The Balance Series: Part 4 | The Intentions & Repercussions of the Mortis Arc
Katelyn Mathis 
Katelyn continues to explore the balance of the force and its consequences for the entire galaxy…
Welcome back, avid FOTF reader. Today we are looking at part 4 of The Balance Series. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you can read the introductory article here. The Balance Series is an in-depth study of the balance of the Force and its implications in the Star Wars universe. In this episode, we are going to examine The Mortis Arc in The Clone Wars and it’s overall implications.
The Mortis Arc takes place in season 3, episodes 15-17, titled “Overlords”, “Altar of Mortis”, and “Ghosts of Mortis” respectively. The overall theme of the arc is Anakin learning what being “the chosen one” means and coming to terms with his place in the greater cosmere. The Mortis arc has some far-reaching consequences for the cosmere at large and future episodes, including several in Rebels.
“We are the ones who guard the power. We are the beginning, the middle and the end.” – The Daughter
The Mortis arc was intended to show the greater universe; that there were other beings out there that were a part of the Force without being Sith or Jedi. (Rebels continued this journey with the inclusion of the Bendu.) The Son represented destruction and chaos. The Daughter represented peace and growth. The Father kept them in balance. He believed it was Anakin’s future to stay and keep his children in balance. Of course, this isn’t what happens.
While on Mortis, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka each experience a vision:
Qui-Gon: Obi-Wan, have you done as I’ve asked? have you trained the boy?
Obi-Wan: Master Qui-Gon? How are you here?
Qui-Gon: I am here because you are here.
Obi-Wan: I- I don’t understand. What is this place?
Qui-Gon: Unlike any other. A conduit through which the entire Force of the universe flows. Obi-Wan: Are we in danger?
Qui-Gon: This planet is both an amplifier and a magnet. Three are here that seek Skywalker, they like me to believe him to be the Chosen One.
Obi-Wan: You were right. The Force within him is stronger than any known Jedi. I’ve trained him as well as I’ve could, but… he’s still willful and balance eludes him.
Qui-Gon: If he is the Chosen One, he will discover it here.
Obi-Wan: And if not?
Qui-Gon: Then you must realize with his power, this is a very dangerous place for him to be.
We are left with a couple of concerns here. “Balance eludes him”. I don’t think you needed anyone to tell you that, but it’s good to have confirmation. Qui-Gon assumes that he is The Chosen One and that balance will be found on the planet with the Father, Son, & Daughter. Obi-Wan seems sceptical, being informed that the planet is “dangerous” for Anakin if he is not The Chosen One because of his power. (Remember that point, it will come in handy later.)
Let’s take a look at Ahsoka’s vision:
Older Ahsoka: Are you happy, child? Your master, does he treat you well?
Younger Ahsoka: What concern of it is yours?
Older Ahsoka: I am your future. Your potential.
Younger Ahsoka: This is a trick!
Older Ahsoka: There is a wildness to you, young one. Seeds of the dark side planted by your master. Do you feel it?
Younger Ahsoka: No! He is like no other Jedi! Passionate, impulsive… but I trust him with my life! Older Ahsoka: There are many contradictions in you. And in him. Be warned, you may never see your future if you remain his student! Leave this planet!
This is, personally, one of the most interesting dialogues in the entire Clone Wars series. The vision begins with a sense of care like older Ahsoka genuinely wants to know if Anakin is taking care of her. However, it’s the information given that can have the further-reaching implications. Ahsoka has “seeds of the dark side” put there by Anakin. This is no surprise, although we never see Ahsoka act on such until she is bitten by the Son. Perhaps this is why Ahsoka chose not to become involved in the rebellion after her confrontation with Darth Vader. She didn’t want to act on the little piece of darkness she knew was in her. It’s also interesting just to note that she and Anakin were the only two that were turned by the Son during the arc. Was this just a calculated move by the Son, and he could have turned Obi-Wan if he wanted? Or was it because Anakin and Ahsoka were the only two with dark “seeds” and that made them more susceptible?
