Warning: The following contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 5! Turn back now if you're not up to date!
The latest Ahsoka episode sees Snips reunite with her old Master Anakin Skywalker in the World Between Worlds – and Skyguy has plenty left to teach her, putting his former apprentice through her paces until she emerges a changed person, symbolized by her new, white outfit.
One of the ways Anakin tries to get his message across is via a trip back in time to a Clone Wars era battle. Ahsoka, now much younger – and played by Ariana Greenblatt – remarks that this is one of her and Anakin's first missions, which puts the moment in The Clone Wars season 1. Some fans, though, have pinpointed the exact episodes, which cover the Battle of Ryloth (season 1, episodes 19-21).
The biggest clue that this is correct is the presence of Twi'leks in the background of Ahsoka episode 5. This arc of the Clone Wars saw the Twi'lek home planet fighting for liberation from the Separatists – in fact, Hera Syndulla's father, Cham Syndulla, is a major character in this storyline.
This was 100% season 1 episode 19 of the Clone Wars show titled "Storm over Ryloth" in live action ✨ #StarWars #Ahsoka pic.twitter.com/Q37LhXnVJ2September 13, 2023
That one callback was almost certainly a dream version of the "Storm Over Ryloth" episode. It wasn't meant to be a 1-to-1 adaptation but more like #Ahsoka📷 just briefly reliving one of her biggest mistakes in dream form and implying that she's always carried that deep within herSeptember 13, 2023
Significantly, one Clone Wars episode in particular has strong links with the Ahsoka flashback. In 'Storm Over Ryloth,' Ahsoka disobeys orders and accidentally leads her men directly into a trap, resulting in heavy losses. Anakin then gives her a speech about the reality of war, which parallels Ahsoka's concerns with the injured clones and being trained to be a soldier in the episode 5 flashback. In The Clone Wars episode, Anakin then pulls off a pretty risky plan that relies on Ahsoka to save his life, restoring her faith in herself – another mirror of Anakin forcing Ahsoka to fight for her own life in the live-action series.
'Storm Over Ryloth' doesn't actually see Anakin and Ahsoka on the planet's ground, though, so the live-action moment isn't strictly from this episode. But, the parallels between the two shows reveal why this is the battle Anakin decided to transport Snips back to for his lesson to be most effective.
Ahsoka continues weekly on Disney Plus. For more on the show, check out our deep dives on:
- Who is Ahsoka Tano?
- Who is Grand Admiral Thrawn?
- Who is Sabine Wren?
- Who is Ezra Bridger?
- Who is Jacen Syndulla?
- The purrgil explained
- Where is Ahsoka in Revenge of the Sith?
- Everything you need to know about Star Wars Rebels
- The Ahsoka end-credits clues explained
- The Nightsisters of Dathomir explained
- Who is Clancy Brown playing in Ahsoka?
- Huyang explained
- Who is Inquisitor Marrok in Ahsoka?
- Where have we seen Morgan Elsbeth before?
- What to watch before Ahsoka
- How to watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars in order
- The Ahsoka timeline explained
- The Ahsoka release schedule
