SPOILER WARNING AHEAD FOR ALL STAR WARS CONTENT!
Episode 7 of Ahsoka was an action-packed one, featuring a minefield, lightsaber clashes, dark magic, and our hero jumping from her ship in an effort to save her friends.
A quick recap…
With the help of Senator Leia Organa (yes, more on her in a moment), General Hera Syndulla avoids discipline from New Republic leadership for disobeying orders. Before she leaves, she tells Mon Mothma that concerns about Grand Admiral Thrawn’s return are legit. Meanwhile, Ahsoka Tano and Huyang continue their journey with the purrgil towards Peridea. After navigating their way through a mines and a debris field, Ahsoka and Huyang arrive on the surface of Peridea, where Thrawn has just learned through an Inquisitorial database that Ahsoka’s master was indeed Anakin Skywalker.
“If she’s anything like her master,” Thrawn tells Morgan Elsbeth, “she’ll be unpredictable and quite dangerous.”
Sabine Wren and Ezra Bridger are traveling across Peridea and it seems like she has just told him about Lando Calrissian and the Battle of Endor, the Emperor’s death and the fall of the Empire – catching him up on all he’s missed over the past decade. Sabine also confirms to Ezra that she did train under Ahsoka as her apprentice for a bit. Meanwhile, Baylan Skoll watches from afar. He senses that his ambitions are diverging from those of his apprentice, Shin Hati, and sends her to go kill Sabine and Ezra. However, as he watches his apprentice hunt, he is confronted by Ahsoka.
A lightsaber duel ensues, but Ahsoka gets away from Baylan unscathed with an assist from Huyang. She rushes toward Ezra and Sabine, who have engaged Shin as Night Troopers arrive and surround them. As Thrawn moves chess pieces, he realizes that Baylan may not be totally aligned with his plan. As Sabine, Ahsoka and Ezra – who displays a wildly impressive grasp of the Force – begin to easily pick off Troopers, Thrawn instructs them to retreat and instead accepts a short-term loss for what he hopes is a long-term win. Shin refuses Ahsoka’s help and escapes.
Just one episode remains.
Here’s what else we learned this week:
Leia looms
During a hearing in front of New Republic leaders – just after one senator calls for General Hera Syndulla to be court-martialed for disobeying orders – a familiar face, albeit a robotic one, appears.
“Please let me through. I am C-“
“Threepio? Welcome. But, why are you here?”
Thanks for asking Mon Mothma; we were all wondering the same thing. Why, exactly, is C-3PO here?
He tells us: “Honored Chancellor, with respect, I am here on behalf of Senator Leia Organa.”
C-3PO then tells this panel, in so many words, that it was Leia who sanctioned Hera’s mission to Seatos without the permission of her fellow senators. Threepio also reveals that Leia is the leader of something called “the Defense Council,” and it is apparent that she still has a pulse on whatever the New Republic is doing militarily.
Simply put, in 9 ABY, what General/Princess/Senator Leia Organa says still carries massive weight in this galaxy. And it also seems that Hera has earned the trust of both Leia and Mon Mothma, because while it appears to be untrue that Leia actually sanctioned this mission, she’s willing to vouch for Hera, and Mon Mothma is willing to accept that vouch.
We also learn that, apparently, the events in Ahsoka take place before C-3PO’s arm was replaced by the red one that we see him sporting in The Force Awakens.
This also felt like an incredibly appropriate way to honor the late Carrie Fisher’s contributions to Star Wars – and acknowledge Leia’s presence in the galaxy during this era – without recasting her or trying some CGI trickery.
c3po appearing on leia’s behalf makes me want to crumble and cry. we miss you so much carrie.. #Ahsoka #Leia pic.twitter.com/JWqIwCQhI2
— panda🐼 (@Lazerbrainn) September 27, 2023
Hayden back
“In this war, you will face more than just droids. General Grievous, Asajj Ventress, even Count Dooku – you could face any one of them on the battlefield. As your master, it’s my responsibility to prepare you. So, practice these forms often. Or at least more than I do. I won’t always be there to look out for you. If we get separated or something happens, you need to be able to make it on your own. Don’t be afraid. Just remember what I taught you and trust your instincts. I know you can do this, Ahsoka.”
For the third time this season, fans got to see Hayden Christensen reprise his iconic role as Anakin Skywalker. This time, he appears as a hologram, in what seems to be a training session recorded during the era of the Clone Wars. Ahsoka listens to Anakin’s words – and the hologram version of him walks around her – as she trains and as her ship is barreling toward Peridea. Anakin appears as he would’ve during the Clone Wars, with medium-length curly hair and armor over his shoulders.
Ahsoka later tells Huyang that recording was the last one Anakin made for her, but he gave her more than 20 of them.
Master and Apprentice always and forever #Ahsoka #Anakin #AnakinSkywalker pic.twitter.com/Ux9PEOAJue
— RaFe 🍂 (@RaFe_Tano) September 27, 2023
A note on Asajj Ventress
It’s also worth noting that Ahsoka’s training session with hologram Anakin is the first time the name Asajj Ventress has been mentioned in any live-action Star Wars film or show.
For the folks who haven’t watched The Clone Wars animated series, the mention of Ventress is noteworthy here because she was – like the Great Mothers and Morgan Elsbeth – a Dathomirian. Ventress was a Nightsister who initially trained as a Jedi Padawan, but after her master was slain, she gave into the dark side and later became a pupil of Count Dooku. After Dooku betrayed her, and after her unsuccessful attempt to kill him, she became a bounty hunter. She even once worked closely with – each on separate occasions – Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka.
While it wasn’t ever shown on-screen, Ventress canonically meets her death in the 2016 novel “Dark Disciple” at the hands of Dooku. However, she was laid to rest on Dathomir, and if there’s one thing that Star Wars fans have learned about the Dathomirians, it’s never truly safe to count them as dead (see also: Darth Maul).
Asajj Ventress mentioned makes me so happy #ahsoka #ezra #sabine pic.twitter.com/lBjLOiZsjI
— vito (@joaovjttor) September 27, 2023
