Tales of the Jedi Links Ahsoka Tano and Qui-Gon Jinn in This Distinct Way
Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Tales of the Jedi.Star Wars has always centered on the battle between light and dark, but never more than in Tales of the Jedi. The series focuses on Dooku (Corey Burton) and Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein). But it spends a significant amount of time on the relationship between the master and padawan, specifically the relationships of Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn (Micheál Richardson) and Ahsoka and Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter). These two examples are interesting for a number of reasons, but the most significant is the common thread they share: the master turns to the Dark Side. The exposure to the Jedi’s corruption at a young age affects their padawans, causing them to lose faith in the Jedi Order. By comparing these two relationships, Tales of the Jedi explores the dynamic of light and dark when they interact without clashing.
Ahsoka and Anakin's Episode Reveals Anakin's Training Saved Ahsoka's Life
This pair was thoroughly examined in Star Wars: Clone Wars, though Tales of the Jedi reopens the relationship in "Practice Makes Perfect." The Clone Wars film, which introduces the series, shows the beginning of their story. Anakin never wanted a padawan, but Obi-Wan (James Arnold Taylor) thought it would be good for him, so Ahsoka joined the team. Though initially, neither one was thrilled with the other, Anakin and Ahsoka grew to love each other. Their relationship is built on mutual respect and sarcasm and keeps the Star Wars tradition of found family.
In "Practice Makes Perfect," the two take center stage again as Anakin trains Ahsoka. From the beginning of the episode, Ahsoka craves Anakin's praise, but he withholds it, claiming the training isn't difficult enough. Anakin's distaste for Jedi methods prevents him from complementing Ahsoka's performance. In an effort to prove herself, Ahsoka issues a challenge. Anakin will devise a training method for her.
Anakin's training is darker than the Jedi's. Ahsoka must try to block while highly-trained clone troopers shoot blasters at her. She gets knocked out, and when she wakes up, she must start over, despite not being fully prepared. She struggles at first, but just when she's about to give up, Anakin explains himself. He believes that teaching her to be better than anything she could possibly run into is the only way he can always protect her. His brutal training is his way of showing affection for Ahsoka and ensuring her safety. It is due to the extensive training that Ahsoka survives Order 66. Despite their near-constant arguing, Anakin is looking out for her.
Throughout the Clone Wars, Ahsoka picks up on Anakin's disapproval of the Jedi Order and developers her own mistrust for them. After being wrongly accused and tried for bombing a Jedi temple, Ahsoka chooses to walk away from the Jedi Order, leaving Anakin behind. Anakin understands the decision he is unaware that it is his own behavior that has led her to this point. Ahsoka watched for years as Anakin defied orders and opposed Jedi methods. One event, however unjust, couldn't inspire Ahsoka to leave behind everything she'd ever known. The fact that it confirms the worst of everything her role model and, for all intents and purposes, brother has said about the Jedi Order makes her reconsider her future, causing her to walk away from the life she always expected to have.
Dooku and Qui-Gon's Relationship Reveals How Deep Their Ties Go
Unlike Ahsoka and Anakin, the timeframe in which Qui-Gon is Dooku's padawan is largely unexplored. However, "Justice" looks into the dynamic Qui-Gon and Dooku shared. By nature of who they are, Dooku and Qui-Gon share a more formal relationship than Anakin and Ahsoka. They argue less, and Qui-Gon shows more respect to Dooku. Though, the formality does not lack familiarity.
Judging by Qui-Gons age and capability, "Justice" likely occurs several years after he became Dooku's padawan. The pair arrives on a rundown planet where the citizens have initiated a rebellion by capturing the senator's son. The people mistrust the Jedi, expecting them to enforce the senator's will. Qui-Gon is the first to say they are there to help everyone. Qui-Gon shows naivety towards the situation, questioning why they don't elect someone else and being unaware that all the villagers participated in the kidnapping, but Dooku understands. He sees what the senator's corruption has cost the people.
When they meet the senator's son, Dooku focuses on what the son knows of the village, while Qui-Gon is surprised that no one is blaming the villagers. Qui-Gon trusts the system set up by the Republic in a way that Dooku does not. Dooku states that he serves the people, not the senate. While many Jedi may feel that way, it is clear that the Jedi Order is primarily following the senate's instructions, as seen by their close inaction with the government and the people's perception. Dooku follows his darker instincts by attacking the senator and his men, pushing Qui-Gon away to do so. Qui-Gon saves Dooku from himself. He realizes what his master is up to and ends the situation quickly, but he never condemns Dooku's actions.
Episode 6 of Tales of the Jedi shows the two long after Qui-Gon became a Jedi Master and Dooku expresses his wish to protect Qui-Gon, though, like Anakin, Dooku taught his padawan to protect himself. Dooku again expresses distrust for the council, and Qui-Gon doesn't refute it. Qui-Gon may not distrust the Republic the way Dooku does, but he never argues that protecting the people is wrong. He doesn't even hesitate. In his later life, Qui-Gon was widely known as a rebellious Jedi. He chose his own sense of right and wrong even when it contradicted the Jedi Code, much to the frustration of his own padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi. He holds fast to the belief that the Jedi need a Chosen One to balance the Force, namely Anakin Skywalker. This belief in prophecy is something he learned from Dooku.
Ahsoka and Qui-Gon React Differently Due to Circumstance
Like Ahsoka, Qui-Gon grew up watching a master who didn't believe in the Jedi Order's actions. However, he never had a personal circumstance that drove him away from the Jedi Order entirely. Nor did he live in a time of open war, which increased the tension and caused the Jedi Order to make frequent and increasingly difficult decisions. Qui-Gon chose to work within the flawed system to hopefully bring about change, while Ahsoka chose to follow her own path. Ahsoka and Qui-Gon are heavily influenced by their masters and create a fascinating parallel for the series to explore. Both saw the inherent problems with the Jedi Order, but they reacted differently. Ultimately, both padawans acknowledged their masters' darkness and struggled with it themselves, but neither turned to the Dark Side. This conflict puts both characters in the center of Star Wars' battle between good and evil as they exemplify the theme on which the franchise relies.
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