Fans finally got what they have been wanting from the Ahsoka series ever since the rumors started circulating about Hayden Christensen’s cameo/return. If you are reading this I am guessing you exercised good judgment from the title above and know we are going into spoiler territory. One last warning.
Spoilers ahead.
Ok then.
Yes! We finally got a live-action depiction of the Clone Wars! We were hoping for a flashback of Anakin Skywalker in his traditional Clone Wars garb (slightly de-aged with minimal CGI), and we got exactly that! But we were also treated to two different depictions of Ahsoka Tano herself from throughout her time in the conflict.
Anakin and Ahsoka. You can see his Clone Wars era clothing here. Image from WithAshleyAndCo.
We see her through the opening battles of the civil war as a very young teenage Ahsoka being flanked by clone troopers in their Phase 1 Armor (along with her original green lightsaber). But we also see her portrayed by a third actress(If you include grown-up Ahsoka/Rosario Dawson) during the Siege of Mandalore, noticeably taller and into her mid/late teens as she refers to this being after she split off from Anakin in the same scene.
This whole section of the episode was the highlight for me and explains why this was the episode that Lucasfilm designated to be shown in theaters (aside from the sneak-peek premiere)!
What Exactly Was The Deal Though?
If you finished the episode scratching your head, I assure you that you weren’t the only one doing so. There is a lot of ambiguity in this episode. Was Anakin a force ghost? He didn’t behave like a traditional force ghost, his form seemed very corporeal.
Anakin lacked the traditional blue aura and he came to physical blows (even getting kicked in the face at one point) with Ahsoka. He claimed to come back to finish Ahsoka’s training and also seemed confused about the Siege of Mandalore as he was not present during that battle, so he wasn’t exactly an omniscient otherworldly being. Lastly he flickered back and forth between Anakin and Darth Vader in his appearance, not a usual “good guy force ghost” thing to do.
Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano as they appear in The Clone Wars cartoon.
And what exactly was that place they were? The World Between Worlds Is normally only accessible through a very specific portal/mural, but Ahsoka kinda just “fell” in. Anakin implies that she isn’t dead yet, just defeated. And the way she leaves, by essentially drowning, gives us the impression that the setting was merely a stand-in for her consciousness, a kind of “force limbo” as it were.
Jacen Syndulla can hear their lightsaber duel and sense where Ahsoka is, therefore we know this all went down in real time and not in some other worldly plane of existence like the World Between Worlds behaves.
Closing Thoughts
Ultimately this felt like that story trope where the hero is confronted with a sort of mind nexus and needs to pass a test or reach a decision, similar to Harry Potter meeting Dumbledore in that bright white room in Deathly Hallows (you all have had more than ten years to see it). This is ultimately shown by her passing Anakin’s trial and choosing to “live”.
What did you all think of this episode? Did it rely too much on nostalgia? Was the use of Anakin a cheap throwback/grab? Are you also wondering why we still have not seen Thrawn or Ezra by this far into the season? I for one thought it was an awesome episode and I enjoyed the action, visuals, and that sprinkle of Star Wars nostalgia.
Ahsoka coming to blows against “Anakin”.
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