Star Wars: How Clone Wars’ Mortis Arc Created A Major Misconception About The Force

Star Wars: Ahsoka Episode 5 “Shadow Warrior” has sparked a lot of debate within the Star Wars fandom – and a lot of it is centered on the return of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). When Ahsoka Tano’s (Rosario Dawson) life was hanging in the balance, her spirit hung in the purgatory of the World Between Worlds, where her former master was waiting to greet her. 

Since Ahsoka Episode 5 aired, there’s been heated debate about whether or not it was truly Anakin’s Force ghost or spirit that Ahsoka was talking to – or just a figment of her own imagination. Within that debate, there’s been an admittedly interesting theory that’s gained a lot of popularity: that it was indeed Anakin’s spirit that Ahsoka Tano met – and that his oscillation between his “Anakin” and “Vader” personas was actually a sign of his character’s evolution. According to some fans’ take, Anakin, “The Chosen One” is finally at balance, between the dark and light sides of the Force. 

One of the most debated stories in Star Wars is the “Mortis Arc” that took place in the Clone Wars animated series; that story saw Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan get caught up in a contest between a family of powerful Force wielders – The Son, the Father, and the Daughter. The Son chose to align himself with the dark side; the Daughter harnessed the light side of the Force, and the Father tried to maintain balance between them. The Son and the Father battled for control of Anakin, with the Son wanting to corrupt the Chosen One, while the Father wanted Anakin to become his successor, and maintain balance in the Force. Ultimately the son failed (at least in that moment), and the Father sacrificed himself to maintain peace between his children. 

It’s not hard to understand why the theory sounds good that in death (and the afterlife) Anakin has somehow fulfilled his role as “The Chosen One” by becoming the ultimate “Gray Jedi.” While misunderstanding about the nature of the Force has been part of Star Wars since it began, the Mortis Arc was particularly influential in fostering the mistaken idea that the light and dark sides of the Force are something that can co-exist in balance. However, Star Wars lore – especially longer form content like books and comics – has been particularly clear about this point: the dark side is not one half of the Force, it is the corruption and/or perversion of the Force.  The dark side is, in essence, the disruption of the balanced Force – there is no way to “balance” that disruption with the light side – either the Force is working in its natural, benevolent, and balanced way – or the dark side is twisting it into something else. 

Hence Anankin’s entire Chosen One prophecy being one of creating “balance” in the Force by eliminating the Sith threat for good: removing the dark side corruption would’ve been the act of restoring balance to a Force that (as Yoda and others sensed during the Prequels) was teetering out of balance, as Darth Sidious rose in power and influence. However, the Mortis Arc helped bolster the idea that there is some kind of trinity at work in Star Wars, wherein the “Force” (Father) is somehow the balance between darkness (Son) and light (Daughter). But again, this is a major misconception as The Son was clearly shown to be a corruptive influence that ultimately destroys the family when he inadvertently kills the Daughter and the Father sacrifices himself to end the Son’s dark side abilities. It was only after Anakin killed the Son that the dying Father proclaimed balance had been brought to Mortis – clearly showcasing that the dark side is not something that co-exists with the light side. 

The clearest examples are any of the major Sith Lords that have appeared in Star Wars: Every single one of them is revealed to lead a life of pain, torment, and paranoia, while the corrupt nature of the dark side always exacts some kind of heavy toll from its users before they graduate in power. Palpatine was horribly scarred by his own power in the battle with Mace Windu; Vader had his body turned into a burned husk trapped by machines to keep him alive – even apprentices like Maul and Asaj Ventress have described the torment and horror of the dark side as a living hell that ultimately cons one out of their soul, even while serving faithfully. 

In that sense, the idea that the version of Anakin/Vader seen in Ahsoka episode 5 is somehow the ultimate “Chosen One” Force ghost balanced between light and dark. That’s clearly not a concept that can exist in the established lore of Star Wars. As far as we know, even reaching the status of a Force ghost requires a Force user to obtain a level of mastery and balance of the Force that transcends death. Again, being a light/dark side hybrid being doesn’t really qualify. 

How did you explain Anakin’s return in Star Wars: Ashoka? Let us know in the comments!