Ahsoka Part 5 Shadow Warrior Review: This Episode Will Go Down in History as a Star Wars Classic

Part 5 of Ahsoka; 'Shadow Warrior', is definitely one for the books! You might want to strap in for this one, because trust me when I say I was not ready for what this chapter brought. 



I have had my own gripes about the writing of the Ahsoka series to date, but this episode provided the introspective character study I was hoping for. And let's be honest, if you are a Clone Wars fan you will be cheering! 



Let’s get into it! 



Spoilers ahead...



We start off back on Seatos with Hera being a good mother as always and Jacen very obediently following instructions as they search the scene for signs of the missing Ahsoka and Sabine.







Huyang is very intense as far as droids go. There is melancholy right down to his wires, and you can sense he carries the loss of his order around with him, the way you can feel the loss of the Jedi in the years following Order 66. His words that Ahsoka and Sabine should have stuck together, as he holds Sabine’s helmet and stares out to the sea, ring all the more true for the past failures of the Jedi. 



And then, what we were all waiting for; the reunion of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano in the World Between Worlds. Dressed in his Revenge of the Sith attire, Hayden Christensen looks like he just stepped out of that iconic film, but there isn’t a huge amount of explanation given as to why he is there. He says he is there to offer her training, and they ease their way into combat reminiscent of Obi-Wan and Anakin’s intense session on Coruscant in Obi-Wan Kenobi. 



Finding no signs of either Sabine or Ahsoka, Hera is getting more and more anxious about their unauthorised mission. Jacen is able to sense the sound of lightsabers amidst the crashing waves. Seeing Hera listen and trust his abilities recalls the way in which she worked with his father Kanan. It’s really exciting to see how strong with the Force Jacen appears to be already, even without training.



Back in the World Between Worlds, Anakin cuts through the shimmery bridge beneath them, sending Ahsoka tumbling through pink fog. When she lands, she is not the same person who fell, but rather her younger 14-year-old self, dressed in her attire from Season 1 of The Clone Wars and played by actress Ariana Greenblatt (Avengers: Endgame, Barbie). Clone troopers appear, surrounding her in the midst of a battle. 







Anakin Skywalker emerges, dressed in his iconic Clone Wars armour, something fans have been clamouring to see for longer than we’ve known about this show. The atmosphere is dark and foreboding. Judging by how early the battle is in Clone Wars history and by other context clues like the Twi'leks in the background, we know this is taking place at the Battle of Ryloth. You can feel how fresh the relationship is between the two. While Ahsoka is confused as to why she is there, Anakin does not seem to have any omnipotent knowledge of the situation. But we are left with more questions; the scenario is clearly based on a memory, but is Anakin's spirit attempting to tell her something or is it Ahsoka's own vision through the Force recreating her old master?







The underlying notes of tension in their dialogue comes front and centre as Ahsoka asks what would happen if she decided to stop fighting. The wisdom and years of a seasoned warrior embedded in the body of her younger self, which was previously filled with far more hope, creates a painful juxtaposition here. Anakin's response is chilling, as he says in all seriousness, that she would die. He walks away with his blue lightsaber extended, and the image of Darth Vader storming away briefly takes his place. 



The second memory we explore is from several years later, during the Siege of Mandalore. Ahsoka executes some of her notorious acrobatic moves facing off against Maul's Mandalorian Death Watch troops and there is a huge difference in her demeanour, representing one who is more confident, hardened by the war. As a tribute to all the Clone Wars fans out there, we also get a glorious but brief cameo from Captain Rex, voiced by Temuera Morrison for the first time.



Revenge of the Sith Anakin appears once more, claiming to not remember the battle, logically as he was never there. This indicates that perhaps Ahsoka is now in control of the vision. Then things take a far darker turn. Anakin's eyes turn red, signalling his turn into Darth Vader. We previously speculated that the Anakin we saw at the end of Chapter 4 was Darth Vader himself all along, but the show appears to be blurring the distinction, having him oscillate between the two personas.



As Anakin and Ahsoka fight once more, and they end up back in the World Between Worlds, and the emotional crux of their battle becomes more clear. Ahsoka is tired of war, tired of the fight and her legacy of destruction. The vision of Anakin and Darth Vader proves to her that she cannot rest yet. She disarms Vader, declaring that she chooses to live, and Anakin emerges once more, with a familiar glint in his eye, musing that there is hope for Ahsoka yet.







Absolute props to Hayden's acting here, (who has always nailed this complicated character, mind you) as he seamlessly switches between these two personas, while still maintaining the raw intensity of Anakin Skywalker.



Ahsoka is rescued from the water moments later where she fell after her fight with Baylan. For the rest of the episode Ahsoka seems to be calmer, with a clearer head and a weight taken off her shoulders. She touches the destroyed map and uses the Force to sense what happened to Sabine; the events echoing around her. This Force ability (psychometry) has become one of my favourites since Jedi: Fallen Order as it was quite commonly used by Cal Kestis, and before that by Jedi Master Quinlan Vos in the Clone Wars.



In saying that, I love all the familiar and varied ways we see the Force used in this episode. For instance, when Ahsoka 'communicates' with the purrgils on Seatos to get one to transport her ship in its mouth, hopefully to the galaxy where Ezra resides.



Overall, this episode showed Ahsoka's journey through the darkness she found herself in, and she seems to have symbolically (and literally) come up for air. This is what I was waiting for, and it definitely delivered for me. Either way, this episode will go down in Star Wars history as a classic.



Check back on Thursday night as the SWNN Live! crew try to break down the episode on our YouTube channel. In the meantime, you can check out Jay's spoiler discussion of Part Four here.



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