I’m loving AHSOKA. Part great acting, part great story, part great characters, part inspired plotting – and (maybe most importantly, maybe most surprisingly?) stunning cinematography. And in that cinematography, I’ve noticed a lot of prequel trilogy references. So many that I’m now compiling a list of all the prequel trilogy visual references for the series. Now I get it, Dave Filoni is a very smart guy. He’s referencing more than the prequels. He created and is probably referencing THE CLONE WARS and REBELS in addition to the original trilogy, the sequel trilogy, and other STAR WARS Disney Plus series – both animated and live-action, Timothy Zahn books, comic books, etc…. But I prefer to focus on the prequels, mostly because I find Filoni’s references very specific but not obvious or tedious – and as a prequel fan and Star Wars fan, that makes their attachment stronger and more compelling. So here’s the list:
PURSUIT ON ARCANA AND ENTRY RAMPS – AHSOKA PART ONE/THE PHANTOM MENACE
This was the moment that sparked this list. Yes I’ve watched THE PHANTOM MENACE over 50 times. I am one of “those people”. And OK, you got me, I love the prequels, lets just get that out of the way – no apologies here (though in the past 10-15 years, it appears that prequel love is growing – thanks in part to Dave Filoni). Anyway, in TPM, we see Qui-Gon pursued and then attacked by Darth Maul in the Tatooine desert, and subsequently must jump onto the entry ramp of Queen Amidala’s Royal Starship to avoid a confrontation he might not have been able to win. Here in AHSOKA, we see the titular character jump on the entry ramp to avoid a similarly potentially doomed struggle against a pursuing pack of HK Droids on Arcana in one of the series’ opening sequences.
But the reference here goes beyond the visual. I have always wondered if Qui-Gon had stayed and fought Maul or if Obi-Wan had joined him, would they have fared better than their final battle – probably not but it does make me think about that situation more than you might expect. Similarly, I now wonder if Ahsoka had stayed and killed the HK droids instead of running, would their pursuit of Thrawn/Ezra been easier for her, Sabine Wren and Hera Syndulla – and less traceable by Morgan Elsbeth, Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati?
PROBE DROIDS AT LOTHAL – AHSOKA PART ONE/THE PHANTOM MENACE
In TPM, prior to Maul’s attack on Qui-Gon, the Sith sent a probe droid to presumably seek out information on the visiting Jedi, Amidala, and their ship – all the while plotting his attack. Similarly, Shin Hati sends a probe droid to seek out Sabine Wren’s whereabouts on Lothal in anticipation of an ambush later in the series. Visual references here are undeniable.
LIGHTSABER WOUND: SABINE VS QUI-GON – AHSOKA PART ONE/THE PHANTOM MENACE
To complete the trilogy of visual references in AHSOKA Part One, we have a light saber duel between Sabine and Shin at the end of Part One that mirrors the duel between Qui-Gon and Maul at the end of TPM. Both are isolated from their master and apprentice respectively and both end in a finishing stroke resulting in their respective defeats. Sabine survives heres, which is slightly to the left of Qui-Gon’s wound, dead center and through his spine. I’ve heard people criticize the decision here to have yet another non-mortal lightsaber wound, but in the prequels and even in original trilogy, their are many instances of people surviving a lightsaber strike (including the great Luke Skywalker). And after reviewing this, it is very clear that Filoni made a choice to place this stroke just outside of Sabine’s critical target (gall bladder anyone?) as opposed to Maul’s very critical strike through Qui-Gon.
Also interesting to note that Shin, like Qui-Gon, waits patiently for Sabine to be the aggressor. On the other hand, Obi-Wan just launches into Maul and defeats him. By similar reasoning, perhaps Shin needs a more restrained tact (like Ahsoka – but more likely something Sabine will learn over the course of the series) to defeat her. Even Obi-Wan had to meditate a bit to do the flip off the ledge, get Qui-Gon’s lightsaber, and defeat Maul.
BAYLAN SKOLL: A QUI-GON-ESQUE JEDI? – AHSOKA PART TWO – THE PHANTOM MENACE
Right out of the gate, in terms of attitude and demeanor, Baylan Skoll reminds me a lot of Qui-Gon Jinn. Baylan is an old school Jedi Knight in that world weary/ “question everything” mode. In Qui-Gon’s case this led to a stronger life with the Jedi, in Baylan’s case it led to survival and leaving the order for self preservation. Though who knows, if Qui-Gon had survived Order 66, dare I say his path might have been the same.
As we find out more about Baylan, it seems his motivations might not be as simple as stopping the Galactic Republic but rather stopping confrontation all together – something Qui-Gon may have embraced. Baylan, like Qui-Gon, still has love for the Jedi arts at least. This is seen when he imparts to Morgan Elsbeth that he does not necessarily want to kill Ahsoka and that it would “be a shame”.
