This article was originally published on SFFGazette.com.
The Ahsoka finale arrived on Disney+ last night and while everything wasn't necessarily wrapped up as neatly as some fans would have liked, Dave Filoni certainly left us with more than a few memorable moments to discuss in the weeks and months ahead.
Despite speculation that Grand Admiral Thrawn's Night Troopers are zombies, that doesn't initially seem to be the case. A number of them volunteer to remain behind to slow down Ahsoka Tano, Sabine Wren, and Ezra Bridger's approach, suggesting they have the sort of autonomy a walking corpse wouldn't.
When those former Stormtroopers are dispatched by our heroes, Thrawn prompts The Great Mothers to bring them back and, with that, we get one of the craziest Star Wars moments in the franchise's history when a platoon of zombie Troopers is unleashed.
Between the haunting groans and the way they shamble around, these undead soldiers might as well have been pulled straight from a horror movie. Green mist surrounds them as they rise and it looks exactly like the substance which burst from Marrok's chest when he was defeated.
So, were they alive before being killed and resurrected? We're sure you'll remember that Marrok - thought to have previously been The Eighth Brother - could speak and seemed to have independent thought so that (and their appearance) strongly indicates they've been dead for a considerable amount of time.
ALSO READ: Ahsoka Finally Reveals The Truth About Baylan
Skoll With A Scene That Changes EVERYTHING - SPOILERS
If you're still not convinced on that point, look no further than the fact that when two Death Troopers attack Sabine and Ezra, we see a rotting corpse beneath one of their helmets. With that, we can confidently say Thrawn has indeed been ruling over an undead army while stranded on Peridea.
There are lots of gaps to be filled in but during Ezra and Sabine's battle with those Death Troopers, we finally learn whether she can use the Force. It's been teased throughout the entire season, but with her life on the line, the Mandalorian proves she has what it takes to be a Jedi and is able to help Ezra return home.
It's a game-changing moment and one which suggests she's only going to grow more powerful from here. However, Huyang tells Ezra earlier in the episode that Ahsoka parted ways with her Padawan after the destruction of Mandalore because she was concerned the Rebel's quest for revenge would take her down a dark path. Could that be an issue down the line? We'll have to wait and see.
Zombie Stormtroopers isn't something we ever expected to see on screen and the question of how and why Thrawn's army ended up in this state has yet to be answered. Perhaps he decided they'd be easier to control in this state and killed them himself?
Let us know your thoughts on that, and everything else in this episode, in the comments section.