Upcoming episodes of Star Wars: Ahsoka are rumored to introduce a new way of viewing and using the Force.
This rumor comes from Jason Ward at Making Star Wars who reported back in December 2022 that the show would explore a New Space or The New Beyond. This piece of the rumor was confirmed in earlier episode of Ahsoka when it was revealed that Grand Admiral Thrawn was located in a separate galaxy and that in order to travel there Morgan Elsbeth needed to create the Eye of Scion.
In the show’s fourth episode she indeed makes the hyperspace jump to this new beyond.
Not only did Ward claim they would travel to this new galaxy or region, but he went on to reveal, “This region views and uses the Force differently than how our existing Star Wars stories have in the past.”
He added, “It was also implied that magic users in the Star Wars universe we have seen before, originate from this very place, and we have seen outcasts from there in past Star Wars tales. Both Ivanna Sakhno and Diana Lee Inosanto in Ahsoka have connections to this locale in Skeleton Crew.”
Furthermore, he claimed that this new area which will be the setting for the upcoming Skeleton Crew series also has its own rules separate from the main Star Wars galaxy.
He claimed, “When the children in Skeleton Crew end up ‘lost in space,’ we the audience will be as lost as they are. Most of our previous Star Wars knowledge of the universe will be irrelevant as this is a new universe in the same timeline, reality, and continuity.”
As for how the Force might be used and viewed differently, Making Star Wars would reveal in March 2023 that Ezra Bridger “‘hadukens’ with the Force.”
He adds, “He has developed his own martial arts based Force powers, not unlike Teras Kasi (but I’m assuming it is his own style). This martial arts style coupled with his connection to animals makes him an interesting take on a Force user on screen as he uses his hands, feet, the Force and nature to beat up undead Stormtroopers.”
Making Star Wars later described this style as Force Karate.
Obviously, the idea of undead Stormtroopers appears likely given the revelation that Marrok was apparently some kind of Nightsister construct. It’s possible the creation of these undead Stormtroopers or creatures like Marrok are one of the ways that the Force is viewed differently in this new galaxy.
However, undead stormtroopers or death troopers were actually introduced in the mobile game Star Wars: Commander. These undead troopers or Death Troopers as they were called in the game were the result of a viral infection called the Sickness that was the result of a failed Imperial experiment.
Death Troopers had been previously introduced in the Expanded Universe in Joe Schreiber’s 2009 Death Troopers novel. In the novel it’s revealed that the zombie Death Troopers were actually Imperial bioweapons Project 171A also known as Blackwing. It’s revealed that it was originally a disease crafted by the Sith Lord Darth Drear in an attempt to obtain immortality.
Not only have their been undead troopers created by Sith experiments before, but Nightsister zombies were introduced in The Clone Wars animated series. When General Grievous attacked Dathomir, the Nightsister Old Daka used her abilities to create an undead Nightsister army in an attempt to fend him off.
However, Grievous killed Old Daka. With her death, the zombies also died as she was keeping them active by some kind of ritual channeling ability.
What do you make of this new rumor? How do you think the Force will be viewed and used differently if this rumor is true?