Why THIS Ahsoka Moment Was Truly HEARTBREAKING! (She Was a 14 y/o)

[@ClanLykos005]

I couldn’t help thinking the same thing while watching it. You realize that a little girl fought Grievous and Maul. Seeing it in real life is quite surreal.

[@kalvin187douglas]

Right

[@serendipity4346]

I had completely the same thought, the constrast between animation and seeing it in real life feels shocking, this is a literal child going to war.

[@paulenciso]

Same I was floored😂

[@parkersproductions3336]

I agree, although she was a little too young in this series. She is supposed to be 14 at the start and 17 at the fight with Maul.

[@michaeldriggers7681]

And all of the clones were 10 years old or younger.

[@mr.saucemanxbackupaccount8969]

Seeing an actual little girl only 14 years old have to fight a whole war like that. Ahsoka probably harbored so much trauma and pain throughout the years and her only outlet of fun and relatability came through Anakin. They were like siblings. When she left the order, it crushed him. When he became Vader, it crushed her.

[@ikkezelf599]

It does explaine why she became so numb in her adulthood.

[@user-mz7hb1dq5x]

If she was old Annie would never have trained her.

[@alistairwharton1559]

You summed it up perfectly 😢😢

[@seanbraley2772]

Add to that the fact that the Jedi are empathetic to varying degrees and seeing them fight would have effect the people around Windo says he personally destroyed over 1000 droids think how he’d have look to the average person a unstoppable monster

[@BenFrankarts]

This was about family, trauma, love, and insurmountable challenges.

[@roshan2164]

I don't know why, but even though I knew Ahsoka was a kid during the Clone Wars, this is the first time I'm realizing, "she was just a kid during a terrible war." Seeing a child play her, it makes a difference.

[@SabreKen]

yeah, there was just something about the animation style that just made her seem older, especially during the later seasons. Imagining the kid we saw during the Zygerrian slaver arcs is just horrifying

[@nro.18]

@@SabreKena lot of teenagers look a little more on the grown side, i think that's what they were going for mostly in the last seasons of tcw. the actress, although she was amazing, didn't really fit ahsoka's s7 look at all. kinda wish they had used another actress but that's prolly too much trouble for just a flashback scene

[@carlosandleon]

@@SabreKenit was her chiselled jaw

[@00z00p]

@@SabreKenShe was made to seem older in the later seasons for a reason. Do you think she was 14 the entire war or something?

[@SabreKen]

@@00z00p nah I know she was 17 but that's still a child, and the actor here being 16 really hammers it home

[@stevedenis8292]

Don't forget the clones were basically 10 years old or so Just grown faster also disposable slaves. At least she had some combat training how many children in the Star Wars Galaxy were just caught up in it all. The Jedi train to let go of attachment ,pairing Ahsoka with Anakin who had problems letting go was kind of a learning thing for both . Neither could let each other go .Leaving the order Ahsoka seemed to be her letting go then when she confronts Vader she did not give up on him if not for Ezra she would have been ended there.

[@cieranthane1]

And with Ezra saving Ahsoka's life, there is now officially two different timelines in the Star Wars universe. I would hope the timeline where she dies at Vader's hands is where the sequel trilogy is and this timeline is the one where it doesn't exist. I was hoping they would utilize that aspect in the World Between Worlds. That way you don't offend anyone who liked the sequels because they exist in one timeline and with this show and Mandalorian and Grogu anything is possible in the future in this second timeline.

[@seanbraley2772]

If they were normal people I’d agree but they were genetically engineered for war they didn’t get things like PTSD and they few who made it through the war went on to be bounty hunters or mercenary’s war was what they were made for and it’s the world they wanted

[@stevedenis8292]

@@cieranthane1 Interesting Ahsoka tried to save Anakin but could not defeat Vader on her second time Anakin may have save Ahsoka?

[@NeoKingArthur]

@@cieranthane1 I don't think there's two different timelines. There's only one timeline and Ahsoka has always been destined to be taken out to the WBW at that moment by Ezra. Even before we see WBW in season 4, in the original season 2 finale of that battle with Darth Vader on Malachor, the very final shot was shown with Ahsoka leaving the ruins of the temple very much alive. So even when there's this whole talk about Ahsoka died sacrificing herself to let Ezra escape, I was confused why people are talking that way, because I saw at the last shot of Ahsoka very much alive walking towards the hole to get out of the ruins. The WBW arc to me was just to explain "How" Ahsoka survived Malachor and it also explained that Ahsoka was returned to the point in time after the sith temple was destroyed. Hence explained that final scene in the original season 2 finale. So no, I don't think there's 2 different timelines. Ahsoka has always been destined to survive and that the force guides those that it wills to fulfill their purpose. Sequel trilogy happens the way they happened. No matter how much we hate it, it happens. I would think Ahsoka probably be dead by then but through natural causes or in battle somewhere that we don't know. But not died at the hands of Vader at Malachor, or even be at any other time. Sequel trilogy occurs 30+ years after ROTJ. And Ahsoka was born 36 BBY. She would have been over 70 years old by then so either she's too old to do anything about what happens in Sequel trilogy, or that she died naturally sometime before that which again explains how she can speak through the force to Rey in that final duel.

[@Anonomius0]

I don't think you're taking into fact that although they were biologically 10 years old they were still adults.

[@c.w.simpsonproductions1230]

Man, seeing little Ahsoka really makes you see the early seasons of the Clone Wars a bit differently. Suddenly, the thought of that little girl dueling General Grievous is a lot more terrifying and disturbing.

[@Taxmandarmus]

💯 the animation had away of making you look past it. All the characters had relatively big cartoon eyes, so it makes the separation between adults and children seem less extreme.

