There was one thing I always knew would happen but wasn’t sure the extent of when it came to Ahsoka. I knew I’d get more of Hayden Christensen. Anakin Skywalker was Ahsoka’s master, and while we saw them grow together in The Clone Wars and how the pain of Anakin’s turn to the dark side was a driving force for Ahsoka in Rebels, we never got to see Christensen and, now, Rosario Dawson together. To be honest, I figured what we would get was either a flashback again (like in Obi-Wan Kenobi) or we’d get something like Christensen as a Force Ghost, which happened in the remastered version of Return of the Jedi.
Instead, Ahsoka brought Anakin back in a way that instantly brought tears to my eyes. Maybe it was the “Snips” of it all, but hearing Christensen’s voice and knowing that he was coming back into Ahsoka’s life hit in a way that I wasn’t expecting. For years, fans like myself have been wanting to see Hayden Christensen get the appreciation he deserves for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker. During the prequels, there were so many angry at what those movies were doing. (I stand by thinking that they were just not who those movies were intended for, but alas.)
The brunt of that anger was aimed at Hayden Christensen. After all, these movies were about Skywalker’s relationship with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and how he turned into Darth Vader. Out of that, we got the series The Clone Wars, which brought us Anakin and Ahsoka’s dynamic, and how can you have a show about Ahsoka and not touch on her relationship to Anakin Skywalker? What I wasn’t expecting was for that reunion to come with the World Between Worlds and Anakin instantly calling her “Snips.”
Hello, Snips
Anakin called Ahsoka “Snips” because of her snippy ways, and it stuck. Honestly, it is something many of us can relate to. In our lives, there are those relationships that are special, and no matter what happens within them, there are things that stay with that person. For Ahsoka, it is “Snips,” and hearing that in Ahsoka when she has fallen and we don’t know her fate? It’s emotional. I don’t know that I’ll ever get over “Hello, Snips.”
It was their thing, and hearing it again, this time in live action and knowing that Anakin was going to be here to give her some kind of closure and understanding, has me excited for the future of this series.
It’s what Hayden Christensen deserves
For years, Christensen distanced himself from Star Wars, mainly because those who were loud about their anger over his Anakin were the only voice he could hear in the fight. Then, the millennials (like myself and others my age) who grew up loving Anakin and Christensen in particular began making noise. When Christensen started to do conventions and we could meet him and thank him? That changed everything. He was more open in talking about Star Wars, the rumors of his return in Obi-Wan Kenobi began, and we as fans knew that all those years of people bringing the prequels down were just because we were just kids who couldn’t talk about the franchise in the same way yet.
Christensen getting this return and being able to enjoy playing Anakin again means a lot to me, as I’m sure it does for many other fans, but ending the episode with Ahsoka turning to see her former master at the World Between Worlds? It has me very excited for what the next episode will bring for us.
(featured image: Disney+)
