[Credit: YouTube]
It became ambiguous with what Ahsoka Tano knew about Anakin Skywalker?s marriage to Padm Amidala. Now, it seems we finally have an answer. In a recent episode of the web series, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny to reveal she did in fact know of the couple?s dirty little secret.
However, there is one question, that still needs answering: How much did she and Obi-Wan know altogether? In this exclusive breakdown, we?ll speak about the moments in which they knew something more than they let on. Let?s begin with Ahsoka since she was the one who inspired this conversation.
The Padawan Learner: Loyal To The End
Anyone who grew up watching The Clone Wars would have seen the close bond Ahsoka came to develop with Anakin. Yes, they bickered, but at the end of the day, they were still friends with sibling-like tendencies.
When Ahsoka wasn?t playing bodyguard to Padm, she was often siding with the senator over Anakin about some political disagreement. However, Ahsoka was far from blind.
If there was one thing she was an expert at, it was observing Anakin?s behaviour. We?ll save that conversation for another day. Moreover, Ahsoka put the information together mentally and chose the right time to reveal what she knew.
Just how did she know about the marriage, to begin with? Here?s our proof:
Exhibit A, Point 1: The Crisis On The Malevolence
Ahsoka?s earliest interaction that we know of with Padm is during the Malevolence crisis. During the mission, Ahsoka is the one who intercepts Padm and 3PO?s distress call.
She immediately knows something?s off when Anakin responds to the call with concern. When Anakin suddenly takes off with Obi-Wan and R2 at his heels, Ahsoka has no choice but to watch with Plo Koon as her master runs into action.
Now, she probably thought it was nothing, but she just could not be sure. The one thing that she would have picked up on was the lack of formality on Anakin?s side.
In the eyes of Ahsoka, it would have sounded as if her master and the senator were just friends? who were attracted to each other?
Exhibit A, Point 2: Blue Shadow Virus
Sometime after the Malevolence crisis, another situation presented itself where Padm ended up in the middle. When she and Jar-Jar suddenly go missing on Naboo, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka get called in to look for them.
Anakin being the concerned husband, puts Ahsoka in charge of keeping tabs on Padm once they find her.
However, the situation begins to turn when Doctor Vindi reveals he has unleashed the Blue Shadow Virus. When the clones begin getting sick, Anakin and Obi-Wan scramble to find an antidote.
Things take an even worse turn when Padm and Ahsoka also become infected.
As time begins to tick away, Anakin begins to panic, believing he is going to lose the woman he loves and his student. Padm and Ahsoka contact him and Obi-Wan to tell them that the virus has been contained.
Ahsoka, having the virus in her system, would be faintly aware Padm tried to tell Anakin she loved him before the connection cut out.
In fact, she would have also sensed through her Force connection with Anakin, his fear of losing her and Padm. Makes sense, doesn?t it?
Once Anakin and Obi-Wan return with the cure, Padm and Ahsoka enter recovery. It?s possible that Ahsoka overheard Padm and Anakin talking while she was recovering in a separate part of the hospital.
Exhibit A, Point 3: Aurra Sing Tries To Assassin Padm
Jumping forward to The Clone Wars?s third season, Ahsoka uncovered another piece of evidence to add to her ever-growing list. In the episode, ?Assassin?, Ahsoka begins to have visions of someone close to her getting assassinated.
As the visions become clearer, she realises it?s Padm?s life that?s in danger. Since Anakin is off-planet, it?s up to Ahsoka to protect the senator from assassination.
Prior to the events of this episode, Ahsoka and Padm form a sister-like bond. Anyway, for the majority of the episode, Anakin is notably absent as he gets sent back to the battlefield without Ahsoka.
I don?t know about you, but I have a feeling Anakin letting Ahsoka bond with Padm gave him the assumption she?d serve as a bodyguard if he couldn?t be there. However, he probably didn?t think, they would become quite so close, especially when it came to their opinions about him.
Because of the close bond between the two, Ahsoka knew Anakin and Padm were tight. She knew if any harm came to the senator on her watch, Anakin would never forgive her.
When Anakin returns to Coruscant, he?s distressed over his wife?s near-assassination. Ahsoka doesn?t mention anything. Clearly, she can sense his feelings via the Force but chooses to keep her friend?s secret.
Exhibit A, Point 4: Heroes On Both Sides
A few episodes later in ?Heroes on Both Sides?, Ahsoka joins Padm when the senator can?t get her pro-war loving husband to help her out. In the senator?s office, Ahsoka mentions off-hand that Padm and Anakin are more alike than she realised.