[@novaexplorer2397]

Or that scene where she lost almost an entire fighter squadron, a child had that on their mind

[@dragonsman4733]

Not to mention remembering that there were other padawans her age, who were *killed* in it. Such as when Savage killed a young padawans master in front of him, and then slaughtering him. (I'm guessing it's a he) seeing so much death can cause serious trauma, that we kinda got to see with the three young padawans being hunted in two episodes, having to watch people die in front of them, while almost dying themselves.

[@CriticalNuance]

On top of the teen soldiers in the Jedi ranks think about the clones too. They are age accelerated. I think the oldest clones at the end of the war were about 13 y/o in real years.

[@catsaresocute650]

But the age accelation is real- meaning it also ages the brain so they are genuinly the age they are

[@catsaresocute650]

They're still essentialy slaves and ofc training children for war without a choice to any civilan live is in a sense rasing child soilders

[@seanbraley2772]

The clones are a little different they were genetically engineered to remove things like PTSD and other psychological disorders brought on by combat under Lucas they were also a little more robotic orders from a superior officer were basically like a command from god him self it’s why they were able to carry out order 66 there was no anger or fear to worn the Jedi through the force the only reason the republic used them instead of droids was they could adapt faster order a droid to get to the other side of a wall they will walk through it a clone will climb over or go around depending on the clone

[@D2RCR]

@@catsaresocute650Their lack of life experiences outside of war basically makes the clones child-like despite having adult brains.

[@WeezyOld]

@@D2RCRarguably infants, as even most 7-9 year olds have some previous worldy experiences, even if its like 3 years. Outside of war related experiences (I call the Kamino training and sims war on decaf) they are basically the equivalent of a young child at daycare, its even sorta seen at the beginning of the war with how they speak and act outside of normal military operations. They rarely hold “meaningful” conversations because they don’t really know how to talk about anything not mission relevant, start drawing and painting, or “making messes”, in attempts to start finding who they are.

[@dappledarling2564]

According to the Clone Wars, Anakin was a war "hero" a 1000 xs over....yet the council felt he wasn't Master material. I felt the CW did give us a sense of war is hell, the Jedi were not prepared And Yoda could tell the Clones individually from their life forces.

[@jamesarnold7253]

To be fair part of the trial to become a master is training at least padawan to become a knight. I think that's why it's called the rank of master. And Anakin never did that as she was kicked out It's a good bit of storytelling really because it's the council's fault she was kicked out but the council used that against Anakin who was the only one defending her. It makes him being angry about it seem more real

[@gabriellemaudlin9145]

@@jamesarnold7253the council could have looked past that “rule”. Being that ahsoka was framed and chose to leave where as she would have become a knight right after whicwould have given anakin master. The council failed at damn near everything if you think about it. They became clouded by the very dark side itself they warned about and became so arrogant to think the sith were extinct that they couldn’t see evil of it smacked them across the face. Their whole concept and culture was dogmatic and dooku knew. Dooku would have been a much better head master than yoda.

[@elpopman2055]

Being a war hero does not make you a Jedi Master

[@loserinasuit7880]

​@@elpopman2055It should when you did what Anakin did

[@mystify7478]

@@elpopman2055 He wasn't just a war hero though, he was also the Chosen One. And the Jedi kept telling him that, over and over again, but even as the Chosen One, the Council still refused to make him a master.

[@keanueraine]

Also to think, that Anakin, as part of her training because he feared to lose her, made her train to fight the very clones she fought along side. Like this woman's training was probably the most "intense" training a Padawan got in the Clone Wars. Wanting to make Anakin proud, wanting to probably make Obi-Wan proud, caring for and feeling responsible for Rex and the troops underneath her This woman carried a lot of weight at such a young age. The situations she was thrust in would break a lot of adults let alone children. Yet Ahsoka survived. But over time surviving wasn't enough. Ahsoka needed to live again, not just survive and go through the motions regretting and feeling that everything was her fault. Such a great episode.

[@descepticon9213]

You know that war was fueled by the darkside, the Jedi were total fools to the whole situation.

[@eliminoh_p7877]

It really speaks to this point when he says something about when he was a padawan they were teaching him to be a peacekeeper, now he’s training his padawan to be a warrior. Definitely fueled by the dark side.

[@daviddent5662]

Were they fools or was Sdious more powerful than anyone realized? We're seeing Echoes long after his downfall. Vader, Ashoka wondering if she's destined for such a path if even only for a moment and the tendrils of his First Order taking advantage of The New Republics clunky obliviousness and corruption. Hate the man if you must but he's truly one of the most scary and powerful Sith simply because he made a legacy that keeps spreading the taint of the Darkside. On par with Sadow and Bane in that he doesn't need to be there to see what happened and it still continues long after his downfall. Truly Sidious' scheme is darkly masterful in it's construction as much as it's execution.

[@lucarossi8442]

What should they have to do? There was a full scale war put in motion by the separatists and Palpatine's scheming. Entire planetary systems set on fire, they reacted with the only tools they have at their disposal (the clones army). But what would have happened if they decided to withdraw and let the separatists army have their way? Probably Palpatine would just get the clones army lead and hunted the Jedi down just the same.

[@GnaReffotsirk]

Yes. The darkside was tainting their thoughts during the war, until Anakin/Vader kills palpatine, he himself was in this trance.

[@adamsultana8380]

It was both Palpatine's schemes and the Jedi being a bit arrogant, short sighted, and a little naive.

