Resolve (episode)

A Jedi who has left the Order grapples with the realization that their true nature cannot be denied.

On the planet of Naboo, large groups of people assemble in Theed to commemorate the funeral of Senator Padmé Amidala. Within the gathered crowd, Bail Organa and Mon Mothma, both Senators and former associates of Amidala, are seen standing together. Bail notices a familiar figure within the crowd: Ahsoka Tano, the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, Amidala's secret husband and a Jedi Knight. However, Ahsoka disappears almost immediately after Bail spots her.

Bail follows Ahsoka into a part of the royal palace, specifically a colonnade. He tells her that she couldn't have changed what happened to Anakin and Padmé, and questions why she came given the danger. Ahsoka responds that Padmé was a friend, and Bail reiterates that she was powerless to help either of them. Noticing the approach of a clone trooper patrol, Bail inquires about the location of her ship, to which she replies that it's near the river. Bail leads her away just before two Coruscant Guard shock troopers enter the colonnade.

At a balcony positioned above the cliffs next to the river, Bail hands Ahsoka a comlink in case she requires assistance. She initially declines, stating she's weary of conflict. The clones approach, noticing Bail on the balcony. The Senator turns back to find that Ahsoka has vanished, having jumped onto the roof. Bail presents his identification when the troopers demand it, and is informed that the area is restricted. The Senator agrees to be escorted back to the funeral, explaining that the difficult times have left him disoriented, but subtly includes coded messages to Ahsoka, offering his support, reminding her of her duty, and suggesting she contact him. After Bail and the clones depart, Ahsoka jumps down from the balcony. She goes to the bottom of the canyon and returns to where a Y-wing starfighter is parked, with Rex and R7-A7 awaiting her. They leave once everyone is on board.

Sometime after, laborers at a modest farm village are harvesting crops; among them are a pair of sister and brother, along with an old man supervising. Ahsoka Tano is working with them. The siblings are arguing about the number of harvest bales to load onto a repulsorlift cart. The sister thinks her brother is having the droids overload it. As the group takes a break for a meal, a droid adds another bale, proving to be too much and causing the load to collapse onto the sister. She escapes injury, and the others think she was lucky. However, the sister notices "Ashla," the name the Togruta is known by, in a particular stance and realizes she used telekinesis to save her.

During the meal, the sister invites Ashla, who typically eats alone, to join them. They have a discussion about the Galactic Empire. The old man is cautious of it, while the brother insists that the Emperor has brought peace to the galaxy, and that only rebels need fear the government. Later that night, the sister speaks with Ahsoka, making it clear that she witnessed her using the Force, but promises to keep it secret. Ahsoka denies it, but the sister cheerfully says she'll see her in the morning for their trip to deliver the harvest to Mon-Hella. However, the brother overhears the conversation while hiding. In the morning, the old man and the brother see the two young women off, and Ahsoka is briefly suspicious when the brother says "May the Force be with you."

The brother informs the Empire about a Jedi at his settlement, hoping for a reward. However, the Inquisitor sent in response destroys the settlement, leaving only the brother and the old man alive as prisoners. The Inquisitor accuses the brother of lying. When Ahsoka and the sister return that night, they discover the settlement in flames.

Initially, the Inquisitor doesn't recognize her and attempts to "reward" the brother by executing him, but Ahsoka uses the Force to save him, revealing herself as a Jedi. The Inquisitor realizes who she is and claims that she "should be dead." Ahsoka quickly disarms the inquisitor of his double-bladed spinning lightsaber before decapitating him. Knowing the Empire would send reinforcements, Ahsoka tells the three survivors they must leave. The sister tearfully tells her brother that she told him so, and asks where they could possibly go.

Ahsoka contacts Senator Organa, who arrives in the Tantive IV to pick everyone up. The old man and the siblings board the Alderaanian vessel with their belongings. Bail tells Ahsoka he didn't think she was going to contact him. Ahsoka returns the comlink, and he tells her that the situation in the galaxy has worsened, asking if she is ready to rejoin the fight. Ahsoka pauses, and nods determinedly.

"Resolve" was launched as the sixth part of the animated anthology show Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi on October 26, 2022. Before it came out, the episode was originally going to be called "Coda" as revealed by an official press kit.

The fundamental structure of "Resolve" mirrors that of the 2016 novel Ahsoka, authored by E. K. Johnston. In an interview with Nerdist, Dave Filoni, the creator of Ahsoka Tano, mentioned that the episode was based on the same outline he had created for the novel. As a result, the two works tell essentially the same story. The core plot involves Ahsoka Tano concealing herself in a distant farming community after the rise of the Empire, using the alias "Ashla". She forms a friendship with a woman her age who discovers her secret. The community is then threatened by an Inquisitor after Tano's secret is exposed, but she swiftly defeats him using his weapon despite being unarmed. She then organizes the evacuation of the community's survivors and agrees to join Bail Organa's rebel movement.

However, the novel features numerous characters and events not included in the episode. The farm village depicted in "Resolve" also differs significantly from Raada in the novel, which is a moon with only one settlement. Additionally, in the episode, Tano and the sister are not present during the Inquisitor's attack because they are delivering the harvest to be sold elsewhere on the world they are on. The timing of Tano's initial contact with Bail Organa after Order 66 also clashes with the novel. In the book, Tano and Organa connect over a year after the Empire's formation in a reunion where R2-D2 plays a significant role. Tano is surprised to find Organa still alive despite his known sympathy for the Jedi, and Organa is equally surprised to discover that she is the person he sent agents to recruit. In contrast, the episode shows Tano and Organa's first contact occurring shortly after the Empire's formation. The novel identifies the Inquisitor as the Sixth Brother, but the Inquisitor in the episode remains unidentified.

Ashley Eckstein, who voices Tano, stated that the novel was not discussed during the episode's production. She never inquired with Filoni about its relationship to the book, such as whether "Resolve" preceded or followed its events. She viewed the episode as "an extension of the novel" and the start of "that chapter" in Tano's life. Despite acknowledging the connections between the stories, she expressed great appreciation for the characters of Kaeden and Miara Larte and even hoped to see them again in future stories.

The reference book Star Wars The Dark Side Pocket Expert, which includes information from the Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi series, lists Sixth Brother as only appearing in Ahsoka and Star Wars: Darth Vader (2017). The 2023 novel Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade would also describe the Sixth Brother in a fashion that matched his appearance in Ahsoka, not the Tales of the Jedi Inquisitor. Ultimately, canonical sources have therefore indicated that the Inquisitor who appears in "Resolve" is not the same character as the Sixth Brother; this was then outright confirmed in the 2024 reference book Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy, which formally established the "Resolve" Inquisitor as his own character, albeit erroneously labeling him as the First Brother in the process. As such, the events of Ahsoka and "Resolve" must be separate incidents.