This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 4.
Summary
- Time travel is a logical aspect of the Force, as shown by Force users who have visions of the past and future, and certain Force-vergence places affect the flow of time.
- The World Between Worlds is the only place where time travel is possible in the Star Wars universe, accessible through the Force. It is a dimensional plane where the Cosmic Force and the Living Force come together.
- The World Between Worlds is also described as a netherworld of the Force, perhaps where spirits of the deceased become one with the Force. Ahsoka has strong ties to this realm and has shown Force powers related to time travel.
Time travel has been part of the Star Wars galaxy since 2018 through the World Between Worlds, and it now plays an important part in the Ahsoka Disney+ TV show. Ahsoka episode 4 ended with Ahsoka Tano, defeated and apparently killed, awakening in a strange location. There, to her intense surprise, she found herself greeted by what seems to be the Force ghost of her former mentor Anakin Skywalker.
For many viewers, this mysterious realm was a surprise. Those who are familiar with Star Wars Rebels, however, will recognize it at once as the World Between Worlds. Sometimes described as a netherworld of the Force, this is the place that makes time travel possible in Star Wars - an idea incorporated into the old Expanded Universe through unusual Force powers or hyperspace anomalies, but rarely developed. The World Between Worlds, however, appears to be a canon use of time travel. Here's how it works.
Time Travel is a Logical Aspect of the Force
The Force transcends time and space, as proven by the numerous Force-users who have experienced visions of the past or the future. Ancient Force-sensitives appear to have been able to peer through the millennia, producing cryptic prophecies such as that of the Chosen One. The pursuit of such abilities was distrusted by the prequel trilogy, with Yoda in particular fearful some would move from visions of the future to trying to control time. Still, Jedi such as Sifo-Dyas possessed an innate connection with the flow of time, while others possess the rare power of psychometry, allowing them to experience the past when they touch an object.
Certain Force vergence - places and planets rich in the Force - prompt experiences that affect the flow of time. This can be seen in The Empire Strikes Back, where the cave on Dagobah clearly involved a sense of time dilation. The book From A Certain Point Of View features a short story from the perspective of Obi-Wan Kenobi, confirming a Force Ghost - a Jedi who has become one with the Force, essentially a permanent mystical experience - transcends time completely. All this establishes a clear precedent for a living Jedi to be able to find union with the Force, and somehow use it for time travel. And that is where the World Between Worlds comes in.
Why the World Between Worlds is the Only Place Where Time Travel Was Possible
The World Between Worlds is essentially another plane of existence, one that transcends time and space and can be accessed only through the Force. As Star Wars Rebels showrunner Dave Filoni explained in an interview with Nerdist, it was inspired by the C.S. Lewis novel The Magician's Apprentice, where a crazed scientist discovered a way to access the Wood Between The Worlds - a forest where every pool in the wood linked to a different point in spacetime (and indeed where other worlds could be accessed; in Lewis' account, the events in this story created the links between Earth and Narnia). The Star Wars equivalent is more abstract, but the same portals are there as a clear homage to Lewis.
The precise nature of the World Between Worlds is unclear, but it appears to be a dimensional plane where two aspects of the Force - the Cosmic Force that binds the universe together and the Living Force which is associated with life - come together in union. "You have to be careful when you’re moving through these big powerful dimensions and what you’re wishing for," Filoni cautioned, reflecting on the episodes in which Ezra explored the World Between Worlds. "Everything [Ezra] wishes for, out loud, is a dangerous thing to do. If you watch and listen when Ezra talks and he makes certain statements, there’ll be a thunder clap, and that thunder is representative of something else listening. There’s multiple things going on in there and everything becomes a choice between how you want to use power and control, and influence others." No doubt this is where the distinction between the light side and the dark side comes in; the dark side seeks to use the World Between Worlds, with Palpatine believing it the key to enormous power, while the light side would crave only wisdom through it.
The World Between Worlds Is A Netherworld Of The Force
Star Wars has recently redefined the World Between Worlds, however, hinting there's another aspect to it. Tie-ins have described the World Between Worlds as a netherworld of the Force, a term traditionally used to refer to the idea of an afterlife. In Star Wars lore, the spirits of those who die pass on into an afterlife, becoming one with the Force. Force ghosts are light siders who have learned how to make the trip between the physical world and the netherworld in which they live. Ahsoka episode 4 appears to be running with this idea, given it feature an appearance by what seems to be Anakin Skywalker's Force ghost.
It's interesting to note that Ahsoka herself has strong ties to the World Between Worlds. She would have died in battle with Darth Vader if not for the intervention of Ezra Bridger from the World Between Worlds, who pulled her out of her place in the timeline and returned her shortly after. Since then, Ahsoka episode 2 showed she has learned Force powers that are related to the flow of time; she was shown practicing the unusual power of psychometry, an ability only a few Jedi possessed.
Why Time Travel Doesn't Break Star Wars Canon
Some viewers are naturally concerned that time travel leaves continuity and canon in flux, but Filoni has always insisted that won't be an issue. "It's not really a thing where you go through one door and out another in a different time," he explained in a featurette on the Star Wars Rebels season 4 Blu-Ray. "You can gain knowledge of the future or futures that may happen, and you can see things that happened in the past. You can at times choose to alter them, but it's perilous to do so and when you alter something you don't know if that's not the way it always happened." Filoni implies that any attempts to change the timeline have already been written into the flow of history - meaning Ezra never really changed history when he saved Ahsoka, merely doing what he was always meant to do.
There's been some speculation the World Between Worlds explains Ahsoka's words to Rey in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Rey was encouraged by the voices of Jedi past, but Lucasfilm has refused to confirm whether this means Ahsoka's voice cameo meant she was dead as well. According to Rae Carson's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker novelization, some of the voices Rey heard were “still anchored to the living in a strange way." This could well mean Ahsoka reached out to Rey through the World Between Worlds - meaning her connection to this realm will only increase after Ahsoka season 1.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET on Disney+.