Following a battle with the myserteous Baylan Skoll, Ahsoka presumably falls off a cliff to her death. Waking up in some sort of spiritual plane, Anakin finally appears before her—friendly and (seemingly) digitally de-aged! Of course, his reintroduction sets off a flurry of questions for the series moving forward.
Even though Hayden Christensen essentially disappeared from Hollywood following the release of the Star Wars prequels, he returned to the franchise for the 2022 Disney+ limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Most recently, in 2023, Christensen reprised his role of Anakin Skywalker for Ahsoka season 1.
However, Ahsoka episode 7 confirms that the show is now taking place after the Battle of Mandalore seen in The Mandalorian season 3. This means that no matter how much time has passed since Return of the Jedi, Darth Vader is dead, and only Anakin's spirit remains in the Force to guide Ahsoka on her journey.
Viewers were delighted when Hayden Christensen returned as the live-action Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka episode 5, in a mysterious mystical experience that seemed to be set in a plane of the Force called the World Between Worlds.
In Ahsoka, we saw several Anakins and Vaders, some of which required some CGI, as did Ahsoka herself to create her red eyes, but most of it was just Hayden and makeup.
How Will Anakin Appear in the Ahsoka Series? Force Ghost? Flashback? Both?
Why does Anakin look different in Ahsoka?
Lucasfilm Has Used CGI To Make Anakin Younger In Flashbacks
Because these flashbacks take place in the three years between those two films, ILM was likely able to blend Christensen's appearance from the early 2000s and with his work for Ahsoka. This isn't the first time such technology has been used for Star Wars.
She was my friend. Ahsoka and Padmé Amidala. Ahsoka and Padmé greatly respected and admired each other. It was Padmé who taught Ahsoka that politics, as well as other things, aren't as black and white as she once thought.
Darth Vader's true identity as Anakin Skywalker was a highly guarded secret, known only to a select few individuals including Palpatine, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke, Han, Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Master Yoda, Bail Organa, Ahsoka Tano, Darth Maul, Grand Moff Tarkin, Grand Admiral Thrawn, Jocasta Nu, Ferren Barr, Verla, Reva, ...
Anakin's spirit did return to help Ahsoka overcome her past trauma and to make amends with his former Padawan for the terrible things he did as Darth Vader. The last shot of Ahsoka season 1 presents the scene from his perspective, removing all doubt that he was only in Ahsoka's head.
Ahsoka's portrayal of Anakin with a red lightsaber fulfills the promise that Revenge of the Sith couldn't deliver, showcasing the version of Anakin who would become the most powerful being in the galaxy.
After the Clone Wars and Order 66, Darth Vader always knew his former apprentice Ahsoka Tano was alive and that he would one day face her in battle - long before it happened in Star Wars Rebels. Ahsoka Tano unwittingly played a crucial role in Anakin Skywalker's fall to the dark side.
Ahsoka probably found out soon after Order 66, or just assumed that she was dead. After all, if Padme were still alive, she'd be doing something to actively combat the Empire. Ahsoka also talked to Bail Organa periodically, so there's a good chance he would have told her.
AHSOKA Resurrected Anakin Skywalker, but He's Not Who You Think He Is. Ahsoka's fourth episode delivered a moment Star Wars fans have longed to see. “Fallen Jedi” featured the first-ever live-action meeting of Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker.
What happened to Ahsoka after Anakin became Darth Vader?
As the events of The Revenge of the Sith played out and Anakin turned to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, The Clone Wars series showed that Ahsoka was off fighting to retake the planet Mandalore from Darth Maul, who was revealed in the show to have survived his seemingly fatal duel with Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo.
Anakin Skywalker's birth mystery is solved - his mother, Shmi Skywalker, reveals that there was no father and she can't explain what happened. Qui-Gon Jinn believed that the Force itself created Anakin in Shmi's womb, making him the Chosen One who would bring balance to the Force.
R2-D2 was present when Padmé gave birth to Leia and Luke, so he knew Luke was Anakin's son – but what he didn't know was that Anakin became Darth Vader. In addition to that, Anakin's fall was surely a painful event in R2-D2's life, one that he definitely wouldn't like to remember or even talk about.
Yoda. Yoda's knowledge of Luke Skywalker's true parentage was also confirmed in Return of the Jedi. As with Obi-Wan, Yoda believed that Anakin's fall to the dark side made him unsalvageable, with the Darth Vader persona being his only identity following his ascension to Sith Lordship.
She also became one of the few Jedi to survive a duel with the droid General Grievous. As the conflict raged on, she learned that its politics were not as black and white as she once thought and eventually entered into a relationship (and marriage) with Lux Bonteri, son of former Confederate senator Mina Bonteri.
During the Clone Wars, Rush Clovis represented the interests of the Banking Clan and the planet Scipio in the Senate. Clovis had once been romantically involved with Padmé Amidala, who discovered the Banking Clan was helping bankroll the Separatist war effort.
How did Ahsoka know about Anakin and Padmé are having secret marriage in their relationship? Ahsoka is often seen accompanying Anakin interacting with Padmé, so it's evident that she would know of it. She also reaffirmed this during the scene she left the Jedi Order.
The fifth book of Ahsoka, Daughter of the Light. Ahsoka Tano-Bonteri is pregnant. Following the multiple daring missions of her hidden New Jedi Order against the Galactic Empire and the Sith, her and her husband, Lux Bonteri, have started to talk ab...
Although it was never explicitly stated in any main Star Wars media, Ahsoka most likely knew about Anakin and Padmé's relationship. Throughout the Star Wars prequel trilogy, one of the most important plot elements was the forbidden marriage between Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Senator Padmé Amidala.
Years later, as an adult, Anakin's crush on Padmé turned into love at the time he was assigned to protect her from an unknown bounty Hunter (Jango Fett) on Naboo.
