Vader’s Return In Ahsoka Can Complete Revenge Of The Sith Timeline

Hayden Christensen’s involvement as Anakin, Vader, or both, in Ahsoka gives Disney the chance to complete the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith timeline that overlaps with the events in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars included previously undisclosed moments intertwining Ahsoka with key events portrayed in the Star Wars prequel trilogy’s third film. Though the Ahsoka series takes place five years after Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, there’s no reason flashbacks couldn’t get deployed to fill in the remaining gaps.

Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson as the titular character, a powerful force bearer who once was a Jedi padawan learner under Anakin Skywalker before leaving the Jedi Order. Dawson first appeared as Ahsoka in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 5, “Chapter 13: The Jedi,” when Mando brought Grogu to her while thinking she was the Jedi who would train the child to use his powers, a role later taken up by Luke Skywalker himself in The Mandalorian. Ahsoka first appeared in Star Wars canon, though, in 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars as a teenage padawan who would later face off against Darth Vader in Star Wars: Rebels.

While the last season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars provided new insights into the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, much was left that could still be uncovered. For instance, there’s quite a bit of a time jump between Ahsoka’s last moments in the series and the appearance of Darth Vader, who arrived to retrieve Ahsoka’s lightsaber at the very end of the last episode. The timing of that arrival could be well into the future after Ahsoka’s departure, offering plenty of opportunities for discovery.

Ahsoka and Anakin were extremely close, rivaling the master-apprentice relationship Anakin and Obi-Wan once shared. Darth Vader would later reveal it was Ahsoka leaving the Jedi Order that made it easier for Anakin to do the same. Perhaps this moment can be recreated in Ahsoka. Vader picking up Ahsoka’s lightsaber at the end of Star Wars: The Clone Wars indicated he still felt a strong bond for her after transitioning to the Dark Side. Did he try pursuing Ahsoka before finding her lightsaber? What might those events have entailed? Perhaps Vader was compelled to search for Ahsoka because he felt her probing the force for him. Ahsoka did so hoping to find Anakin, but when she could sense him no longer, she became convinced he had perished as a result of Order 66.

In fact, Ahsoka would not meet her master again until Star Wars: Rebels season 2. It’s then that Ahsoka and Vader fought in a heartbreaking lightsaber duel that would have left Anakin’s former apprentice dead had it not been for some assistance in season 4 from Ezra, who used the Jedi temple on Lothal to extract Ahsoka from her tragic fate. A return to the Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith timeline could bring intense emotions between Master and Padawan. It could show a conflicted Darth Vader not yet fully consumed by the Dark Side — one who doesn’t want to pursue Ahsoka despite orders from the Emperor, who would surely have known Anakin’s former apprentice could be a vessel to Vader’s redemption, much like Luke and Leia turned out to be.

Ahsoka could also bridge the gap between Star Wars: Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Certainly, whether through flashbacks or with Anakin’s return as a Force Ghost, viewers will be reminded of the strong bond Ahsoka and Anakin once shared that seemed so unbreakable. Only this time, they’ll get to see it portrayed in live-action for the very first time, which is a welcome development for a relationship so important to Star Wars canon. The reunion of Ahsoka and Anakin on Ahsoka is long overdue, and the opportunities for featuring varying points of their storied timeline with Dawson and Christensen in the roles should be nothing short of epic.

About The Author