The World Between Worlds, alternatively known as the Vergence Scatter, functioned as a clandestine, supernatural dimension within the Force. This realm was a nexus of doorways and pathways, transcending both time and space, and served to interconnect all points in the timeline.
Within the Chain Worlds Theorem, the World Between Worlds, also known as the Vergence Scatter, was depicted in the Sacred Jedi texts housed inside the Jedi Temple located on the planet of Ahch-To. Access to this realm was achieved through a painting portraying the Mortis gods—Father, Daughter, and Son—which adorned the exterior of the Jedi Temple situated on the planet Lothal.
Loth-wolves, indigenous creatures of Lothal, possessed a deep connection to the World Between Worlds. They could navigate the realm in a manner akin to hyperspace travel. The Mortis gods painting acted as the gateway to the realm, requiring a key stone from the temple and a Force-wielder to place their hand on the Daughter's encircled hand.
Subsequently, the Loth-wolves within the painting would break away from the gods and coalesce into a circle, thereby manifesting the portal to the realm. Conversely, the portal to the World Between Worlds would seal shut if a Force-wielder touched the Son's encircled fist, causing the painting of the Father to conceal the entryway and the temple itself.
Following the discovery of the Jedi temple on Lothal, the power-hungry Sith Lord Darth Sidious, the ruler of the Galactic Empire, dispatched Minister Veris Hydan alongside the Imperial Military to the site in search of an entryway to the World Between Worlds, driven by his insatiable thirst for power.
The Sith's schemes were foiled when the Jedi Padawan Ezra Bridger located the world's key, successfully unlocking and entering the World Between Worlds before his adversaries. After rescuing Ahsoka Tano from the past by drawing her into the realm, Bridger was determined to alter the fate of his master, Kanan Jarrus. However, Tano convinced the Padawan that their survival depended on Jarrus's ultimate sacrifice, sharing her own experiences of being unable to save her master, and teaching Ezra Bridger the importance of acceptance.
Reluctantly, the pair decided to close the portal to the realm to prevent further access, only to be confronted by Darth Sidious, who attempted to enter the realm using the Force users. Bridger and Tano managed to return to their respective timelines, with Bridger shutting the portal, resulting in the collapse of the Lothal temple and the demise of Hydan. Having returned to her own point in time, Tano ventured into the temple's depths and discovered another portal to the World Between Worlds.
Around 9 ABY, Tano once more found herself within the World Between Worlds following her duel with the fallen Jedi, Baylan Skoll, on the planet Seatos. There, she was reunited with her former master, Anakin Skywalker. She commented on his unchanged appearance, to which he retorted that she looked older and challenged her to a lightsaber duel, as a lesson in fighting for survival and confronting her inner demons and guilt. Ahsoka held her own against him in the duel, but he sent her falling into a Clone Wars flashback where she relived the trauma of one of her first battles and questioned her role as a warrior. She then experienced a vision of the Siege of Mandalore, where Anakin remarked he wasn't at that battle. She responded that they had parted ways by now and that Anakin had become more powerful and dangerous than anyone realized. Offended, Anakin shifted into his Darth Vader persona and attacked Ahsoka. She disarmed him, retorting that she chose to live. Satisfied with her answer, Anakin disappeared and Ahsoka was transported back to the ocean of Seatos.
The world between worlds was conceived for the Star Wars Rebels animated series. It was introduced in the season four episode "A World Between Worlds." Rebels showrunner Dave Filoni had engaged in discussions with Star Wars creator George Lucas regarding the nature of the Force before developing the World Between Worlds in collaboration with Henry Gilroy. During the Star Wars Rebels Remembered panel at Celebration Chicago in April 2019, Filoni verified that the concept for the world between worlds drew inspiration from the Wood between the Worlds in C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. It was initially identified as the "Vergence Scatter" in the 2019 reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary, authored by Pablo Hidalgo.
A so-called "place between places" made its initial appearance, albeit unnamed, in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker, the concluding installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. It was first designated with the nickname "place between places" in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition, the 2020 novelization of the film. Within the book, Rey perceived "a perfect sky, vast with stars" above her as akin to peering through a window into another realm, which she termed a "place between places." Despite their Force dyad connection, Rey sensed that Ben Solo had "fallen out of existence itself." Lucasfilm Story Group's Matt Martin has clarified that this "place between places" was not intended to represent the World Between Worlds. Phil Szostak, the Creative Art Manager at Lucasfilm, affirmed that no one involved in the production of The Rise of Skywalker had mentioned the World Between Worlds to him. The World Between Worlds did receive mention in the companion reference book Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary.