Ahsoka Episode 8 finale ending explained

Cameron Frew
Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka

Now that the Ahsoka finale has aired, Star Wars fans may be considering its implications for the galaxies – so, here’s a breakdown of Episode 8’s ending.

In our review, we wrote: “To call Ahsoka Episode 8 a conclusion would be generous; it’s all just been set up for the next thing, whether that’s a new season or Dave Filoni’s Star Wars movie. It isn’t a complete experience, and that’ll always be the thorn in its side.”

The episode picks up right where we left off in the previous chapter: the cargo transfer is almost complete on the Chimaera, Thrawn is readying the ship and the Eye of Sion for the hyperspace jump back home, and Ahsoka and co. are trying to get there before it leaves.

While every arc isn’t necessarily resolved, we do get a sense of where they’re going and what could be in the pipeline – so, here’s what you need to know about the Ahsoka finale’s ending.

Ahsoka finale ending explained

Anakin at the end of Ahsoka Episode 8

Ahsoka Episode 8 ends with Thrawn returning to the main galaxy and setting up shop on Dathomir with the Nightsisters, while Ahsoka and Sabine are left stranded in the Unknown Regions. Shin Hati leads the bandits on Peridea, while Baylan Skoll appears to have been called by the Mortis gods.

When Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra reach the Great Mothers’ fortress, they survive the Chimaera’s hellfire and fend off Night Troopers, who are then resurrected with black magick. While Ahsoka fights Morgan Elsbeth – armed with her new Blade of Talzin – Sabine and Ezra duke it out against two souped-up troopers.

They defeat them, but it seems like they’re too late as Thrawn’s ship starts to take off. Using the Force, Ezra leaps across and Sabine pushes him high enough to get aboard, but she stays behind to help Ahsoka against Morgan and the troopers. After Ahsoka kills Morgan, Huyang eventually picks them up in the repaired T-6 and they pursue Thrawn and the Eye of Sion – but they don’t make it in time.

“Allow me to commend you on your efforts today. You’ve been quite a worthy opponent. I regret we haven’t met face to face, and perhaps now we never shall. Still, I know you, because I knew your master. I concluded your strategies would be similar… one wonders just how similar you might become. Perhaps this is where a ronin such as you belongs. Today, victory is mine. Long Live the Empire,” he tells Ahsoka as he jumps to the known galaxy, leaving Ahsoka, Sabine, and Huyang behind.

We see Thrawn’s arrival, hopping out of hyperspace and confronted with a red planet: Dathomir, the home of the Nightsisters in the Outer Rim. Some expected we’d see him destroy Home One as a mark of his return, but Thrawn is more calculated than that – we won’t see any moves to reclaim the empire until the next season or Dave Filoni’s Heir to the Empire movie.

When they land and return to the Noti’s camp, Ahsoka catches sight of a white owl – this appears to be Morai, the convor tied to the Daughter, the Mortis god who represents the light (and also transferred her life essence to Ahsoka in The Clone Wars). This is bolstered by Baylan’s big reveal: we see him standing on a mountaintop in front of two statues of the Father and the Son, the manifestations of the balance and darkness of the Force. Was he being called by Abeloth, or could he be the new Son in the trio of deities?

Shin Hati doesn’t try to find Baylan, instead choosing to lead the planet’s bandits. Ezra also makes it home, stealing a ship from Thrawn’s fleet and finding his way to Home One, where he reunites with Hera.

Meanwhile, Ahsoka tells Sabine she did well, but she’s not convinced. “Thrawn got away,” she says, but Ahsoka responds: “And thanks to you, Ezra got home… Ezra is where he needs to be, and so are we.” Sabine looks off into the distance, and for a moment, she appears to see something. She writes it off as “shadows in the starlight”, but she wasn’t wrong in detecting some sort of presence. Ahsoka smiles as she walks back to the camp, and we see Anakin’s Force ghost watching over her.

Could Anakin be the Father in a new incarnation of the gods of Mortis, with Ahsoka now representing the light? Only time will tell.

You can find out more about Ahsoka Season 2 here, and in the meantime, stream the whole series on Disney Plus and check out our other coverage below:

Episode 1 review | Episode 2 review | Episode 3 review | Episode 4 review | Episode 5 review | Episode 6 review | Episode 7 review | Ahsoka cast and characters | Who plays Grand Admiral Thrawn? | Who is Captain Enoch? | Who is Marrok? | When does Ahsoka take place in the Star Wars timeline? | Where was Ahsoka during the original Star Wars trilogy? | Darth Sion and the Eye of Sion explained | Who is Jacen Syndulla? | What are purrgil? | The World Between Worlds explained | Why does Anakin call Ahsoka Snips? | Ahsoka budget: How much did it cost? | Dark Jedi vs the Sith | How old is Ahsoka? | The Siege of Mandalore explained | When does Ahsoka die? | Night Troopers explained | Dave Filoni divides Ahsoka fans with Thrawn casting

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