Star Wars and Marvel are two sides of the same coin: both of them are vast, sprawling science fiction franchises bound together by Disney ownerships. But just like any science fiction story, these two franchises often dip into familiar tropes. There’s no better example than Ahsoka and Loki, two Disney+ original series released this week with only a 48-hour gap. While they may be very different shows, they both dip into familiar territory.
But it’s clear that Loki has a firmer grasp of how its world works — something Star Wars should learn from going forward.
In Loki Season 2 Episode 1, we learn that the “alternate” TVA we saw at the end of Season 1 wasn’t part of a parallel universe, but actually deep in the TVA’s past. That’s why Mobius didn’t recognize Loki, not because the TVA has changed but because it’s the TVA’s past. They haven’t met yet. But the TVA isn’t supposed to exist within time, as time works differently there.
Meanwhile, in Ahsoka Episode 4, Ahsoka faces a near-death experience and wakes up in the World Between Worlds, a realm from Rebels known for being a plane outside of time and space. But in Ahsoka, this place outside of time doesn’t seem to matter. Ahsoka visits the World Between Worlds to revisit her past, but it’s just as much in her mind as it is time travel.
Loki Season 1 fell into this same trap. We’re told that the TVA exists outside of time, but it never really comes up. The TVA is simply where Loki and Mobius have a home base on their mission to find Sylvie. Only in Season 2 does this really cool setpiece actually serve a purpose.
Hopefully, Ahsoka will be granted the rare honor Loki earned: a second season. A new season will allow Ahsoka to revisit the World Between Worlds and use it in a way that actually reflects the use of the space we saw in Rebels. Star Wars and Marvel may be two different universe, but they both use the universal language of science-fiction tropes.
