As one of the rare Jedi padawans who walked away from the Order and still remained good, Ahsoka Tano is as complicated as she is inspiring. But can Ahsoka be called a Grey Jedi? Who are the Grey Jedi and how does one become a Grey Jedi? Read on to find out.
Both the Sith and Jedi described the Grey Jedi as Force users who use both the light and dark sides of the Force, without letting either side dominate. Grey Jedi are not Jedi because they shun the Jedi code and teachings of the Jedi High Council.
The Sith do not accept them either for their excessive use of the light side. But there is another definition which is that anyone who disagrees with the Jedi Council or goes against their command can also be termed a Grey Jedi.
So, Ahsoka qualifies for the second kind of Grey Jedi because she walks away from the Jedi Council after being disillusioned by the masters. The loyal Togruta warrior is first wrongly accused of a terror attack on the Jedi Temple. Then she is denied a proper apology by the Council after being exonerated.
This shakes Ahsoka’s faith in the Order and she rejects the dogmatic ways of Jedi Council and decides to leave for good. Had she stayed, Ahsoka was one ‘yes’ away from becoming a Jedi Knight. The next time we see Ahsoka is in Star Wars Rebels’ season 1 finale, nearly a decade after the events of The Clone Wars.
We find out that she has been an active member of the Rebel Alliance, while still refusing to identify herself as a Jedi. By the end of Rebels, incidents like Kanan’s sacrifice and her duel with Anakin rouses hope among her fans that Ahsoka might have a change of heart.
But does she return to the Jedi Order, at least whatever remains of it? Or has she left the orthodox ways of the Jedi for good and is now walking the Gray Jedi path instead?
Here’s everything we know.
1. Who Are the Grey Jedi? Is Ahsoka a Grey Jedi?
Grey Jedi were the Force users who walked a fine line between the peace and harmony of the light side, and the power and passion of the dark. Only a select few Force users ever had the stability and strength to not allow their consumption by the dark side of the Force.
The Jedi Council never always kept the Grey Jedi at arm’s length. The sheer power of the Grey Jedis forced the High Council to accept their existence or risk losing their position of dominance.
Grey Jedi displayed combat techniques of both the Sith and the Jedi. Many were capable of using the light side mind tricks taught by the Jedi and the dark side lighting, taught by the Sith.
A select few were able to develop a deep dark side ability of Force healing as described by Palpatine. These Force healers could push the dark side to its fullest extent without crossing over into full corruption.
But the Grey Jedi also developed an ability unique to their fine balancing act of the light and dark sides. This ability allowed them to throw small objects through the Force at near lethal velocities with the potential to stun or even kill its target.
The term Grey Jedi, however, was not always used to refer to Force users who balanced both light and dark sides. It also was used to address all those who went against the teachings of the Jedi High Council.
The practice dated back to the days of the Old Republic, when the Jedi Council attempted when the Jedi Council attempted to centralize its power in the temple on Coruscant. All those who did not agree with this decision or the consolidation of power by the Jedi Council were labelled as Grey Jedi.
Those who consistently clashed with the teachings of the Council, but did not necessarily take part in use of the dark side were also considered the Grey Jedi. For instance, someone like Master Qui Gon Jinn was considered a prime example of the Grey Jedi.
The teachings and beliefs of Master Qui Gon Jinn went against those of the High Council even though he held the same opinion on the dark side as the Council. His belief of the Chosen One prophecy and the reinstating of balance to the Force is what earned him this label.
By that definition, Ahsoka could be called a Grey Jedi. She becomes disillusioned with the Jedi Order after the bombing at the Jedi Temple, despite holding them in high regard.
2. Why Does Ahsoka Quit the Jedi?
We first meet Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: Clone Wars as a spirited youngling sent to become Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan. She is selected by none other than Jedi Master Yoda to join Anakin on his missions during the Clone Wars.
Ahsoka was on her way to becoming a Jedi Knight until the unfortunate bombing at the Jedi Temple happened, and a prisoner and several clones were killed. Ahsoka was accused of bombing the Jedi Temple with barely enough evidence.
Ahsoka was immediately expelled from the Jedi Order and orders were issued to execute her. While in truth, Ahsoka was framed by fellow Jedi Padawan Barriss Offee who wanted to demonstrate the Jedi Council’s callous and warmongering ways.
Barriss Offee’s betrayal did not hurt Ahsoka as much as the truth of what Offee managed to demonstrate. Even though Anakin managed to prove her innocence, Ahsoka was permanently disillusioned with the way the Order dealt with the bombing.
As we see her again in Star Wars Rebels, Ahsoka continues to live like a Jedi even after leaving the Order but never identifies as one. She is able to find a way to not fall to the temptations of the dark side of the Force. That not only qualifies her to be a Grey Jedi but also to be one of the most powerful Force users ever.
Check out this inspiring tribute to the Togruta warrior.
3. Does Ahsoka Come Back to Jedi?
There is no official confirmation of Ahsoka returning to the Jedi. But she does return in the epilogue of Rebels finale, looking a lot more mystical and Jedi-like. Since Rebels never explains what Ahsoka does after going back to Malachor, we cannot say for sure.
The final season of The Clone Wars, gives us a glimpse of Ahsoka’s life after she has left the Order. Ahsoka decides to hang out in the lower rungs of Coruscant which are stricken with crime and poverty, making it very difficult to make ends meet.
The details are scarce but we get the general idea that she had been trying very hard to distance herself from her Jedi past. While in the netherworlds of Coruscant, she met sisters Rafa and Trace who gave her an honest opinion of the Jedi Council’s insincerity.
Which is why once the Council was dismantled by Palpatine, many believed Ahsoka could have returned to the Jedi Order.
Ahsoka did keep up all her Jedi habits – she meditated, was very strong in the Force, and her fighting only improved. In Rebels, she even trained a Padawan of her own, Kanan Jarrus, using old videos of Anakin’s teachings.
By the end of Rebels, two major inciting incidents could have forced Ahsoka to consider returning to the Jedi Order. The death of Kanan Jarrus who sacrifices himself to save his crew and Ahsoka’s confrontation with Darth Vader, aka her master Anakin Skywalker.
The last we see of Ahsoka chronologically is in the Rebels Epilogue which took place some time after the fall of the Empire. Ahsoka walks in dressed in a large grey cloak holding a white staff and looking very Jedi-like. Maybe there will be some more info in the ongoing spin-off The Mandalorian where Ahsoka’s live-action has debuted for the first time.
Do you think Ahsoka is a Grey Jedi? Do you also believe Ahsoka returned to the Jedi Order?
4. About Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon.
It has three trilogies at its core – Original, Prequel, and Sequel, spread across five decades and interspersed with at least a dozen spin-off series and films.
Created by George Lucas and his Lucasfilm, the franchise is currently under the Disney umbrella. All the Star Wars films and shows are now available to binge on Disney+ streaming service.
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