Credit: LucasfilmWarning! Spoilers ahead for Ahsoka “Part Five: Shadow Warrior.”
Last night’s episode of the Disney+ Ahsoka show was jam-packed with gripping action sequences, deep dives into Star Wars lore, and plenty of nostalgia, particularly for fans of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series. While many anticipated there to be some sort of flashback to the Prequel era, it’s safe to say that Ahsoka blew fans’ expectations out of the water with a live-action adaptation of this critically acclaimed Season 7 arc.
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What Is ‘Ahsoka’ About? Cast, Crew, and ‘Clone Wars’ Connections
Showrunner Dave Filoni isn’t shying away from giving fans of Star Wars animation a treat when it comes to his brand new Ahsoka show. For one, the series makes several nods to Ahsoka Tano’s Clone Wars origins, where Ashley Eckstein voiced her throughout its seven-season run. The show is also a continuation of Star Wars Rebels, which aired on Disney+ between 2014 and 2018.
Rosario Dawson has since taken over the role in live-action, making her debut in Season 2 of The Mandalorian on Disney+ before appearing again in The Book of Boba Fett. Ahsoka, which premiered on the streaming platform on August 22, sees the titular ex-Jedi reuniting with old friends, including Rebels’ Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and New Republic General Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), to help track down a familiar threat: Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen).
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Ahsoka Episode 5 Recap: Into the World Between Worlds
Dawson takes somewhat of a backseat in the fifth episode of Ahsoka, which premiered to much online buzz last night. The episode picks up immediately after that bombshell Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) reveal and sees “Snips” and “Skyguy” taking a trip down memory lane via the mystical World Between Worlds.
By taking Ahsoka back to specific moments in her past, Anakin hopes to “complete” his former Padawan’s training from beyond the grave. This includes returning to early moments in the Clone Wars, which saw the Republic and Confederation of Independent Systems (CIS) going head-to-head in a conflict puppeteered by Darth Sidious, AKA Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid).
Ahsoka was just a 14-year-old Padawan when she was chosen to be the trainee of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker, spending much of her formative years fighting alongside the 501st Legion in the heat of battle. While Ahsoka would leave the Jedi Order in Season 5 after being framed for a crime she didn’t commit, she returned to assist the Grand Army of the Republic in the Season 7 episode “Shattered.”
‘The Clone Wars’ Siege of Mandalore Arc Explained and Why It’s Relevent to ‘Ahsoka’
Now an ally of the Mandalorians, led by Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff), Ahsoka reunites with Anakin and the 501st to spearhead a campaign to defeat the rogue Sith Lord Maul. This sets the stage for what would become a pivotal moment of the Clone Wars: the Siege of Mandalore.
For context, the Siege of Mandalore was a key battle at the end of the Clone Wars, consisting of four episodes, beginning with “Old Friends Not Forgotten” and concluding with “Victory and Death.”
The fan-favorite story served as the final arc of the entire show and sees Captain Rex (Dee Bradley Baker/Temuera Morrison), half of the 501st, and Bo-Katan attempting to take back control of the Mandalorian homeworld, resulting in the arrest of Maul and Bo-Katan becoming Regent.
Anakin was absent from the Siege of Mandalore, which makes sense when considering his inclusion in the arc would conflict directly with the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Of course, the arc ends with the execution of Order 66, with Ahsoka barely managing to de-chip Captain Rex and escape before the Clone Army could gun them down.
The Siege of Mandalore arc all but defines what The Clone Wars is about: sacrifice, senseless war, tragedy, and, in the light of overbearing odds, choosing to do what’s right—even if it comes at a heavy price.
‘Ahsoka’ Brings the Siege of Mandalore Into Live-Action
This is a lesson Anakin tries to impart to his former Padawan in Ahsoka “Part Five: Shadow Warrior,” which sees Ariana Greenblatt playing a young Ahsoka as they magically transport back in time to one of their first missions together in the early days of the Clone Wars.
Ahsoka’s first lesson was to “live…or die,” and to exemplify this best, Anakin takes her back to her earliest days as a soldier. His Padawan never got the chance to be, well, a Padawan, with the Jedi swapping their usual peace-keeping ways for warfare due to the conflict with the Separatists.
When the smoke clears, Ahsoka holds the hand of a dying Clone Trooper, solemnly taking in the death all around her. She blames herself for the many losses since the 501st simply followed her orders. Anakin explains that death is the inevitable cost of war and wonders if her legacy will be one of death and destruction—just as Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) told her in Episode 4.
In a second flashback in the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka, now 17 years old, is placed smack dab in the middle of the Siege of Mandalore. This is evident from the inclusion of Darth Maul’s super commandos (AKA Mauldalorians), who were first featured in Season 5 of The Clone Wars.
Anakin uses this formative moment in Ahsoka’s life to continue his lesson, telling Ahsoka she is everything he is, and part of a larger legacy that includes Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor), Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and so on.
In an especially memorable moment, Anakin can be seen flickering to his Dark Side alter-ego, Darth Vader, and switches to his iconic red lightsaber. Ahsoka now has to face her former master yet again, bringing back memories of their rage-fueled battle in the Rebels episode, “Twilight of the Apprentice.”
After defeating him, Ahsoka proudly declares, “I choose to live,” to which Anakin responds with, “There’s hope for you yet,” before vanishing. Her training is now complete, and she’s pulled from the deadly tides of Seatos’ ocean with a bit of help from Hera and her Force-sensitive son, Jacen Syndulla (Evan Whitten).
Considering this is the first time we’ve seen the Seige of Mandalore in live-action, this was a full-circle moment for fans of The Clone Wars, at last giving audiences much-needed flashbacks to these pivotal moments in Ahsoka’s history.
While it’s uncertain whether or not we’ll see more live-action flashbacks to the Clone Wars in Ahsoka, fans can finally rest knowing they’ve seen a glimpse of Captain Rex, Anakin in full Clone Wars armor, and now, one of the best arcs from the entire series portrayed in real-life.
Now that Ahsoka’s closed this chapter in her book, here’s hoping we’ll get a first look at Grand Admiral Thrawn and the mysterious Unknown Regions in the remaining episodes of Ahsoka.
Ahsoka Episodes 1-5 are now streaming exclusively on Disney+.
Were you excited to see the Siege of Mandalore in live-action? Did it live up to your expectations? Let us know in the comments below.