[@D2RCR]

This was the next step from the last season of the Clone Wars and of Rebels. It's really hitting home now, and this was a really interesting way to explore that. Ahsoka was a child, Anakin wasn't that much older, and even though the clones aged quickly, they were basically children themselves as they had no life experiences outside of their time on Kamino before the war. All of these children were thrust right into an endless cycle of constant trauma.

[@WGENTERTAINMENT777]

14 year old commanders on an active battlefield is crazy. Being able to levitate stuff should not automatically warrant a leadership rank

[@RazorO2Productions]

Saint Joan of Arc be like

[@comicbooknerd3570]

Facts

[@painlord2k]

@@RazorO2Productions She never commanded any soldier directly. There just to raise moral, not fight.

[@darthroden]

It would be like putting a elite combat unit in the hands of a bunch of Monks.

[@ColinTherac117]

@@painlord2k To be fair, a lot of medieval kings were also only slightly older than Joan when they went to war. Henry 5th put down a rebellion and took an arrow to the face at age 17.

[@nachos4256]

it never really hits you when watching the Clone Wars since its animated, but seeing an actual real child there brings a much darker overview to the entire clone wars. They were KIDS, but they never really felt like them because of the Jedi training, and what the War required of them. Seeing it in live action made it feel so much more raw and dark

[@Darkpara1]

Hayden brings the physicality he was great at in episode II, and III.

[@StuffWithWords505]

with the ease and flow of how he moved, and his expressions in some of the shots, I feel like i can see Hayden relishing a bit at getting to show off those fighting skills again and it's so fun lol. I hope he had fun with it because it was a joy a to watch

[@GBody-sn5ok]

The actor is a 10, but the acting dialog that George gave him was like 5. I was expecting a tougher, wiser than his years, balanced in good and borderline evil that then when won over by the dark side, led his balance to unbalanced. Maybe a cut down the road will happen to make it more understandable.

[@wnvelslucas2794]

Thank you. You have at least touched on what Generation Tech, Screencrush, New Rockstars have all missed in Ahsoka's story, that was absolutely laid bare in this episode. This is survivors guilt. This is going to war when you were trained to "keep peace." This is learning to accept that you did bad things to worse people (and, yes, you enjoyed it), but now you are uncertain how to live with it, and what your legacy is. This is looking back on your early life when in your forties and wondering, "What the hell was it all for, and where do I go from here?" The answer, as much as it hurts, is "For-WARD!" Filoni has done a hell of a job capturing something that he's not had the experiences to grok.

[@krazypipe]

Thank you for saying it so well. I feel like I need a hug right now.

[@elirevzen418]

As someone with many veteran family members some of which were in battle at 17 you're comment means a lot to me. Especially your usage of "grok". War is not really seen or understood, it's groked, which makes it even worse for those to young to do so.

[@DeathScepter]

War is hell; so suffering is a major part of war. I will not be surprised that many Jedi and Clone Troopers will have severe PTSD. there are many reasons why Jedi hate war

[@dharmainthenorth]

Anakin's smile at the very end was heartbreaking, I thought. And it summed up a lot of what you are saying here I think - it's like he's not just comforting Ashoka as well as himself with that gesture, but us as well. And we all, Ashoka, Anakin and us as viewers, are now on the same page with the reality of the clone wars and our new perspective of the jedi and the republic as a result of such. I thought this was a brave decision of Filoni to push such a harrowing message front and centre of this episode, and it makes for much richer storytelling opportunities, I think, moving forward.

[@DraeganSkye]

This is so heartbreaking. Ahsoka was indoctrinated into the Jedi cult at 3 years old. It would be so hard for her to even question anything they did, but she managed to at least do that. It's a testament to her inner fortitude (and Anakin's training) that she survived Order 66. Ahsoka also survived TCW and the post-war years, dedicated her work as Fulcrum and a life of service due to her link with The Daughter/Morai. Due to these connections and her own power and skill in TCW, it was hard to see her for what she actually was - a child soldier. I love your take, too, that humor and being playful *were how she and Anakin got themselves through the damn war.* Her youth and the promises of the Jedi Order were taken away from her first by war, and later by trauma and probably CPTSD. Such an epically sad take, thank you for this video. This perspective, her closure with "Anakin, and choosing to LIVE, makes her turn to Ahsoka the White even more satisfying. I was so hoping Filoni would fill in this part of her story and he delivered!!!

[@Da219StarWarsGuy]

I've always pondered about the padawans that were in TCW. You don't exactly throw a 14yo into a war. We commonly do it with 18yo's, but they're a lot more developed physically and mentally by that time albeit not fully. War takes a toll on the mind, but it's even worse on a child who's just trying to figure out who they are when their innocence is taken.

[@Teknanam]

"We" as in first-world countries. A quarter of the world's armed forces still use child soldiers. With all the casualties the war had and how inexperienced the order was in wartime, I'm not surprised that they grabbed promising padawans and had them go to war.

[@Da219StarWarsGuy]

@@Teknanam I left out Germany using child soldiers in WW2. If a country is losing a war and running out of men they get desperate and use kids sometimes.

[@rumblefish9]

@@Da219StarWarsGuy Cal Kestis was 12. There's a part in Jedi Fallen Order where Cere tells him. "You were a child when they sent you out to war. You have never known anything else other than being a weapon." Fallen Order and Survivor were brilliant in showing survivor's guilt, ptsd and trauma. Filoni even borrowed some things

[@wnvelslucas2794]

@@Da219StarWarsGuy I'd implore you to look at much of the African Continent, non-State militaries in the Middle East and Asian-Pacific regions, Central and South America State and non-State actors over the last century, the factions during the Yugoslav Dissolution Wars of the 1990's to today, and hell, even the non-State "militias" that make up the gangs in "Modern Western Nations." Child Soldiers are really damned common in the modern world.

