Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker go together like peanut butter and jelly. The former started her Star Wars journey as a padawan to the latter, and they fought together during the Clone Wars… then against each other on the animated series Star Wars Rebels. There have been reports, and seeming confirmations, that Hayden Christensen was set to reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker in the upcoming Ahsoka series, available with your Disney+ subscription. And most of us attending Star Wars Celebration 2023 expected to see Christensen come out on stage during the Ahsoka panel, given that he definitely was in town, and participated in a panel for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Alas, Christensen was a no-show, and when I tried to ask Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni about Anakin’s possible role in the series, he played all sorts of Jedi mind tricks on me. Watch for yourself.
Given Dave Filoni’s reaction to my Hayden Christensen inquiry at the start of that clip, I’m going to assume that we’re getting live-action Anakin Skywalker in some form during Ahsoka, which is set to stream on Disney+ in August. Given the fact that, in the time frame that we believe Ahsoka takes place, Anakin Skywalker has died (seen in the conclusion of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi), this likely means that Christensen will reprise his famous role in a flashback of sorts. Possibly to a time when Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano were training, or fighting side-by-side.
With all of the new Star Wars movies and TV shows coming out, you might want to revisit the Saga in order. In which case, we have a guide that can point the way.
It was earlier when fans got a chance to see Hayden Christensen back in his darker form of Anakin, aka Darth Vader. Lord Vader returned for the six-part limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and was last seen (in that show) scheming with the Emperor and complaining about how Obi-Wan managed to evade him. And the Emperor turns the knife a little by asking if Vader’s feelings for his old teacher prevented him from completing his task. But that story is set between Episodes 3 and 4, and shouldn’t have a direct affect on Ahsoka … unless that story’s timeline bounces around more than we expect.
So far, the stories being told in the “current” Star Wars timeline include The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka. This is a stretch that occurs between Return of the Jedi and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. And we are under the impression that the Dave Filoni-directed movie that recently was announced will tie together plot threads from those shows into one cinematic experience. Though when I tried to ask Filoni for details on that movie, he did a similar dance. Filoni is as slick as Kevin Feige when it comes to avoiding details.
There’s a lot of exciting Star Wars content on the way, and a lot of it is dedicated to television shows. So bookmark our upcoming Star Wars guide to stay up to date on all future projects, while keeping your Disney+ subscription activated.
