What Is The Mortis Arc In 'The Clone Wars'
Image Source: Reddit
The Mortis arc has played an important part in Star Wars recently. We were first introduced to it during The Clone Wars, and then later, we saw the mural of The Father, The Brother, and The Sister in Star Wars Rebels. It was also the entrance to the World Between Worlds. Most recently, however, we saw giant statues of these Gods in the finale of Ahsoka. Baylan Skoll was standing on the outstretched hand of the Father. For many, however, these statues may not mean anything, so that begs the question: what exactly is the Mortis arc?
Mortis was a realm of the Force and contained dreamlike environments. It could not be mapped, and its landmarks frequently appeared at different locations. Entrance to the planet was never voluntary, and Mortis drew in its visitors. The planet had three inhabitants, force-wielders who were in a constant battle with each other. The Son, who was aligned with the Dark Side of the force, represented the destruction and deadly aspects of the realm. The daughter who was aligned with the light side of the force, represented the peace and creation of Mortis. The Father maintained his balance between the two.
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Image Source: Multiversity Comics
To begin our journey, Anakin, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan are investigating a mysterious transmission. At their rendezvous point, their shuttle loses power and is pulled into Mortis by The Father. Anakin then meets The Father, who explains that he and his children are so strong in the force, that they cannot live in the material world. He then explains that he brought the three of them to Mortis because he believed Anakin was the Chosen One. The Father believes that Anakin will be the one to bring balance to the Force, except he will remain on Mortis, and take the place of The Father, once he passes.
Anakin completes the tests that the Mortis gods have laid out for him and proves that he is strong enough in the Force to control the whims of The Son and The Daughter. The Father later warns Anakin about leaving Mortis, and that if he does, it will have a devastating outcome, due to the Jedi’s selfishness. Right before Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka try to leave, The Son tempts Anakin with the Dark Side and believes that together they can overthrow The Father, and let the Dark Side triumph.
Image Source: Wookieepedia
Anakin rejects The Son’s plan, and so the force wielder kidnaps Ahsoka. Meanwhile, The Daughter has taken Obi-Wan to the Altar of Mortis, which holds a weapon that is capable of killing the members of the Mortis family. The Son makes his way to the Altar, where he takes the Dagger of Mortis, and attempts to kill The Father. The Daughter, however, sacrifices herself instead.
During the struggle, Ahsoka dies, and Anakin begs The Father to bring her back. The Daughter uses what is left of her life force to bring Ahsoka back. With the Daughter now gone, The Son once again tries to sway Anakin to the Dark Side. The Father is furious that The Son interrupted the natural flow of time, so he wipes Anakin’s memory. The Mortis arc ends with the Father stealing the dagger, and impaling himself. The Son, who is now vulnerable, dies by Anakin’s hand. 4
While the Mortis arc was a short part early on in The Clone Wars, it has remained meaningful throughout Star Wars. For many, this proved that Anakin was indeed the Chosen One. There are some hints, however, that Mortis means more than this. Throughout the rest of Ahsoka’s story, she is followed by Morai, a convor who had spiritual ties to The Daughter.
Image Source: IGN
We can also look at the Mortis arc with deeper meaning and assign the three roles to our three heroes. Ahsoka represents The Daughter, and Obi-Wan represents The Father, who is attempting to bring a balance to the Force, which would leave Anakin as The Son, and confront the Dark Side.
It is unknown what the future of the Ahsoka series is. Her story could continue to Dave Filoni’s movie, or we could even eventually get a second season. Since the Mortis god's statues were seen in the finale, it could have bigger implications for future Star Wars stories.
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