6+ ‘Ahsoka’ Exciting Easter Eggs That Will Make You Feel All the Feels
At long last, Disney+ has dropped the first two episodes of Ahsoka! With Dave Filoni at the helm, you can bet that there are going to be a ton of references to both Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. These first two episodes were filled with Easter eggs left, right, center, and between. So let’s take a look at some of the best things that we caught on our first of MANY viewings!
It goes without saying, but THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD! Not just for Ahsoka, but for Star Wars: Rebels, as well.
Rebels Lives On In Shoutouts
Okay, so while you didn’t necessarily have to watch four seasons of Rebels in order to enjoy the episodes, there were so many call-backs that it feels like a live-action fifth season. To start, Sabine Wren is clearly living in the old communication tower that Ezra called home after his parents were taken by the Empire. In fact, some of Ezra’s things are still scattered around, such as the brightly painted Trooper helmet sitting near the foot of Sabine’s bed.
Clearly, the Ghost crew and the rest of the Lothal rebels continued to stay active on the planet after the events of Rebels. Ryder Azadi (played by the same actor who voiced the animated character) is governor again, Imperial cadet-turned-Rebel Jai Kell is a Senator, and even the local E-wing pilots have taken on ‘Spectre’ callsigns after the Ghost crew (note Porter identifying himself as ‘Spectre-21’). It also seems a pretty safe assumption that Hera still has command of the Ghost, as she and Chop (C1-10P) took the Phantom 2 to Corellia in the second episode.
Filoni even incorporates some classic Rebels shots throughout the episodes. For example, introducing scenes with loth-cats popping out of the grasslands. Not to mention the nearly shot-for-shot recreation of the Rebels epilogue. This lets fans know that the next episodes are going to pick up right where the animated series left off. Also, did anyone else catch how closely Sabine’s hair-cutting ritual mimicked Kanan’s? Here’s hoping her journey has a happier ending!
Echoes of the Clone Wars
Since we first met Ahsoka as a 14-year-old padawan in The Clone Wars, it’s only to be expected that some earlier lore is going to carry over, too. First and most heartwarmingly, Huyang survived the Jedi Purge, and he’s still voiced by David Tennant! The droid has been helping younglings build their lightsabers for over 25,000 years. And Clone Wars fans met him in a multi-episode arc in the fifth season. Think of him as the Jedi version of Ollivander – the lightsaber chooses the Jedi.
Speaking of ancient beings, it looks like we’ll have a strong focus on the Nightsisters of Dathomir. The last time we saw a living Nightsister was back in the Clone Wars era. Though Ezra, Sabine, and Kanan definitely had a harrowing run-in with spirits of the deceased witches. You can see the ancient Nightsisters depicted in their robes on the walls of the temple on Arcana. And the magic used by Morgan Elsbeth on Seatos glows with their signature lime green.
The Apprentice Lives
Fans of Ahsoka (the character, not just the show) will have caught a few specific Easter eggs referencing moments of her character arc. To start with, Baylon Skoll tells the New Republic commander that “we are no Jedi.” If you’re new to this sector of the Star Wars fandom, that’s a pretty blatant reference to one of Ahsoka’s most famous lines, uttered when Darth Vader taunts her that “Revenge is not the Jedi way,” kicking off an amazing lightsaber battle between former Master and Padawan at the end of Rebels season 2.
Another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference: when Home One summons Ahsoka back from Arcana, she (or perhaps her ship) is referred to as “Fulcrum.” Fulcrum is the codename for many spies in the Rebel Alliance, with Ahsoka being the first and most well-known (other known Fulcrums include Alexsandr Kallus and Cassian Andor). I guess with the war being over, secrecy around the codename has become far less crucial.
And one last ship-related fun fact. Ahsoka identifies her ship as T6-1974 – T6 being the type of Jedi shuttle. 1974 is both Dave Filoni’s birth year AND the year that the first draft of A New Hope was completed!
Easter Egg or Foreshadowing?
Finally, these tidbits deserved their own section, as it seems like they could be less callbacks and more hints for the rest of the series.
So many of the designs throughout the two episodes – markings on the wall in the Nightsister temple, the map, the reflex point on Seatos, and even the closing credits – resemble the art on the Jedi temple on Lothal. Rebels fans know that this temple held a gateway to the World Between Worlds. This gateway is a pathway through time and space allowing one not only to travel from place to place, but to affect certain moments in time. The loth-wolves that made up the gateway itself even appear in the closing credits.
Additionally, the three Nightsister figures in the temple on Arcana could reflect the three Mortis gods shown on the Lothal temple. Could the galaxy where Thrawn was exiled be related to the Mortis gods somehow?
Sharp-eyed viewers may have also noticed the stylized purrgil surrounding the pathway to Peridea when Morgan Elsbeth opens the map on Seatos. Rebels fans know that the purrgil disappeared with both Ezra and Thrawn in the series finale. Is there a deeper meaning to the markings on the map? And will the purrgil be playing a larger role in the series to come? They’ve already cameoed on The Mandalorian, so it’s a strong possibility!
As a long-time Rebels fan (your girl has a Fulcrum tattoo, okay?), these first two episodes of Ahsoka were exactly what I was hoping for from the series. I’ll be planted in front of my screen at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific every Tuesday for the next several weeks, come hell, high-water, or space whale!
What Easter eggs did I miss? Let me know in the comments.
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