Ahsoka season 2 is officially in development, but there’s a question of whether Hayden Christensen will be returning to Star Wars as Anakin Skywalker – and there’s an argument to be made that he shouldn’t. Hayden Christensen took over the role of Anakin Skywalker from Jake Lloyd in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and continued to portray the character in the final installment of the prequel era, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Christensen’s portrayal of Anakin was highly criticized when the films premiered, with audiences citing bad dialogue delivery and Anakin’s whining as their biggest issues.
These feelings would change over the course of the next fifteen years, with the films being viewed positively now. Even though Hayden Christensen essentially disappeared from Hollywood following the release of the Star Wars prequels, he returned to the franchise for the 2022 Disney+ limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi. Most recently, in 2023, Christensen reprised his role of Anakin Skywalker for Ahsoka season 1. Anakin appeared to Ahsoka Tano in the World Between Worlds, then again as a Force ghost in the Ahsoka season 1 finale. Now, it’s possible he can return for Ahsoka season 2 – but it may not be the best choice.
Ahsoka Season 2: Story, Updates, Everything We Know
Ahsoka season 2 has finally been confirmed by Star Wars, and the story is now in development. Here’s everything we know about the project.
Ahsoka Tano Has Finished Her Training
When Anakin Skywalker first appeared to Ahsoka Tano, he said he was there to finish her training. Throughout Ahsoka’s time in the World Between Worlds, she was forced to confront her past, in particular her fears about her past bleeding into her present. Ahsoka was so afraid of her legacy becoming something terrible and dark that she let it cloud her judgments. Anakin was able to show her different key points in her life – an early battle during the Clone Wars as well as the Siege of Mandalore, having her experience them again to get his point across.
When Ahsoka said that she chose to live, she finished Anakin’s training. This was also demonstrated through Ahsoka’s transformation into Ahsoka the White. Ahsoka is wise enough to learn from Anakin’s mistake and is walking out the other side a better Jedi because of it. If Anakin truly only appeared in Ahsoka episode 5 to finish her training, then his mission is complete. Anakin’s appearance in the Ahsoka season 1 finale is simply him watching over his Padawan with pride, not an indication that Ahsoka’s and Anakin’s stories aren’t over yet.
Star Wars Risks Devaluing Anakin Skywalker’s Appearances
While having Hayden Christensen return to Star Wars in Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahsoka was amazing and showcased some of Christensen’s best acting, Lucasfilm needs to be careful moving forward. While Anakin is an iconic character and plays a large role in the franchise, they risk devaluing his character each time he appears in a different project. Ahsoka creator Dave Filoni would be wise to not feature, or barely feature, Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker in Ahsoka season 2. Having Anakin constantly appear in different Star Wars titles means that each new appearance is less special.
Hayden Christensen’s Appearances In Star Wars | Year |
|---|---|
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | 2002 |
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | 2005 |
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (vocal cameo) | 2019 |
Obi-Wan Kenobi | 2022 |
Ahsoka season 1 | 2023 |
With such hard work and storytelling that has been put into Anakin, it seems foolish to diminish his legacy. As the Chosen One, Anakin was able to bring balance to the galaxy, and that prophecy was fulfilled, meaning that anything that takes place in the New Republic era and beyond runs the risk of just further complicating matters. While Anakin’s appearance in Ahsoka was epic, especially when audiences got visuals alluding to Darth Vader, it now raises the question of whether Anakin is aligned with the light side of the Force or has a balance between his two alter egos.
Star Wars May Be Falling Into Old Habits From Legends
One of the major issues from Star Wars Legends was that Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo would just show up towards the end of novels and fix whatever problem was happening. This made these characters overused and devalued their appearance. While it was something to entice readers to pick up a Legends book at first, audiences became accustomed to this happening and it became the norm. When Legends was deemed no longer a part of the Star Wars canon, it eliminated a lot of these concerns about overusing the three main characters from the original trilogy.
While bringing Anakin into Ahsoka season 1 was a brilliant idea by Dave Filoni, Star Wars risks Anakin having the same fate as Luke, Leia, and Han did in Legends. If Star Wars continues to have Anakin Skywalker appear in different projects, he will oversaturate the content they are putting out and therefore devalue his appearances. With such an important and iconic character, Anakin deserves better than that. While it would be amazing for audiences to get to see Anakin Skywalker again in Ahsoka season 2, his appearance isn’t necessary and risks hurting his legacy.
Ahsoka
- Release Date
- August 23, 2023
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Dave Filoni
- Streaming Service(s)
- Disney Plus
- Franchise(s)
- Star Wars
