Hayden Christensen in Ahsoka could fix 2 massive Star Wars plot holes

The master has returned. In addition to reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader for the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden Christensen is returning for the series Ahsoka.

And, assuming he shares the screen with actress Rosario Dawson, this will mark the first time live-action versions of Anakin and Ahsoka have appeared together, ever. Despite Ahsoka Tano being Anakin’s Jedi Padawan, we’ve only ever seen Anakin and Ahsoka together in The Clone Wars.

But now that Christensen is set for Ahsoka, that all will change! Assuming Christensen’s appearances aren’t limited to him playing Force Ghosts, this team-up could result in the one thing nobody saw coming: Flashbacks to the Clone Wars! Here’s how Anakin’s return in Ahsoka could fix two very big Star Wars plot holes that have gone unresolved. Wild speculation ahead.

The case for Anakin Skywalker flashbacks in Ahsoka

Although Dawson first played a live-action Ahsoka in The Mandalorian timeline, Ahsoka is one of the few characters to exist in the prequel era, the original trilogy era, and the period five years after Return of the Jedi.

For that reason, the timeline of the Ahsoka series might not be limited to just one era of Star Wars. The series isn’t called “Ahsoka in 9 ABY,” or “Ahsoka right after The Clone Wars.” Instead, the series could possibly encompass a variety of eras in Ahsoka’s life, either because different episodes take place in different eras or through flashbacks. Here’s how the series could change Star Wars canon.

2. Anakin’s training hologram from Rebels

In the Rebels episode “Shroud of Darkness,” an adult Ahsoka talks to Ezra Bridger about Anakin Skywalker. In one specific scene, Ezra and Ahsoka watch hologram footage of Anakin; he’s giving instructions on how to wield a lightsaber and sports an outfit he’s not normally wearing in either The Clone Wars or any of the prequel films. When was this hologram footage taken?

Although Ahsoka and Anakin are seen together in nearly every single season of the Clone Wars (minus seasons 6 and most of season 7) this doesn’t mean we’ve seen everything that happened during The Clone Wars, and we certainly haven’t seen every single moment Anakin and Ahsoka spent together.

The lightsaber training hologram in Rebels could be just the tip of the iceberg, but the specificity of Anakin’s clothes and the fact that the hologram is special to Ahsoka could have greater meaning. We never saw this scene in Clone Wars, so why did Ahsoka have a recording of it in Rebels? A live-action version of the scene could explain!

1. The true ending of Ahsoka’s duel with Darth Vader

Infamously, Ahsoka discovered Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker in the Rebels episode “Twilight of the Apprentice.” During a fierce lightsaber duel, Ahsoka managed to crack open parts of Vader’s armor and even exposed part of Anakin’s true face. Later, in “The World Between Worlds,” Ezra Bridger used a time portal to pull Ahsoka out of that moment.

But after some Palpatine shenanigans within the World Between Worlds, Ahsoka headed back to Malachor. In those scenes, Ahsoka met up with Morai, an owl-like creature who also appeared briefly in Ahsoka’s big episode of The Mandalorian, “The Jedi.”

Chronologically, it’s unclear if Ahsoka encountered Anakin/Vader again after her duel on Malachor. It’s also not clear how Vader reacted to Ahsoka being pulled out of that fight via time travel. Literally, all of the things could be explored again in live-action via the Ahsoka series. We could see all of this. All of it could be explained.

If Christensen is playing both Anakin and Vader, then we could be dealing with various flashbacks that not only detail the big Vader duel but also shed light on Ahsoka’s spiritual journey, which led her to Mando.

In Rebels, Ahsoka was uncomfortable with being called a “Jedi,” but by the time of The Mandalorian, she seems fine with it again. What changed? And, most importantly, what role did Ahsoka’s interactions with Anakin have to do with that change?

Ahsoka is expected to hit Disney+ sometime in 2022.