Ahsoka episode 5 includes Clone Wars callbacks to the Siege of Mandalore and beyond
Ahsoka episode 5 is The Clone Wars in live-action
Warning: The following contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 5! Turn back now if you're not up to date!
Ahsoka episode 5 brought The Clone Wars to live-action. For the first time, we saw Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars era, sporting the shorter hair and uniform of his animated counterpart. Ariana Greenblatt, meanwhile, stepped in to play the younger version of Ahsoka Tano, complete with her original single green lightsaber and, later, her twin blue blades.
Naturally, that means the episode is filled with callbacks. Beyond Christensen and Greenblatt perfectly resembling the animated versions of their characters, we also see them in the same pose as a moment from The Clone Wars season 7.
#Ahsoka SPOILERS------THEY REALLY RECREATED THE ANAKIN AND AHSOKA SHOT FROM CLONE WARS IN LIVE ACTION IM NOT OKAY- pic.twitter.com/QKU2URHdlpSeptember 13, 2023
Then there's the inclusion of Rex, a clone trooper Ahsoka was particularly close to – they even helped each other survive Order 66. Plus, Rex is once again played by Temuera Morrison, though we don't get to see him without his helmet.
There's also a hefty callback to the Siege of Mandalore, a battle for control of the Mandalorian homeworld depicted in The Clone Wars season 7. Anakin remarks that he doesn't know this particular fight, and Ahsoka replies that that's because she'd already parted ways with him by then – Snips left the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars season 5 and briefly reunited with Anakin in season 7 before they left for separate missions (for more, see our guide on where Ahsoka is during Revenge of the Sith).
Anakin and Ahsoka's fight also has a parallel to their clash in the Rebels season 2 finale, too, which you can see below.
#ahsoka spoilers ------all these ahsoka tano and anakin skywalker moments live action imitating animated what a time pic.twitter.com/VGx3FNRcqrSeptember 13, 2023
After Ahsoka's experience in the World Between Worlds, she gets a brand new, very symbolic white outfit – and it also seems this won't be the last we see of Anakin, either.
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Ahsoka is streaming on Disney Plus now. For much more on the show, check out our deep dives on:
- Who is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
- Who is Hera Syndulla?
- Who is Sabine Wren?
- Who is Ezra Bridger?
- Who is Jacen Syndulla?
- The purrgil explained
- Everything you need to know about Star Wars Rebels
- The Ahsoka end-credits clues explained
- The Nightsisters of Dathomir explained
- Who is Clancy Brown playing in Ahsoka?
- Huyang explained
- Who is Inquisitor Marrok in Ahsoka?
- Where have we seen Morgan Elsbeth before?
- What to watch before Ahsoka
- How to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in order
- The Ahsoka timeline explained
- The Ahsoka release schedule
I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.