Ahsoka episode 5 includes Clone Wars callbacks to the Siege of Mandalore and beyond

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Ahsoka episode 5 is The Clone Wars in live-action

Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka
(Image credit: Disney/Lucasfilm)

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Ahsoka episode 5! Turn back now if you're not up to date! 

Ahsoka episode 5 brought The Clone Wars to live-action. For the first time, we saw Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars era, sporting the shorter hair and uniform of his animated counterpart. Ariana Greenblatt, meanwhile, stepped in to play the younger version of Ahsoka Tano, complete with her original single green lightsaber and, later, her twin blue blades. 

Naturally, that means the episode is filled with callbacks. Beyond Christensen and Greenblatt perfectly resembling the animated versions of their characters, we also see them in the same pose as a moment from The Clone Wars season 7. 

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Then there's the inclusion of Rex, a clone trooper Ahsoka was particularly close to – they even helped each other survive Order 66. Plus, Rex is once again played by Temuera Morrison, though we don't get to see him without his helmet. 

There's also a hefty callback to the Siege of Mandalore, a battle for control of the Mandalorian homeworld depicted in The Clone Wars season 7. Anakin remarks that he doesn't know this particular fight, and Ahsoka replies that that's because she'd already parted ways with him by then – Snips left the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars season 5 and briefly reunited with Anakin in season 7 before they left for separate missions (for more, see our guide on where Ahsoka is during Revenge of the Sith). 

Anakin and Ahsoka's fight also has a parallel to their clash in the Rebels season 2 finale, too, which you can see below. 

After Ahsoka's experience in the World Between Worlds, she gets a brand new, very symbolic white outfit – and it also seems this won't be the last we see of Anakin, either. 

Ahsoka is streaming on Disney Plus now. For much more on the show, check out our deep dives on: 

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Senior Entertainment Writer

I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.