Padm promptly changes the subject. Now, Ahsoka knew Padm well by this stage. She would have known a sudden change in topic isn?t at all unusual when it came to Anakin.
This moment begins to make total sense, with the whole Forces of Destiny episode taking place sometime around these events. Not to mention, Ahsoka wasn?t like Obi-Wan would have given Anakin grief, saying that it was too risky and whatever else.
Though, Anakin would brand his master a hypocrite for even saying this because of Obi-Wan?s relationship with Satine. In saying this, Ahsoka wasn?t judgmental.
Anakin wouldn?t have opened up to her, regardless, as he didn?t want to drag his marriage into it, so he never mentioned it to her.
Exhibit A, Point 5: Barriss Frames Ahsoka And Aftermath ? The Jedi Who Knew Too Much
Ahsoka always backed Anakin up when the situation required it, and he always had her back. When Ahsoka?s best friend, Barriss frames her for terrorism, Anakin knows his beloved Padawan was set up.
The distressed Jedi goes straight to Padm and explains the situation. Padm, who has just as much love for Ahsoka as Anakin does, agrees to help him save her from execution.
However, what we don?t see is what went on while Anakin was out trying to track down who framed Ahsoka, to begin with.
In that time, Padm and Ahsoka could have spoken about anything, given the Padawan knew of what was going on at that point.
She?s grateful to him for being the only Jedi to have believed her innocence, but she cannot stay where people appear to have lost respect for her.
It?s what happened after Ahsoka?s name was cleared, that made the fans at the time scratch their heads.
Before she walks away from the only home she has ever known, she tells Anakin:
?I know.?
A surprised look crosses Anakin?s face, but Ahsoka doesn?t see it.
Fans were left wondering what she was referring to after the episode went to air.
Some believed she was referring to Anakin?s own frustrations with the Jedi Council. Others believed she was telling him in her own way she knew about him and Padm.
According to the prologue of the Ahsoka novel, the moment on the Temple steps wasn?t Ahsoka?s last interaction with Anakin. A couple of times after her departur they teamed up and fought together like old times.
It?s referenced in an episode of Star Wars Rebels the last time the pair saw each other was just before Anakin went to rescue the Chancellor with Obi-Wan.
Exhibit A, Point 6: Forces of Destiny ? Ahsoka?s Conclusion
In the Forces of Destiny episode, ?Unexpected Company?, Obi-Wan sends Ahsoka along on a mission with Anakin and Padm. The couple believed they would finally get to spend some quality time together. Boy were they wrong!
Obi-Wan thought it would be wise to send Ahsoka as a third wheel. Anakin, of course, is against it, but has no choice but to compile with the order.
Judging by what the episode reveals, Ahsoka?s observations were correct and she thought it was best to reveal to Padm what she knew. She wanted to show she was a supportive friend.
While Padm appeared stunned by this, she was thankful Ahsoka was on her and Anakin?s side.
Obi-Wan: The Best Friend And Former Master
For Anakin, having Obi-Wan as a best friend was one thing, but having him also be his master as another thing entirely. Despite the Jedi disliking ?friendships?, Obi-Wan and Anakin were a rather odd pairing. Why?
Well, look at the facts. Obi-Wan was a stickler for the rules. Anakin, on the other hand, wasn?t. Let?s not even dwell on all the times Anakin had to pull Obi-Wan out of trouble.
Though, not even stickler-for-the-rules Obi-Wan was perfect. He had broken the code of the Jedi Order himself by falling in love with Duchess Satine Kryze of Mandalore.
Also, he was willing to break the rules in order to fulfil Qui-Gon Jinn?s dying wish to have Anakin trained in the Jedi arts.
Let?s not forget all the times Obi-Wan was forced to go along with Anakin?s god-awful plans. Though, when it came Anakin?s feelings, Obi-Wan saw straight through him. Let?s observe, shall we?
Attack of the Clones ? Padm gets thrown from the gunship
Obi-Wan remembered how close Anakin and Padm were when they were young. Mostly because Padm was like a surrogate mother to Anakin, even if there was a four year age gap between the pair.
Fast forward a bit to when Anakin, Obi-Wan and, Padm are chasing after Dooku in the gunship at the very beginning of The Clone Wars. The ship gets attacked and Padm gets thrown out with a couple of clones.
Seeing everything unfold, Anakin panics, ordering the ship get put down. Obi-Wan lectures him, asking what Padm would do if their roles were reversed. Now, I don?t know about you, but it sounds like he already knows.
Obi-Wan knew Anakin well enough to know that when he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him. It appeared his relationship with Padm was exactly that.