[@Princess_Celestia_]

​@@Da219StarWarsGuy We (The United States) used to send 14 year olds to war all the time. This 18 year old minimum (17 with Parental consent) is a relatively new thing, homie. Point in case John Lincoln Clem enlisted into the Union Army at 12 years old where he was promoted to the rank of Sgt. There where drummer boys as young as 10 and even the navy had children.

[@Iwillone]

Started fighting at the age of 14, left the Jedi order at around 16, and fought at the end of the Clone Wars at the age of 17.

[@stonerguru4246]

4:40 If you remember the episodes where she lead a fleet of starships into battle and disobeyed orders to pull out of the fight with her fleet. She was essentially responsible for the death of dozens maybe even hundreds of clones… ( I don’t remember the exact amount of clones, but it was an episode from one of the first couple seasons of “ Clone Wars”.)

[@ruffscetch]

That was the battle of Ryloth, which I believe is the battle they were showing in this episode. This was probably one of the most traumatizing moments of her life.

[@stonerguru4246]

@@ruffscetchthank you… I felt like she was directly referring to this episode/moment of her life.

[@johnd1466]

Ariana Greenblatt, what a great performance… how far her career may go as an actress The adopted daughter of Thanos became to adopted Sister of Vader. impressive, most impressive!

[@MaryBrownIsTheBlairWitch]

Knew I'd seen her before.

[@undie3x7]

She's also gonna be Tiny Tina in the upcoming Borderlands movie.

[@jj4429]

Mind blown tbh I didn’t realise how young Ashoka was until live action never really registered in animation plus the pint about yoda haven’t seen or fought the sith was mind blown never thought of it like that

[@paulhugo1623]

These few moments are (so far) the best of this series.... and the young actress captured Ahsoka incredibly well

[@TheCombatEditor62]

when I heard about the Ahsoka series I wondered if they'd do a live-action flashback, but I was NOT prepared to see her looking that young! it really makes you realize just how horrible her childhood was, when you realize she was just a little girl who fought for her life in battles, watched countless clones die, fought a terrifying cyborg and Sith lords, and then was NEARLY EXECUTED at only 17 for a crime she didn't commit! no wonder she left the order. the poor girl was traumatized beyond imagination.

[@Quadrenaro]

Rex was 10 years old at the start of the Clone Wars. Ashoka was 14, and Anakin was the only one old enough to reasonably fight in a war at 19. Of the estimated 1.7 billion clones, there were 80 Jedi generals, and 320 Commanders. These numbers are just estimates based on available data, but that's alot of young soldiers with few actual adults.

[@rumblefish9]

Cal Kestis was 12.

[@kippgoeden]

Where the hell do you get 1.7 BILLION clones???

[@soularprimestudios5930]

​@@rumblefish9Lord...really

[@Quadrenaro]

@kippgoeden There were 3 million units. Each unit consisted of 576 clones.

[@MaxRamos8]

Anakin was 20 or 21, not 19. He was 22 in ROTS

[@HotsRus]

The actress who played young Ahsoka, was fabulous. Total believability. She is going to go far in the entertainment business, keep an eye out for that one.

[@danykwood]

But in appearance she doesn't look like Асоку,

[@thahotkidd]

You just added a whole new layer for Palpatines plan for the clone wars for me. I always figured it was a distraction to keep them from sensing his presence and coincidentally thin out some of their numbers. But i never considered that he was also probably hoping to mentally break some of them through trauma and maybe even cause them to fall to the dark side. Thats an incredibly messed up plan. Dude really was one of the greatest villains in the history of fiction.

[@SharpDesign]

Also, Ahsoka is older than the clones.

[@DouglasRosser]

So far, I think Ahsoka (the show) has done a good job balancing the light-hearted escapism of most plot-armor-heavy Star Wars with the claustrophobic, almost hopeless dread and paranoia of Andor.

[@kittycat0876]

The more I find out about the Jedi the more I see why it happened

[@uchia4206]

You realise anakin was actually the good guy the whole time. The jedi disgust me more and more. Anakin was truly special and ahsoka too.

[@johnchukwudum673]

​@uchia4206 I see what you mean. And I understand. Funny thing about what you said is that, I have thought about this for more than 5 years, maybe 7+ years. The jedi order is messed up. The exact same goes to the republic. Not just the padawan's but also the actual clones themselves. Think about it. Please, think. The clones are actually 3years old. Chronologically anyways. Maybe 5 years old. I have been thinking about this for years. Am sure am not the only one.

[@Teknanam]

@@uchia4206 I wouldn't go that far. Too much black and white thinking. The Jedi didn't make Anakin massacre those Tusken families nor did they make him murder Jedi children. But they did a piss poor job of raising Anakin to be a Jedi. The Jedi were corrupt and Palpatine used that to his advantage, but that doesn't make him or Anakin good guys.

[@The_Gallowglass]

@@Teknanam Even the good can be corrupted. The wise can blunder. They can be redeemed too.

[@mowtow90]

More about why the people ware so eger to accept the Jedi perge. Also that Duku was correct the entire time - the counsel ware just a bunch of delusional idiots that ware completly out of touch with the world surrounding them.

[@stlegion-px1wo]

Think about this when obi wan becomes a Jedi knight he was 25 when anakin was 25 he was Darth Vader the clone wars pushed anakin so close to edge that house of cards collapsed with relative ease

[@eliminoh_p7877]

I didn’t know that, that’s crazy to think Anakin was the same age as Obi-Wan was when he beat Maul and had that amount of power.

