Breaking Down the Ahsoka Finale—and What’s Next for the Star Wars Story

Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Ahsoka finale.

Despite Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson), Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), and Ezra Bridger's (Eman Esfandi) best efforts, the Ahsoka finale saw Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) escape the distant planet of Peridea with the Great Mothers of Dathomir and his legion of Night Troopers in tow.

But as was demonstrated by the closing minutes of the episode, titled "The Jedi, the Witch, and the Warlord," there still appears to be hope for stopping Thrawn before he claims his place as heir to the Empire.

Read more: Everything You Need to Know About the Star Wars TV Show Ahsoka

How did the Ahsoka finale end?

Although Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang (David Tenant) were left seemingly stranded on Peridea after defeating Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and a band of zombie Night Troopers magicked back to life by the Great Mothers, Sabine was able to use her newly-honed Force abilities to get Ezra onboard Thrawn's Star Destroyer before it took off into hyperspace.

Ezra then managed to covertly escape the ship once it was back in his home galaxy and reunite with Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Given Ezra's knowledge of the situation, we can only assume that the pair will be on a mission to rally New Republic forces to not only stop Thrawn, who we last saw en route to the Nightsisters' home planet of Dathomir, but also to find a way to rescue his friends.

On Peridea, Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang rejoined the native Noti to decamp to a new hideout. The trio didn't seem to be putting any plans in motion to try to find a way off the planet, but the final scene of the episode revealed that the Force ghost of none other than Ahsoka's former master Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) was watching over them—and the finale ended on a hopeful note.

"Ezra is where he needs to be, and so are we," Ahsoka told Sabine. "It’s time to move on.”

As for Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno), who were also left on Peridea, questions still remain surrounding the fates of mercenaries. While Shin was shown joining up with a gang of bandits, the greater power that Baylan sensed and was seeking on the planet has yet to be revealed.

Judging by Baylan's final scene, the power seems to have something to do with the Mortis Gods, ancient entities—also known as the Ones—who embody the Force. Baylan was shown standing on the outstretched hand of a massive statue of the Father, who represents the balance in the Force, while the other two statues, the Son and the Daughter, represent the dark side and the light side of the Force, respectively.

Unfortunately, since Stevenson unexpectedly passed away weeks before Ahsoka's premiere, Baylan's story may need to be taken in a different direction than what was originally planned.

What's next in the Ahsoka story?

Lucasfilm has yet to announce whether Ahsoka will return for a second season.

However, showrunner Dave Filoni, who also helmed the animated Star Wars series The Clone Wars and Rebels, is set to develop a new Star Wars movie that will apparently center characters from Ahsoka and The Mandalorian. When asked at this year's Star Wars Celebration whether the film will be a "culmination" of those shows' connecting storylines—a narrative arc that currently seems like it would revolve around the battle to defeat Thrawn—Filoni only said that the movie will focus on a major turning point for the galaxy.

“To me, a theatrical experience has to have a big idea—a monumental moment in the time period that changes what’s happening,” he told Empire. "You’re looking for those moments that define an era, and that’s what the films really should be about—whether it’s characters coming together, or a defining moment."