#the wrong jedi

[stilltheturtlemoves]

Ahsoka and Anakin / Margaret Schnabel

[owlsofavalon]

watching clone wars with my friend and she couldn't remember Barriss Offee's name so now we're just consistently calling her Slightly British Elphaba Jr.

[fellthemarvelous]

I think something a lot of people miss in The Wrong Jedi arc is that the Jedi Council doesn't have the information the audience has.

We know Ahsoka isn't guilty. Everything we see in this arc is happening from Ahsoka's perspective. We know what she knows because we are following her every step of the way.

And contrary to popular belief, the Jedi are not omniscient. The Force doesn't show them everything. We know that Force visions provide little to no context. They don't tell the full story. Remember Anakin's vision about Padme in Revenge of the Sith? All he saw was Padme suffering and crying out for him, but he isn't privvy to the chain of events that leads to her death.

The Jedi didn't see the bombing of the Jedi temple coming at all. Their ability to use the Force was diminished, and Mace Windu addressed this in Attack of the Clones. They didn't want to be part of the war. They were pulled into it. They had to adapt to a war in which they were vastly outnumbered. War went against everything they stood for, but sometimes the only choices we have are bad choices. The only other option was surrendering to Count Dooku, and Mace Windu shut that down quickly. "We will not be hostages to be bartered, Dooku." He wasn't about to let a fallen Jedi sell the rest of them into a life of slavery.

They became an army fighting for the dark side, but it doesn't mean they were evil. It means they were lost. They were traumatized. And no, this isn't proof that the Jedi don't teach emotional regulation. War does not discriminate. It affects everyone. They had no idea Palpatine was a Sith Lord. He was a damn politician and politicians are already notorious for being extremely fucking shady and damn good liars. Politicians are good at hiding in plain sight.

It's important to remember that the Jedi are still flawed, imperfect individuals, just like everyone else in existence, and they were in the middle of a war, watching their fellow Jedi die with increasing frequency, watching their clone troopers die in battle everyday, surrounded by pain and suffering, and rapidly losing hope.

Ahsoka, like it or not, was headed down a dark path just like Anakin. And it was a future version of herself that appeared to her in a vision on Mortis who told her she would not live if she remained Anakin's student. It was Force vision Ahsoka who told Ahsoka that seeds of the dark side existed within her.

Just before she was framed for bombing the Jedi temple, Anakin had to remind Ahsoka that revenge was not the Jedi way. The war was pushing everyone to their limits.

The Jedi were not in the room with Ahsoka when Letta was being Force choked. The audio was disabled, and all the video showed was Ahsoka with her arms outstretched in a way that made it look like she was attacking Letta. They don't know how she managed to escape her prison cell or who was really responsible for attacking the Coruscant guard. They can't explain why she was working with Ventress (she was their enemy for most of the war), or why Ahsoka was captured in the warehouse where the nano-droids used in the temple bombing were located.

The Jedi Council wanted to have a trial of their own to determine if Ahsoka was truly guilty or not, but the Republic was rushing to take Ahsoka to trial and already prepared to impose the death penalty on her. They weren't giving the Jedi time to investigate the matter. They refused to give the Jedi the opportunity to speak with Ahsoka. The Jedi Council had to make a choice and were stuck between a rock and a hard place. They already suspected it was one of their own who was responsible for the bombing, and all the evidence pointed to Ahsoka. They were still uneasy about expelling her, and they were divided on the matter. Obi-Wan and Yoda both objected to expelling Ahsoka, but they were outvoted.

The Jedi Council never once painted Ahsoka as evil. The were in a really difficult situation, and they got it wrong, but this takes us right back to Ahsoka's vision on Mortis. It's part of what gave her the strength to walk away from the order. Not because the Jedi were evil, but because they had lost their way in a war that destroyed their morale. A war they never wanted to be part of. A war that ended with Order 66 and their demise.

The Jedi Council messed up and they know it. Obi-Wan doesn't shy away from that truth. He brings up the fact that the council got it wrong three different times afterwards, the final time being during the final conversation he has with Ahsoka before Order 66.