[@chriscottingham4368]

Wow! Just WOW! This video is amazing. The layers upon layers of this galaxy far far away that we have come to love is so deep and complex. Just imagining the trauma of an untold number of children who had to endure something as terrible as a galactic war is mind blowing, and not just the children, but adults as well. War can scar the most callous of people… The intrigue of this Universe never ends.

[@eliminoh_p7877]

Seeing them being played by actual people this scene really hit me. Watched the all of the clone wars and it never really set in that was a little kid fighting in a bloody war. Amazing episode.

[@Josephkerr101]

I have always shunned the Jedi dogma. I was about the same age as Anakin when the duel of fates came out. I had been a fan of starwars prior and what I saw told me he was being manipulated early on not just by palpatine but also the order. And I was a little older than Anakin again when clone wars was out and I thought, how could I train a child to fight? I couldn't even fathom being stuck in Anakin's situation let alone ahsokas.

[@darksuffix1711]

To be fair the Sith were no better as they captured force sensitive children.

[@slewone4905]

Dooku is the wisest, and trained Qui GOn. Dooku saw the corruption of the Jedis, and Qui Gon followed in researching forbidden lore. Where he realize that the goal was to balance the force. Dark and light side are neither good or evil. evil is the lack of balance in the force. Remember, Jedi's shun romantic love. Hate is a dark side trait, but the opposite of Hate is not love, but indifference. Love is also a dark side trait. Both are part of Passion. which the jedis try to suppress. Anakin's lesson was to balance the force. he shows that he embrace both sides. Despite Ashoka knowing war is wrong, she is trapped still looking for a new war. Anakin told her to live, but it had duel meaning. To stay a live, but to enjoy life as well. To partake in a little dark side trait, of being a little selfish.

[@gerardojg]

Seeing Ashoka enduring battle at her age broke my heart.

[@GreenBro11]

I mean it is called Star "Wars" we always focus on the sci fantasy "Star" aspect but the war part is truly terrible. It’s a pretty tragic setting honestly, we don’t think of the people who suffer because of these continuing conflicts. Child soldiers, clones created specifically to die, oppression, slavery, losing your homeland, your family. Nearly every character in Star Wars deals with some form of trauma.

[@beakerbot-xq6pb]

Kinda wired going from fun adventures in the early seasons animated show to full on child soldiers played by an actual child

[@Jungoguy]

The Clone Wars show was fun at first, but this hammered home how much war sucks.

[@stevedenis8292]

There were many parts that I felt as a dad when watching it.

[@limegecko5673]

it feels like in the early episodes, Ahsoka still enjoyed the thrill of battle, but as time went on she realised what war really means.

[@chazo1367]

@@limegecko5673it’s also the way she looks in animation, in live action it really hammers home that she is an actual child soldier.

[@KaiMarcad]

This is the reason I stopped watching Clone Wars after first season. I didn't like the light take it had on war. After this episode of Ahsoka I decided to give Clone Wars another chance.

[@chazo1367]

@@KaiMarcad it gets darker as it goes on don’t worry. Some of the later seasons go into some really horrific things.

[@marlaschulze3521]

It would be so easy to make a Star Wars horror film I hope one day they’ll make one

[@animex-media]

Again, this episode was so crucial, a dose of the reality of what war does. It's more than physical; it's emotional, internal, and spiritual. All of that in one. For a ahsoka, it was learning how to rationalize what the Clone Wars was as a 14-year-old kid trained to let go of attachments and fight for peace is now fighting on the front lines, leading soldiers to death again. It's learning that, hey, you either need to fight or you die. Life is a constant struggle. There will always be one conflict to move on to the next, and eventually, the question will be asked. When is it all enough?

[@myretronation]

This is an eye-opener... I mean I was aware of Ahsoka's age during the Clone Wars animated series, but it didn't hit home because the mostly light-hearted atmosphere of the show. This latest episode of Ahsoka; showing a live action version of events; truly shows how horrific the Clone Wars was in a way the Prequel Trilogy absolutely failed to do since they only showed the first and final battles of the conflict.

[@AnthonyzCity]

I never really realized this until now that as a like 14yo she fought Grevious and saw the horrors of the Clone Wars.

[@ultrainstinctgoku1926]

This is how you do fanservice in flashbacks. The animated show didn’t really capture the fact that Ahsoka was a kid thrown into a full fledged war she had zero control or understanding over. All she could do was…fight and survive like the episode reiterated.

[@Princess_Celestia_]

Yeah it did, you just failed to registory cys "perty colors" distracted you.

[@oplars6487]

​@@Princess_Celestia_they just showed you a scene which the clone wars was severely lacking, i dont recall ahsoka ever showing signs of emotional trauma

[@Jiron127]

This actually paints an interesting parallel with dbz history of trunks. Anakin much like gohan is extremely gifted. Because of that giftedness, they can get away with cutting corners. Both lose limbs/die young. Their padawans or apprentice are ahsoka tano and trunks. Both started very young. Not nearly as gifted as the teachers. But become more level headed and serious. Ahsoka survived grievous, maul, order 66, vader (evil counter of anakin) and the empire lol. Trunks eventually beats frieza, androids, cell and zamasu (evil counter of goku). Anakin = Gohan Ahsoka = Trunks

[@soularprimestudios5930]

Yeah they always did give off Gohan and Trunks vibes

[@Jiron127]

@@soularprimestudios5930 yea the similarities are pretty interesting

[@Roald94]

well the way they show how the jedi order ended is basically showing what happens when a powerful trained force gets complacent, and doesnt do anything to stay sharp. in a way, you could say they brought their end to themselves, being how they were at the end.