The last line of the vision is intriguing. She is given a warning and a strong suggestion; “you may never see your future if you remain his student!” This immediately takes us to Order 66 and the Jedi Purge. The reason Ahsoka wasn’t killed is that she wasn’t near Anakin. She was on Mandalore with Rex fighting Maul. If Ahsoka had been near Anakin, he would have seen to her death personally. The vision also tells Ahsoka to leave the planet. This is no surprise, considering Qui-Gon told Obi-Wan something similar, especially if Anakin isn’t The Chosen One.
Let’s ponder that for a minute. Later in the arc, we see the Father kidnap Obi-Wan & Ahsoka. The Son and the Daughter are each holding one, and Anakin must choose who to save. Obi-Wan yells “The planet is the Force. Use it”. We then see Anakin force the Son and Daughter to release both hostages and fall to their knees. The Father then says that only the Chosen One could control them both like that and, at face value, that seems to be exactly what happened. However, I see an alternative. Let’s look at that vision again.
Obi-Wan: You were right. The Force within him is stronger than any known Jedi. I’ve trained him as well as I’ve could, but… he’s still willful and balance eludes him.
Qui-Gon: If he is the Chosen One, he will discover it here.
Obi-Wan: And if not?
Qui-Gon: Then you must realize with his power, this is a very dangerous place for him to be.
So, did Anakin find balance by forcing the Son and Daughter to release his friends? I would argue definitely not, using the rest of his life as an example. So what happened? My theory is that he was “stronger than any known Jedi” and Mortis could be “a very dangerous place for him to be”. I believe he used the power of the Force flowing through the planet to bring the Son & Daughter to their knees. He was “powerful” and “unbalanced” and, after being on Mortis, he still did not gain balance.
The Father may have also been mistaken in the way balance would be reached. In the end, it was Anakin that killed the Son and, inadvertently, brought balance. However, he himself never gained the balance the planet was supposed to give him. Perhaps this was all there was for Anakin. This was the prophecy. He fulfilled it by killing the Son. He brought balance on Mortis, and that’s all there was. He wasn’t supposed to do anything more. Perhaps he fulfilled his purpose.
Keep in mind, we have never been given the prophecy. We don’t know if it has been misinterpreted or been drastically taken out of context. The father thought Anakin was the Chosen One because the Jedi thought he was. “When news reached me that the Chosen One had been found, I needed to see for myself”. It is possible that if the Jedi were wrong, the Father was too.
The story of the Daughter didn’t quite end on Mortis. Her supposed companion, servant, and representative, the convor Morai, visited with Ahsoka through the years. Since the Daughter gave her life to save Ahsoka’s, Morai was connected to Ahsoka, assumed to be a part of the Daughter’s spirit. She became a sort of companion and friend to Ahsoka, perhaps even helping her at times. It was nice to see a tie-in to the events on Mortis so many years later.
The Mortis arc played a vital role in the future of the series. From first landing on the planet to the visions, Anakin turning, all the way to the mural of the three on the wall of the temple, Mortis has stuck with us. The three were the key, literally, to save Ahsoka, the Ghost crew, and the rebellion. The Force chose those three beings to be the stopper, the funnel, and the beginning of the Force. The arc gives us much to think about. What exactly was Anakin’s role in being the Chosen One? Was he the Chosen One? If so, where is the balance he was to receive? Did Ahsoka remember this vision when she left the Order? Was the Father wrong to bring them there? One thing I love about this arc is everyone can decide for themselves.
May The Force Be With You
The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.
Katelyn Mathis is a regular Staff Writer for Future of the Force. She is a passionate Star Wars fan and is the go-to source for Force Knowledge. Follow her on Twitter @ForceKnowledge where she uses the force frequently!
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Katelyn Mathis is a Senior Staff Writer for The Future of the Force. She is a passionate Star Wars fan and is the go-to source for Force Knowledge. Follow her on Twitter where she uses the force frequently!
