The latest episode of Ahsoka brought two of the most iconic characters from Star Wars back together again: Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano. Probably the most beloved Jedi-Padawan duo ever (perhaps beaten only by Anakin and his own master), seeing them on screen together and in live action certainly brought up a lot of feelings.
Anakin (Hayden Christensen) appears to Ahsoka in the World Between Worlds to, as he puts it, continue her training. However, as many longtime watchers of Star Wars will know, this is not the first time that he’s been responsible for Ahsoka’s education. Here’s a look at exactly when their teacher-student relationship began and what it means for Ahsoka moving forward.
Spoilers ahead for episode 5 of Ahsoka and all episodes of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Anakin’s first Padawan
Ahsoka Tano was first introduced in 2008’s Clone Wars, the animated film that served as a pilot for the later television series of the same name. As a 14-year-old Padawan, Ahsoka was assigned by Yoda to Anakin to teach him responsibility, a decision that irritated Anakin at first. He alludes to this frustration in Ahsoka episode 5, commenting on the fact that teaching is not always easy.
While their initial relationship was tense, with Anakin nicknaming her “Snips” on account of how snippy she was with him, over time they grew to truly care for one another. Their relationship was one of an older brother and younger sister, bordering on parental in some instances.
Ahsoka’s training was centered around the fact that the Jedi were at war, with much of Anakin’s lessons being focused on fighting. Indeed, during Tales of the Jedi it was revealed that he inadvertently prepared her for Order 66 by teaching her not just to defend against droids, but also against Clone Troopers.
Yoda aimed to teach Anakin patience and not to be overprotective of those he loved by assigning him a Padawan. Arguably, this didn’t work; if anything, Anakin was just as protective over Ahsoka, with the assignment of a Padawn essentially giving him an extra person to have anti-Jedi feelings of affection for.
An abrupt end to training
Unfortunately, Ahsoka’s training with Anakin was not formally completed. At the age of 16 in 19 BBY, she was forced to leave the Jedi Order when she was wrongly framed for the bombing of the Jedi Temple. Although she cleared her name, Ahsoka chose to leave the Jedi Order for good, realizing that the Jedi Council had its flaws and being too badly hurt by the suspicions of her fellows.
While this left her training with Anakin unfinished, it could be argued that he has now returned from beyond the grave to complete her training, as he says upon meeting her in the World Between Worlds. Through a series of flashbacks, Anakin forces Ahsoka to face both her past and her legacy as a Jedi. When she returns to the world of the living, she seems filled with a greater sense of purpose after seeing her old master, with his final words of “there’s hope for you yet” following her.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the work being covered here wouldn’t exist.
(featured image: Disney+)
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Rachael Davies
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