Much like Qui-Gon wanted to save and train Anakin, here Baylan wants to save Ahsoka. Is it to bring her over to the darkside or as Morgan argues sentiment – or something else entirely, maybe something greater? Baylan’s compassion is probably a mistake in his position as Qui-Gon’s might also have been, though that is an all-time Star Wars debate that I will not step into today!
NON-TRADITIONAL COMBAT IN A DOGFIGHT – AHSOKA PART THREE/REVENGE OF THE SITH
In REVENGE OF THE SITH, the CIS separatists deployed buzz droids to take out Obi-Wan and Anakin during the Battle of Coruscant – using a tactically different approach than a dogfight for the first time in this series. Dave Filoni echoes this, both deftly and in an original way, in AHSOKA Part Three. I this episode, in the climactic dogfight, Ahsoka climbs out to the wing of the T-6 Jedi Shuttle. Instead of dismantling the ship piece by piece, she instead strikes down a pilot in Shin’s fleet by sheering their wing straight off.
In a way, Ahsoka becomes the ultimate buzz droid, the ultimate “wing man”. Oddly this also reminds me of something Anakin might have tried back in the day. And more than just a visual reference, like most of the list here, this has that thematic tie to Ahsoka’s shared past with Anakin. Her more intense side is hidden well beneath her measured temperament, a trait that harkens back to her time with Anakin. Still waters run deep. But this is not a CLONE WARS reference blog. So onward.
PILOT HEADSETS – AHSOKA PART THREE/ATTACK OF THE CLONES
Shin wears a throwback communicator to in or around 22BBY, first seen it in ATTACK OF THE CLONES where it was used by Obi-Wan in his Delta 7 Jedi Fighter. I really liked these headbands back during the AOTC days because the “metal on skin” look gave it a feeling of something from the past, with echoes of Roman or Greek designs, and something pre-Christian in our own world. These headbands are basically unseen in the original trilogy, so it is interesting to see them reappear here (especially considering Sabine wears a headset that mimics the more familiar ones seen on other ships including the Millenium Falcon).
For me, this visual reference is meant to draw more parallels between the nature of mentorship and outlook on the world that both Baylen and Shin might have – that it comes from an older place, far beyond the more recent/Jedi/Sith conflict that involved the Skywalkers.
FIGHT LIGHT A JEDI MANDALORIAN – AHSOKA PART FOUR – ATTACK OF THE CLONES
So when Sabine Wren fought Shin Hati back in Ahsoka Part One, I really wanted her to use Mandalorian techniques/weapons/skills. I was practically yelling “FIGHT LIKE A MANDO” from my couch. So in Part Four, I was so happy to see her finally use Mandalorian skills to neutralize Shin Hati. Part wrist guantlet, part con, ALL Mandalorian ingenuity, it was one of my favorite moments of the series.
And I loved how it echoed back to the legendary Kenobi vs. Jango Fett fight in AOTC. This is still my favorite fight in any Star Wars film. The way it devolves into punches. The way Jango uses his jet pack and gauntlet harpoon to subdue Kenobi. It’s a beautifully choreographed and photographed (in the rain no less!) sequence. And at the time, it was almost revolutionary to think that you don’t have to be a Jedi to take out a Jedi. Now, we’ve gone through a whole generation of stories and maybe come back around to “the most powerful style is Jedi arts”. Mandalorians have something to say about that. And I am so glad, Sabine has embraced that Mandalorian philosophy.
Side note: did anyone else notice how, like Maul, Shin Hati used the punch to the face (as Maul did on Qui-Gon) before attempting an (unscuccessful) finishing strike??
GOOD THINGS COME TO JEDIS WHO WAIT – AHSOKA PART FOUR/ THE PHANTOM MENACE
Patience is key in any Jedi duel. Returning to the duel at the end of THE PHANTOM MENACE, Maul is always the last to strike, always patient. Qui-Gon strikes first in his one on one duel with Maul and later Kenobi strikes first. It is only after he has Obi-Wan hanging over the edge when he begins to get cocky and wave his lightsaber mockingly guarding the edge from Kenobi. This allows Kenobi to have a moment to summon the Force and flip over Maul and use Qui-Gon’s lightsaber to deliver the finishing blow.
In Ahsoka, Baylan Skoll and Ahsoka stand face to face for a good minute before one strikes. It is almost like they’re having a staring contest lightsaber style – and the first person to strike loses. Well, Ahsoka winds up and strikes first (just like Qui-Gon and Kenobi) and it does not bode well for the fight’s final result, just like Qui-Gon and Kenobi back in The Phantom Menace…
Now at the end of AHSOKA PART FOUR there is a huge reveal. And I loved it – as one of the great prequel characters that we have been discussing finally appears. But I’ll save that one till next week when we know more.
So what do you think? Am I insane? Do you see some of these as well? Let me know in the comments and/or give this blog a LIKE – and thank you for reading!
More to come as the series progresses, check back after every new episode…
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