In the final season of The Clone Wars, Darth Maul revealed Palpatine’s plan to Ahsoka. We saw this happen in “The Phantom Apprentice” episode when Ahsoka asked Maul about why he was fixated on Anakin. In turn, Maul indicated how Anakin was central to Sidious’s plot to overthrow the Jedi and Republic. Aghast, Ahsoka called Maul a liar and engaged in a lightsaber duel with him. But what if she had listened to Maul? We have three main possibilities in this what-if scenario, running from least to most likely.
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Ahsoka Joined Maul to Stop Sidious and Save Anakin
This is the least likely outcome of the three outlined here, but it still could have happened. Ahsoka may have seen that the only way to stop Darth Sidious was to join with Maul to kill him.
As this video conveys, Ahsoka could have also aligned with Maul to prevent him from trying to kill Anakin. Yet, Maul would most likely have tried to manipulate Ahsoka to his own ends, meaning he would find the right time to attack Anakin.
Ahsoka and Maul could have confronted Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Palpatine on The Invisible Hand in the midst of the first two fighting General Grievous. Maul would have most likely attacked Anakin during this interval, with Ahsoka trying to mediate. She could have been successful, and with a captured Maul, they could have jointly formed a plan to stop Sidious.
Perhaps, Maul could have directly told the Jedi Council about the workings of Sidious. Obi-Wan could serve as the conduit of this information, and the Council would then believe it since they believed in Obi-Wan. The Jedi could stifle Palpatine’s plan and arrest him.
However, it would have been quite difficult to work with Maul, and this possibly could have very well unraveled. Moreover, Sidious may have already been a step ahead of them.
Ahsoka Informed Anakin about Palpatine’s Plans
A second and more possible outcome would be that Ahsoka went to Anakin to “tell him that Sidious [was] grooming him,” as one fan stated on this Reddit discussion. Ahsoka would have located Anakin on Coruscant and potentially convinced “Anakin not to intervene with the arrest of Palpatine.”
If events unfolded this way, Mace Windu could have succeeded in killing Palpatine and ending the rise of the Empire. And, Anakin would not have turned to the dark side, and the Jedi order would have been secure, for now.
Many fans in this discussion think that Ahsoka could have stopped Anakin’s downfall. Talking to him directly about what Maul conveyed would have been a positive step in this direction. As one post indicates, “Even after Anakin became Darth Vader, she almost got through to him.” So, if she had intervened, we could have seen a very different Star Wars.
Ahsoka Tried to Warn the Jedi and Anakin but to No Avail
The most likely and least exciting outcome is that Ahsoka took Maul’s information and attempted to warn both the Jedi Council and Anakin. But, they would not have heeded her words, leading us back to the events of Revenge of the Sith.
As we know, Ahsoka had a troubled relationship with the Jedi Council since they expelled her. After all, she declined their offer to return after she was cleared and still harbored grievances. As explored in articles like this one, the Jedi’s way of welcoming her back, suggesting it was her “great trial,” added insult to injury. She did not trust or believe in the Jedi.
Likewise, the Council would have had a mutual distrust of her, and they would most likely discount her information. As a post on another discussion phrased it, “they probably wouldn’t even believe her report.”
Anakin, on the other hand, would have trusted and believed Ahsoka. Yet, he was most likely too far gone into Palpatine’s web of deception to turn back. Not only do the prequels support the premise of Anakin’s inevitable descent, but Lucas’s original ideas provide even more backing.
Lucas’s founding conception of Anakin’s fall was not just a case of being “a victim” but “an active, duplicitous agent in the Jedi Order’s destruction.” Between what happened on the screen and these original ideas, Anakin was falling to the dark side no matter what Ahsoka revealed to him.
If Ahsoka Had Listened to Maul’s Revelation
The above three scenarios provide us with what-if explanations that most likely end with Sidious still prevailing. Yet, we do have the possibility of Palpatine’s plans being stopped because Ahsoka either joined with Maul or told Anakin about the Sith lord’s plans.