Ahsoka doesn't think the Jedi were evil either. She still believes in the principles of the Jedi, but her trial revealed how lost the Jedi Order was. It revealed to her how lost she was as well, and she knew the only way she would be able to grow would be by walking away.

The Jedi were not gods. They were normal people with extraordinary abilities, and they used those abilities to do good rather than evil. They are not perfect and so many people are hung up on the mistakes of the Jedi that it blinds them to the truth of what the Jedi experienced during the war.

Perspective matters though.

[stealingpotatoes]

hey hear me out what if anakin and ahsoka actually remembered they had friends outside the jedi order (ie padme) and ahsoka joined padme's spies etc. hear me out

(ko-fi requests are open!)

[womens-wrongs-activist]

Anakin: Cause if we’re gonna talk about people, let’s talk about Barriss.

Ki-Adi-Mundi: Barriss is a good girl.

Ahsoka: And I’m not?

Obi-Wan: We didn’t say you’re not a good girl. Barriss has had a very hard life—

Ahsoka: Not harder than my life.

[offeryoucannotrefuse]

Thinking about the unfinished Crystal Crisis arc (go look it up, its neat), for the umpteenth time. Its decent, Obi-Wan and Anakin are tracking a massive Kyber Crystal across Utapau, the same kind we see in that one Saw Gerrera episode in Rebels, and along the way, they camp on the Savanna. This is the only look (tmk) we are given into Anakin addressing Ahsoka leaving the order. And I absolutely love half of it, and hate the other half. Go watch it instead of reading it here, its some of my favorite voice acting in the show. HERE

Obi-Wan: "Anakin, dwelling on Ahsoka's decision won't bring her back."

Anakin: "I miss her, okay! Is that what you wanted me to say? I still can't understand how she could have left the Order."

Obi-Wan: "It was a surprise decision to all of us."

Anakin: "It was WRONG! She's a Jedi. She belongs with us!" *then quietly* "She one of us."

Obi-Wan: "She made the decision, Anakin."

Anakin: "Well what choice did we give her! The moment there were any suspicions about her loyalty the Council turned their back on her!"

Obi-Wan: "I will grant you mistakes were made, but she chose to leave. Part of the Jedi way is not letting emotion cloud your better judgment, and that's precisely what Ahsoka did, even in her most critical moment."

*pause* "Why don't you get some rest?"

Anakin: "I'm not tired. You can rest Master, I'll keep first watch"

Obi-Wan; "Well then, I will accept your kind offer." *lies down*

"You can't take responsibility for Ahsoka's decision, Anakin."

Anakin: "How would you feel if I turned into a major disappointment?"

Obi-Wan: "It's not the same."

Anakin: "It's precisely the same. You took me under your wing and practically raised me. I'm your padawan just like like Ahsoka was mine. How well you sleep knowing I failed you?"

Obi-Wan: "Not very well, I imagine. Luckily that isn't true . . . and never will be."

I'd like to say first that I really do love the voice acting on both sides so much. Matt does frustrated and angry Anakin better than anyone else could, and James does Obi-Wan just as perfectly as Ewan ever did.

Anakin obviously hasn't begun to come to terms with the events of "The Wrong Jedi" (and honestly, how could he?). And it's obvious when he says he can't understand how she left, he means how Ahsoka left him. And I still can't get over the quite "She's one of us". He shows he does understand that the order gave Ahsoka no choice, which is something that wasn't necessarily clear when he pleaded to her on the steps.

Obi-Wan, for his part in this, continues to offer Anakin the reasoning behind actions without really offering the support Anakin needs, which is really just more accountability and "your right, what happened was wrong, and it wasn't her or your fault." He doesn't do this, and that fits well with the pattern of nobody but Padmé and Palpatine are really there for Anakin in the way he needs for this sort of thing.

