Ahsoka has painted Star Wars into quite the narrative corner. The series follows Star Wars: The Clone Wars protagonist Ahsoka Tano on her continuing adventures after the end of Star Wars: Rebels as she joins forces with Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla to track down Ezra Bridger and the terrifying Grand Admiral Thrawn.
But how exactly will these events make sense when everything leading up to them is from the animated sector of Star Wars media, which not every fan has seen? A look at the teasers leading up to the show — now less than 10 days away — proves just how the show is skirting this issue: by bringing back a beloved character.
A new teaser for Ahsoka juxtaposes new looks at the series with a very familiar voiceover: Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker. “In this war, you will face more than just droids,” he says. “As your master, it’s my responsibility to prepare you. I won’t always be there to look out for you. Don’t be afraid, trust your instincts. I know you can do this, Ahsoka.”
We’ve known that Hayden Christensen would reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka for almost two years now, but this is our first glimpse of how he will appear. Since Anakin is long dead by the events of Ahsoka, there are two main schools of thought: he’ll appear to Ahsoka as a Force ghost, much like he did at the end of Return of the Jedi, or he’ll appear in flashbacks like in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
These voiceovers don’t provide much information, but the line “I won’t always be there to look out for you” definitely implies that they are speaking before Anakin dies. We’ve seen young Anakin once already in the Star Wars live-action TV universe, and a flashback would be a great way to build their relationship.
Going back to the Clone Wars era and replicating what the animated shows did so well would be the perfect workaround to the huge obstacle Ahsoka is facing. Much like how we see the mural from the end of Rebels in live-action in the trailer, whole scenes from the animated series can now be remade in live-action — and likely will. It will be a great boon for fans who haven’t seen everything, but still transformative and new for fans who have. And by essentially remaking key animated series scenes in Ahsoka, the show will be able to overcome its biggest obstacle of being rooted in decades of animated TV lore.
In recent canon like Tales of the Jedi, we’ve seen more and more glimpses of Ahsoka and Anakin’s training. Ahsoka could build on this and finally bring this fascinating master/padawan dynamic into the spotlight where it belongs — and make sure all the fans are on the right page.