I dunno about you, but I don?t think Obi-Wan would see through Anakin?s motives to marry Padm when they returned to Naboo. Sure, best friends to the end, but that doesn?t always mean they know every move the other makes.
On The Tail End ? The Malevolence Crisis
When it came to rescuing Padm and 3PO, Obi-Wan found himself front and centre with Anakin. Now, don?t get Obi-Wan wrong.
He loved Padm as a good friend, though, he didn?t quite understand why Anakin had such a close connection to her.
During the rescue, Obi-Wan ended up getting separated from Anakin and was forced to rescue C-3PO when the droid ran into trouble. Anakin, of course ? ran in search of the missing senator.
Though, it appeared once the group had reformed, Obi-Wan still had no clue what had happened all those months earlier on Naboo.
Virally Infected ? The Release of the Blue Shadow Virus
Sometime later, Obi-Wan and Anakin get called to Naboo when Padm and Jar-Jar get reported missing. Anakin becomes concerned when no one has heard or gotten in contact with his missing wife and friend.
So, he and Obi-Wan come in to save the day. What else is new? Oh, wait?. Padm ends up getting infected. We?ll get to that in a moment.
When the villainous Doctor Vindi unleashes the virus, Obi-Wan and Anakin go in search of a cure. Little do they realise, Padm and Ahsoka become infected.
When things become dire, Ahsoka and Padm contact the Jedi, only Ahsoka passes out. Obi-Wan, who is present throughout all this, watches as Padm tries to tell Anakin she loves him, only for the connection to cut out before she can finish.
Strike one for Obi-Wan. Now, I don?t know about you, but who tells someone else who is just a friend that they love them when the person saying it is on the verge of death?
While this might be something a couple in a romance film might do, does it apply in a space opera? Hmm?
Obi-Wan tries to keep Anakin calm, but Anakin unintentionally snaps at him. Every time Padm?s name gets mentioned, Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow. Anakin becomes forced to correct himself.
Despite having pieced everything together that he knew in his head, Obi-Wan chose to not say anything. He valued Anakin and Padm too much to ruin the friendship they already had.
Issues With Clovis
When Anakin begins to have ?marriage woes?, Obi-Wan is there to console him, though he chooses to go about it all wrong. He chooses to hint at his own relationship with the late Satine Kryze, only Anakin tells him he and Padm are just ?friends?.
Yeah, I don?t think Obi-Wan buys into that for a second. Also, I think we ought to empathise with the friends part. By the time Anakin almost kills Clovis because of his advances towards Padm, I am more than certain Obi-Wan knows more than he?s letting on.
Padm?s Pregnancy ? The Final Straw
Let?s just forward to Anakin?s fall to the Dark Side. When Obi-Wan discovers the truth about the massacre in the Jedi Temple, he goes to Padm, hoping she knows where her husband is.
Obi-Wan knows better and reveals to her that Anakin has turned evil. Padm refuses to believe it. This forces Obi-Wan to tell her that Anakin killed younglings.
Despite her shock, Padm refuses to tell Obi-Wan anything. It?s the look on her face a moment later that tugs at the heartstrings. As Obi-Wan gets up to leave, he asks whether Anakin is the father of her unborn child.
She bows her head, indicating defeat. Obi-Wan than knows the full truth (or so we think) before he apologises to her.
The reason I said ?so we think? is because it was never specified if Obi-Wan knew Anakin and Padm were married.
Watching A New Hope Rise ? Observing Luke
After defeating Anakin on Mustafar, Obi-Wan goes into hiding after Padm?s death. He watches over her and Anakin?s son, Luke.
Watching over Luke was Obi-Wan?s way of putting the blame on himself for not saving Anakin. Observing Luke from a distance was hard as watching the boy grow was like watching Anakin grow up again.
Luke looked like Anakin and there were parts of Padm within the boy as well. These traits would have been a massive comfort to Obi-Wan as well as a great sadness.
Whenever he spoke to Luke, Obi-Wan never mentioned Luke?s parents. Owen, Luke?s uncle and Anakin?s stepbrother wouldn?t allow it. Also, Owen was increasingly protective of his nephew and thought of Obi-Wan as a ?crazy old man?.
In Obi-Wan?s eyes, looking at Luke meant looking at Anakin and Padm and seeing how he failed them.
The Final Conclusion
On close analysis, how much did Ahsoka and Obi-Wan actually know? Well, if you look at the evidence presented to you, it?s a lot. Anakin wasn?t exactly subtle when it came to his relationship with Padm. She didn?t try to stop him from revealing their secret to their two closest friends. In a nutshell, they knew enough, but probably not the whole the story.
