Proof That The World Between Worlds DID Play a Role In ‘The Rise of Skywalker’
The Rise of Skywalker concluded this trilogy in the Star Wars‘ Skywalker saga. While there’s a lot of differing opinions on the matter, the movie still had a lot of fun easter eggs and gave fans the nostalgia they oh-so-enjoy. On top of that, it also had some great cameos. One of those surprise appearances might confirm that the World Between Worlds played a part in The Rise of Skywalker. MAJOR spoilers for The Rise of Skywalker ahead.
Rey hears from the Jedi in ‘The Rise of Skywalker,’ but they’re not all dead
Right when all hope seems lost, and Rey is all alone in her battle against Palpatine, she catches a break. Even though she tried to contact past Jedi at the beginning of the movie, she wasn’t able to crack that skill yet. But when it matters most, prominent Jedi from the past come through and give Rey the boost she needs to beat Palpatine once and for all.
In that moment, Jedi like Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker, all come through and urge her to let the Force guide her. It truly is the pick-me-up she needs, and she wins in the end. One of those Jedi was Ahsoka Tano, who made a significant name for herself in The Clone Wars, and then Star Wars Rebels.
While this had a lot of fans panicked that her appearance here meant she was dead, showrunner for The Clone Wars, Dave Filoni, gave some hope. He tweeted out a sketch conversation between Gandalf and Ahsoka, with Gandalf saying, “People thought I was dead too. Look how that turned out.” And Filoni wrote a reassuring message, saying, “Was thinking of all of you this fine morning.”
This can only mean one thing: Rey heard Ahsoka through the World Between Worlds
While Filoni didn’t exactly spell out “Ahsoka lives,” again, all signs point to Tano being alive during The Rise of Skywalker. So if she is still alive, how could she communicate with Rey during her battle, when all the other Jedi who talked to her are dead?
If Ahsoka isn’t dead, the only other explanation is through the World Between Worlds, and it’s pretty convincing. Weeks ago, we also guessed that this realm would be an excellent explanation of how Palpatine appears in the film. While that’s not really how it worked in the movie, it would explain Ahsoka’s communication with Rey.
As Inverse reported, Reddit user u/hillmata13 noted that the sky above Rey fades into what looks exactly like the World Between Worlds seen in Star Wars Rebels. This would also be why she doesn’t see Force ghosts, but just hears their voices; in the Rebels episode, that’s what Ezra experiences as well. And Ezra hears past, present, and future voices, regardless of if they were alive or not.
And, to top things off, the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary notes that Rey knows of the World Between Worlds, or what she knows as “Chain Worlds Theorem” and the “Vergence Scatter.” It was described in the ancient Jedi texts she was studying. All of this, compounded with Filoni’s tweet and co-writer Chris Terrio saying he used the animated shows for inspiration, basically proves the World Between Worlds was in Episode IX.
What could time travel mean for the future of ‘Star Wars’?
It’s tough to say what the continued use of this realm where time and space don’t exist means for the Star Wars universe as a whole. Palpatine knew about this realm and even tried to force his way into it in Rebels. But he never was able to use it to his advantage. The universe would have a lot of repercussions if he had.
So, it’s safe to say there won’t be any time traveling vigilantes or evil-doers going around any time soon. However, it doesn’t seem like the World Between Worlds would even allow you to do such a thing. Whatever the case is, that could always be a plot for another day.
