the time that Bendu met Ahsoka Tano. It was a brief encounter, which took place around the end of the episode ‘The Mystery of Chopper Base’ from Season Two, just before Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra left on their fateful mission to Malachor. Of their conversation, you might find this dialog to be the most interesting:
Bendu: “You are set on this confrontation then?”
Ahsoka: “I have to know the truth.”
Bendu: “So be it, but understand this, much will change as a result of this encounter, including you.”
Ahsoka: “Isn’t that true of all things, as time advances?”
Bendu: “My dear, when I say change, I mean death.”
Ahsoka: “So I will die?”
Bendu: “Will you? I didn’t know that. Goodbye then, Ahsoka Tano, former Jedi Knight.”
I can’t help but feel that Filoni has chosen his words (and tenses) carefully to avoid giving any clear-cut answers to our burning questions. Let’s be honest, that just isn’t his style. Thus, Bendu’s comments can be interpreted in a variety of ways, depending on whether you’re in the #AhsokaLives or the #AhsokaDies camp.
The “truth” Ahsoka is referring to is, of course, her nagging suspicion that Darth Vader is her former master, Anakin Skywalker. The rest is very much open to interpretation. Does “death” refer to the “death” of Anakin Skywalker or to Ahsoka’s own impending doom? Could it refer to Maul’s death at the hands of Obi-Wan “Ben” Kenobi or to deaths yet to come in season four?
When Ahsoka met Bendu (Image credit: Dave Filoni)
Could it be hinting at Ahsoka’s transformation into another Force entity following her “death” at the hands of Vader? Perhaps Ahsoka will follow in the footsteps of Tolkein’s Gandalf and return as Ahsoka the White. At the very least, we now know that Ahsoka didn’t transform into the white wolf we saw in the season four trailer, but there are a great many questions that need to be answered in Rebels’ fourth (and final) season.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the aforementioned dialogue is just part of a longer conversation between the two Force users, so we have no idea how Ahsoka stumbled upon Bendu or what else they may have talked about during their brief encounter. We also don’t know why Ahsoka didn’t tell Kanan or Ezra about the enigmatic entity living on Atollon.
And while I appreciate these little teasers and the breathtaking artwork that often accompanies Filoni’s tweets, I’m more than ready for some real closure concerning Ahsoka’s fate and her future within the Star Wars universe. There’s a limit to how many teases and fan theories a person can stomach…
So, roll on Star Wars Rebels season four!
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