Rumors have been swirling for quite a while now that Disney+'s latest live-action Star Wars series, Ahsoka, would feature a younger take on the title character, and with episode 5 now streaming on Disney+, we finally know who's playing her.
Spoilers for "Shadow Warrior" follow.
Ariana Greenblatt, who played the young Gamora in Avengers: Endgame and more recently appeared in Barbie, plays the younger incarnation of the fan-favorite Force-wielder in this week's episode, but things don't play out exactly like we had expected them to based on recent reports.
After Anakin Skywalker initiates a lightsaber duel with his former Padawan, she crashes through the glass walkway in the "World Between Worlds" and find herself reliving a battle she fought with Skywalker by her side during the Clone Wars.
Then, we jump to the Siege of Mandalore (we even see Tano dispatch one of Darth Maul's super commandos), which Anakin was not present for. At this point, the darker side of the "Chosen One" begins to manifest, and we get a quick glimpse of Darth Vader leading the charge.
Ahsoka doesn't bring up Anakin's turn to the dark side directly, but does mention how dangerous he ultimately became. This leads to Skywalker taking her back to the beginning, where Rosario Dawson's older take on the character continues her duel - this time with the red-eyed Sith lord we saw in the final act of Star Wars Episode III.
We'll have recaps of the rest of the episode for you a little later on, but for now, let us know what you made of "Shadow Warrior" in the comments down below.
Set after the fall of the Empire, Ahsoka follows the former Jedi knight Ahsoka Tano as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
The series stars Rosario Dawson in the title role, with Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Diana Lee Inosanto as Morgan Elsbeth, Ivanna Sakhno as Shin Hati, Ray Stevenson as Baylan Skoll, David Tennant as Huyang, Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, with Eman Esfandi appearing as Ezra Bridger.
Kevin Kiner was announced as the series' composer.
Ahoska is written by executive producer Dave Filoni, alongside executive producers Favreau, Kennedy, Wilson, and Beck. Gilchrist is co-executive producer. The series’ directors include Filoni, Steph Green, Peter Ramsey, Jennifer Getzinger, Geeta Vasant Patel and Rick Famuyiwa.