[@ryancols]

This made me realize a significant chunk of fans and OP seem to have utterly forgotten anf d disregarded one such child soldier in RotS

[@maximleijh7239]

Give us a clone wars show but with this dark spin with ashoka anakin etc as the main characters again

[@bebruening6098]

The whole “It’s just a story about good vs evil” grows so much less valid with each addition to the franchise The more we learn, the grayer it all gets One could argue that life be like that

[@jssmzkprmtns]

Ahsoka... what an incredible episode. She's fought Dooku, Grievous, Vader, Maul, Ventress, and lived to tell about it while under the age of 19 😢 plus fought in a war that made no sense. I would've walked away as well.

[@hongkongfui100]

I've been enjoying Ahsoka so far, but this is the first episode that literally had me on the edge of my seat. The scenes with Anakin and Ahsoka, in the WBW and also in the Clone Wars flashbacks, were absolutely incredible. Hayden did an amazing job, reaffirming that he is Anakin Skywalker in all phases, Rosario was fantastic like always, and Ariana Greenblatt absolutely nailed young Ahsoka. Was getting annoyed with how long we had to wait for this show to come out, but it was absolutely worth it just for this episode IMO.

[@sbrown9020]

This makes this the most profound moment of star wars. I never actually thought of this. And yes this would cause panic and confusion. Wow. Thank you

[@peteramaranth85]

She was a child soldier... And so we're the bloody clones they were even younger

[@Lemure_Noah]

Epic review! Dave Feloni is becoming a story-teller legend in front of our eyes!

[@chadbrad8100]

good job spelling lmao🤣

[@arnie24070127]

I was 19 when I went to war in Iraq as an infantryman. I'm almost 40 now. And not a day goes by that I don't think about the war. The buddies I lost, the things I did and what I saw over the next 10 years. I was a kid, the army was my family but I had to walk away too. I relate to Ahsoka.

[@Princess_Celestia_]

Welcome to life, homie. It sucks, you lose people and you will do s**t that will haunt you for the rest of your life, war or not. That's the said reality of our existence.

[@arnie24070127]

@@Princess_Celestia_ yep....seen a lot of life. I'm not lamenting it. It was my training

[@B-A-L]

Wasn't the average age of a soldier in Viet Nam nineteen... n n n n nineteen?

[@GeekCredTrivia]

This reminds me of a panel I went to where some warner brothers execs brought up why Robin is hard to do in live action. In a cartoon young teens fighting and almost dieing all the time is ok. But show a live action 13 getting beat to death with a crow bar doesn't work. I love this scene and it shows how messed up the Jedi order got

[@SpaceCaseZ06]

For the surviving younglings and padawans, they would've had guilt after realizing so many of their childhood peers didn't make it. They would've seen the people they related most with as siblings shed blood

[@DiligoBarba]

No everyone doesn't have survival guilt that is ONLY felt by people that don't know right from wrong and assume that EVERYONE should have died in any given situation. That isn't real life.

[@overanalyze8080]

The clone on the stretcher reaching out to hold Ahsoka's hand. God did I sob.

[@23SquareHead]

The live action makes this hit so much deeper, Anakin feels like the big brother who tries so hard to be good but fails and ahsoka seems so innocent and scared and confused. They are children of war and cartoons dont sell that level of effed up ness

[@joesalyers]

The girl actress captured the essence of Ahsoka in ways Rosario could actually begin to incorporate. Ahsoka wears her emotions on her face, and you don’t need the Force to know how Ahsoka feels her face gives it away in the animated series, and the young actress captured that perfectly. Rosario struggles with this and I think it’s a symptom of acting with a green screen mostly with Huyang. But the young actress was 100% spot on as Ahsoka.

[@GregorySnipe]

That's because Ahsoka is older now. People change as they grow older.

[@nobodyshome6792]

The Jedi have ALWAYS utilized child soldiers. It is part of their training process. Whereas the Sith do not use child soldiers, nor have they in their cannon history. This is how I discovered that the Jedi were actually the bad guys throughout the cannon history of Star Wars.

[@mrjonsey]

The thought of someone that young out on the battle gives me makes me uneasy. Definitely hits different in live action. It brings it closer to reality.

[@chryssmetzler2098]

I'm just glad they didn't have the actress playing young ahsoka wearing the tube top she had during the first few seasons of the clone wars.

[@richardjohnson9543]

They could've had her wear something similar but more covered up, either way though this is one retcon I'm totally OK with. That early outfit had to go

[@nro.18]

@@richardjohnson9543 the retconned early seasons ahsoka outfit from TOTJ was pretty good

[@sgauden02]

The Clone Wars were the ultimate trap for the Jedi. By fighting at all, the Jedi lost.

[@KaiMarcad]

7:06 In addition to Baris, Reva was a good example of this in Kenobi. There was a lot of traumatized younglings to recruit as inquisitors.

[@eddog6666]

I think the blame falls sorely on Yoda. He should have trusted Qui gon jinn. He was a powerful force user. Dooku, Jinn, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ashoka and Barish all saw the fatal flaw in the Jedi. I don’t Blame Ashoka for the trauma she has. Of course she would blame herself for Anakin’s falls, even it was his choice, that blame created fear that she could fall because she has fallen to the dark side before and it killed her. The only thing that I can think that comes close to this is a storyline in Disaster Report 4: Summer memories. You come across a teach looking for 3 high school female students that get caught in a 8.2 earthquake. Two of the girls are bullies and the other one is the target of them. It all comes to a head when the target wants to jump from a collapsing building. The teacher is crushed under the building Saving the live of the girl. The death effects the bullies that they become model students and the target is so distraught that she runs away from her home blaming herself not realizing the two former bullies are also blaming themselves. The target is missing for about 2 1/2 months. And they make up after you save her from criminals

[@TheTrytix]

Everyone always talks about how Ahsoka was only 14 when she was brought into the clone wars, and 17 at the end of it, and it's all like "Oh how sad that the Jedi employed children into these wars alongside adult soldiers etc." But like... What about the clones? They were 10 when the war started, and 13 by the end of it. They were even breed for combat since the very beginning, but even though they look twice as old as they actually are, they ARE children in terms of age. Children who's been taught so strictly and thoroughly about warfare that they never had a proper childhood. And you think the Jedi Padawans had it tough?

