Star Wars' Ahsoka season 1 ending explained

“It’s time to move on.”

The final episode of Disney+'s Ahsoka might have disappointed anyone looking for grand explanations or any sense of closure in terms of just what Thrawn is up to, or what his grand cargo is — really, I hope that’s coming as soon as he shows up again — but it did let both Ahsoka and Sabine reach some kind of emotional closure… and, despite many rumors to the contrary, it also let Ezra escape Peridea and return back to the New Republic without disaster. Surely that counts for something, right...?

How does Ahsoka end?

Here’s the bad news: Ahsoka and Sabine failed to stop Thrawn and the Grand Mothers escape Peridea with their mysterious cargo, although they did manage to kill Morgan Elsbeth in their attempt. (She had it coming, let’s be real.) Here’s the arguably worse news: Ahsoka and Sabine ended up stranded on Peridea themselves after Thrawn escaped, although neither one seems too upset about this result; it could be argued that Ahsoka even agreed with Thrawn that a place like that was where a ronin like she truly belonged.

They’re not there alone, however; they’ve got Baylon Skoll and Shin Hati to deal with, both of whom were glimpsed in the closing montage as remaining on the planet themselves. (Of course, Baylon Skoll will likely never be seen again, given that the actor who plays him, Ray Stevenson, sadly died earlier this year.) Additionally, Huyang made it through as well, thanks to the power of David Tennant’s voice acting.

It’s not all bad news, though: Ezra did manage to escape, initially stowing away in stolen Storm Trooper armor aboard Thrawn’s Star Destroyer as it headed to Dathomir — he didn’t stay there, however, with viewers getting to see him reunite with both Chopper and Hera in a stolen Imperial Shuttle. It’s the closest we got to a happy ending in the entire episode… and even then, it’s something that sets up future plot developments, with the New Republic now aware of both Thrawn’s return and his eventual destination. The saga will continue… somewhere.

Were there any surprise returns/appearances in Ahsoka season finale?

Perhaps the most surprising thing about the Ahsoka season finale was how unsurprising it was, at least in terms of character appearances. Outside of Anakin showing up as a Force Ghost at the very end of the episode, it was a very tightly focused episode with the action centering around Thrawn, the Great Mothers, Morgan Elsbeth, Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra. Everyone else was basically window dressing… although maybe seeing Chopper show up to recognize Ezra in disguise at the end counts as a surprise return.

Does Ahsoka have a mid or post-credits scene?

While Star Wars isn’t particularly known for post-credit sequences, it’s nonetheless a shock that we didn’t get anything in the finale — especially considering everything felt primed for one last appearance of Thrawn where he explained his damn plan… or, at the very least, let us know where we’re going to see him next.

Who died in Ahsoka season finale?

Surprisingly, only Morgan Elsbeth didn’t make it through the finale in one piece. I mean that literally; she was cut in half during a duel with Ahsoka. It really couldn’t have happened to a nicer villain, even if it meant that the seeming upgrade she received from the Great Mothers earlier in the episode — which included receiving a fun new sword called the Blade of Talzin, which seemed to function like a low-grade lightsaber — were somewhat wasted. Alas!

Technically, if you want to be precise, a lot of Night Troopers died in the episode, but they quickly came back to life as Night Trooper Zombies, because of magic. I’m sorry; I mean 'majik,' which is how it’s apparently spelled in Star Wars canon.

Are there ties to the larger Star Wars universe?

As with all of Ahsoka, there are significant ties to both the Star Wars Rebels animated series — to which Ahsoka is basically a sequel — and the larger storyline that Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have been building through The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett so far. Filoni has been announced as working on a new Star Wars movie that will wrap up a lot of these plot threads; by this point, it’s feeling pretty safe to say that it’s going to be about whatever plan Thrawn has to destabilize the New Republic, which just might be the thing that creates the environment that allows The First Order to come to power by the time of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Will there be a Ahsoka season 2?

Officially, there’s been no word from Lucasfilm about whether or not to expect a second season of Ahsoka. Certainly, the story doesn’t finish here — but with Ahsoka herself seemingly settled in a new life on Peridea, her story might be over, especially given the appearance of the Force Ghost of Anakin at the very end of the episode. Wherever the story goes from here (The Mandalorian? Skeleton Crew? Something else altogether?), it might do it without Ahsoka and Sabine.

It’s a big galaxy out there, far far away. Here’s where you can check on the stories that come after Ahsoka’s, in multiple time periods of long ago…