If you’re reading this review, you probably love Star Wars. So do I. And so does Dave Filoni and everyone who made this episode of Ahsoka happen. “Part Five: Shadow Warrior” picks up where the previous episode left off. Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Jacen (Evan Whitten), and Chopper arrive on Seatos, where Hera finds an upset Huyang (David Tennant) examining what is left of the scene.
Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) faces off with her former master, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in the World Between Worlds. The end of the previous episode gave us a taste of what it would be like to finally see Ahsoka and Anakin in live-action after years of only seeing them in their animated TV show Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Christensen steps back into this role perfectly, and the de-aging is actually barely noticeable this time around.
Anakin has been watching Ahsoka through The Force. Seeing these two together after their long, tortured history in both The Clone Wars and Rebels is fascinating, and a duel breaks out between them. Back on Seatos, Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) makes a reference to the idea that General Leia Organa is covering for them. Jacen and Hera hear the distant sounds of the lightsaber duel underneath the wave. We get a sense of Jacen’s Force-sensitivities from his father Kanan Jarrus. It’s no wonder Disney put this episode in theaters for a night. Part Five is a plethora of “I know that name!” moments.
Ahsoka descends into a memory of herself during the Clone Wars. The younger version of the character is portrayed by Ariana Greenblatt, who has had a fantastic start to her career and most recently appeared in Barbie. She excellently captures the spirit of the character from the earlier seasons of The Clone Wars. Another detail that Star Wars fans will love is that Anakin is wearing the same costume he wears during much of The Clone Wars. On a deeper level, their dialogue is tragic, as we get a sense of why Ahsoka ultimately left the Jedi Order. We also see young Ahsoka in full battle mode as Rex (Temeura Morrison) interacts with her at the Siege of Mandalore from The Clone Wars season 7.
This episode, written and directed by Filoni, showcases his taste for Star Wars. He brings back ingredients from his previous work and creates resounding moments for these two characters with a rich history. In the battle between Ahsoka and Anakin, between life and death, she chooses to live. Ahsoka is rescued from the ocean and is reborn as Ahsoka the White in true Gandalf fashion. The New Republic forces close in on them, but she works with the purrgil to lead her to Sabine, while Hera and Jacen stay behind.
One of the strongest elements of this episode, particularly during the final few moments, is Kevin Kiner’s uplifting, dramatic musical score, which is perfect for the franchise. It’s hard not to smile at everything that happens in this episode. The issues are parts of Ahsoka’s journey in this episode feel like a retread of her earlier moments of growth.
The Clone Wars flashbacks were nice to see but lacked a lot of texture due to the amount of fog that obscures it. However, Part Five is ultimately a wonderful episode of Ahsoka that reminds you why you love this series — and Star Wars, in general.
SCORE: 7/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 7 equates to “Good.” A successful piece of entertainment that is worth checking out, but it may not appeal to everyone.