Ahsoka is paving the way for some huge events in the Star Wars galaxy. Episode 6, "Far, Far Away," reintroduces Lars Mikkelsen's Grand Admiral Thrawn, last seen on Star Wars Rebels, and moves the action to an entirely new galaxy. Upon arriving in the new galaxy, the villainous crew of the Eye of Sion approaches the planet Peridea, which is soon revealed to be the original homeworld of the Dathomiri -- ancestors to the Nightsisters of Dathomir. The return of Grand Admiral Thrawn after his disappearance at the end of Rebels and the revelations surrounding the Nightsisters' origins come with major implications for the Star Wars galaxy's past and future.

Dave Filoni, the creator of Ahsoka, was confirmed to be directing an upcoming Star Wars movie at this year's Star Wars Celebration Europe. Filoni's movie will be set in the New Republic era and is expected to tie together the various Star Wars Disney+ series Filoni has worked on, including Ahsoka, The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. The film is strongly rumored to be based on the Legends novel Heir to the Empire, which introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn, thus building on Thrawn's role in Ahsoka. Another upcoming Star Wars movie, being directed by Logan's James Mangold, is set to deal with the dawn of the Jedi Order. There's a chance Ahsoka Episode 6 just laid the foundations for this film as well.

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Ahsoka's Sixth Episode Changes Everything

Ever since Ahsoka Tano revealed she was looking for Grand Admiral Thrawn during her appearance in Season 2 of The Mandalorian, fans have been eagerly awaiting Thrawn's return to Star Wars. Episode 6 of Ahsoka finally delivers on that promise. On Peridea, Morgan Elsbeth, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are met by Thrawn's Star Destroyer and his legions of Night Troopers. The return of Thrawn threatens the tenuous peace that the New Republic has thus far maintained in the galaxy, as the Grand Admiral has the potential to unify the forces of the Imperial Remnant in an all-out war on the New Republic. This war is likely to erupt and play out in Filoni's upcoming Star Wars movie.

However, Thrawn isn't the only Star Wars villain who returned on Episode 6 of Ahsoka. The episode also featured the Great Mothers -- an unholy trinity of Nightsisters, or at the very least, close relatives of the Nightsisters. Their appearance marks the first time the Nightsisters' distinctive red robes have appeared in live-action, but they also open the door to the ancient origins of the Force in the galaxy. Morgan Elsbeth confirms that the Dathomiri of Peridea tamed and rode the galaxy-hopping Purrgil "in the days before time was counted," possibly making their Force-wielding tradition older than the Jedi.

The Jedi Order is known to have been established around the year 25,025 BBY, the earliest recorded event in the canon Star Wars timeline. Morgan's statement suggests the Dathomiri were active before this and may have even traveled from Peridea to the main Star Wars galaxy before the Jedi were formed, making the Nightsisters one of the galaxy's first cultures centered upon the Force. This would make Peridea and the Dathomiri essential components in James Mangold's upcoming Star Wars movie about the dawn of the Jedi and the origins of the Force in the galaxy.

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The Nightsisters' Origins May Be Connected to the Jedi's

At first, the revelation that the Dathomiri of Peridea tamed and rode the Purrgil before recorded time began seems to suggest that they may predate the founding of the Jedi. Interestingly, though, when the Great Mothers are introduced later on in Ahsoka Episode 6, they appear to be aware of the Jedi. If the Great Mothers are descended from the original Dathomiri and have always lived on Peridea, the only way they could know of the Jedi is if the Jedi were also once present on this remote planet.

Upon noticing Sabine Wren, who has allowed herself to be taken prisoner by Baylan Skoll in order to be reunited with Ezra Bridger, the Great Mothers comment that she "reeks of Jedi." They deem her dangerous as a result and keep her imprisoned until Thrawn arrives. Nightsisters and Jedi have a fraught history in the main Star Wars galaxy, but seeing these same tensions extend to another galaxy hints at a previously unknown chapter of Jedi history. It's possible that the Dathomiri are not the only Force-wielders who hail from Peridea -- the Jedi Order may have roots on the planet as well.

If the Jedi Order's origins are indeed tied to Peridea, then the events now unfolding on Ahsoka will have to factor into James Mangold's Star Wars movie. The Dathomiri themselves may appear in the film, possibly as antagonists to the early Jedi, given the hints of their shared history. Ahsoka's revelations could also mean that the film will have to explore the emergence of Force traditions on Peridea before moving to the more familiar galaxy of the Star Wars saga. Mangold has compared his movie to The Ten Commandments, a film that deals with the ancient foundations of modern religious ideas and the story of an exodus. It is perhaps fitting then that his Star Wars movie takes place an even longer time ago, in a galaxy even further away.

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Ahsoka Looks to the Past and Future

In Episode 6, Ahsoka has introduced plot threads that will shape the Star Wars galaxy's future as well as its past. Grand Admiral Thrawn is now set to return to the galaxy, potentially reigniting the Galactic Civil War, carving out a dramatic new chapter in the Star Wars saga between the original and sequel trilogies. At the same time, on Peridea, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati have set out on a quest for something Baylan refers to only as "the beginning." Their quest appears to be tied more closely to the ancient past than the imminent future.

The warpath that now lies before Thrawn is clear. His impending conflict with the New Republic will likely be the basis for the Heir to the Empire movie from Dave Filoni. However, the ancient history of Peridea remains more of a mystery -- one Baylan Skoll seems set upon unraveling. The secrets he discovers may well shape the story of James Mangold's movie about the beginnings of the Jedi Order. There is also a chance Baylan's quest could awaken an ancient power that will linger beyond the days of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, shaping events in Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy's upcoming movie about Rey Skywalker's New Jedi Order.

New episodes of Ahsoka are available to stream every Tuesday on Disney+.