Throughout ther appearances in the Star Wars franchise. Ahsoka demonstrates many rare Force abilities. Among them is psychometry, which has been used by another powerful wielder of the Force: Yoda. Psychometry is the Force-related ability to perceive an event in time through the impression left behind in a space or on an object. In other words, when presented with an item, a psychometry user can learn about its history.
Ahsoka's numerous uses of the technique proves she is adept at it. But comparing her prowess to Yoda's depends on several criteria. After all, Yoda is one of the greatest Jedi masters of all time. Does Ahsoka's skill with psychometry really rival his?
Using Psychometry
In order for psychometry to be useful, it demands clarity and accuracy. As one of Star Wars' most powerful Force abilities, the user needs to be powerful enough to be able to perceive the impression on the object. They need to be able to understand the scope of time between when the impression was left and how long the impression lasts.
The technique is often used to gather intelligence or to perceive a history. Depending on the user's ability, they can either use psychometry by touching the object or simply being near it. The impression's clarity can allow the user to perceive not only the person that left the impression, but also others that may have been nearby. Another criterion for mastering psychometry, and claiming the title of Star Wars' greatest Jedi, is to perceive events without the common drawbacks of headaches, incapacitation, or empathically feeling the experiences of whoever left the impression.
This technique can occur at will, or even by chance for some wielders. Ahsoka, for example, intentionally used psychometry on the star map to ascertain what happened to Sabine after her fight with Baylan Skoll. Yoda often used psychometry to perceive events from a distance, particularly those of people he had established a connection to already. To understand Star Wars' Ahsoka and Yoda as psychometry users, the more powerful one must be determined on these factors: clarity of vision, accuracy of events, scope of time perceived, distance of space or object perceived from user, and minimal drawbacks after use.
Why Yoda's Psychometry Is More Powerful Than Ahsoka's
Yoda used psychometry to detect galactic disturbances in the Force. While these instances were usually vague in perception, Yoda used his empathic connection to the Force to discern the light from the dark at least. Though the visions were not clear, they were generally accurate. In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda was able to empathically perceive the deaths and violence caused by Anakin and Order 66. It is difficult to determine whether Yoda's empathy in this instance was a drawback of psychometry, or simply a part of Yoda's compassionate nature and strong connection to the Force. Perceiving the death of loved ones through the Force can have the natural drawback of grief as well.
Yoda proved an impressive ability to use psychometry at great distances with general accuracy, providing him with broad conclusions about the status of the balance of the Light and Dark sides of the Force. Though one of Ahsoka's best Force powers, she has not been seen attempting psychometry at such a wide scale.
The Jedi Master's clarity, however, was not as impressive. Yoda relied on feeling the Force rather than perceiving visually or aurally. The scope of time that Yoda perceives is usually the immediate present or most recent past. Whether it's the result of his natural empathy or the use of psychometry, Yoda's drawbacks from the technique can result in empathic pain. In the end, though, Yoda's mastery of psychometry allowed him to perceive the ever-teetering balance of the Force at great distances.
Why Ahsoka's Psychometry Is More Powerful Than Yoda's
As Star Wars' best gray Jedi, Ahsoka's use of the technique proves more impressive than Yoda's in its own way. Ahsoka's most verifiably accurate use of psychometry was on the star map held by Sabine. She was able to perceive, at least through sound, the impression left behind by not only Sabine, but also those around the object at the time. While Ahsoka needed to touch the object to perceive the impression, the clarity and accuracy of her perception is greater than that of Yoda's.
This isn't the only time Ahsoka used psychometry. Another example occurred at the sight of Sabine's first encounter with Baylan Skoll's apprentice, Shin Hati. By simply being in the area, Ahsoka was able to hear how the battle ensued. She may have also used psychometry at Sabine's bedside in the hospital to hear the memories that were disturbing Sabine's rest. In each instance, Ahsoka only needed to be near what she intended to perceive.
Though she and Yoda may both lack visual clarity, Ahsoka's ability to perceive aurally is crystal-clear and without any drawbacks. Therefore, the Togruta's mastery of psychometry may be more powerful than Yoda's not only for its auditory clarity, but because that clarity grants her something that Yoda never had with his psychometry. Ahsoka's psychometry allows her to act more effectively on the information she perceives. This makes her excellent at tracking and collecting intelligence, which may also be the reason Ahsoka was able to arrest criminals while evading the Empire to keep her one step ahead of the dark side.