He doubles down on this by saying the same thing that the council would have said, that Ahsoka made the wrong choice, and it was her own failing. I'm not sure I like this stance they are having Obi-Wan take, because he would have to be incredibly stupid to believe leaving the order, especially in the circumstances Ahsoka was in, was an objectively poor decision, given that they almost had her killed after forming a personal connection with almost every council member. The man has almost left the Order twice under significantly less pressure and beyond that, Obi-Wan knows and respects Ahsoka more than to badmouth her decision as one made in weakness. So either he believes it (which is stupid), he is convincing himself for his own mental wellbeing, or he is parroting the Council. I don't like the first option at all and feel like its kind of a mischaracterization, the second doesn't have real precedent within the show, and if its the third, this feels like a situation when Obi-Wan would be honest with himself, same as with the Rako Hardeen thing, but maybe I'm wrong. Its really just the doubling down that the choice was misguided that rubs me wrong.

Now, the "How would you feel if I turned into a major disappointment?" is insane. We've seen that Ahsoka had no choice, Anakin admitted that, and he's angry and he misses her. He's obviously angry and upset at the choice, but that line is crazy. Anakin is not all that emotionally mature, we know that, but I do not believe that weeks, if not months after the events, he would call Ahsoka a disappointment. I think he has a better grasp on the situation than to believe that, that leaving the Order was a mark on her and not on the Order itself. Disappointment implies a failing, like Obi-Wan was saying, but I can't believe Anakin, who told her he's wanted to leave the Order, would see Ahsoka leaving after being wrongly accused of terrorism and murder, after being the best padawan he could hope for and becoming his family, would consider her a major disappointment to him. He's devastated, but surely Anakin would see that it was the council that was the disappointment, especially with Padmé to talk to about it and maybe even Rex and Plo Koon. I don't know, but It feels really out of character for Anakin to be blaming Ahsoka for her decision, compared with being deeply, devastatingly sad about it and overwhelmingly furious with the council. He gives no indication of this when they meet again, just genuine joy at seeing her again and worried curiosity at what she has been up to. Idk, maybe I'm the one who has mischaracterized this, but surely Anakin has understood her enough to not let this define his entire opinion of her.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the Arc, this scene, my takes and assessment, and anything else

[hersheysmcboom]

The air in the Grand Convocation Chamber was thick with a silence that felt heavier than a Star Destroyer. Ahsoka Tano stood in the central pod, her expression a careful mask of stoicism, but Anakin could feel her fear trembling through their bond. He gave her a subtle, confident nod. He had this. He and Barriss Offee had risked everything, sneaking into Separatist-controlled space to find the truth. And they had found it.

“Esteemed members of the Senate, Chancellor Palpatine,” Anakin began, his voice echoing with practiced authority. “The accusations against my Padawan are false. The bombing of the Jedi Temple was not an act of internal betrayal, but a calculated plot by the Separatists to sow discord within the Republic.”

He gestured to Barriss, who stepped forward, holding a small, sleek holoprojector. She looked nervous but determined. “We have recovered a recording from a Separatist listening post,” she announced. “It contains a conversation between Count Dooku and the true saboteur.”

A murmur rippled through the chamber. Tarkin, prosecuting, sneered faintly. Padmé watched from her senatorial pod, her hands clasped tightly, a silent prayer on her lips. Obi-Wan stroked his beard, a flicker of pride in his eyes for his former apprentice's daring. Rex and the 501st troopers lining the wall stood at perfect attention, their helmets hiding their shared concern for their Commander.

Anakin gave Barriss the signal. She activated the projector. A cone of blue light shot up, coalescing into a familiar, grainy holographic image. But it wasn’t the regal, sinister face of Count Dooku that appeared.

It was Mace Windu.

The chamber gasped. Anakin’s heart plummeted into his stomach. “No, that’s… that’s not right.” He strode forward, fiddling with the projector’s controls. "Just a glitch, some signal interference."

The holo-image flickered. Now it showed Windu’s stern face, his lips moving, but the audio was a distorted growl. “…the Jedi must take control… the Senate is weak…”

“That’s not what he said!” Anakin insisted, his voice rising in pitch. He slapped the side of the projector. The image shifted again, this time showing Windu in a shadowy corridor, his hand near his lightsaber. The audio warbled, a deep, menacing voice now clearly layered over the recording.

