This article contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 5.
Summary
Ahsoka experiences a profound journey in the Force netherworld, encountering Anakin Skywalker and reliving key moments from the Clone Wars, including the Siege of Mandalore.
Meanwhile there are other Star Wars Easter eggs as well. Leia Organa, for example, is running interference for Hera Syndulla, showing the connection between the two characters in the Rebel Alliance.
Ahsoka episode 5 is absolutely packed with Star Wars Easter eggs, as Ahsoka Tano confronts her past and decides her future. The former Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, This may be Ahsoka Tano’s first live-action TV show, but the character has become one of the most important bridges between the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the original trilogy. Ahsoka episode 5 forces her to confront the ghosts of her past at last, in a mysterious mystical experience.
Ahsoka seems to be in a Force netherworld known as the World Between Worlds, and there she experiences key moments of her past. The near-death experience is a transformative one for the former Jedi, as she finally realizes she wants to be far more than the warrior Anakin Skywalker trained her to be. This journey is profound and intimate, with Lucasfilm lovingly recreating some classic ideas from Star Wars animation. Here are all the Easter eggs and Star Wars references in Ahsoka episode 5.
10 Leia Organa Is Running Interference For Hera Syndulla
Carson Teva reveals “Senator Organa” is running interference for Hera Syndulla with the Senate Oversight Committee. This is none other than Leia Organa herself, a political heavyweight at this point in the Star Wars timeline. Leia and Hera served in the Rebel Alliance together, and both were even part of the Battle of Endor.
9 Huyang Name-Drops Kanan Jarrus, Star Wars Rebels’ Order 66 Survivor
Huyang makes a throwaway reference to Jacen Syndulla’s father, Kanan Jarrus. A Padawan who survived Order 66, Kanan became a member of the Lothal rebel cell – and he and Hera became lovers. His story is told in Star Wars Rebels, and viewers have been wondering when he’d be explicitly referenced. Huyang tells Carson Teva that Jacen was Kanan’s son, explaining the boy’s Force-sensitivity.
8 Ahsoka Confronts Anakin Skywalker In The World Between Worlds
Ahsoka, meanwhile, seems to be in a Force netherworld known as the World Between Worlds – a place outside the boundaries of time and space. There, she encounters none other than Anakin Skywalker himself. Ahsoka episode 5 carefully avoids confirming whether the whole experience is real, and whether this is in fact Anakin Skywalker’s Force ghost. Of course, just because this may well be in Ahsoka’s head, that doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t real.
Ahsoka’s vision of Anakin flickers between the Anakin Skywalker she knew during the Clone Wars – and Darth Vader, who she dueled on Mustafar. At one point, Anakin takes up a red lightsaber – and his influence seems to threaten to turn Ahsoka to the dark side as well. Fortunately, she resists.
7 Ahsoka Relives The Ryloth Campaign From The Clone Wars
Ahsoka’s memories take her to the Clone Wars, and she finds herself reliving one of her first missions with Anakin. A glimpse of a Twi’lek probably means this is the Ryloth campaign, a conflict early in the Clone Wars. Ahsoka episode 5 shows the first live-action Clone Wars since 2005, making Star Wars history.
6 Ahsoka Relives The Siege Of Mandalore
Ahsoka’s next Clone Wars flashback takes her to the Siege of Mandalore, the last battle of the Clone Wars. As seen in Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7, Ahsoka led the mission to liberate Mandalore from Darth Maul personally. The flashback shows her deal with one of Darth Maul’s Mandalorian Supercommandos, identifiable because of his distinctive helmet and armor. The choice of the Siege of Mandalore is particularly interesting given Mandalorians have continued to play such a large role in Ahsoka’s life ever since this day.
5 Temuera Morrison’s Captain Rex Cameo
Temuera Morrison returns to Star Wars in a delightful cameo. The actor who played Boba Fett in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Morrison has become something of a regular in live-action Star Wars, playing Boba’s clones. This time round, he voices the character of Captain Rex – one of Ahsoka’s closest friends during the Clone Wars.
4 Darth Vader’s Breathing Can Be Heard In The World Between Worlds
Ahsoka Tano was trained by Anakin Skywalker, but her lost encounter with her mentor was far from pleasant – as she learned the heartbreaking truth he became Darth Vader. When the duel between Anakin and Ahsoka leaves the World Between Worlds, Darth Vader’s distinctive breathing can be heard. It’s an ominous sign of the rise of the dark side.
3 Ahsoka Finally Undergoes Her Ahsoka The White Transformation
This is Ahsoka’s third near-death experience, and each has had a profound impact on her character. This time, there’s a visible change, as Ahsoka dons white robes for the first time. These white robes signify her allegiance to the light side of the Force, and they’re notably different to those traditionally worn by the Jedi, indicating she’s treading a solitary path. They’re also reminiscent of the Daughter, a cosmic being who sacrificed herself to save Ahsoka long ago – by giving Ahsoka her life essence.
The Ahsoka the White costume was first revealed in Star Wars Rebels’ post-credits scene, and viewers have long wondered what brought about this transformation. The design is inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf the Grey, who died and returned as Gandalf the White. Curiously enough, Ahsoka has in fact subtly retconned Rebels – where she was shown having become Ahsoka the White before she even recruited Sabine too rescue Ezra.
2 A New Glimpse Of The Rare Force Power Psychometry
Ahsoka is able to experience the past by holding what remains of the starmap, and she relives Sabine’s betrayal. The Force power Ahsoka uses is a rare one called psychometry, most famous for being possessed by Cal Kestis in the Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor games. It’s actually quite a dangerous Force power, because someone who uses this ability relives the emotions of the memories they access as well. Ahsoka has already demonstrated this power once before, in Ahsoka episode 2.
1 Carson Teva References Adelphi Base
Finally, Carson Teva confirms he’s currently based at Adelphi Base – a location that appears in The Mandalorian season 3, and has been set up as one of Din Djarin’s new bases of operations. Amusingly, he’s told that he’s a long way from home. This is an understatement; Teva’s role in Ahsoka seems odd given his main assignment to patrol the Outer Rim, and there’s some difficulty tying the threads of continuity together in terms of the Star Wars timeline.
Ahsoka releases new episodes Tuesdays at 6 pm PT / 9 pm ET on Disney+.
