Ahsoka, "Part Five: Shadow Warrior", fulfill's Ahsoka role as apprentice as Hera and her son try to save her! Recap - “Fallen Jedi”, the Eye of Sion charges up its main drive, Carson begins the attack with a Rodian, Lt. Mowaat (Dawn Dininger) and Lt. Baysee (Michael C. Alexander). Baylan appears on the bridge with Shin Hati and Sabine. The New Republic ships are blocking the path of The Eye of Sion, but Morgan orders the hyperdrive to be engaged. They jump and it causes a disruption that sends the two X-Wings crashing into each other! The Ghost, Captain Teva, and two X-Wings survive. Jacen says, “Mom, I’ve got a bad feeling.” Huyang tries to contact Sabine and Ahsoka. We see Ahsoka open her eyes, on a bridge, it is the World Between Worlds. We have not seen it since the season four, episode thirteen of Star Wars: Rebels, "A World Between Worlds" (2018) also written and directed by Dave Filoni.
She stands up and then hears a voice. Ahsoka says, “Master?” And then turns to see Anakin Skywalker!, he smiles. We see the red forests of Seetos and then the seas surging against the cliffs below the reflex point. At the reflex point, we see the severed halves of the map. X-Wings soar over the Ghost as Hera approaches with her blaster. She contacts Carson to scan the area. Jacen walks out with Chopper. His mother stops him and Jacen takes cover behind Chopper! Hera finds Huyang holding Sabine’s helmet at the edge of the cliff. He says, “I told them to stay together.” Hyang repeats, “They never listen.” The title of the episode, Shadow Warrior, is Kagemusha in Japanese, meaning a political decoy and also the title of a 1980 Akira Kurosawa samurai film. The title is also the fourth episode of Clone Wars fourth season, but here it has another meaning. It is of course written and directed by Dave Filoni.
We see in the World Between Worlds, Anakin standing apart from Ahsoka, on a bridge. She sees him as he was when she last saw him in the season seven episode of Clone Wars, "Old Friends Not Forgotten" (2020), he has worn his black vest over his Jedi robes since Attack of the Clones (2002). Their voices echo and Anakin explains that she lost the fight. She recalls fighting Baylan Skoll. Anakin says, “I’m here to finish your training.” This would be her final Test before becoming a Jedi! He says, “One is never too old Snips.” Anakin is using his old nickname for Ahsoka in the Clone Wars! She is still his Padawan. Anakin ignites his blue lightsaber and says the lesson is “Live… or die.” Ahsoka says she refuses to fight retreating some steps. This entire scene is awesome because when Ahsoka Tano last faced Anakin Skywalker, it was Ashley Eckstein embodying the character with Matt Lanter as Anakin!
In fact, this is the first time that the adult Anakin has met the adult Ahsoka. It feels full circle from Anakin in Attack of Clones (2002) to this World Between Worlds duel. He brings down his lightsaber which Ahsoka parries with her lightsaber. Ahsoka is forced back a little distance. Anakin is clearly the superior lightsaber duelist. He has mastery of Form V, Shien, of the Seven Forms of Lightsaber Combat. Then, they begin dueling in earnest. At the reflex point, Hera is scanning for a trace of Sabine and Ahsoka, Huyang notes that the map is broken. He suspects that they are aboard the Eye of Sion. Carson reports that they are overdue to return and helped by Senator Organa. Jacen has seen something. He senses something, it must be through the Force, Jacen tells his mother to listen. Hera’s son can hear the lightsabers! He can sense the World Between Worlds? We hear the hum and clash of the lightsaber duel as we see Hera and Jacen’s eyes closed.
She opens her eyes and tells Carson to sweep the ocean again. Hera has Huyang go with her in the Ghost. Carson’s X-Wing and the Ghost fly over Jacen and Chopper. Anakin has Ahsoka retreating defensively and then she throws a spin kick. This makes Anakin smile and she smiles in return. Then, Anakin swings his lightsaber severing the bridge and sending Ahsoka falling! She plunges through clouds that turn purple. She goes into a kneeling position as Clone troopers rush past her! When he first met Ahsoka in the Clone Wars (2008) movie in the Battle of Christophsis, Anakin had black chest armor that was around his shoulders like how she sees him now. Anakin calls his troops forward and Ahsoka calls out, “Master?!” This is the young Ahsoka (Ariana Greenblatt) when she was a Padawan! Greenblatt was Sasha in the this year's movie sensation, Barbie. Ahsoka is stunned that they are in the Clone Wars. I’m awestruck that she does not have the voice of Ashley Eckstein. She says she doesn’t understand and Anakin says, “That’s your problem.”
Ahsoka activates her green lightsaber, her first one, and runs to join him on sandy ground. She is going through the last of the Jedi Trials, the Trial of the Spirit. I think if anyone but Dave Filoni directed this episode, then it would be wrong. The purple mist returns and then resolves to an orange, dusty aftermath of a battle, almost dreamlike. This is the Battle of Ryloth that was in season one of Clone Wars with episode 19, "Storm Over Ryloth" to 21, "Liberty on Ryloth" (2009). Ahsoka and Anakin took part of breaking the Separatist blockade of the planet, but we didn't see them in ground action. Bodies of clone troopers are taken away on gurneys. Ahsoka sits by one clone trooper, his face covered with a cloth, putting her hand on his arm. He reaches with his other hand to touch her hand. Anakin is taking to two Twi’lek fighters and calls her over. Then, he walks over as she admits that her command has lost many troopers. Anakin says he has to teach her to be a soldier.