[@akmason74]

It was intentional, Palpatine took advantage of the Jedi Order's arrogance, and forced them into abandoning their principles as they were ground down through a long war. The Jedi had to be dishonored first, or people would still secretly think of them as heroes and martyrs.

[@javiersp15]

As much as I love animated clone wars it makes it impossible to determine age. Through every viewing of CW I never put 2 and 2 together about just how young Ahsoka and Anakin were. This short vision just blew me away.

[@Ryoga100]

Why is this a surprise? You know going into star wars children where fighting everywhere. The fact THIS is what gets you is kinda weird.

[@OneTrueNobody]

The thing about the CGI Clone Wars series is that it was a CGI-animated show with a deliberate stylistic attempt to appeal to children, so seeing Ahsoka as a teen was meant to evoke feelings of youthful adventure more than anything else. Young Padawans who were forced to fight in the war effectively being child soldiers was always an undercurrent of the story, but it was one of those things that was deliberately underplayed in the early parts of the show, and only slowly surfaced as the narrative grew more mature season-by-season. By the time the story had given the audience time to fully process the implications, Ahsoka was a few years older and closer to adulthood, visually and in terms of personality. This scene showed a much younger Ahsoka from those early days of the war, but in a much more raw and grounded style. In a way it's a manifestation of the audience's 20/20 hindsight; this scene is meant to make real the thoughts that crept into the viewer's head around season five or six.

[@pueohoot543]

For too long I’ve wanted these themes to be addressed in live action!! It really shows their skill and growth when their true youth is properly conveyed

[@iwantgoals1566]

Honestly, I preferred seeing it in animation than in live action but I get the point you’re making. Especially the bit about the young Jedi thinking they’re secure and the order will be around forever, only to watch it crumble before their eyes. Really reminds me of that 1hr special we got at the beginning of bad batch where we see Kanaan lose his master, Debobolaba and have to go on the run. Reminds me of the comics too. It’s just another way ingenious Filoni has really fleshed out George Lucas ideas and I love it.

[@1MoreTurn]

When you account for the old republic lore, how the council of their day refused to participate in the mandolorian wars until Revan convinced a large majority of jedi to fight in it, it makes sense why the modern council did what they did. Instead of hesitating, they threw everything they had to hopefully end the war as quickly as possible rather than sit on the side lines and let their more impressionable jedi fight it alone. Though in the end, both ways didnt work.

[@JohnG44]

True, the council of the clone wars had already lost moment palpatine army was finished. The jedi, even if they refused palpatine, had a huge army to wipe them out.

[@mechwarrior-oz7pn]

This episode was so awesome, it really makes me want to see more live action stories set during the Clone Wars. A whole spinoff series diving deeper into the lore of this period can revitalize the franchise.

[@SpontanerSpeck]

Meanwhile Luke was Doing „wroom wrooom“ noises in his room with his toy speeder when je was 19

[@jcrespo1733]

Clones were child soldiers too, technically only 10 yrs old.

[@tofu_golem]

I already saw it this way. From the moment Ahsoka appeared, it was obvious that she was too young to be at war. Granted, she had powers that made it safer for her, but that's still no place for a child.

[@SharapovaFan]

Anyone feel like the entire Ahsoka series has that "Avatar: The Last Airbender" vibes?

[@Eraldo_Coil]

This makes the “did I ever tell you about Ahsoka Tano” video even more awkward than it already was 😳

[@TheBamaChad-W4CHD]

Something I've been thinking on more and more lately during our great times to be a Star Wars fan. The Jedi Temple on Coruscant was built over a powerful dark side nexus right? We know it affected their ability to sense the dark side. I think it did much more than that. Ever notice how Jedi we see during the Clone Wars series that did their training ot a different temple or had been off Coruscant a long time always seemed to be questioning the Councils decisions constantly? Even Obi-Wan and Anakin frequently thought the Council was wrong about almost everything. Obi-Wan would come back to Coruscant periodically and debrief and attend many meetings and Council sessions. He always "saw the light" of their decisions after coming back to the combat zones. Was the dark side nexus slowly corrupting the Jedi as they spent time at the temple on Coruscant? Was it making it easier for them to do things like send children to war? To basically enslave millions of produced humans to die for them? To make them turn on each other... Like they did to Ahsoka? Did it at the least plant seeds very deep... Seeds of fear? Because we a know what fear leads to right? What thoughts on this does anyone have?

[@fliplife67]

What sounds more crazy is having kids leading grown adults to battle that right there is a losing battle.

[@chrishealton3830]

The clones were only adults physically. They weren’t mentally quite like a real adult. They lacked experience and maturity. Technically, Ahsoka was older than many of them. The clones were about 10, with accelerated age.

[@BenFrankarts]

Childhood trauma, religious cult, endangerment, child soldiers as lethal weapons. The Clone Wars was far darker than most realize. No wonder Ahsoka left the order. Anakin too.

