Highlights
- The World Between Worlds is a metaphysical realm in Star Wars that allows travelers to see past, present, and future events, potentially altering the course of history.
- Ahsoka experiences the World Between Worlds differently from Ezra, reliving significant moments from her past as Anakin's padawan.
- The World Between Worlds serves as a conduit connecting Force-users to the Force, granting them glimpses into possible futures and the ability to hear distant voices.
The World Between Worlds can be a confusing aspect of Star Wars. It seems with its more recent appearance in the Ahsoka series on Disney Plus, Dave Filoni intends to make the metaphysical realm a mainstay of the mythos. Fans first saw it in Star Wars: Rebels, but they weren't sure if they'd ever see it again. However, not everyone who watches Ahsoka watched Rebels, making little pocket dimension the fan-favorite Togruta finds herself in at the end of episode four confusing.
Ahsoka doesn't explore the World Between Worlds in the same manner as Ezra from Rebels. There was no pulling anyone to safety or looking into different windows. Instead, she reunites with her former master and relives a few significant events from her time as Anakin's padawan. Even though the show doesn't really explore the World Between Worlds, it does expand on its nature. So, just what is the World Between Worlds?
What Is the World Between Worlds?
Star Wars: Rebels showed fans a new aspect of the Force and Star Wars when it introduced the World Between Worlds, also known as the Vergence Scatter (according to The Rise of Skywalker's visual dictionary). According to Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, the World Between Worlds is "a conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows." It shows its travelers events from the past, present, and future, making it a potential means of time travel in Star Wars.
Those who enter this separate plane of existence can travel along an infinite number of pathways to different windows. These windows show significant events, allowing the travelers to glean wisdom from or potentially change the course of events. One of the writers on Star Wars: Rebels, Henry Gilroy, explained that the World Between Worlds changes based on its occupants. What one person sees in one window isn't the same event another sees. It's understandable that the windows will show those in the World Between Worlds events that relate to them in some way.
There are some in Star Wars who would use this plane to alter events to their liking. Nobody has used it like that, as far as fans know, but Dave Filoni doesn't think of it as a means for time travel and says as much:
I don't really think of it as time travel. [...] The world between worlds is really about knowledge and gaining knowledge. As the Dume wolf says, what's in there is knowledge and destruction. 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 [...] So destruction is the other half of what's in there.
Fans can think of the World Between Worlds as the conduit to which connects Force-users to the Force. When a Jedi or Sith see a possible future through the Force, it's a glimpse into one of the windows from the World Between Worlds. When they hear voices from afar, it's because of the World Between Worlds.
The World Between World in Rebels
In season four, episode 13 of Star Wars: Rebels, "A World Between Worlds," Ezra Bridger accessed this mystical realm through the Jedi temple on Lothal. He's lured there by a Loth-Wolf named Dume, who many believe to be Ezra's late master Kanan Jarrus since his real name is Caleb Dume. During Ezra's exploration of the World Between Worlds, Ezra glimpsed various points within the Star Wars timeline. In fact, he heard the voices of many prominent Force users from Yoda to an exchange between Obi-Wan Kenobi and his late master Qui-Gon Jinn.
At one point in Ezra's exploration, he comes across Morai. This owl-looking creature is a convor that's frequently seen with Ahsoka and is associated with the Daughter from Mortis. Morai encourages Ezra to pull Ahsoka to safety through one of the many doorways scattered throughout the mystical plane. This action removes her from the battle between her and Darth Vader in the Rebels season two finale.
Together, the two explored the mystical plane. At one point, Ahsoka had to stop Ezra from trying to save his former master when they came across a window showing the Jedi's fate. Kanan's sacrifice saved the Phoenix crew, and pulling him to safety would have wild ramifications on the galaxy. It's an overarching lesson that teaches Ezra to let go. As they traverse the World Between Worlds more, they discover that someone else is trying to gain access to the realm.
That person is none other than Darth Sidious. Upon denying him access to the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka returns to the Sith Temple Ezra rescued her from, and Ezra returns to the Lothal Temple. While many fans believe this changed the course of Ahsoka's fate, this is how events always unfolded, as the season two finale even shows Ahsoka traveling deeper into the Sith Temple after her battle with Vader.
The World Between Worlds in Ahsoka
Before Ahsoka episode five, fans speculated that she would use the Vergence Scatter to make her way to Sabine and Ezra. After all, Thrawn's ship had the mural from the Lothal Temple, containing a gateway to the World Between Worlds. It was a sound theory, except for one minor detail. At the end of the episode, when Ezra traveled into the World Between Worlds, he sealed the entrance to prevent Palpatine and others from entering. Not to mention, the temple is no longer in one piece, and it may need to be in order to use the gateway.
While Rebels and Ahsoka revealed that people can pull others into the World Between Worlds, it hasn't shown it to be possible for anyone exit into a time and place they never belonged. Furthermore, it's unknown how the place determines which window is which. Ahsoka might have to wander aimlessly, looking into each window to find one that opened up to Peridea. Not to mention, that was not the point of the World Between Worlds in Ahsoka.
After her fight with Baylon Skoll, Anakin greets Ahsoka as she falls into the World Between Worlds. Whether Anakin pulled her in or she fell in because she was dying is unknown, but based on Anakin remark that he was "not expecting her so soon," it's probably the latter. Deceased Jedi use this network of space/time pathways to communicate with the living.
Anakin uses this opportunity to teach his padawan one last lesson. Ever since Ahsoka first appeared in Rebels, her character has been more stoic than she was in The Clone Wars series. This is obviously because of everything her character went through, and because she couldn't let go of her guilt. Anakin teaches her that she needs to choose to either live, meaning return to the fun and enthusiastic Togruta she used to be, or die as the rest of the Jedi did.