Ahsoka came to an end in a finale that left many fans wondering what the future is going to hold for Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). Whatever we thought was going to happen for the Rebels, the Empire, and the crew we’d been following during the show, it all changed quickly when Ahsoka and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) stayed behind on Peridea and Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) went back to Star Wars‘ primary galaxy to reunite with Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). There is a lot to be done and a lot of questions left unanswered, but one thing stood out for fans of one character in particular. That character is Anakin Skywalker.
Played by Hayden Christensen in the Star Wars prequel movies Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, Christensen got a lot of hate from “fans” of the franchise for his portrayal at the time. Many other genuine prequel fans, however, myself included, saw how amazing Christensen really was and what he was doing with Anakin, and were hopeful that we’d get to see more of his work in the future—but there was a lot of drama surrounding the franchise. Now, though, Ahsoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other shows set when Anakin is Darth Vader or in the time after the events of the original Star Wars trilogy have given us fans and Hayden Christensen a unique opportunity in the world of Star Wars: a second chance for Anakin Skywalker.
The end of Ahsoka gave us a nice moment between Master and Padawan, but it also gave us hope. Anakin appears as a Force ghost on Peridea in the Ahsoka finale, but the question I had was whether or not we’ll get to use this ending with Anakin to see more of Hayden in the future. It’s what fans of Hayden Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin Skywalker deserve after all this time.
Could we see more of Anakin in the future?
In the last moments of the Ahsoka finale, we saw more of Christensen as a Force ghost. This isn’t the first time he’s been featured this way, as the remastered version of Return of the Jedi also included Hayden Christensen in its final scenes. But his inclusion in Ahsoka‘s finale does mean that Ahsoka can hypothetically talk to Anakin when she needs him, and, more importantly, Luke Skywalker can talk to his father if he needs to, as well. That, to me, is a very exciting possibility, because it means that Christensen himself isn’t limited to coming back to Star Wars in just a cameo-like capacity in the future.
In Obi-Wan Kenobi, we only got a flashback and bits of Christensen as Vader. In Ahsoka, we got more with Anakin in the World Between Worlds, as well as in Jedi training videos, and now as a Force ghost. This does give me hope that we can have other stories in the future with Christensen back as Anakin that aren’t limited to what we’ve already seen from Anakin in the past. Could this mean Luke getting to talk with his father? Possibly! The galaxy is open to Hayden Christensen, and that’s what he deserves after how people treated him in the past.
Whatever you may think about Ahsoka as a whole, the inclusion of Christensen and Anakin has really made me feel hopeful for the character’s future in Star Wars.
(featured image: Disney+)
Published: Oct 5, 2023 08:55 am