In the lore of Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker recording training videos for Ahsoka is not a secret. We just didn’t have that footage in live action, so seeing Hayden Christensen’s version of these training videos in Disney+’s Ahsoka really did have me screaming on my couch. The galactic equivalent of Jedi Tae Bo (Anakin obviously being the Billy Blanks in this situation), the training videos were meant to help Ahsoka when the two were separated from each other. Clearly, when Anakin turned to the dark side, she kept using them and is still turning to them years later, even when he’s gone.
Ahsoka’s relationship to the Jedi and training is complicated and rightfully so. Training with Anakin as his Padawan, she survived the Clone Wars to fight in the Rebellion against the Empire, and now she’s still fighting off the last of those holding on to the beliefs of Palpatine like Grand Admiral Thrawn. So her training is not complete, and she’s still working on her skills throughout Ahsoka and trying to keep up with her training even though she goes back and forth between her own understanding and trust in the Jedi. After all, “I am no Jedi” is famously an Ahsoka line and we haven’t really seen anything to contradict that yet.
She is, however, training with Anakin and clearly has been. While Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) told Huyang (David Tennant) that the video she was training with was the last one that he’d recorded for her in Ahsoka episode 7 “Dreams and Madness,” that doesn’t mean it has to be the end. And that means that I could have a lot more of Anakin Skywalker Jedi workout class sessions in my future?
So you’re telling me we could have a whole show of this?
I’m not a fool; I know that the continued return of Hayden Christensen isn’t easy. Still, I love whatever creative means these shows find to bring Christensen back into the Star Wars fold. It is what he deserves after the hatred many older fans threw at him during the prequels’ release. Now that fans of those movies are older and we can show our love for his work, it’s nice to see how beloved he is and to know that Christensen himself feels that. And hey, it’s also nice to see how good Christensen is as Anakin Skywalker when someone directs him and tells him what to do!
This scene in particular is just so fun to me. Anakin as a workout ghost? Great! Yes, I know it’s technically a recording. Shhhhh, he’s a workout ghost. It also gives the future of Star Wars some options for Christensen, specifically with any Luke Skywalker things. Now, we know that Ben Solo just woefully ignores the ending of his grandfather’s legacy, but maybe Luke can use some of Anakin’s training videos for himself? Or maybe we can just keep checking back in on Christensen every once in a while for the rest of us who deserve to have him back in our lives from time to time.
Personally, I’d love to train as a Jedi with Tae Bo Ani.
(featured image: Disney+)
