'Star Wars: The Clone Wars': Skywalkers and Palpatines may get credit but Ahsoka Tano is the Force's true hero
Spoilers for 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' Season 7 Episode 12 'Victory and Defeat' series finale
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a prophecy that one day, someone would come and bring balance to the Force. This prophecy has driven the narrative in 'Star Wars' since the very first movie hit the screens but even now, it remains unfulfilled.
Initially, it was believed that Anakin Skywalker would be the one to fulfill this prophecy. After his fall to the dark side, it was believed that his son Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) would be that prophesied savior.
By the time of the sequel trilogy, this changed again and Rey Palpatine (Daisy Ridley) was seen as the Chosen One. But messianic prophecies aside, there is one who has found the balance within herself and that person is Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein).
Over the course of her story, told through 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' and its sequel series 'Star Wars: Rebels', Ahsoka undergoes a long journey of self-discovery. In fact, one might even consider 'The Clone Wars' as the story of how Ahsoka forsakes the Jedi path to find her own.
That's the heartbreaking ending of the epic animated series and by the time we see her again in 'Rebels', she has found her own path, one separate from both the Jedi and the Sith.
This does seem to be what Rian Johnson had in mind for Rey in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi', implying heavily that she would pick her own path instead of being a part of either Order.
'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' may have reversed that but in the process, it ended up doing the same thing as its predecessors: forgoing balance for a story of good triumphing over evil. And so while the Sith may have been defeated time and again, the Force remains unbalanced.
However, Ahsoka's path has been one of balance. She has found the balance between revenge and justice, war and peace within herself. More than any of the so-called Chosen Ones, she has come closest to truly balancing the Force.
With the character reportedly set to return in 'The Mandalorian' Season 2, we will be seeing her path continue and perhaps she may train Baby Yoda to follow her path. The Skywalkers and the Palpatines may be the ones who get all the glory but Ahsoka Tano is the true hero the Force requires.
All episodes of 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' are currently available for streaming exclusively on Disney+.