It has been announced some time ago that Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker, or rather Darth Vader in the upcoming “Obi-Wan Kenobi” TV series alongside Ewan McGregor (expected to air 2022). Last week the news have surfaced that he is also going to appear in the planned TV series “Ahsoka”.
The information was confirmed by multiple sources, not the least by Rosario Dawson, who plays the titular character. We have already seen her in that role in The Mandalorian. Her appearance there was brief but certainly made an impression. Moreover, it foreshadowed what the plot of the Ahsoka-centered series may be.
Looking For Thrawn
The series is going to take place roughly at the same time as The Mandalorian. Together with it and other projects planned for near future (such as the series Rangers of the New Republic or the Rogue Squadron film), it should lead to so far unspecified grand finale that will tie their storylines together.
Ahsoka in The Mandalorian was on her own quest – searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn. Thrawn appeared before as main antagonist in the last seasons of Star Wars Rebels series. There, the story ended with his disappearance alongside Ezra Bridger, and in the epilogue, Ahsoka and Sabine Wren embarked on a search for their friend Ezra. Logically, this is where the Ahsoka series might start. Thrawn was the main antagonist in the first widely successful Star Wars novel “Heir to the Empire” from early 1990s. It is possible that the show is going to borrow elements from the books.
Anakin’s Ghost, Memory, Or…?
The remaining question is what is Hayden Christensen going to do in the series. Since Ahsoka will take place (mostly?) post-Return of the Jedi, Vader will be safely dead. Will Christensen appear as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker? That seems like the most plausible explanation. Since it has not been specified whether Hayden Christensen is going to play a major role or whether he is going to make only one short cameo, it is very well possible that he may appear once or twice as ghost to communicate with Ahsoka in some important moments.
Another possibility is that he may appear as Anakin in flashbacks to the Clone Wars. Again, this may be a single event (perhaps in the intro) or a recurring thing. What speaks against it is Hayden Christensen’s age difference to his younger self, even though the use of CGI is always possible, however not preferable…
There is one last interesting detail from Star Wars lore. Anakin Skywalker/Vader and Grand Admiral Thrawn had met and worked together twice. It is possible that in the upcoming series they might either appear in flashbacks together or Anakin’s ghost might tell Ahsoka about his experience with Thrawn.
Either way, the fans of prequel movies have something to look forward to – the only question is how much space exactly will Hayden Christensen get on-screen. Somehow I am not expecting as epic appearance as Luke’s in The Mandalorian, but then again, who knows…
