Ahsoka: New Poster Revealed, Spoiler Discussion on Which Iteration of the Character Cameos at the End of Part Four

With the first half of Ahsoka now behind us, Lucasfilm has revealed a brand-new poster for the show that features the main characters of the show, plus an addition that was revealed at the end of Part Four. Since it's been less than 24 hours since the episode was released as of the posting of this article, we must raise a spoiler warning before we discuss it any further. And there's a lot to discuss.


<p style='text-align: center;']SPOILERS FOR AHSOKA PART FOUR 'FALLEN JEDI' AHEAD</p>


Here is the latest official poster from Ahsoka:







As we hinted above, there is a lot to discuss about this specific moment as we head into next week's episode (namely, who is this? Is it Anakin or is it Vader?) But can we just pause for a second and appreciate, as fans of the Star Wars franchise, that we have a poster for a live-action series featuring Ahsoka Tano, Hayden Christensen as Revenge of the Sith's Anakin Skywalker (or pre-Vader suit), Hera Syndulla, Sabine Wren igniting Ezra's lightsaber, Chopper, Huyang, an Inquisitor, a Witch of Dathomir, and two Sith apprentices? Try guessing your reaction if you could go back five years and show this to your previous self after Star Wars: Rebels had wrapped!


<h2>Who Is Hayden Christensen Playing at the End of Ahsoka Part Four, Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader?</h2>


There is really no proper introduction to this moment other than just watching the episode, and I will assume that if you are here, it's because you've already done it. As Ahsoka wakes up in the World Between Worlds, she hears a voice from behind and when she turns, she discovers Hayden Christensen in his Revenge of the Sith outfit and hairstyle (still a bit older than what he looked back then, but we'll get over it). 'Hello Snips. I didn't expect to see you so soon.' That's a very interesting line in and of itself (why 'so soon'?), but the big question is the following -- who is it exactly that Christensen is playing?



Upon first glance, the answer seems to be obvious, that's Anakin! He's not even wearing the suit! But look again. The most glaring foreshadow that this is Vader comes through Kevin Kiner's music -- the subtitles even reveal it right away: 'Vader's Theme'. But rewinding 10 seconds, director Peter Ramsey uses lighting to tell us that this is no longer Anakin Skywalker, and Ahsoka notices it right away, as her expression moves from excited to fearful. This lighting trick is one that Star Wars has used a lot -- in Return of the Jedi, Luke's face during his final confrontation with Vader is half-shadowed to show his inner struggle; Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens goes through a similar lighting process before killing Han, with half his face being red, and his decision to finally ignite the blade is previewed by the red light covering all of his face.



Peter Ramsey pulled the same effect here (the images may not be too explicit, but the video really is):



[gallery columns='2' size='large' ids='152627,152628']



If this is indeed Anakin from Revenge of the Sith after he turned, it would be the ultimate tie into the series finale of The Clone Wars, in which Ahsoka never got the chance to say goodbye to Anakin or prevent him from joining Palpatine in his mischievous schemes. Not that it will happen here, but it could be a very satisfying moment to see Ahsoka finally come to grips with Anakin's decision and not have him face Vader. After all, this is a pre-suit Vader, one that is still very conflicted and hasn't fully committed to the dark side yet.



I'm not implying here that this is the exact Vader from Revenge of the Sith in a scene we never got to meet. I'm saying this is that specific iteration of the character in that specific moment in the timeline. There are many questions about Christensen's appearance here, the first one being: How did he get there? Right before the camera revealed him, we saw a wide shot of the bridge and he wasn't there; there were also no portals around them. There's the classic copout answer of 'The Force works in mysterious ways', but I believe this ties directly into the specifics of the World Between Worlds, which Part Five will surely have to get into.



There's also the issue of what happens now. I don't think the two of them will fight, as we've sort of done that already in Rebels, but there must be some kind of confrontation. I'm assuming Anakin/Vader will try to explain his decision to turn, but it's all blank from there. And how will she even get out of there? The final moment is highly reminiscent of the end of the episode before 'World Between Worlds' in Rebels season 4, where Ezra found himself in this same spot. In the following episode, he saw some pretty crazy stuff in there -- what will Ahsoka, and by extension, we, see next? Your Marrok theory may not have been correct, but there is no theory crazy enough as we head into Part Five, so make sure to drop yours in the comments below!



If the expectations weren't already high for the next episode, now they've gone through the roof. We know that we'll be spending time in this mysterious realm, with one of the most interesting character interactions in the entire franchise, and also discovering a whole new galaxy. Part Four was pretty great, but I have the feeling Filon is just getting started.



In addition, Disney Plus will be getting into all the details of Anakin and Ahsoka's relationship in a new special titled Master and Apprentice: A Special Look at Ahsoka, which will come out this Friday, September 8. The company had previously dated it for the 15th, but in a way to catch audiences by surprise this week (we assume?), they moved it up one week, so everyone, including those who haven't kept up with the animated shows over the years, can be up to speed come next Tuesday night.



You can check out Jay's spoiler discussion on Part Four here, and stay tuned for more Star Wars discussions and news over the next few days. Our weekly YouTube show, SWNN Live! returns on Thursday night to discuss the new episode in full.



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