Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Ahsoka episode 8.
The Ahsoka season (hopefully not series) finale might’ve had a serious shortage of answers, as it left us with so many questions for future Star Wars projects to solve, but at least it certainly didn’t leave us hungry on the Easter eggs front. As we have come to expect as the norm over the course of this eight-part experience, Ahsoka season 1’s climactic hour is packed to the gills (or maybe purgils) with nods to the wider galaxy and beyond.
In this here episode, Thrawn’s plans to escape Peridia and the other galaxy come to a head as Ahsoka, Sabine, and Ezra go their separate ways once again, but this time with renewed purpose that will no doubt be explored wherever these characters show up next, whether that’s in a second season, The Mandalorian season 4, or that Mando-verse movie Dave Filoni is working on. Whatever happens, it’s clear the Clone Wars and Rebels co-creator is looking to tie multiple threads of Star Wars lore together.
The Jedi, The Witch, and the Warlord
The season finale’s title follows a very familiar structure for any fans of C.S. Lewis — naturally “The Jedi, The Witch, and the Warlord” references “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe,” the first and most famous book in The Chronicles of Narnia. Creator Dave Filoni has previously paid homage to Lewis with The World Between Worlds, a cross-dimensional realm very similar to Narnia’s Wood Between the Worlds.
The Blade of Talzin
The Great Mothers reward Morgan Elsbeth’s loyalty in this episode by gifting her the Blade of Talzin, a glowing green sword which will be familiar to The Clone Wars viewers. This weapon was once wielded in battle against Mace Windu by Mother Talzin, the powerful Nightsister of Dathomir who was the master of Asajj Ventress, who already got namechecked on Ahsoka, and is the mother of Darth Maul.
Huyang’s Age
Huyang shocks Ezra when he reveals he knew his own master (more on him in a moment) as a boy. The droid then tells him he’s been helping Jedi construct their lightsabers since before Ezra was born. A whole lot longer, as it happens. The fact Huyang taught a young Yoda just goes to show how old he is. The novel Star Wars: Brotherhood teased that he had been brought to the Jedi Temple millennia ago in a blue box — a meta-gag at Doctor Who star David Tennant’s casting.
Caleb Dume
We get just the second full namedrop of Kanan Jarrus, Ezra’s master and Hera’s baby daddy, in Ahsoka in the finale, but this time also comes with a reference to his birth name. Huyang recalls training “Caleb” and how he was a shy and troubled boy. This reminds us that Kanan was originally known as Caleb Dume.
Narrow lightsabers
When Ezra builds himself a new lightsaber, Huyang criticizes his construction, telling him it’s going to be too narrow. This is likely Filoni poking fun at the reaction of hardcore Star Wars fans to the design of the lightsabers in Star Wars Rebels, which some felt were too thin and narrow.
The Purge of Mandalore
Huyang finally provides Ezra, and the rest of us, with an explanation for why Ahsoka and Sabine were estranged at the beginning of the series: after the Purge of Mandalore, Ahsoka worried Sabine just wanted to become a Jedi out of revenge. Huyang’s speech helpfully clarifies that the Purge — previously explored in The Mandalorian — occurred as part of Operation Cinder after the Fall of the Empire.
“There is no Try”
When Ahsoka and Sabine have a moment of bonding, Master Tano asks her Padawan if she’s kept up with her training. “I try,” Wren replies, before correcting herself: “I do.” This is, of course, a reference to Yoda’s iconic doctrine, “Do or do not, there is no try,” which Ahsoka must’ve repeated to Sabine.
The Night Troopers
As we already guessed from their name, the Night Troopers are indeed zombie Stromtroopers who have been resurrected via the dark magic of the Nightsisters. The Dathomirian witches’ talent for necromancy was originally established in The Clone Wars and factored into Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
Sabine borrows Luke’s move
Hooray for Sabine, she can finally use the Force! During battle with the troopers, Sabine is able to summon her lightsaber with the Force. The framing of this scene is very much echoing the first time we saw this power used in the Star Wars saga, back when Luke summoned his own lightsaber during a spot of bother in a wampa’s den in The Empire Strikes Back.
Thrawn knew Anakin Skywalker
Grand Admiral Thrawn surprises Ahsoka when he admits that he knew her master. Yes, obviously Thrawn worked alongside Darth Vader as part of the Empire, but the pair also had a surprise friendship before they joined Palpatine’s side, with the Chiss and Anakin Skywalker’s past being explored in the novel Thrawn: Alliances.
Ronin
In this same conversation, Thrawn taunts Ahsoka by hinting that she might be more similar to her corrupted master than she’d like to think, hinting that a “Ronin” Jedi like her should turn to the Dark Side. It’s possible this is a nod to the “The Duel” episode of Star Wars Visions, which told the non-canon tale of a rogue Jedi known as The Ronin who created the Sith.
Morai
Ahsoka Tano experts had been waiting all season for a glimpse of Morai, but she finally returned at the tail-end of the finale. First introduced in The Clone Wars, Morai is a convor bird that serves as a spiritual manifestation of the Daughter of Mortis and acts as a guardian angel and guide for Ahsoka.
Mortis Gods
Speaking of Mortis, Baylan Skoll is last seen standing by a statue of the Father on Peridia. Essentially the god of the Force, the Father was an ancient and very powerful Force wielder from the planet Mortis, who served as the balance between the Force while his children, the Son and the Daughter, represented the Light and Dark Sides of the Force.
Raiders of the Lost Galaxy
Ahsoka pays homage to another George Lucas classic in its final moments. When the Eye of Sion approaches Dathomir, Thrawn oversees his ship full of his precious cargo. The framing of the wide shot, especially with the two troopers walking through the scene, is highly reminiscent of the iconic final shot of Raiders of the Lost Ark, which reveals the Ark of the Covenant has been stored in a government warehouse.
Ezra the Stormtrooper
Rebels viewers got some serious déjà vu when Ezra returned to old friends Hera and Chopper while dressed like a Stormtrooper. The animated series saw Ezra disguise himself as a trooper countless times as part of the Ghost crew’s missions to infiltrate the Empire. In fact, the fact that he now dresses up as a trooper instead of a cadet, like he did back in Rebels season 1, reminds us how much he’s grown across the franchise.
Anakin’s Force Ghost
Well, it’s not like anyone missed this, but it still deserves a mention. Yes, Hayden Christensen is back once again as Anakin for the last shot of the Ahsoka finale, proudly smiling as he looks on at his padawan. Unlike his confusing World Between Worlds cameo, his return here is clearly him in classic Force Ghost form.