Ahsoka Proves It's The Perfect Successor To Star Wars Rebels With 'Shadow Warrior'

This episode is titled "Shadow Warrior", which instantly brought images and ideas from the work of Akira Kurosawa. "Shadow Warrior" is the literal translation of his movie "Kagemusha," which was produced by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola, as well as the title of an episode of "The Clone Wars" that condenses the central conceit of the film into a single episode. None of those familiar premises end up in this episode, but as we go through the themes of this episode, the title reveals quite a bit. I think some folks were expecting an action extravaganza in this episode, but what we got was a story dealing with the philosophy of legacies and problematic mentors and the notion that a Jedi should not be striving to be a warrior or a soldier.

"One is never too old to learn, Snips," Anakin says, which has a lot of potent subtext about Anakin's learning his final lesson on his own deathbed. But Ahsoka isn't sure what she's supposed to be learning and is confused by where she is and what she's doing. The scenes set during the Clone Wars, as Ahsoka is on the brink of death, show us that we're definitely not in the World Between Worlds as some had guessed. This is more akin to a nexus of the Force like the dark side cave on Dagobah or Mortis, but fueled by Ahsoka's own internal struggle with the Force. She's so clearly had a hard time reconciling the master she knew and loved with everything he taught her and what he became. 

This is something she has to overcome. She has to turn the lightsaber off and throw it away, just like Luke does. Because that's the Jedi way. I think in this case, the shadow warrior is that war-like nature inside Ahsoka's own head. But, as Master Yoda said once, "Wars not make one great."

This whole situation echoes Luke, Anakin, and Rey's journeys in brilliant ways, and shows how Ahsoka is trying to be different. It also goes back to the events of Mortis.

Knowing how much Dave Filoni loves "The Lord of the Rings" helps contextualize Ahsoka's journey in this episode, too. Think of her as Gandalf between "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers." She fought a Balrog in Baylon Skoll and fell into shadow — another tie to the title. And in that shadow, she fought with something inside of herself.

As she emerges, she's given new life and cheats death, shrouded in white with new powers, able to commune with the purrgil and head into a new galaxy.

This is very much Gandalf's journey of selflessness as he stops the Balrog on the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. This is a theme Dave Filoni has returned to over and over again, especially when it comes to Ahsoka, which explains her white costume in the coda at the end of Rebels after her exile on Malachor and trip in the World Between Worlds.

Knowing "The Lord of the Rings" will always help you decode the thematic elements of the work of Dave Filoni and this episode is no exception.

This episode literally takes us back to the days of the Clone Wars, showing us an early battle Anakin and Ahsoka were a part of. Visual clues imply the fighting might have taken place on Ryloth, though Anakin and Ahsoka were taking part in the space battle during the majority of that conflict during "The Clone Wars." It also marks the first time we've seen Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars era costume and armor in live-action. It also might be the first time we've seen this version of Clones not rendered in CGI, as all of the armored Clones in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" were digital creations. To that end, this is the first time we've seen Captain Rex in live action, with Temuera Morrison even reprising his voice in the role.

There's a moment in the episode where Chopper and Jacen are looking for signs of life, with Chopper's radar dish going and Jacen looking despondent. It feels very much like the visuals (and even the audio) of Artoo and Threepio on Hoth, keeping an eye out for Luke and Han. That's not the only feeling from "The Empire Strikes Back" this episode leaves us with, too. The ending, with Ahsoka heading to the other galaxy and Hera sticking around with the fleet smacks of the last few moments of "Empire." This is the real mid-point of the show and we're heading into the "Return of the Jedi" territory next, with Thrawn finally making his appearance just as Palpatine doesn't arrive until the last installment as well.

Other details to enjoy: the Siege of Mandalore was documented in the final four episodes of "The Clone Wars". Anakin remarks that he doesn't remember that battle, but that's because he was fighting concurrently in the Battle of Coruscant from the opening scenes of "Revenge of the Sith," right on the brink of betraying the Jedi. As Ahsoka uses psychometry to read the events of the past on the map, that ability is most prominently used by Cal Kestis, the Jedi from the canon video games "Jedi: Fallen Order" and "Jedi: Survivor." And, of course, we have another look at Mon Mothma this episode, as she struggles with how to best help Hera Syndulla in the wake of a senate that really doesn't seem interested in caring about Imperial Remnants or the return of Thrawn. It really is no wonder that they ignore the First Order, too, until it eventually destroys them.

The last thing I want to point out is a cameo. Lt. Lander, one of Carson Teva's pilots, is played by none other than Brendan Wayne, who is one of the principles inside Din Djarin's costume on "The Mandalorian."