“…the Dark Side will grant us the power to bring order…”

Barriss looked horrified, her olive skin paling to a sickly green. “Anakin, stop!” she whispered, but he was lost in a frantic haze, twisting dials and re-aligning circuits. Each adjustment only made it worse. The recording now seemed to be actively editing itself, twisting every frame, every soundbite, to paint the Master of the Order as a power-hungry Sith Lord in waiting.

Across the chamber, the real Mace Windu was giving Anakin a look so potent it could have cracked kyber crystals. It was a silent, simmering vow of immense suffering.

Desperate, Anakin grabbed the projector. “It was Dooku! The recording is supposed to show Dooku!” he yelled, shaking the device as if to exorcise the malevolent data within. As a final act of defiance, the holo flared brightly, showing a close-up of Windu’s face, his eyes tinged with a digital red, before fizzling out.

With a cry of pure frustration, Anakin threw the holoprojector to the floor. It shattered into a thousand pieces.

Dead silence. Every eye in the massive amphitheater was on him.

Anakin laughed, a high, strangled sound that fooled no one.

“Don’t you… just hate… malfunctions?”

The chamber erupted. Shouts and accusations flew like blaster fire. Senators were on their feet, some pointing at Windu, some at Anakin, some at each other.

Amidst the chaos, Chancellor Palpatine rose, a mask of grave concern on his face. He excused himself from the pod, and as the door slid shut behind him, his expression melted into one of pure, unadulterated glee. “Plan Z,” he murmured to the empty corridor. “I enjoy Plan Z.”

Back in the chamber, Obi-Wan looked completely bewildered. He knew Anakin and Mace had the warmth of a Hoth winter between them, but this… this was a fabrication so wild, so audacious, it defied even Anakin’s prodigious talent for chaos. Barriss, meanwhile, looked as though she was actively trying to phase out of existence, praying to the Force to make her invisible. She could already feel the weight of Master Luminara’s impending lecture.

“It was a trick! Dooku must have booby-trapped the data!” Anakin was shouting, trying to be heard over the din. He was defending Ahsoka, defending Windu, defending himself… he wasn’t even sure what he was defending anymore, just that he had to keep talking. He started panicking, pointing randomly. “Character witnesses! We need character witnesses for Master Windu!”

He gestured wildly towards the Jedi gallery. “Master Depa Billaba! You were his Padawan! Tell them!”

Depa, looking stunned, was nudged forward. “Master Windu… is a stern man,” she began, choosing her words carefully. “He is precise and demanding… but he is a caring Master, and his loyalty to the Jedi and the Republic is absolute.”

“See!” Anakin latched onto her words like a drowning man to a life-raft. “Who can vouch for him better than his own Padawan!” He then spun around and, in a fit of inspiration, grabbed R2-D2, who had been trying to discreetly roll behind a pillar. He held the astromech up like a prized trophy. “And R2-D2! Tell them, Artoo!”

The droid let out a series of frantic, terrified beeps and whistles.

“He says he loves Master Windu!” Anakin declared triumphantly. “And all this fighting is upsetting him deeply!”

To everyone else, it sounded less like a character endorsement and more like a droid screaming for its life.

The Senate floor devolved into a full-blown brawl. “Windu is a traitor!” one senator bellowed. “Skywalker framed him to save his pet Padawan!” another shrieked. Anakin winced. They weren’t wrong, technically, but it wasn’t supposed to be Windu. A third faction was now convinced the Jedi had faked the whole bombing as the first step in a military coup.

Anakin’s shoulders slumped. He collapsed into the nearest empty seat and faceplanted onto the table in front of him. This was the worst day of his life. Of Windu’s life. Of the history of the Jedi Order. Maybe even in the history of the Force itself. Hairstyle? his frazzled brain supplied. Where did that come from?

The clones stood rigid, their unease palpable. This was far outside their programming parameters. Rex stared at his General, a familiar worry creeping in. He’d seen Anakin pull some stunts, but this was a new level. Maybe he really had taken one too many hits to the head.

