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Credit: LucasfilmWarning! Spoilers ahead for Ahsoka “Part Five: Shadow Warrior.”
Last week’s episode of Ahsoka felt like a dream for longtime fans of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the Prequel Trilogy, bringing back legacy franchise actor Hayden Christensen to portray a post-Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) version of Ahsoka Tano’s (Rosario Dawson) master, Anakin Skywalker. But the moment the credits rolled, many fans were left wondering: would Christensen return for future Ahsoka episodes, or was this his final live-action appearance, perhaps forever?
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‘Ahsoka’ Episode 5 Recap: the Return of a Fan-Favorite Jedi
“Part Five: Shadow Warrior” of Dave Filoni’s Disney+ Ahsoka show brought things full circle for fans of Star Wars animation, bringing audiences on a heartfelt journey through the World Between Worlds as Anakin attempts to teach his Padawan one last lesson: “Live…or die.”
The story picks up immediately after “Part Four: Fallen Jedi,” which saw Ahsoka’s defeat at the hands of Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson). The titular hero fought Baylan for the star map that, according to Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), led to the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) but was pushed into the waters of Seatos after the cunning Darksider used Ahsoka’s emotions against her.
Related: ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2 Reportedly in the Works at Disney and Lucasfilm
Now, with Star Wars Rebels’ Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) at risk of losing her New Republic command, and Ahsoka’s Padawan, Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in Baylan, Morgan, and Shin Hati’s (Ivanna Sakhno) captivity, things have never looked more grim.
But thanks to a little Force-induced miracle, Ahsoka wakes up in the World Between Worlds, a mystical plane between time and space. After she blearily opens her eyes, she’s greeted by a familiar face that she hasn’t seen since before Order 66 and the fall of the Republic: her former master, Anakin Skywalker, played by a de-aged Hayden Christensen.
Anakin takes Ahsoka back in time to the Clone Wars to finally complete her training, with some heavy foreshadowing of his past/future as Darth Vader. The pair has, of course, met in the critically acclaimed Rebels episode “Twilight of the Apprentice,” when Anakin’s Sith alter-ego was at the height of his power. But their Ahsoka reunion, for the most part, is much happier and gives Ahsoka the closure she needs to become the Jedi she needs to be to defeat Thrawn.
It’s a nostalgic trip down memory lane for those who grew up watching the adventures of “Snips” (with Marvel star Ariana Greenblatt appearing as a young Ahsoka) and “Skyguy” in The Clone Wars and finally gave fans a look at live-action Clone Wars-era Anakin, complete with his appropriate battle armor.
Will Anakin Skywalker Appear in Future ‘Ahsoka’ Episodes?
The episode was easily a series highlight for viewers, but Anakin’s somewhat abrupt vanishment into the World Between Worlds left many wondering if his Ahsoka story was incomplete. But we may have our answer according to a new leak from trusted Star Wars insider, The Bespin Bulletin.
A newly released report from the outlet claims that fans can expect to see more Anakin Skywalker in the Ahsoka series following episodes four and five. While their sources didn’t have much in the way of specifics, an Anakin Force Ghost appearance was allegedly shot for the eighth episode and will see the Jedi Knight being proud of his apprentice.
Based on this information, it seems like Anakin’s future appearances in Ahsoka will be little more than cameos, similar to his Force Ghost standing alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and Yoda (Frank Oz) at the very end of George Lucas’ Original Trilogy.
We’re Still Missing Some Important Anakin Skywalker Dialogue
However, we could hear Anakin speaking to Ahsoka as she and Professor Huyang (David Tennant) travel into the Unknown Regions in the mouth of a hyperspace-traveling Purrgil to find Thrawn. Many viewers were quick to point out that we haven’t heard a particular line from Anakin that was featured in Ahsoka trailers just yet, in which Anakin tells his former Padawan, “Don’t be afraid. And trust your instincts. I know you can do this, Ahsoka.”
While he might physically manifest as a Force Ghost moving forward, it seems inevitable that Anakin will help guide Ahsoka from beyond the grave as she prepares for her confrontation with Thrawn, Baylan Skoll, Shin Hati, and Morgan Elsbeth. The fight will surely push Ahsoka to her limits, forcing her to tap into those newly-acquired “Ahsoka the White” skills to save the day.
Who knows? If Anakin appears to Ahsoka again, perhaps we’ll also see the Force Ghost of Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and maybe even other slain Jedi. But for now, we can only wait to find out what Dave Filoni has in store for the remainder of the season.
The next episode of Ahsoka arrives on Disney+ on Tuesday, September 19, at 6 p.m. PT.
Were you happy to see Hayden Christensen reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker? Do you think he’ll pop up again in future episodes of Ahsoka? Let us know in the comments below.