All the Little Callbacks That Broke Me in ‘Ahsoka’ Episode 5

Ahsoka brought my boy back to me. As someone who stood by Hayden Christensen and his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker during the prequels, to see how incredibly talented he is in episode 5 really validated that teenage girl’s love of the actor and his work. Christensen returned as Anakin in the World Between Worlds during episode 4, when Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) fell into the ocean after her battle with Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson). The fifth episode, titled “The Shadow Warrior,” is all about making Ahsoka realize that she wants to live.

Throughout the episode, there are small moments that connect to the larger Star Wars universe in a way that strikes an emotional chord with fans. In the midst of all the fanfare of Ani and Ahsoka back together, there are little references and moments that make us stop and think of the franchise we’ve come to love over the years, and its importance to us as fans.

Between the Force coming into play, Anakin’s relationship with Ahsoka, and all the recollections of characters and moments, the episode was a perfect melting pot of callbacks. Here are some of my favorite shout-outs to the past of Star Wars and the love we share for it in this week’s episode of Ahsoka.

“I’ve heard that before”

Talk about a lightsaber to the heart. Remember when Obi-Wan Kenobi said to Anakin that he won’t fight him? That’s the same thing that Ahsoka says when they are in the World Between Worlds. Hearing Anakin say “I’ve heard that before,” I felt a sharp pain run through my body. Anakin Skywalker was such an important character to me when I was younger, and Revenge of the Sith was a movie that I couldn’t help but obsess over at the time. To this day, I can quote the scene where Obi-Wan and Anakin are on Mustafar and Obi-Wan realizes his brother is too far gone to save.

The calmer Ani that we see in Ahsoka at this moment is someone who is there to teach Ahsoka a lesson to help her choose to live. Pulling from one of his most painful moments to help Ahsoka feels like a small peace offering that Anakin can give to her, given their past with each other. It’s such a simple line, and if you weren’t as completely obsessed with Revenge of the Sith like I was, you might miss its significance.

Not me, though. I was left a sobbing mess, with the rest of the episode left to get through.

A reminder of where Leia is

I was already broken by “I’ve heard that before,” and this moment just finished the job. It’s not that I don’t know where Leia is; I’ve read the books. It’s that I didn’t think I’d hear anything about her in Ahsoka, let alone in an episode where I was already breaking because of the Anakin of it all. Ani and Leia? Actually just take me out at this point.

It’s a simple line from Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), who says that Leia is protecting them but she can’t do it forever. Still, it’s enough to know that Hera is doing right by her friends and Leia is doing right by her Rebels. Protecting them and standing up for them so that they can complete important missions. That’s my girl.

The way of the Jedi

Jacen (do not get me started on this kid’s name) and his mother Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) are in the same place where Ahsoka battled Baylan Skoll, and the two are talking with Carson Teva when Jacen says he can hear the lightsabers. Using the Force as Jedi before him had done, he can feel the fight that happened between Ahsoka and Skoll.

It’s a simple trick that makes narrative sense when you look at it that way, but as a lifelong fan of Star Wars, for me it was all about that familiar Jedi move. Knowing that it’s something that Jacen can feel is surprisingly emotional because it calls back to some of my favorite Jedi doing it in the past.

The flashes of Anakin’s past

There are moments throughout the battle between Ahsoka and Anakin when he switches back and forth between Anakin in Revenge of the Sith and his final form as Darth Vader. The quick flashes are tied to the sound of Vader breathing, and even extend to how Anakin moved prior to Mustafar versus how a more robotic Vader moved when he was fighting in battle.

The moment is visually beautiful and powerful, and reminds us that Anakin and Ahsoka didn’t only have their moments when he was still Anakin Skywalker. Famously, the two have a showdown in Rebels in which master and padawan meet once more. The flashes of Anakin’s two sides in Ahsoka highlight the two versions that she sees: Her master and the monster that consumed him.

Snips and her master

This entire episode was giving fans the Snips and Anakin live-action reunion we’d been waiting for. The flashbacks really give us those Clone Wars and Rebels vibes we missed, and Ariana Greenblatt is incredible as younger Ahsoka (making me cry just like she did in Barbie and when she played younger Gamora in Infinity War; she really is just that talented). Still, Snips and her master standing next to each other is emotional because it’s just been such a long time coming.

This specific shot of Anakin and young Ahsoka side by side is so reminiscent of The Clone Wars that many fans have taken screenshots and commented as much. The little nods to their past and how the two stand together is exactly what we wanted in this reunion, and it makes for such a brilliant episode of Ahsoka.

(featured image: Disney+)