TV

The Revelations of The New ‘Star Wars: Forces of Destiny’ Animated Miniseries

Disney’s series of animated short films are fun for kids, but they’re littered with ‘Star Wars’ revelations that will be of interest to grown-ass nerds.
Padme Ahsoka
By  · Published on March 20th, 2018

Disney’s series of animated short films are fun for kids, but they’re littered with ‘Star Wars’ revelations that will be of interest to grown-ass nerds.

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny is back to fill in the void for Star Wars animation and serve as a palate cleanser of wholesomeness for the dramatic intensity of the Star Wars: Rebels finale. This animated web micro-series launched its second season on Youtube with eight new episodes.

Although Forces of Destiny dishes out kid-friendly bites treated as incidental rather than thematic canon, it illustrates chance encounters and missions that elaborate on corners of the movies’ events and animated series—as well as smuggle speculative clues for future canon and the fate of its characters.

Here are the most remarkable revelations:

Luke Skywalker Learns To See and Leap

After an ironic resume of depicting cartoon villains like the Joker and even a late Sith in Clone Wars, Mark Hamill reprised his Skywalker’s animated hero form in “The Path Ahead”.

Remember the training-montage memes of Luke carrying Yoda around on Dagobah on his back from Empire Strikes Back? We see the start of that instruction. Part of Luke’s trial involved plenty of tree climbing and high leaps and how things aren’t always what they seem in front of his eyes. I hoped it assuaged the trauma of discovering that your father is an evil overlord. Learn to search your feelings, indeed.

Maz Kanata, Princess Leia Organa, and Han Solo Have Been Long-Term Pals

Bounty Hunted” reveals that Maz Kanata’s friendship with Han goes way back into the original trilogy (as well as her flirtation with Chewbacca). Turned out, Princess Leia paid a visit to a memorable supporting character of The Force Awakens, who helped her procure the bounty hunter disguise that will help her infiltrate Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi to rescue Han.

There’s a symmetry of Force mentorship between the Skywalker twins: If the Jedi Yoda is the master to Luke Skywalker, then Maz is the Force-sensitive mentor to Leia Organa. Like Yoda, Maz sure loves toying with her momentary protégé in vague, playful riddles. Maz doesn’t use the Force combatively like a Jedi, but she loves utilizing it to enhance her intuition and serve as a downplayed Force-mentor to Leia.

Thinking back to The Force Awakens deleted scene of Maz passing Luke’s lightsaber to an old General Leia’s hand (seen in the teaser), I wonder if Episode IX intended to explore Leia’s Force-sensitivity before Carrie Fisher’s passing, factoring in the confirmation in the From A Certain Point of View stories that Yoda saw Leia as his future Padawan.

Also, I wonder if there’s a Maz and Han’s first meeting story along its way (maybe in Solo?).

Ahsoka Supported Anakin Skywalker’s Forbidden Marriage

Unexpected Company” tosses us a particular revelation about Ahsoka. In a cover “mission” to sneak off to a getaway for alone time with Padme (wink, wink, older viewers), much to the secretly married couple’s chagrin, Anakin’s apprentice Ahsoka tags along in what she assumes is a war-related mission. Though after clashing with some space trouble, Anakin and Padme are grateful for Ahsoka’s presence. Padme is assured that her secret marriage is safe with Ahsoka who construes that the master and senator are more than friends.

While the Ahsoka novel and The Clone Wars hinted that Ahsoka suspected something between Anakin and Padme, Forces of Destiny affirms that Ahsoka was their secret keeper. As Jedi are forbidden from marital attachments, Anakin is committing a spiritual transgression in the eyes of the Order, but as a maverick herself, the Padawan has her Master’s back.

This also sparks a momentous question that the successor animated series to Rebels may answer: Is Ahsoka closer to discovering the progeny of her late master? Will she confer face-to-face with Luke Skywalker or Leia? While Padme’s pregnancy was not publicized, a small circle of people was aware of it. If Ahsoka was within that circle of friends, she would have deduced the paternity of Padme’s children. Did Ahsoka see through the cover-up reports of the assumed death of Padme’s unborn children?

Even in their glossily colored, cutesy played-safe 2-3 minute format, it is easy to underestimate the seeds of future reveals in the galactic epic of Star Wars.

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