[@dakariszulu]

Wasn't Caleb Dune even younger than Ashoka when order 66 hit, 11-12 maybe a little older and he was basically an orphan run away, couldn't go home, no one he knew was around to turn to. have you done a deep dive into his backstory yet? If not then that might be an idea, great vid btw.

[@puppetshack4931]

Wow so true! Amazing episode BEST Star Wars show episode ever! Absolutely loved it!

[@noname-bu1ux]

Its important to note that the Republic imperialized the outer rim long before Palpatine declared an Empire. The Republic was willing to use a slave army to keep the outer rim from secession, but it was never willing to actually govern the outer rim, so instead the outer rim is governed by organized crime, slavers, petty bourgeois and feudal systems. And this seems to be maintained even throughout the sequel trilogy.

[@ryanguitargodfrey]

Am I the only one that noticed she started out with her green lightsaber and then when they started fighting again back in the world between worlds She had the two blue ones that he gave her right at the end of the Clone Wars that she gave up after defeating maul and order 66. Then they pulled her out of the ocean She had her white ones again

[@SuperRamos619]

Its depicting two different periods in the clone wars. When she has the green saber, its when she first became Anakain'd padawan. Also the troopers are wearing phase 1 gear. When she has the 2 blue lightsabers, its the last time Ahsoka actually sees Anakin, and he gives Ahsoka the two lightsabers. They part there and Ahsoka heads to Mandalore.

[@cortd5273]

I wonder how many siths lived and died preparing the downfall of the Republic during Yoda's whole lifetime. And how did he not sense any ofcthem.

[@cieranthane1]

In The Phantom Menace, it is mentioned that the Sith were wiped out a thousand years ago. Yoda is 900 and so he's never encountered (or any of the Jedi) the Sith or the true power of the dark side. Also, in the novel Tarkin, it is mentioned that deep, deep below the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, lies an ancient Sith temple. No one is aware of this except Sidious, who used it's dark side energy to cloud the Jedi Order. They were actually planning an Ahsoka arc in The Clone Wars addressing this but it was never realized. Another Disney show coming up is The Acolyte, which takes place 100 years before The Phantom Menace and I'm hoping they mention the hidden temple on that series. This would finally explain why the Jedi were weakening without knowing what was going on.

[@anthonyluclarocque1765]

The Jedi never should have involved themselves in the galactic Civil War

[@RocksD.Quebec]

Were people really thinking in the clone wars it was okay because she was animated? Literally since episode 1 of Ahsoka when everyone was complaining that she doesn't smile or laugh anymore I was saying that it's not surprising considering she was in a war from 14-17 then god knows what she had to do to survive during the empires reign. I wouldn't smile or make jokes if even a fraction of what happened to her happened to me.

[@johntaylor9381]

The Jedi were destroyed long before Order 66. Palpating turned them into the opposite of what they should have been. Also, another channel pointed out that the clones were technically child soldiers too. Their physical age was sped up but by the time they were fighting in battles they were only mentally 9 years old. The entire Clone Wars was saturated with the dark side.

[@justinamey7116]

Quick question, what were the Jedi suppose to be?

[@johntaylor9381]

@@justinamey7116 Peace keepers, not warriors. If you think about it, the entire war was set up by the Sith and the government itself was controlled by the Sith. The Jedi were, therefore, fighting for the Sith. They lost their way and got destroyed.

[@justinamey7116]

@@johntaylor9381 Okay so the sith decided to play politics against the jedi who never entered politics themselves and jedi are vilified only? Why are Anakin ahsoka who betrayed the treated with unnecessary sympathy but the rest of the jedi are betrayed as pure evil, but the pure evil sith no one talks about?

[@johntaylor9381]

@@justinamey7116 Becauae the Sith seek power, which is why they play politics. The Jedi used to stay out of politics but when the Republic demilitarized after the last war with the Sith the Jedi became the de facto protector of the government. The criticism is that they became servants of the Senate instead of servants of the Force. The Sith took advantage of that and destroyed them.

[@andrewmead9198]

Watching her lose her innocence is heartbreaking.

[@wesleycolvin7158]

Their pacifism over those thousand+ years had made them complacent, giving the Jedi Order a detached view of the galaxy and a false sense of superiority. Honestly, telling the Jedi not to develop any 'attachments' is a philosophy that ultimately backfired. That philosophy ruined Ahsoka's life and gave Palpatine much of what he needed to manipulate Anakin against. Padme was the last straw.

[@1dragonchon]

Seeing Greenplat play her in this terrible war was even more important

[@alanmacleay6213]

Great analysis. The whole of star wars just gained a new level of meaning and Filoni's plan has amazing depth.

[@themarathongamer7635]

Barriss Offee got it first. She just took the wrong approach by blaming Ahsoka....but what her monologue at Ahsoka's trial was 100% spot on.

[@Astralwolf23]

I love how it does shows the reality of war.

[@moon-eyedpagan8941]

If the Jedi wore bodycams I bet they'd have believed Qui Gon...

[@user-dg2ub7rn8i]

In short, the Jedi Order as a whole killed more younglings than Anakin ever did. And unlike Anakin they never felt guilt or remorse about it.

[@stokerjoe4734]

Great emotions episode, especially with the added real human actions. It is sad what happened to the Jedi order and yes to see in real human Ahsoka as a child teenager was upsetting, i never paid much attention when it was in an animation form, wow shocker!!! Can we say, the Jedi order was manipulated like puppets in the secretive life of the emperor, such a grand scheme and power of the dark side.

[@soldierhobbes1182]

It’s cool seeing Hayden getting to take part in Clone Wars era stuff.

[@Legoboy55able]

Does being a child really matter if you're a walking battalion?