"The Gathering," which originally aired on November 3, 2012, is the sixth installment of the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series'.
"Ahsoka is tasked with the job of taking a group of Jedi younglings to Ilum. There, under Yoda's guidance, they will undergo a critical Jedi rite: the construction of their lightsabers. As they confront the dangerous task that awaits them, they must overcome both physical obstacles and internal struggles."
Ahsoka Tano finds herself at the boarding ramp of a vessel. She is waiting for the latest class of youngling candidates, whom she is to escort to The Gathering, their graduation trial. These students are: Petro, a human; Katooni, a Tholothian; Byph, an Ithorian; Ganodi, a Rodian; Zatt, a Nautolan; and Gungi, a Wookiee. Their mission is to locate the necessary crystals for their individual lightsabers within the Crystal Caves located on Ilum, the Jedi's most sacred site. Following a concise overview of the perils ahead, Ahsoka guides the younglings to Ilum, a frigid, icy world. Working together, they employ the Force to unlock the entrance to the Caves, where they are greeted by Master Yoda. Yoda then opens the ice-covered portal to the caves' interior. The younglings are allotted only enough time for a single planetary rotation to discover their lightsaber crystals. Should they fail, they risk being trapped within the Caves as the sun dips below the horizon and the entrance seals shut with ice.
Once they're inside the caves, Petro, brimming with self-assurance, decides to separate from the group and venture off on his own. This leaves the others to proceed without him. Shortly after, they arrive at a chamber featuring multiple doorways. Acting on their intuition, the younglings pair up and each pair chooses a door to explore, except for Byph, who unfortunately ends up exploring alone. Before long, the younglings begin to identify their respective crystals, one by one. However, to reach their desired crystals, they must overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Katooni is confronted with the challenge of scaling a sheer ice wall. Gungi must navigate a field of unstable ice floes that cover a lake. After falling into a crevice, Ganodi discovers herself in a cave brimming with countless crystals. Zatt, placing too much faith in his scanner, becomes lost and frustrated as he wanders the caverns. Byph's crystal is located within the jaws of a terrifying creature, which he is too afraid to approach. Initially, the younglings are filled with despair, but they quickly begin to focus inward and ultimately succeed in acquiring their crystals.
Meanwhile, Petro successfully locates and retrieves what he believes to be a crystal. However, as he exits the maze, already celebrating his apparent victory, the 'crystal' turns out to be merely a piece of ice, which melts in his hand. This forces him to return and search for his true crystal. As he hurries through the caves, he stumbles upon Katooni, who has fallen into a small cave that is now blocked by a thick sheet of ice. Driven by his desire to find his crystal, he initially abandons her, but his conscience quickly gets the better of him, and he returns to assist her. Working together, they use the Force to shatter the ice. As they prepare to leave, Petro notices his crystal nestled among the ice shards. He urges Katooni to go ahead, and she manages to squeeze through the narrow gap at the bottom of the door just before it freezes completely shut. Before the others can fully grieve for Petro, the youngling bursts through the ice wall. This was because the ice wasn't actually going to trap them, but it would make them believe they had been trapped.
As the younglings gather around Yoda, the wise Jedi Master explains that the true challenge of the test was not the ice barrier on the inner door, but their own personal anxieties and insecurities. By discovering and embracing courage, hope, patience, trust, confidence, and selflessness within themselves, they were able to overcome the mental traps they had created.
"The Gathering" marks the beginning of a story arc consisting of four parts, known as "Young Jedi." An extended 80-minute version of this arc was previewed for families at Celebration VI in August of 2012. "The Gathering" took the place of "An Old Friend," which was initially identified by Star Wars Insider 134 as the sixth episode of Season Five. Some concepts present in this narrative originated from a discarded pilot script intended for a spin-off TV series.