Who Are the Mortis Gods and Why Are Their Statues in ‘Ahsoka’?
Ahsoka is one seriously lore-filled Star Wars series, and the finale is the cherry on top, as it contains a direct reference to the Mortis gods. Viewers have been speculating that the gods would appear in the series due to Ahsoka delving into the more mystical aspects of Star Wars with the World Between Worlds and the return of the Nightsisters. The show promised to get even more mystical when it was revealed that Dark Jedi Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) heard something calling to him.
Skoll believed that the extragalactic planet Peridea was hiding a power so great that it could change the Star Wars universe as we know it. He suggested that Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and the Great Mothers, who are enormously powerful beings, were actually fleeing a power greater than themselves by leaving Peridea. It was a power Skoll hoped to use to finally end the cyclical violence between the Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars galaxy.
What Skoll spoke of seemed to be a power that is not of this world, or godly in nature. While there was some speculation that the power he sensed was related to Abeloth or the tomb of Kujet, the most prominent theory was that he was looking for Mortis and the Mortis gods. The finale finally confirms that the Mortis gods are at least part of Skoll’s quest, as it’s revealed that he found statues of the gods on Peridea. Skoll is last seen standing on the arm of a statue of the Mortis god known as the Father, with the statue seemingly pointing at something in the distance. Behind the Father was a statue of the Son and a headless statue of the Daughter.
Who are the Mortis gods?
The Mortis gods, also known as the Ones, first appeared in season 3 of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Apart from Ahsoka, Star Wars: The Clone Wars is the only other time the Mortis gods have appeared in the Star Wars universe, meaning not much is known of them. They were discovered by Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka Tano while the trio were investigating a distress signal they picked up in the Chrelythiumn system. The trio was transported to Mortis, which is similar to the World Between Worlds in that it is somewhere outside of the realm of space and time.
While in Mortis, they discovered the Mortis gods, known as the Father, the Son, and the Daughter. They were Force-wielders who became far more powerful users of the Force than any mortal beings. In fact, they were so powerful that they had to retreat to their own realm on Mortis. The Son wields the dark side of the Force, while the Daughter wields the light. It is up to the Father to maintain the balance between the clashing forces of the Son and the Daughter. Unfortunately, the Father’s days were running out. As a result, he summoned Anakin in hopes that he would take over as the Father—understandable, since Anakin was the Chosen One destined to bring balance to the Force.
Anakin refuses to take the role and rejects the Son’s attempts to turn him to the dark side. Meanwhile, the Son attempts to overthrow the Father and the Daughter, with the Daughter dying in the process. This upset the balance of the Force on Mortis, and seemingly within the galaxy as a whole. To restore balance and stop the Son from bringing chaos to the galaxy, the Father sacrifices his life. Anakin then killed the Son, restoring balance to the Force with all the Mortis gods gone. However, considering the great power of the gods, it seemed unlikely that they were truly gone.
Why are the Mortis gods in Ahsoka?
It’s unclear why the statues of the Mortis gods are on Peridea, but it could help explain one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the gods: their origins. There’s also a chance that the statues are pointing the way to Mortis, which—according to legend—is the origin of the Force.
Another theory is that Ahsoka is setting up the new Mortis gods. After all, Ahsoka is very connected to the Daughter. In Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ahsoka was killed by the Son, with the Daughter eventually offering some of her life force to revive Ahsoka. Since then, Ahsoka has been followed by a Morai, a female convor similar to the one sitting on the Daughter’s shoulder in the painting of the Mortis gods. Viewers will notice that the Morai shows up again in Ahsoka‘s finale. Meanwhile, with Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) revealed to be on Peridea watching over Ahsoka as a Force ghost, and the fact that he’s always been associated with the Force’s balance, he could be the Father. Skoll, then, could be shaping up to become the Son.
It’s a fascinating theory, and the trio does seem to parallel the gods by representing the dark side, the light side, and the balance of the Force. However, they seem a good deal away from wielding the same power that the Mortis gods did and from influencing the direction of the Force in the galaxy. While it’s unclear what direction the Mortis gods’ story arc will take, having them back in the Star Wars universe is very exciting.
(featured image: Disney+)
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