‘Ahsoka’ doesn’t even need to wait for Hayden Christensen’s cameo to show us the best side of Anakin Skywalker

Star Wars: Ahsoka may not have managed to captivate wider audiences like The Mandalorian, but the latest Disney Plus series has certainly captured the attention of fans well-versed in Dave Filoni’s previous animated Star Wars offerings. The most recent entry has Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans holding back tears of joy at some of the most Skywalker-like Jedi nonsense to ever grace a live-action series.

In the third episode, Ahsoka and Sabine’s small ship is damaged after investigating a Hyperspace ring built by Morgan Elsbeth and getting into an aerial dogfight with Shin Hati and the enigmatic inquisitor Marrok. As Sabine works frantically to get the engines and guns back online, Ahsoka pays the greatest homage of all time to Anakin Skywalker by breaking the basic rules of sanity and climbing outside of her dead-in-the-water spacecraft. While perched on the ship’s wing, the Jedi reflects the blaster shots back at her attackers. The move is so out of left field, there’s only one person she could have learned it from, and we’d like to think her former master is watching on with pride.

Some fans might be a little distraught by the grave and stoic adult Ahsoka has grown into — give her a break, she’s been through some trauma — but the chaos of her youth is undeniable in this attack. The move was dripping with drama — much like her master’s preferred methods of combat. Ahsoka using herself as bait to keep the dark Jedi from attacking the ship was just another callback to Anakin’s almost flippant self-sacrifice for the greater good shown throughout The Clone Wars. Most fans are still waiting for the moment Skywalker appears on screen, but these glimpses of the former Jedi through Ahsoka’s battles help to satiate fans while we wait.

Considering how cheesy these things can look in live-action, we’re pretty impressed with the fluidity of Ahsoka’s motion. It’s well known that moving in those Lekku is a bit of a challenge, but despite the weight, Rosario Dawson is doing an amazing job of moving gracefully. The series will hit its halfway point next week, so let’s hope a rematch between Ahsoka and Marrok happens sooner rather than later and features more of this Clone Wars magic. Either way, we’re here for Ahsoka’s unorthodox method of training her new apprentice, yet another way she continues to honor Anakin’s legacy.

Star Wars: Ahsoka is now streaming on Disney Plus.