Anakin Skywalker’s surprise appearance at the very end of Ahsoka Episode 4 didn’t quite come out of nowhere. It had already been announced that Hayden Christensen would appear in the series, and Episode 5 was long rumored to be the episode he’d feature in. Furthermore, we knew that its 50-minute runtime made it longer than the other episodes we’ve seen, and that showrunner Dave Filoni was directing it.
That made Episode 4 the perfect assignment for director Peter Ramsey, allowing him to tee up the big Christensen showcase. And in discussing his approach, Ramsey unintentionally disproved one of the more shocking fan theories surrounding the big twist.
In an interview with IGN, Ramsey revealed the direction he gave Hayden Christensen as they filmed his reintroduction. “We just talked about what it’s like for him to be seeing Ahsoka after all this time, that it’s a reunion for them,” Ramsey said. “And I just told him, ‘It’s like you haven’t seen your daughter in two years. She’d gone off to college and you’re seeing her again and she’s like a different person but still your daughter.’”
That’s an adorable description of Anakin and Ahsoka’s dynamic, especially considering Christensen has a daughter. But it also debunks some Star Wars conspiracy theories that have floated around since Episode 4. Those theories were predicated on the idea that Anakin wasn’t actually Anakin, but a manipulation of the Force by Palpatine or another villainous figure.
These theories may have been a bit out there, but considering Ahsoka woke up on a mystical plane after getting thrown off a cliff, there wasn’t really a logical way to explain what was happening. All sorts of evil schemes could have been afoot, from fake and manipulated Anakins to time-travel shenanigans.
Ahsoka probably still has a plot twist or two in store, but this snippet confirms that the Anakin Skywalker we see in Episode 4 is the same one who taught Ahsoka in The Clone Wars and fought her in Rebels. So the only question left is just what this genuine Anakin has to tell Ahsoka now that they’re finally reunited. Luckily, we’re about to find out.