In the end, the sheer, undeniable chaos worked. With a prime suspect from the Jedi High Council itself, the case against Ahsoka collapsed. She was freed. Mace Windu, however, was now under official investigation.

Anakin and Barriss felt ill. Their plan had worked, but in the most catastrophic way imaginable. As Windu was escorted out by the Temple Guard, he fixed Anakin with one last death glare. It didn't help his case with the suspicious senators, but it made Anakin wither. He was definitely going to be polishing the entire Temple with a toothbrush for the next twenty years.

The moment they could, he and Barriss fled to Ahsoka’s side, desperate to escape the smoldering crater they’d made of the trial.

“Anakin.” Obi-Wan’s voice was dangerously calm as he approached.

Anakin immediately went on the defensive. “Obi-Wan! Remember that time on Felucia when I saved your life? That was a close one! And have I ever told you what a truly fantastic Master you were? The best, really.”

Obi-Wan was magnificently unamused. Before he could retort, Barriss froze, her eyes wide with terror. Master Luminara Unduli was approaching, her expression one of glacial displeasure. Barriss swallowed hard. This was not going to be pleasant.

“Barriss,” Luminara said, her voice soft but laced with steel. She beckoned her Padawan over.

“Master, it was my idea!” Anakin blurted out, trying to shield her.

“It was just as much my fault, Master Skywalker,” Barriss insisted weakly.

“No,” Anakin said, stepping in front of her. “I’m the Knight. I’m the one who insisted we go through with it. She was following my lead.”

Luminara’s gaze flickered to Anakin for a moment before settling back on her Padawan. With a final, apologetic look at Anakin, Barriss walked over to her Master and was led away.

“You will be making this up to Master Windu, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, his patience worn to a thread. “And you will start making it up to me with many, many drinks.” He sighed, turning to go rally what little good faith the Jedi had left. “Many drinks.”

Anakin deflated. Ahsoka put a comforting hand on his arm. “So,” she said, trying for a light tone, “what do you think he’ll do? Make you meditate for a month? Assign you to archive duty on the Outer Rim?”

“He’s going to kill me, Snips,” Anakin groaned. “And then he’s going to get the Council to resurrect me so he can kill me again.”

Before Ahsoka could reply, Padmé arrived, looking exhausted from the political circus. She gave Ahsoka a warm, genuine hug. “I’m so glad you’re free, Ahsoka.” Then she turned, took Anakin firmly by his mechanical arm, and began dragging him away. Her voice was quiet, but it held the righteous fury that only his wife could muster. “Anakin Skywalker, we are going to have a talk.”

[existingtm]

The fandom seems to forget how well Ahsoka was framed during the Rogue Jedi arc. Of course almost everyone was out for her head. She looked like another Krell. You know, one of the most hated Clone Wars characters of all time?

Only the people who spent every day by Ahsoka's side during the war knew that, despite her unorthodox training, she valued Republic, Clone, and Jedi lives more than any doubts about ideology. She became isolated from "home" because her coming-of-age had her leading soldiers in a war. Not even Plo Koon was sure he knew her well enough to be certain of her loyalty. He knew her when she was young and reckless, and they spent less time together as she matured.

By this point, the war had dragged on long enough that traitors and spies among closest allies were growing far less surprising. The war began with the betrayal of Dooku, and it brought more in the form of Krell, and even Quinlan. Quinlan, who wanted to return to the Jedi, who was close with Aayla and Obi-Wan, who was fighting his best to do the right thing. Even he was swayed.

And who did the perpetrator turn out to be? A friend Ahsoka thought she could trust. A friend she had, more than once, prepared to die with hand-in-hand. The same friend who looked her in the eye and decided she, among many, was worth sacrificing. It was the unthinkable. Yet, the unthinkable had become normal.

From an outsider's perspective, as much as it could have been Barriss who betrayed them, it could have been Ahsoka.

The Clone Wars were designed to tear down trust. So, tell me, why would anyone besides Anakin and their own men be certain they could trust Ahsoka? Why even them? Each traitor was somebody's friend once. Family, even.

Krell was executed without time to waste. Ahsoka is very lucky that she had the help that she did.