Ever since Hayden Christensen’s involvement in the Disney+ Ahsoka series was announced, fans have been speculating as to whether his Anakin Skywalker would appear in a flashback or as a ghost. Well, the Force has been kind and given us both.
The fifth episode of Ahsoka, “Shadow Warrior,” gave us The Clone Wars flashbacks that we’ve been waiting for, but the recreations aren’t entirely shot-for-shot. Let’s dissect exactly which episodes were the ones that made the leap into live-action.
Invasion of Teth from The Clone Wars movie
It’s hard to tell if the opening flashback of Ahsoka episode 5 is meant to be the Invasion of Teth exactly. However, the pinkish hue of the fog and Ahsoka calling it “one of their earliest missions” practically confirms it.
Teth is a planet in Wild Space, which makes it the perfect place for the Separatists to hold Jabba the Hutt’s son captive. After an air assault is deemed impossible due to the heavy fortifications, Anakin, Ahsoka, and their clone troopers vertically fight their way up the cliff as they try to take the castle. Anakin and Ahsoka bond by “racing” each other up the cliff, with Anakin referring to her as “Snips” for the first time after their reunion at the top. The scene was later mirrored in the Siege of Mandalore, where Ahsoka raced Rex to the surface of the planet, despite the fact that she wasn’t wearing a jetpack.
The liberation of Ryloth in “Storm over Ryloth” and the Battle of Felucia in “Holocron Heist”
Episode 5’s second flashback is the hardest to place, as it is not directly adapting a single Clone Wars episode but instead adapts from two different moments where Ahsoka understands the price of disobeying orders and failing to protect her troops as a leader.
The first scene was from “Storm Over Ryloth,” where Ahsoka leads a squad of clone pilots to break the Separatist blockade of Ryloth, only to disobey orders and ultimately get most of her squad killed. She’s shaken from the experience but Anakin gently reminds her that this is the reality of war.
The second scene is from the season 2 premiere, “Holocron Heist,” where Ahsoka’s failure to listen to orders results in her and her squad almost being overrun by Separatist forces. It is only Anakin and Obi-Wan’s timely intervention that saves the lives of Ahsoka and her men.
Both scenes appear to have been combined into Ahsoka’s flashback version, to provide a moment of reflection on the living cost of war, as well as the price Ahsoka paid as a child soldier. The invasion of Ryloth seems to be the more explicitly evoked of the two, as the clones can been seen conversing with Twi’Lek freedom fighters, like the ones led by Cham Syndulla.
The Siege of Mandalore in The Clone Wars season 7
The final flashback shows the start of the Siege of Mandalore. Anakin mentions not remembering this one, as it was literally taking place during the Battle of Coruscant. From there, Ahsoka seems to lose patience with Anakin, remembering how the last time she saw him was when he was trying to kill her as Darth Vader, more than 15 years after this battle.
Deleted scenes
The end of these flashbacks also appear to reference the deleted Ahsoka vs. Vader fight that was planned to end The Clone Wars series prior to its cancellation. This fight would have had Ahsoka dueling Darth Vader on Mustafar shortly after the events of Revenge of the Sith. While not much is known about this deleted duel, we can infer that Ahsoka likely wanted to face Vader in hopes of avenging her Master, as was part of her motivation in their Rebels duel.
What was your favorite Clone Wars flashback? Comment below!
(featured image: Disney+)