She wonders about her own Padawan. Ahsoka says she doesn’t want to fight and Anakin tells her that she will die. He rushes off with the clone troopers with his lightsaber. An AT-TE Walker lumbers next to them. Ahsoka stays behind amazed. She sees Anakin who then shifts into Darth Vader! Then, back again. Ahsoka can see the cost of the Clone Wars on her former master, his path to the Dark Side. Back at the, Jacen sees the three X-Wings soar over the sea. Carson reports back to General Syndulla worried that they will use up their reserve fuel. She directs him to widen the scan to the coast. The Ghost drops in and Huyang remarks that he is surprised the New Republic approved the mission. Hera says it is unauthorized, but she has her doubts. She asks Huyang if there is a chance Sabine and Ahsoka are “out there.” Huyang says there is always a chance with Lady Tano! A droid without the Force having the belief and faith in Ahsoka is awesome!
He tells Hera that her master was “intense.” Jacen reports that Chopper has detected something at a very low level. Hera brings the Ghost down skimming the waves. Ahsoka is back in the orange mist of battle, this time with her two blue lightsabers, fighting Mandalorian warriors! Anakin changed her green lightsaber to blue when he returned her lightsabers in the season seven Clone Wars episode. Captain Rex (Temuera Morrison!) says they will secure the perimeter. Ahsoka stays behind and Anakin joins her not recognizing the battle. She tells him that it is the Siege of Mandalore which she fought alone at the end of the Clone Wars. This was in season seven of the Clone Wars that was later continued with “The Phantom Apprentice” (2020). The siege was mainly in the capital city, Sundari, so this battle may have been a part of it. Anakin says she is a warrior now. His outfit is back to the black vest. He says it is his legacy passed on to him by Obi-Wan.
Ahsoka says he is more than his legacy and dangerous. He says that they have to go back to the beginning igniting his red lightsaber. We haven't seen Anakin with the Sith lightsaber, he fought with his blue lightsaber in Revenge of the Sith, he didn't use it until he had the Vader armor. Anakin repeats the choice, “Live or die”, he turns with his Sith red eyes! They duel, he catches her arm and twists it back! Then, kicks her into the mist. The older Ahsoka flies back on the bridge of the World Between Worlds. Anakin/Darth Vader walks towards her! We have never seen Anakin as Darth Vader at his full power take on Ahsoka. He fought her in his broken Sith body in “Twilight of the Apprentice” (2016), but not at his most powerful. Anakin says, “You lack conviction” and they duel, Ahsoka with her two white lightsabers. He says, “Time to die”, knocking away her lightsabers. She dodges his swings and then brings up his lightsaber to Anakin’s neck! Ahsoka snarls and then throws away his lightsaber saying, “I choose to live.” Anakin steps back, closes his eyes, and then opens them again, restored.
He says, “There’s hope for you yet.” The will to live is must be why he was pushing Ahsoka to fight. The ship lights up and Huyang welcomes Ahsoka. She turns to hear a rumbling and Anakin is gone. Anakin is the Shadow Warrior of the title. It is great to have Hayden Christensen return and pick up the character from Clone Wars. Ahsoka finally seems to understand where she is and droplets start to fall and rise. The water envelops Ahsoka from the waist and finally over her into darkness. Her body is floating in the sea under the greenish hue of the sun underwater. Ahsoka’s eyes start to open. A female X-Wing pilot, Lt. Jensu (Chau Naumova) plunges down attached to a line and pulls her up. Another pilot, Lot. Lander (Brendan Wayne) helps pull her up to the landing ramp of the Ghost while an X-Wing’s lights spotlights the rescue at night. They were the two pilots who survived the Eye of Sion jump along with Carson. Ahsoka whispers Anakin’s name before falling unconscious. The World Between Worlds is Filoni’s ace card!
We saw Anakin Skywalker at the end of Return of the Jedi: Special Edition (1997) as a Force Ghost. So possibly this Anakin was able to pull Ahsoka into the World Between Worlds. Morning, Jacen smiles as he sees the approach of the Ghost and X-Wings. The morning sun awakens Ahsoka in a bunk bed of the Ghost. He has says she has been asleep for a rotation and that Jacen saved her. Jacen's potential to sense the World Between Worlds makes him unique as a Force user. Also that Hera is there with a squadron of X-Wings, three? She asks about Sabine and he shows her the severed half of the map. Ahsoka walks out of the Ghost, she wears cloth draped around her. She sees Jacen playing with Chopper as Hera watches over them. He runs over to hug her and says he heard her fighting. Hera wants Huyang to take Jacen into the starship, the Jedi starship, Huyang says he will show Jacen the training room. Alone now, Hera asks what Ahsoka remembers.
She says Sabine was holding the map and may have left an “impression” on it. This is an ability, psychometry, that was part of Jedi Knight Quinlan Vos, specific to his people, the Kiffar. Ahsoka closes her eyes and then hears what was spoken between Sabine and Baylan. She opens her eyes at his words, “Do it, for Ezra.” Carson reports to Hera that the fleet is headed towards them. Hera heads to the Ghost. Ahsoka holds part of the map and looks at Sabine’s Mandalorian helmet. She looks up and sees a way to Ezra and Thrawn. On hologram, Mon Mothma asks if they have Morgan Elspeth or evidence of Grand Admiral Thrawn and Hera says no. Mon Mothma says the Senate Oversight Committee is going to decide to take away her command. This episode proves Dave Filoni is ready to take on a live action Star Wars movie that could wrap up The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka! An impressive episode of Ahsoka, completing the circle of Ahsoka and Anakin, she is finally a Jedi and ready to find Ezra and deal with Grand Admiral Thrawn!
Five+ Lightsabers out of Five!
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